When the first Mario Rabbids came out in 2017, many were skeptical about the idea of creating a Mario turn-based strategy, and even in a crossover with rabbits from Friv2Online. But the game suddenly became a hit, and the release of the sequel was a matter of time. Will Spark of Hope succeed in repeating the success of its predecessor? Let's find out in our review.
Even the most devoted Mario fan will agree that it is not necessary to seriously talk about the plot in any game about a mustachioed Italian plumber. Of course, in "Sparks of Hope" it is, as in the first part - some gloomy cosmic entity named Kursa infected many worlds with a black slimy substance called Darkness.
As you may have guessed, Mario, Luigi, Peach and their eared friends will have to save the galaxy from all this disgrace, traveling the planets on the STiRK ship , resembling an eared iron. The faithful BIP-0 is also with us and received an acoustic wave capable of moving and destroying some objects. Each planet, in the spirit of almost all Mario games, is a unique biome with its own natural features - there will be tropics, mountain peaks, and forest.
The space theme is clearly a reference to the vibes of Super Mario Galaxy, and the title Sparks of Hope is a hybrid of the local lum stars and rabbits. By the way, the crossover of universes also received a plot and lore justification - at the level of plot and lore that, in principle, are present in the Mario universe.
NEARLY OPEN WORLD
Unlike the first part, the locations have become more open. You can explore them non-linearly by completing main and side tasks, collecting coins and consumables, solving fairly simple puzzles and opening the so-called memories - elements of the lore, even reduced to a kind of codex. Moreover, after opening new worlds, you can also travel between worlds freely - and for completing some side tasks it will really be required.
In exploration mode, you can now choose a team of any three heroes and not get attached to Mario, as well as play mini-games like "throw a fish in the fountain for a while." This brings Sparks of Hope closer not even to strategies, but to RPGs and adventures in the open world - however, almost all turn-based strategies use role-playing elements to one degree or another.
Coins can be spent in the store for consumables, as well as for instant healing of the entire team at a fixed rate tied to the level. For completing tasks, we get special coins of the planet that are unique for each world, which can be spent in the store located right there on the keys to secret zones, memories and weapon skins. The latter do not give anything but an external effect and at first cause cognitive dissonance - but by now it’s already good that they don’t ask for real money for this.
NOT QUITE STEP BY STEP
The basis of the game, as before, is the battle. Now they are held in separate locations-arenas, as in some JRPG - the costs of moving to more open locations.
On the other hand, this approach made it possible not to limit the battles and turn some of them into rather tricky puzzles, although in general, in the vast majority of battles, you just need to defeat all the enemies, and the battles, by and large, are quite monotonous - but this feature is typical for the genre in in general and has nothing to do with a specific game.
The mechanics of controlling characters in battle has also undergone a number of changes. We still have access to movement, dash (sliding, knocking the enemy down and dealing damage), team jump (moving through the air over a long distance with the help of a teammate) and shooting, but the principles of their use have changed a bit.
Now before the shot is fired, it is possible to move around the entire available zone, using abilities, as well as dash and team jump, rendered into separate actions per turn. But after firing a weapon, movement becomes unavailable.
Thus, in a turn, you can do not two, but at least four actions - a dash, a team jump, use an ability and shoot - and by performing the first three, you can continue to move throughout the available territory. As you pump, the number of actions can be increased, for example, to get additional jerks.
The nature of the snatch and team jump has also changed. A dashed bo-bomb, for example, must be grabbed quickly or it will explode in real time right on your turn. The team jump now also lasts real time and is controlled directly by the player.
In general, the changes cannot be called bad, but they are at least ambiguous. Fans of frankly measured step by step, they will not come in - there is less time for reflection. On the other hand, the new approach opens up enormous opportunities for tactical flexibility and ingenuity.
SPARKS INSTEAD OF GUNS
The main innovation is just the title Sparks. There are several dozen of these luma-rabbit hybrids in the game that can be equipped as equipment for characters - first one, and then two. Each of them provides the bearer with unique abilities - one active and one passive. For example, it gives an attack the power of fire and at the same time gives resistance to this element.
Given the number of Sparks, their effects, upgrade options, variety of characters and all possible combinations, it is they who provide the game with incredible variability in the passage - and we have not yet touched on the leveling of the characters themselves, which we will talk about in the next section.
But they decided to abandon the pumping of weapons and the statistical results of battles. Now each hero has access to only one weapon with unique abilities - for example, Mario has two pistols, from which he can fire two shots at different targets, and Rabbit Peach's rocket launcher hits a canopy over obstacles.
For each battle, we get a fixed amount of experience, coins, and star shards used to upgrade Sparks. However, the "replay the battle after the victory" function is still there, although its purpose has remained a mystery to me.
FRIENDS AND ENEMIES
As already mentioned, now we are not tied to Mario and we can assemble a team from any available heroes. Each of them has their own unique weapons and abilities. For example, Luigi can shoot across the map and use overwatch mode on the enemy’s turn, Mario Rabbit can deliver deadly melee attacks with power fists, and Peach can give the team invulnerability for several hits.
Powers and abilities are divided into several short trees and are pumped using special skill prisms that can be obtained upon reaching a new level or completing certain tasks, and all characters receive prisms, not just battle participants. The developers frankly took pity on the player and gave him complete freedom - all skills can be rolled back and redistributed in a new way. Another coin in the treasury of replayability and variability.
The death of one or even two characters in battle does not have serious consequences - they simply lose consciousness and get back into line after the victory. In case of defeat, the battle can be replayed. Before each battle, you can change the composition of the team, as well as equipped sparks. As you progress, you begin to use this more and more often, choosing the optimal composition depending on the enemies.
Enemies have different attacks, as well as vulnerabilities and resistance to certain types of damage. A tactical view will help to recognize them - by pressing the left stick, we switch to the BIP-0 control, which, when approaching the enemy, can show all its strengths and weaknesses. This mode is available both directly in the battle and before it starts.
The enemies themselves are quite cute and varied - for the most part, these are various variations of rabbits and creatures familiar from the Mario universe, but there are also new opponents, for example, arrows or claws. There are also huge bosses , some of which may later appear as regular enemies.
HEALTHY BUT FLAWED
Although Mario Rabbids is not exactly Nintendo's own exclusive, technically the game is in no way inferior to them. Visually, it continues the very successful aesthetic of the latest 3D Mario games (Odyssey, 3D World, Party Superstars, etc.), which, due to its cartoonishness and simplicity, provides excellent animation quality and stability.
Small questions are sometimes raised by the operation of the camera - in most locations it rotates freely, but in some rooms it stands in a fixed angle, sometimes uncomfortable. I suspect that this is not a bug, but a feature, but I do not always agree with the ideas of the developers about the convenience of the players.
The soundtrack may be a little short of the recognized masterpieces such as Origami King or 3D World, but very, very worthy. At first, the controls may seem a little overloaded, but once you get used to it, it becomes obvious that it is rather problematic to make something more convenient and thoughtful in the console turn-based strategy.
As you might have guessed from the name, the game has localization. As a person tightly immersed in the topic, I noticed a number of minor flaws, but they do not break the game and practically do not affect the pleasure of the process.
VERDICT
Mario Rabbids Review: Sparks of Hope
Despite all the ambiguity of the changes and minor technical flaws, the Mario Rabbids sequel, in my opinion, was a success. It's a great turn-based strategy game with a fresh approach to combat as well as interesting exploration and leveling elements. In place and traditional for the latest Mario games juicy colors and a good soundtrack.
The most controversial opinion about the game, oddly enough, may arise among fans of the first part - solely because it was not so before. For those who have not played Kingdom Battle, Sparks of Hope will surely appeal to you right away - the lack of acquaintance with the first part will not cause any serious gaps.