Mario's Duelling Rabbids

One of my final reviews for Infinite Rainy Day was on Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. I thought it was fun, giving it plenty of praise. 5 years later, I’ve beaten the sequel, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Unsurprisingly, I enjoyed it a lot too. But which is the better game? That’s the real question!

Reminder that, as always, this is all subjective. There’ll also be spoilers. You’ve been warned.

(Videos courtesy of Nintendo of America.)

Story:

VS

If there’s a downside to most Nintendo franchises, it’s their stories being practically non-existent. This is especially true with their RPGs, which have premises, but little else. I love Mario games in particular, but every “plot beat” is recycled and can be called from a mile away. Essentially, it’s not worth discussing this section. But I’ll try anyway.

In Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, a nameless and faceless inventor creates a robot named BEEP-O. BEEP-O’s tasked with guarding a transportation device, but when some Rabbids sneak up and activate it, they, together with BEEP-O, are transported to The Mushroom Kingdom. From here, Mario and friends travel the kingdom and clean the Rabbids’ mess, all while BEEP-O figures out who keeps sending him emails.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope picks up where the previous game ended, introducing an antagonist named Cursa. Cursa’s absorbed Princess Rosalina’s observatory and wants to destroy The Mushroom Kingdom. Being the heroic types, Mario and friends, with the help of BEEP-O and his new AI companion, Jeanie, go galaxy hopping to rid everywhere of corruption. Unlike the previous game, there’s a plot structure here, including some surprises and a twist-reveal. It’s not a great story, but it’s something!

I already know which game I’m giving the point to. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle has fun with its lack of a narrative, it even reveals that BEEP-O sent the emails to himself in the post-credits scene, but its story’s not really a story. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope’s narrative leaves plenty to be desired, but it actually has one. And it has character arcs, however lame or shallow they are. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope wins.

Winner:

Controls and Gameplay:

VS

If Mario RPGs aren’t known for their stories, then they compensate for that with their mechanics. Simply put, they’re streamlined to be easily-accessible for children, making them “baby’s first RPGs” outside of the Pokémon games. With the Mario + Rabbids games, they’re “baby’s first tactical RPGs”, as they play a lot like the Fire Emblem games, but nowhere near as complicated or frustrating. This is especially true of the controls, with each button having its use. You can even fast-forward enemy combat with Y and skip cutscenes by holding B. How convenient.

While both games control and play similarly, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope has two advantages. For one, the over-world’s more open. Whereas Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was straightforward and divided into chapters, making exploration nigh-impossible, the sequel has diverging paths in each world for optional side-quests. This not only fleshes them out more, it makes them feel bigger too. You really get a feel for the finer details, which is great given that some of the puzzles are really challenging!

The second improvement is the combat. The combat objectives are the same as the first game, but you get more variety. The first game had five options for each character (move, jump/dash, standard attack, secondary attack and special item), while the sequel has two additional moves via the Sparks, creatures with special attacks that can be upgraded with Star Shards. This not only makes battle mechanics more exciting, but these Sparks can be mixed and matched for each of the 9 companions, which is helpful considering that you’re forced to use all of them against Cursa.

One potential downside, however, is that Cursa’s fight drags. The battle with MegaDragonBowser’s tedious and unfair, but it’s short and straightforward. There’s a sense of accomplishment with beating him, as he puts up a real fight. Cursa isn’t as hard, especially if you’ve levelled up your party, but the battle takes too long and lacks the full impact. With MegaDragonBowser, you have to work for your victory. Not with Cursa.

Still, I’m giving this to Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. It’s not as difficult, especially near the end, but it has much more to offer. It also has more variety.

Winner:

Aesthetic:

VS

I’m going to be upfront and give this to Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Aside from the graphical improvements, it takes advantage of the Switch’s hardware. The original game felt like a slightly improved 3DS title on the Switch, with its linearity and shortness of length. The sequel, however, feels like a genuine Switch entry, which is great for anyone who wants to see what an RPG’s like on the system. It also has more variety in its worlds and characters.

Winner:

Sound:

VS

You’d think this’d be another easy win for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, right? After all, it has full-on voice acting, something Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle only has snippets of! Unfortunately, the voice acting’s inconsistent. It’s limited to select characters, and it doesn’t always match the text-boxes. It also loops one-liners in battle. It can be skipped over too, which is a bummer. Basically, what’s the point in having VAs perform lines if you’re not actually incentivized to hear them?

So yeah, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle wins.

Winner:

Overall Appeal:

VS

Now for the final category. While I love both of these games, I have to choose one. Which’ll it be? The game that started everything, or its sequel? The entry where you fight Rabbid Donkey Kong, arguably my favourite boss, or the entry where you fight Dark Bowser? Simplicity, or Sparks?

I’m going with Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Sure, Cursa’s not as engaging a final boss as MegaDragonBowser, and the voice acting’s wasted, but everything else is an upgrade. (And I already loved Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle!) Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope wins.

Winner:

Overall Winner:

Apologies for taking so long with this, but I hope you enjoyed!