Image: Ubisoft
Based on the amount of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope content we’ve seen over the past few months, we were concerned that a certain amount of fatigue would set in before the game’s October 20 release date. Now the big day has finally arrived and the reviews are out for the world to see. So, was the incessant publicity worth it? Welcome to our latest roundup!
We can’t just jump into what other critics are saying without giving our opinion first, can we? Despite some issues with the game’s ease of use, overall we were quite impressed with Sparks of Hope, giving it an 8/10 in our review describing the game as “a must-play for both Mario and strategy game enthusiasts’.
But don’t just take our word for it, here’s what other outlets had to say about Mario’s latest weapons-wielding outing:
We start with the positive words of Eurogamer. While the site doesn’t give a specific numerical value of what the game is worth on the likes scale, the review praises the title’s ingenuity and development over the original game:
The character selection is colorful and quirky, encouraging experimentation, and in addition to equipping items and sparks, each character has a handful of skill trees to plug points into as they level up. (Characters are also automatically leveled from the battlefield.) Add bosses, inventive victory conditions, deep Mario universe areas, and clever battlefield design and you’ve got something really special.
IGN does give a numerical value in its review, and that value is indeed commendable – 9/10 to be exact – with the game’s loading screens being the only major drawback:
Between battles, catch your breath in the large and brilliantly colorful open worlds, solve the light puzzles and be amazed by the strange story. It’s extremely satisfying to play an ambitious sequel that solves all the major issues I had with the original, and then some.
GameMe+ continued this gushing positivity in a 4.5/5 star review, praising the game’s strategic depth and links to key Mario games:
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope captures everything that made the original so special, while delivering a more complex and complete experience. It offers a new level of strategic depth, with world building making it more of a Super Mario game than you might expect.
Dexerto echoed our own opinion in its 8.5/10 review, praising the game’s entertainment value, but would have liked more of a challenge:
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope builds on its predecessor in surprising and delightful ways to create a tactical RPG that is among the best in the genre. While it may lack the challenge of some of its contemporaries, it’s a fun adventure that, while still feels like a fever dream dreamed up by a child’s imagination, is one of the best titles of 2022.
NME was equally positive in its 4/5 review, describing the game as “one of the Switch’s best offerings”:
Ubisoft has a sublime grasp of Nintendo’s platforming charm, and mixed with Rabbids’ more absurdist humor, Sparks Of Hope can turn even the most seasoned speed runner into a complete tourist, scouring every level in search of the next prank or side quest.
Finally, The Guardian was a little less glowing in its 3/5 review, in which it appreciated the game’s tactics but felt Nintendo’s ness was its ultimate downfall:
When you come across those iconic gold coins, you are immediately rewarded with the telltale Mario sound effects, but the joy is missing. Movement is slow. Mario can’t jump. The thrill of jumping into a coin is instead replaced by a hollow-feeling, Nintendo-branded collect-a-thon.
Will you be picking up Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope soon? Let us know in the comments below?