Here’s everything you need to know about Mario’s next galactic adventure

The Mushroom Kingdom heroes and Rabbids team up again for another exciting strategy adventure.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was one of the games to make it to Nintendo Switch in the hybrid console's first year. Through a seemingly strange mashup of characters, Ubisoft's Rabbids and the Mushroom Kingdom crew combined their worlds for a truly delightful strategy game, reminiscent of the gameplay found in XCOM. Now, the sequel, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope will soon grace us with even more silly moments and tactical rounds. Plus, it's bringing Mario and his crew to space!

What is Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope?

Mario has found his way into a number of different crossovers over the decades, but Mario + Rabbids definitely stood out from the others. It's a strategy game that borrows elements from XCOM. You control Mario characters along with Rabbids who are dressed up like our favorite Mushroom Kingdom denizens, like Yoshi, Peach, and Luigi. Each character has its own class, attacks, and weapons, which you must utilize to survive turn-based combat encounters with evil Rabbids.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is the sequel to the 2017 original, this time taking the crew of familiar Mario characters and their Rabbid doppelgangers into space. The team that worked on the first game has returned, including Creative Director David Soliani and composer Grant Kirkhope, responsible for the music of classic games like Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, and even the DK rap. We can definitely expect some bangers in this new game.

What's new?

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a new adventure that sees the group traveling across space to defeat a malevolent entity known as Cursa while collecting Sparks. The group is joined by Rabbid Rosalina, as well as a new, green-haired Rabbid who wields a powerful sword. New enemies join the fight as well; in the sneak peek look at the gameplay, we spotted Bob-Ombs and Goombas, as well as evil Rabbids that resemble Shy Guys and another Rabbid that's reminiscent of Captain Toad.

The Lumas from Super Mario Galaxy have been fused with the Rabbids, with each Luma imbuing party members with special abilities. In one gameplay trailer, we see Mario make use of a red Luma to call down a meteor shower. A blue and yellow Luma were also seen in the trailer, though it's unknown what power they'll grant. We think that these mutated Lumas might be the Sparks mentioned on the Nintendo eShop page.

In the cinematic trailer, we also see Mario wielding two guns in each hand, Luigi with a bow and arrow, and Peach with a cannon umbrella, so we expect lots of new weapons to be introduced as well.

Did Nintendo accidentally leak its own game?

It did! Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope was revealed ahead of Ubisoft's E3 2021 show by Nintendo themselves. The Nintendo eShop page went online too early, revealing that the game's reveal was imminent. The first game was also leaked ahead of its reveal back in 2017, so it's either Nintendo's way of keeping with tradition or a funny coincidence.

Playable characters in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope?

In one trailer, we spotted Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach, alongside Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Luigi, Rabbid Peach, and Rabbid Rosalina. While Bowser wasn't seen in the trailer, he does appear in the artwork, but it's unknown if he'll be a friend or a foe and if he'll have a Rabbid counterpart.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle also included Yoshi, as well as his Rabbid doppelganger, but he wasn't in the trailer or promotional art. Donkey Kong and Rabbid Cranky, two characters introduced in the DLC chapter Donkey Kong Adventure, have also not appeared. There will be nine playable characters in total, according to the Nintendo eShop page.

When will Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope release?

There's currently no release date for the game outside of a 2022 window. But it's possible we'll hear more during the June 2022 Nintendo Direct Mini, which takes place June 28, 2022, since this is technically a third-party game developed by Ubisoft.

Mario and the Rabbids return!

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

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A new galactic adventure awaits

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is sure to include lots of new and exciting improvements when this crazy crossover hits the Switch in 2022.