English
Gamereactor
previews
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - Final Impressions

We visited Paris to find out what kind of tactical gameplay we'll get from Mario + Rabbids.

Subscribe to our newsletter here!

* Required field
HQ
HQ

Although the first meeting of Mario and the Rabbids was accompanied by much speculation, their final reveal ended up being one of the big surprises of this year's E3. Instead of being another RPG spinoff, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle turned out to be a strategy game in a similar vein to Xcom. At a final preview event in Paris, therefore, Ubisoft demonstrated how this unusual mashup isn't at all shallow.

If we imagine Mario with a chunky weapon in his hand, it's kinda cool but somehow also quite absurd. Apart from a few funny comics and fan-made videos that you can find elsewhere on the Internet, the Mushroom Kingdom has always been very peaceful. Ok, there was a water pistol in Super Mario Sunshine - but that seems to be as far as Nintendo was willing to go. Now in his mid-30s, the friendly plumber can finally reach for weapons of a different calibre. Mario, Peach and Yoshi are getting ready to grab new weapons and even grenades, in order to defend themselves. What once seemed unthinkable is now becoming reality in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. As some of you no doubt know, some situations call for drastic measures...

Ubisoft's crazy Rabbids have arrived in the Mushroom Kingdom and they've brought chaos with them. As expected, the title is very humorous right from the start, and fortunately, that humour goes far beyond the bizarre costumes of the Rabbids. However, after E3 many of us were sceptical as to whether or not Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle would be a fully fledged strategy/tactics game that possesses the necessary depth, or whether it would only scratch the surface, with both series characterised by their simplicity and accessibility. However, Ubisoft isn't working on strategy lite, in doing so making it playable for casual gamers and smaller kids; you can really expect the full treatment, with all the usual game mechanics plus a decent portion of Rabbids madness thrown in for good measure.

This is an ad:

Before each battle we can choose three characters from Mario and his friends, as well as the appropriately disguised Rabbids characters. Each one has unique abilities and their own strengths and weaknesses. This can be seen in the personal skills trees, along with primary and secondary weapons and two specials. The skill tree is divided into movement, attack, and technique, and even though some paths are similar to each other, most of them are tailored to a particular character. Princess Peach, for example, can learn a technique that heals allies, while Mario has the possibility to launch a counterattack as soon as an enemy dares to break cover. Luigi's long legs, on the other hand, give him more freedom in terms of movement.

HQ
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom BattleMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

At first sight, the game does seem quite simple, but after a few rounds it becomes clear how much detail has actually been put into a system that rewards clever play. During each turn, a character can attack an opponent or trigger certain abilities, explore new areas, and use team mates as means to expand their range. Talking about possibilities, there are secondary weapons included, including hammers, grenades or even small vehicles, which can, among other things, deal honey damage (careful, it's sticky!). Looking for weak spots, flanking enemy positions and attacking from behind often isn't enough to beat an encounter on its own; our three characters need to work as a team.

This is an ad:

You simply won't get by without having a strategy, something that we had to learn the hard way on a map from the latter part of the game. In the ghostly world there is a level in which enemies are continually spawning and we must reach the target area in order to proceed. However, this simple plan is made more difficult by a quartet of foul Boos that will catch a character if they come too close. They don't deprive the team of energy or frighten them to death, their strategy is much more perfidious; they abduct the possessed character and drop them far off at another point on the map, too far from our initial target and far away from the other two heroes, defenceless.

HQ
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom BattleMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

We needed three attempts to finally escape the terror of the Boos. Before facing the end boss of the world in question, we also had to solve a little riddle and unlock the road to the next area. In terms of story, Bowser abuses the power of a special Rabbid for his wicked plan to create a steady stream of new opponents. One of them is the combination of a Rabbid, one of those Boo ghosts, and a gramophone. The result is an opera-singing phantom which awakens beautiful memories of the Great Mighty Poo from Conker's Bad Fur Day. This boss fight is also turn-based, and we had to destroy some spotlights first in order to damage the monster itself.

The overall package has left a very good impression, though. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle offers challenging battles, plenty of tactical possibilities, and the chance to implement an individual style of play, but it also combines all that with an element of exploration. In Kingdom Battle there are lots of things to discover, little secrets to be found and a world that's full of witty references to typical Mario situations. We have a pretty good feeling that it will all come together to make a well-rounded experience.

Co-op was also announced back at E3. This mode includes 16 maps, upon which two players with two dedicated characters have to work together. In Paris, three of the maps were playable and they seemed to show an experience similar to what we've seen from the single-player mode. It starts slow and simple, but the challenge is ever increasing and we expect interesting ideas in terms of structure and new mission objectives. If for example, our turns are limited in terms of number and we have to reach a certain goal, we're going to have to go in armed with a plan. Those levels play out almost like a puzzle, and there are escort missions included also.

HQ
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom BattleMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Maybe this is one of the reasons why Ubisoft isn't talking about online play at the moment. The selection of the characters is vital to each mission, ensuring players have to team up and discuss their options. During some exchanges it might be more useful to play patiently, and sometimes these things often work better if both persons are in the same room and know each other well. Still, we'll keep our fingers crossed that we can decide for ourselves at launch and that online support is at least offered as an option.

Even so, the co-op mode still feels like a bonus to us. It is a nice addition by itself, we have to admit, but the emphasis is very clearly on the single-player experience, which turns out to be not only fun and entertaining, but also offers depth. On top of that, we can join up with a buddy and apply and extend our tactical understanding of the game. Even without online support Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a welcome surprise. The strategy/tactics genre looks set to be enriched by the new features and additions that come via both the Mario and Rabbids franchises, and it's certainly a game that will appeal to new players. We're looking forward to the launch of what looks a fun game that brings silly jokes and strategic depth to some of our very favourite digital friends.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom BattleMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Related texts



Loading next content