Review: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a confident, joyful sequel

videogameschronicle.com:

Jeff Minter once said that being asked to work on Space Invaders was like being asked to play guitar with Dave Gilmour from Pink Floyd.

So you can imagine how it must feel for the team at Ubisoft not only to be handed the keys to the Mushroom Kingdom once but to be asked back for a second go around Rainbow Road must have had them brimming with confidence. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is full of that confidence.

The sequel sees Mario, Luigi, Peach and their Rabbid impersonators take to the stars as they travel from planet to planet, warding off an incoming threat from the Darkmess, which isn’t a typo, just a slightly confusing name for the in-game badness that’s dished across the universe by Cursa, the game’s main villain.

Cursa, having staged a coup against Bowser, has taken control of his army and tasks them will collecting Sparks, a Rabbid-Star hybrid which is spread across Sparks of Hope’s handful of planets.

Like the first game, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a turn-based tactics game, the elevator pitch being “Mario XCOM”. While that might conjure images of a hugely simplified version of the strategy classic, the game, much like its first entry, isn’t afraid of challenging the player.

From a gameplay perspective, the largest change for those who played the first game is the free movement that players can now use on their turn. This does make for some interesting changes in strategy, which are necessary thanks to the cunning AI who’ll chase you around the map.

While the takes away the chess-like strategy element of the first, it’s a welcome change, even if it doesn’t actually massively impact how battles play out. You still have a set amount of distance you can travel, and there will still be shots you miss that you