Come see the comedy, stay in the fight.
Earlier this month, Ubisoft invited Pure Nintendo to San Francisco for a hands-on presentation of the upcoming Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope. We were able to play the game for about 3 hours at the media event. The time I spent talking with Davide Soliani, the game’s creative director, was an opportunity to go beyond that.
The gameplay session was split into two segments. The first was about the prologue and opening world of the game. This introduced us (as well as the player) to the game’s plot and combat mechanics. The second session gave us a closer look at the intricate strategies involved when several worlds jumped into the game, things got in full swing, and party composition options got more complex.
I wanted to provide videos of these sessions. Unfortunately my gameplay had a problem capturing him and I couldn’t hear the audio. Great idea to record your own sound effects (ala teen titans go) has been removed by the editor. So instead of watching me (Mario, Rabid Peach, Edge, etc.) quietly run the game, just a quick bullet point preview of what to expect from Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope when the game releases. increase. October 20, 2022.
- As anyone who has played the previous games knows, Mario+Rabbids is truly a Mario experience. From his opening movie to his adventures, Mario fans can feel very comfortable within these familiar worlds.
- Again, there is much to explore. As well as bouncing from combat phase to combat phase, you can explore freely to find secret areas and bonuses that will help you level up your character. Some areas require light puzzle solving to reach, such as placing a rock inside a cannon and shooting yourself into otherwise unreachable areas.
Image taken from a gameplay video capture of a pre-release build.
- There is also a slew of mini-games available. See the random ring standing on the beach? Run it to unlock challenges that offer nice rewards.
Image taken from a gameplay video capture of a pre-release build.
- In the early levels, you start with two heroes to familiarize yourself with the combat mechanics. It also focuses on catching “sparks” to use throughout the game.
- Sparks come with a variety of abilities that can aid them in combat or open up different areas to explore. These “buddy” abilities greatly increase your effectiveness against certain enemies, so you should spend time optimizing your party.
Image taken from a gameplay video capture of a pre-release build.
- Having the right heroes in place also helps. There have been many times when I’ve left my characters vulnerable to attacks, but I’ve been able to compensate with adequate protection or healing abilities during combat. You can bail it out and try again with a different hero/spark combo.
- Speaking of which, Sparks of Hope is serious about it when it comes to entering turn-based combat scenarios, whether as part of the story, as a sidequest, or just as a random encounter. You should enjoy the setting. for example…
- When it’s your turn, you can choose your characters in any order and move them freely around the limited area of the battlefield. This allows you to see who can attack, who can attack, as well as determine what type of damage they can do. You can keep moving until you attack. After that, you can’t move, so you want to make sure you defend after attacking, but the remaining action points can be used for other purposes (healing, buffing, etc.).
- It is important to utilize the abilities of different characters. For example, Luigi is a good sniper, but not when the enemy is protected. Clearing his shot straight with Rabid Peach causes Luigi to do a lot of damage.
- Characters can also help expand your combat range. For example, if Edge is unable to reach a certain area, Mario can throw Edge into the air to float over obstacles and land behind enemies to deliver a devastating attack. You can also attack!
- All of this takes place on a very large, well-designed battlefield that uses familiar Mario gameplay elements (such as warp pipes) to move around.
Image taken from a gameplay video capture of a pre-release build.
There’s still a lot to explore, but I’ll save the details for a full review. I will conclude by saying that it captivated me instantly. I’m more into that camp than the world of Mario or Rabbids, but I’m also drawn to the game’s colorful presentation and goofy sense of humor. and not. did you know who?
Is Sparks of Hope better than Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle? But that’s another feather in the Sparks of Hope hat. You don’t have to try the previous installments in the series to enjoy it. A lot of gameplay is packed into this game, and there are almost as many surprises. I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface for hands-on opportunities. We look forward to digging deeper when the game releases on October 20th.
In the meantime, for more information, please visit: www.ubisoft.com Or read issue 62 of Pure Nintendo Magazine.
