Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope – Review In Progress

gameinformer.com:

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope doesn’t release until Thursday, October 20, but the review embargo lifts today. However, I’m still journeying through Mario’s latest tactical crossover, so I’m not ready to give a full verdict as of yet. In the meantime, however, here are some impressions based on roughly the first half of the game.

As a fan of Kingdom Battle, I’ve enjoyed what I’ve played of Sparks of Hope. It retains the core strategic gameplay of the original, so if you liked the first game, you’ll probably enjoy this as well. Removing the grid and having freedom of movement feels liberating, however, and is one of the big game-changers. It's interesting because this doesn't change my approach to playing a turn-based tactics game. Heroes still have limited ranges and can’t move after attacking. But controlling heroes as I would in a regular third-person game feels better and adds flexibility in positioning while, potentially, making it more inviting to non-tactics fans. I also like how Ubisoft Milan applied this philosophy to encounter and stage design. Certain enemies and level hazards operate in real-time; a lit bob-omb explodes in seconds regardless of turn order, and I love that I can avoid certain dangers by simply running out of the way instead of planning steps ahead to do so. 

Sparks also has a welcomed element of strategy. Equipping these Luma/Rabbid hybrids enhances standard attacks with elemental traits, like fire or ice. Now, when starting a battle, I have to take into account elemental weaknesses on top of the opponent types and terrain. I like how Sparks encourage me to be more mindful of the playing field; I’m constantly swapping Sparks between heroes and assembling my team accordingly. Since you can equip