Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

 Switch
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: Oct 20, 2022
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 242 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 165 out of 242
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 242
  3. Negative: 40 out of 242
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  1. Ksl3e
    Oct 25, 2022
    6
    Overall I like the game, but am disappointed with several aspects. The 'real time' gameplay adds a new dynamic which is fun to explore. I am really enjoying playing with Bowser and the characters from Kingdom Battle. I am not keen on the new rabbid heros.

    For me, the story and plot has potential but is a bit weak compared to Kingdom Battle. In Kingdom Battle, each world had themed    Overall I like the game, but am disappointed with several aspects. The 'real time' gameplay adds a new dynamic which is fun to explore. I am really enjoying playing with Bowser and the characters from Kingdom Battle. I am not keen on the new rabbid heros.

    For me, the story and plot has potential but is a bit weak compared to Kingdom Battle. In Kingdom Battle, each world had themed villains that were introduced in a fun way, the bosses were themed too. In Sparks of Hope, the worlds seem pretty much the same (I've just complete world 3). I like that it's set in Mario Galaxy, but it would have been fun to have a few more elements from galaxy to tie everything together.

    I like the Sparks! They're cute and fun. Although some are little over powered.

    Overall I find the game very easy (I have it on the hardest setting). I try not to heal too often to add some difficulty. On the topic of healing I find it annoying only rabbid peach can heal.

    I think the worst thing about the game is Beep-o's voice. I have had to turn off the volume for voices as it was unbearably annoying.    … Expand
  2. DolphinReviews
    Dec 20, 2022
    6
    Didn't capture the magic of the first game. It's less of Mario + Rabbids and more of boring new OC characters. Barley any new Mario elements added. The battles no longer take place in the actual world, you just get teleported to a battlefield. The core gameplay is still good.
  3. thelonesoldier
    Dec 23, 2022
    5
    This is the video game equivalent of a Disney straight-to-video sequel. It's a low-effort pale imitation of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Some of the many negative changes:

    - Major graphical downgrade - Much fewer bosses - Reduced difficulty. Even on Hard mode, it's way too easy - Removal of Challenges and Coop - Removal of ranking and the ability to replay battles to earn a    This is the video game equivalent of a Disney straight-to-video sequel. It's a low-effort pale imitation of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Some of the many negative changes:

    - Major graphical downgrade
    - Much fewer bosses
    - Reduced difficulty. Even on Hard mode, it's way too easy
    - Removal of Challenges and Coop
    - Removal of ranking and the ability to replay battles to earn a better rank.
    - Much longer and more frequent load times
    - Smaller worlds
    - Very few battles that were actually designed by level designers; most battles are now extremely low-effort procedurally generated battles that are pathetically easy.
    - Removal of weapon upgrades
    - Removal of secondary weapons
    - Much lower-quality cutscenes
    - Extremely boring story
    - Bad writing. All of the jokes fall completely flat
    - Too many reskinned enemies with different abilities. I could never remember which of the 5 ghost enemies was which

    The developers claimed in interviews that they removed coop because this game was bigger in scope, but that's an outright lie. They either had a tiny budget or lost all of their skilled devs. Rather than building upon the greatness of the first game, they needlessly reworked the grid-based movement into free-form movement, and phoned in the rest of the game.

    The fact that this has good ratings from critics has made me lose all faith in the review industry.    … Expand
  4. Hackattaque
    Dec 15, 2022
    7
    As a big fan of the first game I found this sequel lacked a lot of its predecessor’s magic. Visually it’s a step backwards, using a space setting with some ugly-looking planets that have none of the charm of the Mushroom Kingdom. The story also robs us of the chaos and wit of the original, which used Rabbids to gently poke fun at their Mario counterparts. Instead we get a dull quest to ridAs a big fan of the first game I found this sequel lacked a lot of its predecessor’s magic. Visually it’s a step backwards, using a space setting with some ugly-looking planets that have none of the charm of the Mushroom Kingdom. The story also robs us of the chaos and wit of the original, which used Rabbids to gently poke fun at their Mario counterparts. Instead we get a dull quest to rid the universe of evil, and a new hero called Edge who isn’t very interesting. Thankfully the core gameplay is still as entertaining as ever, with a decently long campaign and one or two challenging boss fights. Still, for every quality of life improvement (such as turning the old movement grids into more natural circular zones) there are some new mechanics that I didn’t enjoy, such as the huge array of power-ups and a focus on Spark abilities that make fights less strategic. And the less said about the puzzles in between the better. A fair effort, but could have been more.… Expand
  5. Lani337
    Jan 31, 2023
    5
    To be honest, I haven't finished the game yet, but I have a hard time doing so. The Combat, while decent, isn't quite as good as the grid system of the First Game and XCOM, arguably the Idol of the Mario + Rabbids Games. But Problems don't stop there. The charm of the first game vanished almost completely. The Voice Actors did a good job, but it really hurts the humor of the game. In termsTo be honest, I haven't finished the game yet, but I have a hard time doing so. The Combat, while decent, isn't quite as good as the grid system of the First Game and XCOM, arguably the Idol of the Mario + Rabbids Games. But Problems don't stop there. The charm of the first game vanished almost completely. The Voice Actors did a good job, but it really hurts the humor of the game. In terms of Graphics and Soundtrack, they did a fantastic job, but sadly, the game just is worse than its prequel in almost every way. You can still have fun with the game, but it sadly couldn't fulfill my expectations. Maybe my thoughts on it will change once I'm finished… Expand
  6. Krami
    Nov 24, 2022
    6
    It can gets boring very fast and the idea of the open zones wasn´t a good one. I just wanted a new Mario+Rabbids not a completly new Game
  7. sloomo
    Dec 10, 2022
    7
    It is OK, but not as fun as Kingdom Battle. I was eager to play this and feel disappointed, even though I got it on sale for $35. If you want to play this I would wait until it’s around $20, as this feels like a fair price.
  8. Pasqui
    Apr 30, 2023
    4
    I sincerely don't know how, but I didn't enjoy this game at all. I loved Kingdom Battle, but I almost hate this one. The map feels dispersive, the battles are too repetitive and it is literally IMPOSSIBLE to not get hit in the battles. I played at normal difficulty and these motherfuc*ers always hit me, every fuc*ing time. At first I thought it was just a skill issue, but I've soonI sincerely don't know how, but I didn't enjoy this game at all. I loved Kingdom Battle, but I almost hate this one. The map feels dispersive, the battles are too repetitive and it is literally IMPOSSIBLE to not get hit in the battles. I played at normal difficulty and these motherfuc*ers always hit me, every fuc*ing time. At first I thought it was just a skill issue, but I've soon realized that it wasn't. It doesn't feel rewarding at all and it bis also graphically glitchy. And also... WHY DO THE FREAKIN' RABBIDS TALK… Expand
  9. arh3399
    Dec 7, 2022
    7
    I like a lot of the new elements they added to this game like the deeper world exploration, more quests, and free movement in battles instead of a grid. That said this game is really repetitive and it gets old by the end. There are 5 worlds in total and the quests are basically identical copy and pastes across each world. The gameplay is good, but overall the game is way easier then theI like a lot of the new elements they added to this game like the deeper world exploration, more quests, and free movement in battles instead of a grid. That said this game is really repetitive and it gets old by the end. There are 5 worlds in total and the quests are basically identical copy and pastes across each world. The gameplay is good, but overall the game is way easier then the first to the point where strategy really doesn't matter anymore. I like the world designs but since you just do the same stuff in each by the end I was just hoping for it to end. Overall its a good game, but it could of been a lot better with a bit more creativity. My other big complaint is that there are some major bugs that prevent you from 100% the game, which otherwise is super easy to do. The only way to correct one of them is to start a new save, play up through the third world again and hope you don't get the glitched quest again. Also the game in general just gets buggier the deeper in you get which seems like it was rushed but they did delay the game to polish it more so theres no excuse for it.… Expand
  10. CopperCone89
    Nov 22, 2022
    7
    New fighting gameplay is good but I miss some solutions form kingdom battle. Also on Kingdom battle I was laugh like small kid because of rabbids, in this part rabbids at not funny anymore, they are actually annoying. Weird is that some of characters talk all text, another just first words, and other just make some weird noises. After Mario + rabbids Kingdom Battle I had big expectationsNew fighting gameplay is good but I miss some solutions form kingdom battle. Also on Kingdom battle I was laugh like small kid because of rabbids, in this part rabbids at not funny anymore, they are actually annoying. Weird is that some of characters talk all text, another just first words, and other just make some weird noises. After Mario + rabbids Kingdom Battle I had big expectations from spark of hope, but it fails…… Expand
  11. Labkor
    Nov 27, 2022
    7
    Spark of hope m'a laissé le même sentiment que Kirby et le monde oublié, des mécaniques fun, un visuel soigné mais tellement sur-accessible qu'il gâche la satisfaction en jeu et bride son level design.

    Les 2 premières heures de jeu étant plutôt bonne, on découvre son univers plutôt sympathique, le gameplay plutôt intéressant avec chaque personnages qui à sont propre gameplay,    Spark of hope m'a laissé le même sentiment que Kirby et le monde oublié, des mécaniques fun, un visuel soigné mais tellement sur-accessible qu'il gâche la satisfaction en jeu et bride son level design.

    Les 2 premières heures de jeu étant plutôt bonne, on découvre son univers plutôt sympathique, le gameplay plutôt intéressant avec chaque personnages qui à sont propre gameplay, l'utilisation des sparks pour bien varié nos stratégies, il y a des phases d'exploration plutôt agréable, ça partait du bon pied.

    Mais malheureusement, la désillusion est vite arrivé, et tout cela viens, encore une fois, de la sur-accessibilité dans ces 3 domaines :

    :d) La difficulté : Pourtant (comme Kirby), je l'ai mis au maximum que je pouvais, mais rien à faire, les combats sont trop simples, il n'y pas à se creuser la tête trop profondément et on peut faire les 3/4 des niveaux en pilote automatique, sans réel gestion d'équipe et de sparks, et sans besoin d'utiliser les objets, c'est un peu dommage
    :d) Le Level desgin : Des maps qui se ressemble beaucoup trop, des ennemies recyclés, parfois quelques **** coup de folie bienvenue mais c'est très rare (Notamment le niveau avec le Wiggle géant), encore une fois, on sent les idées, mais on sent aussi qu'il ont pas voulu faire quelque chose de trop compliqué pour ne pas perturber les jeunes joueurs de chez Nintendo, et donc, pas de prise de risque, beaucoup de niveaux aseptisé, plaisir du jeu réduit et redondant.
    :d) L'histoire : Bien que Nintendo à l'air de s'en curer l'oignon dans ses jeux-vidéos, l'ajout de pas mal de doubleurs compétent et d'essayer un petit développement du personnage de Jeannie offre pas mal de dialogues et de cinématiques, encore une fois avec un joli visuel, mais qui est trop infantile, on est plus proche du dessin animé pour enfant plutôt qu'une histoire à la Pixar, donc, le fait de mettre autant de dialogues inintéressant peut briser le rythme et force le joueur à passer, encore une fois, dommage.

    En fait, tous le jeu est "dommage", tous ce qu'ils ont implémenté est bien, mais se retrouve bridé, le jeu à mis une phase d'exploration une fois les combats terminés, on y explore plusieurs planètes, toutes différentes, avec des DA inspiré, un visuel sacrément joli pour de la Switch, qui me fait dire qu'il s'agit là d'un des plus beau jeu Switch voir le meilleur, des quêtes de "Spark" intéressantes, avec parfois des Puzzles à la Captain Toad qui essaye de varié le jeu, mais c'est gâché, des énigmes simpliste en mode, je casse un rocher qui bloque l'interrupteur pour pouvoir l'activé, des persos trop rigide, incapable de sauter qui nous force à prendre des échelles, des tuyaux avec des animations répétitif qui rend l'exploration longuet, une touche accélération, qui si, vous effleurer un mur ou un petit obstacle, vous vous tapez une animation d'étourdissement de 3 secondes, beaucoup trop de détails dans les maps parfois, qui rend illisible les endroits où on peut visiter et ce qui fait parti du décor. Sans parler des mobs niveau 10 qui vous aggro alors que vous êtes niveau 15, déclenchant un combat inintéressant et un temps de chargement beaucoup trop long.

    Et comme Kirby, la dernière planète était tout simplement... Génial ! Il à fallu que je retry, les combats de boss était assez compliqué, il à fallu que je revoie mes stratégies, ma gestion d'équipe, ma gestion des spark, optimiser au maximum pour avoir la victoire, et un combat de boss en 3 phases, toute différentes, toutes intéressantes, si SEULEMENT le jeu aurait été comme ça tout le long, on aurait eu un sacré titre.

    Je parait encore un peu saignant et aigri sur ce test, mais purée, encore un jeu qui apporte de jolies idées mais ne veut jamais les exploitées à 100%, donnant donc une déception car on sait que ça peut être mieux. ça n'en fait pas un mauvais jeu, loin de là, mais c'est OK, plutôt oubliable(Comme ses musiques d'ailleurs).    … Expand
  12. Pymloll
    Feb 13, 2023
    7
    The game is really good. The battle system is great and improves on the one in the original game. It's more creative, diverse but easy to understand. The strategy part goes in the the creation of the team: you can mix and match characters, sparks and abilities to make your team stronger. I played on Normal difficulty and found it maybe a little easy but the difficulty was exactly what IThe game is really good. The battle system is great and improves on the one in the original game. It's more creative, diverse but easy to understand. The strategy part goes in the the creation of the team: you can mix and match characters, sparks and abilities to make your team stronger. I played on Normal difficulty and found it maybe a little easy but the difficulty was exactly what I wanted: Normal. The open areas and sidquests are a great addition and they never get boring if you don't do them all at once. The biggest issue with this game is that it get SO REPETITIVE. The entire third world could've just been deleted and I would've liked the game even more. With how long battles and especially bosses take the game needed to be a bit shorter. It's not even a story issue, because the story is actually decent, it's mostly just that it starts getting boring and repetitive.
    The game itself is actually good though, and definitely something I do not regret buying, but I never see myself replaying this game again.    … Expand
  13. wrongpassword
    Oct 25, 2022
    7
    The combat system is improved from the first game but the presentation in general is a step down. There is far too much reliance on text this time around and I am not a fan of the new voices. Whenever I hear Beep-O, I want to shout "Shut up C-3PO!". I also wish they used the splash screens for villains. The mook intros didn't have as much of a punch in Spark of Hope.
  14. Surg3on
    Oct 30, 2022
    7
    Its not bad but you can see Ubisoft management have got their dirty fingers into this game. Rabbids are not meant to talk but for some reason have voice lines in battle. Maps covered in things to complete rather than the natural discovery of the first. I'm not sure who in ubisoft thinks a map isn't a map unless its drowned in icons but its belittling to the audience. Weapon selection isIts not bad but you can see Ubisoft management have got their dirty fingers into this game. Rabbids are not meant to talk but for some reason have voice lines in battle. Maps covered in things to complete rather than the natural discovery of the first. I'm not sure who in ubisoft thinks a map isn't a map unless its drowned in icons but its belittling to the audience. Weapon selection is gone but replaced with Sparks so thats OK.

    Worst of all being the portals that spit out enemies that are allowed to move and act the moment they appear. A turn based game no-no.

    Core battle gameplay (except the portals) is excellent though.    … Expand
  15. DudeManLegacy
    Oct 29, 2022
    8
    I'm a big fan of the previous installment. This sequel carries over the concept of Turn Based Strategy and the unique combat abilities and that's it. If you came for Kingdom Battle 2.0, this is not the same experience. Where KB had structure and each character had their own playstyle, Shards of Hope flips that on its head and comes up with a fluid design that allows you to trick out yourI'm a big fan of the previous installment. This sequel carries over the concept of Turn Based Strategy and the unique combat abilities and that's it. If you came for Kingdom Battle 2.0, this is not the same experience. Where KB had structure and each character had their own playstyle, Shards of Hope flips that on its head and comes up with a fluid design that allows you to trick out your squad in whatever way you see fit. Random encounters on the overworld are introduced and Sparks generate that variability that changes your character playstyle. The way movement works now, there's tons of abuse to be had, in terms of strategy. This is making the release state of the game rather easy. However, two DLCs are guaranteed and I hope that they take notes of how players are engaging the content in order for them to make more engaging battles.… Expand
  16. lilboa
    Oct 21, 2022
    10
    I'm impressed by the combat system. The movement mechanic in combat has huge potential!
  17. ElSmasher
    Oct 26, 2022
    8
    5 years after the first album, La Switch gives us an appointment with Mario+ Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. Ubisoft has given itself some freedoms compared to the first opus, and it works rather well. Artistically, the game is excellent and offers us a much deeper story than what Mario usually offers us. The gameplay is more airy and the difficulty better gauged. We would have liked a lifespan5 years after the first album, La Switch gives us an appointment with Mario+ Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. Ubisoft has given itself some freedoms compared to the first opus, and it works rather well. Artistically, the game is excellent and offers us a much deeper story than what Mario usually offers us. The gameplay is more airy and the difficulty better gauged. We would have liked a lifespan at least equal to the first but it’s not serious, the voices are more put forward and the rabbits too, to our greatest misfortune!… Expand
  18. prw_88
    Oct 29, 2022
    0
    1. They should have stayed with the grid system. It was easier to pre plan your moves before you commit. You also don't have to commit with any movement you make. In the prequel all moves were final and that's what made it fun. It was like playing chess. Moves are only final after you shot. It makes it too easy to position your team with team jumps than it should be and omits a large1. They should have stayed with the grid system. It was easier to pre plan your moves before you commit. You also don't have to commit with any movement you make. In the prequel all moves were final and that's what made it fun. It was like playing chess. Moves are only final after you shot. It makes it too easy to position your team with team jumps than it should be and omits a large portion of the strategy. 2. Open world. Too many side quests and forced puzzles. It takes way too long to go from one stage to the next. The prequel didn't waste anytime. Puzzles should be optional. If I can skip a puzzle I always do. I rarely skipped a puzzle in the prequel. 3. No weapon specialties like honey, push, ink, etc. I'm mostly done with the second world and I have yet to see any. Maybe I am wrong. 4. Annoying voiceovers. I had to turn them off. This is rare for me. Very rare. 5. The sparks can be handy but I would prefer the secondary attack in the prequel. You shouldn't have to make the decision to use either a spark or activate Healing (rabbid peach), etc. I also find that most of the sparks are not as helpful as they could be.

    6. Special activations only last one enemy turn! If you activated a defensive spark, or Counter Blow (rabbid Mario), Hero sight (Mario), and the enemy doesn't hit you, or not in the line of sight for Hero Sight, on their turn, it will not carry over to the next turn! You lose it! I could be wrong, but in the prequel if the special attack wasn't used it will remain active until it is used. 7. There is no benefit to prevent your characters from dying. No rating on how well you performed. No incentive to do better. Minor Critiques

    8. The menus could have been designed better. It takes longer than it should to adjust to them. 9. The rabbids act too serious. They are not crazy anymore. It is strange to see. If this was a standalone game I would have given it anywhere from 5-7. The battles are still very fun. However, the prequel was a MASTERPIECE and when you compare to the prequel, it is pretty bad. Too much emphasis is on the puzzles and open world and that's not what Mario rabbids is all about. This is a switch game I would sell once completed but I am losing motivation to play because I have zero interest in forced puzzles. I was hyped about this game and maybe that is a reason why I feel so negative about it. It is not what I expected at all, based off the prequel.    … Expand
  19. GameforGamers
    Oct 21, 2022
    10
    such a fantastic sequel to the first game, MARIO + RABBIDS SPARKS OF HOPE added more stuff and more depth to the starategy gamepla.
  20. WindMaster25
    Oct 22, 2022
    10
    Honestly this might be one of the best Mario spin-off game i have ever played, the gameplay has really improved, the visuals is amazing, the soundtrack is fantastic, and the story is really good, seriously go buy it it's amazing!
  21. Phobophile89
    Oct 29, 2022
    4
    Ubisoft what have you done?

    Graphically it's unbearable. Textures are all squared, not pixelated, literaly there's visible squares. Shadows are terribly bad, shading is atroceous, resources poping is constant, frame drops constently and everything is so badly aliased i cannot believe this game was developed specificaly on the Switch. Some text lines are fully voiced, some only have    Ubisoft what have you done?

    Graphically it's unbearable. Textures are all squared, not pixelated, literaly there's visible squares. Shadows are terribly bad, shading is atroceous, resources poping is constant, frame drops constently and everything is so badly aliased i cannot believe this game was developed specificaly on the Switch.

    Some text lines are fully voiced, some only have the first couple words voiced, some have just a couple keywords voice, and some lines have different text vs. what the voice actors says!

    Then there's that thing where Team Jumps doesn't show where you can land and you have to eye-ball it and commit to it as it's active time based now, in a turn base that an annoyance. But there's those blowing statues that are also active time based, which mean you can get blown away while trying to think what your next action will be. The bob-ombs will explode if you don't throw them fast enough. Some monsters do area-of-effect damage when they die, you can just kill them by dashing and run to avoid it.

    Then some encounters have so much jump pad that some "Reach area" encounters can be done without even firing at the enemies in a single turn.

    The whirlpool in the sand, why not explain how to interact with them?

    The secret-zones, why remove them from the map if we need to go there a second time after completion?

    Why preventing me from replaying the final boss???

    The scripts are bad. Anything trying to be half epic is so cringy it's actualy embarassing. The riddles seems to have been written by a 12years old. Most characters catch phrase makes them despicable...

    Sometimes, the white dots that are supposed to turn into a prompt to activate, a door, a ladder, whatever, will not appear. Meaning if you were doing a secret-zone time trial, or even trying to do a coin challenge, you can just try again. Tough luck.

    In some cinematics, the caracters will just zoom into place. Sometimes they will just pop out of nowhere, but some time they literrally are positioned very very far from the camera and just get dragged into place.

    I found a couple places where Mario will just stop in it's course, as if there was an obstacle. But no, it's just that some tiles are a couple pixels over the others actualy fracturing the plane on which the characters progress. If you restart a secret-zone time trial, only the main caracter will populate at the right place, the others will be where you left them, and they'll just teleport back into place when you move.

    Before a combat, you can dash in an enemy, or get dashed by the enemy... It serves absolutly no purpose. When you jump off a cliff, or take a ladder, there's a moment when you can't use Beep-o for no apparent reason. When you find a memory the character stalls there a moment, as if it's reading. Instead of wasting time on those annoying and useless details, Ubisoft could as well have polished the game...

    Compared to the first installment the planets are less linear, but does not look as good, and now the battles interupt the trip.
    Luigi's react ability have a black bar in the middle of the screen, covering the energy aura. It looks very bad and is terribly amateurish.

    I could continue ranting on this game but i can't keep track of what complaints i still have since there's so much!!!

    Oh, one last. The last line of the credit roll doesn't display properly.

    I'm throughly disgusted i spend 120$Canadian on this poor excuse of a game.
    I LOVED Kingdom Battle and was extatic when Sparks of hope was announced, but it is not only a lesser game, it's terrible. Ubisoft put absolutly no effort in that title. Nintendo are usually very meticulous and proud of their franchise and i hope they see how bad Ubisoft handled their franchise. Poor design, poor execution, it's a shame.    … Expand
  22. CptCaleb
    Oct 30, 2022
    5
    Not sure why they thought the combat mechanics needed to be simplified so much. They eliminated all secondary weapons, the skill trees are small and not very unique for each character, with no variety of weapons (only 9 weapons in the game). Each character functions so similarly now that it just feels stale.

    I loved the first one, so I was really excited about getting a sequel but this is    Not sure why they thought the combat mechanics needed to be simplified so much. They eliminated all secondary weapons, the skill trees are small and not very unique for each character, with no variety of weapons (only 9 weapons in the game). Each character functions so similarly now that it just feels stale.

    I loved the first one, so I was really excited about getting a sequel but this is pretty disappointing to the point I might not get thru it. Can’t for the life of me imagine how anyone feels this is an upgrade on the original in every way. Seems exactly the opposite. Humor and environments are nowhere near as good as the original either.    … Expand
  23. Jt0429
    Oct 21, 2022
    9
    Good-
    Fun story with a unique sense of humour and endearing characters; Real-time movement changes the combat in fundamental ways; Combat feels much more dynamic; A vast and varied roster of characters, each of whom is a blast to play as; Expanded progression mechanics make for impressive build variety; Significantly expanded exploration; Plenty of side content; Stellar soundtrack; Looks    Good-
    Fun story with a unique sense of humour and endearing characters; Real-time movement changes the combat in fundamental ways; Combat feels much more dynamic; A vast and varied roster of characters, each of whom is a blast to play as; Expanded progression mechanics make for impressive build variety; Significantly expanded exploration; Plenty of side content; Stellar soundtrack; Looks great.

    Bad-
    Side activities can get a little repetitive; Some technical issues.

    Thoughts-
    Ultimately though, this is an excellent game. Given how much I liked Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, I would have had absolutely no issues with a sequel that played it safe and didn’t change things up too much. Sparks of Hope deserves credit not only for taking risks where many may not have felt they were needed, but also excelling in the execution of its new ideas. An expanded and much more dynamic system, a charming and humorous world and story, and a satisfying level of mechanical complexity come together in what may very well be one of the best games in the Switch’s esteemed library.    … Expand
  24. Saldor100
    Oct 23, 2022
    10
    They still make very good light srpg game and kid friendly. If you liked the first one, you will love this one.
  25. Olitechno
    Oct 22, 2022
    9
    A must play game!
    2022 has brought us the most expected game of the genre, a mix of Nintendo characters with the rabbids madness just can mean one thing: FUN.
    Refurbished quest system with a well detailed world, not to mention about the battle system, it has been enhanced too.
  26. Spassbremse
    Oct 27, 2022
    1
    I cannot enjoy this game because
    (1) The voiced characters never shut up and are annoying as hell
    (2) The Ubisoftification of the over world makes every area feel like a litany of icons, side quests, and busy work which makes me not want to explore (3) The game overtutorializes for the first hour or more (4) There is a weird amount of heavily flashing lights in the backgrounds of some    I cannot enjoy this game because
    (1) The voiced characters never shut up and are annoying as hell
    (2) The Ubisoftification of the over world makes every area feel like a litany of icons, side quests, and busy work which makes me not want to explore
    (3) The game overtutorializes for the first hour or more
    (4) There is a weird amount of heavily flashing lights in the backgrounds of some levels which gave me eye strain and might cause seizures in certain players.

    I wanted to love this game...I 100%ed the first one I loved it so much, but I am a few hours in and I am /just/ not enjoying this one. It feels bloated and overstuffed with typical "Ubisoft" bland game design, whereas the original was simple, elegant, fun, and funny. Seriously downgrade and seriously disappointing.    … Expand
  27. Vondalex
    Oct 22, 2022
    10
    Un jeu incroyable, d'une grande qualité et très original. Le challenge est présent et on se sent fier de réussir et d'avancer dans l'histoire. Il y a aussi des modes faciles dans les options si necessaire. Je recommande !
  28. Dany8
    Oct 21, 2022
    9
    Una secuela superior, donde ubisoft se marca tremendo juegazo! Divertido, estratégico, no faltan las risas y te pone a marcas una estrategia con un equipo que sea perfecto para la aventura
  29. Erroriste
    Oct 24, 2022
    10
    In a few words: I love the combat system, they traded a bit of strategy for more action, which i felt was a good trade off. The music is really awesome, the worlds are interesting to explore. I like the talking rabbids, it makes them feel a bit more likable and gives a bit more depth to the story.

    That is definitely a game to put under a christmas tree!
  30. Jdevs
    Oct 28, 2022
    0
    A sequel that destroyed everything once good, by trying so hard in fitting in open world and RPG elements into the game like as if it's an objectively superior method to evolve any game. People praising things like "exploration" don't even know what they are talking about. If a developer somehow brought exploration into a Tetris game, they would be mindlessly praising it also. Just go playA sequel that destroyed everything once good, by trying so hard in fitting in open world and RPG elements into the game like as if it's an objectively superior method to evolve any game. People praising things like "exploration" don't even know what they are talking about. If a developer somehow brought exploration into a Tetris game, they would be mindlessly praising it also. Just go play a proper open world RPG if you are looking for such elements. This game doesn't excel in open world RPG elements, nor the elements of its prequel as a result of such try-hard attempt.… Expand
  31. svedj
    Nov 2, 2022
    0
    What is this I don't even... It is so bad compared to Kingdom Battle. Either Ubisoft wanted to step in and meddle with things after the success of the first game, or Davide Soliani has completely lost his mind. Disgusted and disappointed.
  32. cabbages
    Dec 18, 2022
    0
    Played 1 hour of it, got to the first boss battle, lost, and it made me go back to the battle before the boss battle. I knew there and then it'll be a typical UBI soft game, with all the annoying thing they do to drag the game out. I sent it back after it, didn't even bother to give it another chance (I've been dissapointing by UBI too many times)
  33. mattyess
    Dec 28, 2022
    5
    I loved the original M+R, this follow-up is a poor imitation.

    It is far too easy, even on hard mode. Every aspect has been dumbed down and “kid-ified”. The original had the enemies on a more even playing field. This one has the heroes WAY overpowered in comparison. You don’t need really need to strategise power ups or ensure you have the best mix of heroes for the level. You can    I loved the original M+R, this follow-up is a poor imitation.

    It is far too easy, even on hard mode. Every aspect has been dumbed down and “kid-ified”.

    The original had the enemies on a more even playing field. This one has the heroes WAY overpowered in comparison.

    You don’t need really need to strategise power ups or ensure you have the best mix of heroes for the level. You can pretty much just blast your way through with OP abilities and endless cheap items.

    Really hope the DLCs add some needed difficulty and a strategic challenge. But I feel like this was the game they intended to make - which is a pity.    … Expand
  34. bl1rt
    Jan 10, 2023
    2
    There might be a fun game in there somewhere, but they rushed it, probably to make it in time for the big Christmas release, and the lack of polish shows.

    The music is noticeable repetitive and annoying. Opening or closing the menu takes several seconds, making it tedious to edit your team. Battles are much slower than in the first game, and even on hard difficulty not much of a    There might be a fun game in there somewhere, but they rushed it, probably to make it in time for the big Christmas release, and the lack of polish shows.

    The music is noticeable repetitive and annoying. Opening or closing the menu takes several seconds, making it tedious to edit your team. Battles are much slower than in the first game, and even on hard difficulty not much of a challenge. I stopped following the story around the third level, because it is not interesting. Most of the puzzles and quests are borderline tedious, where you basically are told what to do straight out, but some are broken and it is just gibberish so you have to look up what they mean. For some, you have to press a certain button, which reveals otherwise invisible things when you are close to them, so you have to run around until you bump into something, like an idiot. There is a bug where it says I still have to get a spark, even though I already did.

    I think most of those issues could have been fixed with more testing and fine-tuning. They say about blockbuster movies that the one with four more month of editing is a better movie, whereas the one that is released now makes a billion dollars. I guess the same is true for some games.
    The first game was a lot of fun, so it is a bit sad how bland the sequel turned out.

    Turns out I like it even less the more I play. Very meh game.    … Expand
  35. CageTheHobo
    Feb 14, 2023
    0
    This game is trash. Idk how anymore likes it better than Kingdom Battle. The story is bland and the gameplay is way too easy. It's not worth $60 by a mile.
  36. Ivictor_25
    Feb 28, 2023
    0
    Historia aburridisima, no tiene nada nuevo respecto al anterior, pare más un dlc cutre.
  37. iamlazar
    Oct 23, 2022
    10
    A second opus better than the first. An incredible experience and an impressive new combat system.
  38. Kyuura
    Oct 23, 2022
    10
    Nice improvement , Gw Suka Semua Aspek Yang Ditawarin Dari Game Ini entah dari cerita ataupun gameplay semuanya Berkembang Dengan Bagus Dibanding Seri yang pertama
  39. Protoxide
    Oct 25, 2022
    10
    One of the best switch game 2022. Great combat mechanics and very humoristic.
  40. Akin91
    Oct 25, 2022
    10
    Must play if you like tactical RPGs. Kingdom Battle was really great, and this is even better in all aspects!
  41. Felios
    Oct 23, 2022
    10
    It's a massive evolution from its predecessor. The combat system is more dynamic and the world is fun to explore!
  42. TheOldestOak
    Nov 14, 2022
    0
    Can't say I was a fan. Played and found it too easy and quite boring. I really don't see the fuss about these games.
  43. ramssC
    Oct 25, 2022
    2
    Ubisoft no aprende, ¿eh?

    Estos nuevos RPGs de Super Mario se me hacen sosos, repetitivos y una pérdida de dinero. Eh, Miyamoto, a Alphadream y a Intelligent Systems les pusiste restricciones sobre nuevos personajes en el mundo de Mario, y aún así, permites esta bazofia. Mario se quedó en el plataformeo, en las fiestas y en las carreras. Paper Mario no tiene identidad, Mario & Luigi está    Ubisoft no aprende, ¿eh?

    Estos nuevos RPGs de Super Mario se me hacen sosos, repetitivos y una pérdida de dinero.

    Eh, Miyamoto, a Alphadream y a Intelligent Systems les pusiste restricciones sobre nuevos personajes en el mundo de Mario, y aún así, permites esta bazofia.

    Mario se quedó en el plataformeo, en las fiestas y en las carreras. Paper Mario no tiene identidad, Mario & Luigi está muerto y Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope es una basura infecta.    … Expand
  44. SatoruGojo
    Oct 28, 2022
    0
    I don't understand how they try to sneak this game for 60€, it is true that it has had improvements over the first one but when you think about the fact that they have had 7 years since the previous game to improve it and they have only been able to do this, the truth is that it is depressing .
  45. Melle1000
    Dec 13, 2022
    2
    Not Good, its a Bad xcom Clone with Mario and Friends. Save the Money for a better Game.
  46. SirBurned
    Oct 25, 2022
    10
    I loved the previous game, this one is better in all the aspects.
    The soundtracks are amazing, gameplay is fun and simple to understand, the story is ok, the animations are sick, you can play as the king of the Koopas himself, characters voices are great, ton of secondary quests, colorful open zone areas, you are not forced to use mario in the team and the characters are fill with    I loved the previous game, this one is better in all the aspects.
    The soundtracks are amazing, gameplay is fun and simple to understand, the story is ok, the animations are sick, you can play as the king of the Koopas himself, characters voices are great, ton of secondary quests, colorful open zone areas, you are not forced to use mario in the team and the characters are fill with personalities.
    I overall loved this game.    … Expand
  47. OnlyOneHere
    Oct 31, 2022
    0
    This game is a pile of garbage. The greedy developers are charging $60 for a game that looks like it was made for mobiles. When I pay $60, I expect the game to have top notch AAA quality. Why doesn't the game look as good as the cutscenes? Better yet, why aren't the cutscenes in real-time? The gameplay is boring and repetitive. The physics are trash. That Peach rabbid has cringeworthyThis game is a pile of garbage. The greedy developers are charging $60 for a game that looks like it was made for mobiles. When I pay $60, I expect the game to have top notch AAA quality. Why doesn't the game look as good as the cutscenes? Better yet, why aren't the cutscenes in real-time? The gameplay is boring and repetitive. The physics are trash. That Peach rabbid has cringeworthy running animations. The developers heavily advertised Bowser as an ally, which is nothing more than a gimmick that gets old fast. How about they spend time actually improving the gameplay, instead of coming up with gimmicks.

    There is no multiplayer. So once you beat the story, there is literally not a reason to play this game again. Charging $60 for a game with no replay value is a cashgrab. Here I was hoping that the developers would improve the multiplayer and give us online this time, but the developers were too cheap and lazy to implement a multiplayer mode. The Rabbid dressed as Peach and the star rabbid have cringeworthy faces on the cover of this game. This made me remove the cover paper off the game case and rip it into pieces. I don't recommend this game at all.

    P.S. Hey Metacritic, quit silencing opinions you don't agree with. You guys are adults for gooodness sake. How dare I write a negative review for an entertainment product. Learn to accept different opinions.    … Expand
  48. Mogmog000
    Jan 24, 2023
    0
    The rabbit character is terribly unattractive.
    The basic system is monotonous and quickly becomes boring.
    There are too few Mario characters.
  49. Kagex
    Nov 3, 2022
    0
    Incredibly dull... dropped it right on the first planet. Trailers way oversold this game.
  50. Nintendist
    Oct 23, 2022
    0
    this game is terrible, why this game has so good critic reviews? theres nothing fun here.
  51. KrillerBomb
    Nov 25, 2022
    0
    One of the very worst games to have ever graced this horrid Earth. Do not get it.
  52. Zeev
    Oct 23, 2022
    1
    I do not understand why everyone complains this game is so easy, I was wiped on the first boss fight after 2 turns just because the devs were too lazy to throw a hint that the boss wont attack if the player wont shoot at him. Quit and Uninstall, waste of money.
  53. Steff86
    Oct 24, 2022
    0
    Nintendo have no creativity anymore just churning out the same games over and over again and this is one of the examples
  54. KazMx
    Oct 29, 2022
    10
    It was a nice change to the formula. The freedom of movement make it a lot easier to figure the best position before even doing an attack or a special move.
  55. Kenmei
    Oct 27, 2022
    9
    Sparks of Hope is definitely an upgrade on Kingdom Battle. The changes to the battle system are very nice and the addition of the Sparks themselves really give each character quite a range of actions they can perform. Best of all, the massive grind is now gone from the game as about 90% of the content scales to your characters level, and the remaining 10% are easily hit once a world isSparks of Hope is definitely an upgrade on Kingdom Battle. The changes to the battle system are very nice and the addition of the Sparks themselves really give each character quite a range of actions they can perform. Best of all, the massive grind is now gone from the game as about 90% of the content scales to your characters level, and the remaining 10% are easily hit once a world is complete. I will say that if you're coming here for any kind of story then you'll be sorely disappointed. But I don't think people play any kind of Mario game for the story so that's a moot point. My biggest complaint is the Switch hardware itself, once again. While docked the loading times are atrocious, especially when I'm just trying to use my skill points and switch sparks around. I suffered major frame drops during the open world, sometimes with it dipping into single digits. Also the voice acting, or lack thereof, really threw me off, with only the two main robot characters being fully voiced and other characters literally only saying a word or two of their dialogue bubble. It was very confusing. But it's not confusing enough for me to not recommend it. This is easily some of the best fun I've had on the Switch this year and the definite upgrade that the series was looking for. I'm eagerly anticipating the upcoming Ray-man expansion sometime next year.… Expand
  56. Gallium
    Nov 16, 2022
    10
    I really like everything about the game!

    Except for Beep-o.
    Beep-O is exceptionally annoying. It gives me Clap-trap vibes.
  57. Palizoid
    Apr 13, 2023
    0
    This game is absolute trash compared to first one. Its development is lazy and feels like a game that was made as quickly as possible to make some cash on the back of the Mario name.
    1. Poorly Optimised - Runs like absolute garbage. Constant stuttering and lagging. Constant.
    2. Bland world's with none of the personality or character of the first game. 3. Would Beepo please shut up? Voice    This game is absolute trash compared to first one. Its development is lazy and feels like a game that was made as quickly as possible to make some cash on the back of the Mario name.
    1. Poorly Optimised - Runs like absolute garbage. Constant stuttering and lagging. Constant.
    2. Bland world's with none of the personality or character of the first game.
    3. Would Beepo please shut up? Voice is very anoying and adds nothing to the game.
    4. None of the comedy from the first game.
    5. Same generic battlefields over and over and over. Battles leave the game world and are taken place on random battlefields that are more or less exactly the same.
    6. Sparks replace secondary weapons. These are very generic and some are clearly far better then others.
    7. Game is mindlessly easy and has some of the most pointless repetitive battles.
    8. Many many many missing features from the first game.
    9. Puzzles are boring and again make you complete pointless repetitive battles.
    10. The loading screens. My god. Think 5-6 seconds of loading for everything you do. Open quest map, open hero screen, upgrade sparks, walk into any structure (even if it's just an empty room). Levels take 20 seconds plus to load in some cases. Game will have you looking at loading screens more then the game itself.    … Expand
  58. rafaaguilera
    Nov 19, 2022
    8
    I enjoyed the first one and this new one maintains the quality level. The battle mechanics which were great already, are even better and more fun and this a great game for people who aren't fans or never played a strategy game before. Very easy to learn but still a good challenge to master. However, something about the charisma and magic of the Mario universe is missing here. The plot andI enjoyed the first one and this new one maintains the quality level. The battle mechanics which were great already, are even better and more fun and this a great game for people who aren't fans or never played a strategy game before. Very easy to learn but still a good challenge to master. However, something about the charisma and magic of the Mario universe is missing here. The plot and dialogue are boring and so are the new characters, especially this shard fragment and the robot with rabbit ears, that I kept skipping every cutscene and dialogue involving both.
    In conclusion, great game, fun mechanics but lacks Super Mario charm.    … Expand
  59. Rul00
    Jan 30, 2023
    8
    Esta al mismo nivel que el anterior juego. Se nota el esfuerzo por innovar y lo consigue. Muy disfrutable.
  60. ZeoN
    Feb 9, 2023
    9
    Una joya imprescindible de Nintendo Switch. Le han faltado un par de mundos más, pero en el resto de cosas es simplemente sublime y mejora incluso al primero. Muy recomendado
  61. Wackme
    Oct 28, 2022
    9
    I loved the first game, and I love this game as well. The graphics, the beter game mechanics, more option, more everything. Amazing sound track also!! Its a joy to listening to it!! Again for a the negatives Nancy's again: 1. Take time to play a game, if you don't want to make an effort, watch it on YouTube
    2. I like the new voices, some find it to less, some too much... it's a new game    I loved the first game, and I love this game as well. The graphics, the beter game mechanics, more option, more everything. Amazing sound track also!! Its a joy to listening to it!! Again for a the negatives Nancy's again: 1. Take time to play a game, if you don't want to make an effort, watch it on YouTube
    2. I like the new voices, some find it to less, some too much... it's a new game with new things and all you know?!
    3. You're giving less then a 6 for an game with perfect graphics, perfect music, perfect sounds and perfect voices. ?? You know that you are wrong    … Expand
  62. ImperialKnight
    Jan 7, 2023
    8
    This game would be a 10/10 IF it ONLY had the tactical gameplay elements. At it is, the exploration and puzzles parts of the game are hot garbage that gets worse the further you progress into the game. They are absolutely asinine. It's a blemish on an otherwise phenomenal tactics games
  63. Santanilla
    Jan 11, 2023
    10
    So I really loved the first one and I thought this one was going to be more of the same. After buying I realized that the mechanism have changed and at first I was mad… why change something that works right? , but after playing for 6 hours I can tell that the game’s soul is respected . Same as with Mario karts ; each one being different but at the same time same fun. I can say here happensSo I really loved the first one and I thought this one was going to be more of the same. After buying I realized that the mechanism have changed and at first I was mad… why change something that works right? , but after playing for 6 hours I can tell that the game’s soul is respected . Same as with Mario karts ; each one being different but at the same time same fun. I can say here happens the same and I congratulate Ubisoft for innovating and taking new risks with this franchise. I really love this kind of games similar to xcom and midnight suns. What I hated about the first one was the in between spacial puzzles, this one seems to have a lot of more variety with the in between quests. Humor and vibe feels the same. Now you can chose difficulty , I think that is not possible on the first one.… Expand
  64. Syhlcam
    Nov 15, 2022
    8
    Mario + The Lapins Crétins : Sparks of Hope est un excellent jeu qui propose une bonne phase d'exploration sur divers planètes aux différents style. Mais propose un jeu de tactique bien maîtrisé qui est plus agréable avec des déplacements plus libre.
    Mais aussi plus riche avec l'ajout des Sparks et de leurs pouvoirs. Néanmoins le jeu en reste pas moins accessible au plus grand nombre.    Mario + The Lapins Crétins : Sparks of Hope est un excellent jeu qui propose une bonne phase d'exploration sur divers planètes aux différents style. Mais propose un jeu de tactique bien maîtrisé qui est plus agréable avec des déplacements plus libre.
    Mais aussi plus riche avec l'ajout des Sparks et de leurs pouvoirs. Néanmoins le jeu en reste pas moins accessible au plus grand nombre. Surtout qu'il offre une histoire cool, sur des visuels réussit et une OST excellente. On peut juste noté les menus pas optimal, les nombreux chargements ou le faible nombre de boss marquant.

    FULL TEST : https://www.geekexperience.fr/jeux-video/avis/avis-mario-the-lapins-cretins-sparks-of-hope/    … Expand
  65. nortoons
    Dec 5, 2022
    10
    An improvement over the first game, which I loved. It took a little time to get used to running around freely without a grid appearing during battles, but I quickly got used to it and now I love it. One of the biggest improvements, in my eyes, was making more of the game about battles and lessening the number of puzzles involved. There are still puzzles, sure, but my chief complaint aboutAn improvement over the first game, which I loved. It took a little time to get used to running around freely without a grid appearing during battles, but I quickly got used to it and now I love it. One of the biggest improvements, in my eyes, was making more of the game about battles and lessening the number of puzzles involved. There are still puzzles, sure, but my chief complaint about the first game was that I felt there were too many annoying puzzles that prevented me from getting back into the action. I really don't mind a good puzzle, but I feel that in a game like this, the puzzles should be a small sidebar to help break up monotony, but not have equal billing with the battles.

    I do admit I found the game to be very easy on the medium/average difficulty setting. Only a couple of battles were challenging, and they were mostly optional battles starring mega-huge opponents. Those in particular were really fun. The boss battles were easy compared to the first game, although they were still enjoyable and interesting. I might play through the game again on a higher difficulty setting.

    The cast of playable characters is pretty good. I was really happy I could play as Bowser, one of my favorite Super Mario characters, though I admit I wish I could play as Yoshi or Donkey Kong like in previous games. But, it's no deal-breaker. I'm sure there will be DLC that adds more characters in the future. Although I was a little lukewarm on the Rabbids characters the first time around, I honestly enjoy them more in this game. The voice acting is top-notch, too. It's a little strange that not all the characters got fully-fleshed voice acting, but BEEP-O and Jeannie were extremely well-done in particular.

    Overall, I had a blast playing this game, and I liked it even more than the first game, which is one of my favorite Switch games. I am a big fan of turn-based tactics, but I'm also a big Super Mario fan, so combining those two things into one really well-done game brings me a ton of joy. I hope we have another Mario + Rabbids game on the next iteration of Nintendo hardware!    … Expand
  66. KreyGame
    Nov 24, 2022
    8
    Si eres fan de los juegos de estrategia por turnos y le tienes cariño al universo de Mario te va a gustar este juego.
    La historia no va a romper tus esquemas y te va a dejar meditando sobre algo trascendental pero se hace divertida y une correctamente la jugabilidad y los cambios en ella lo que le dota de coherencia.
  67. Gorgoton
    Jan 27, 2023
    9
    Sparks of hope is a very good sequel to Kingdom Battle. It has elevated the gameplay and the mechanics to a higher level where the game feels way more open and satisfying. The addition of the Sparks is also a great new layer of "complexity" to the gameplay. Each level is well crafted and feels like you have to choose carefully your strategy to win effectively (choose the right pair ofSparks of hope is a very good sequel to Kingdom Battle. It has elevated the gameplay and the mechanics to a higher level where the game feels way more open and satisfying. The addition of the Sparks is also a great new layer of "complexity" to the gameplay. Each level is well crafted and feels like you have to choose carefully your strategy to win effectively (choose the right pair of Sparks for each character and choose the right trio of characters).

    On this topic, I'm not sure if I like the removal of turn count after each level, I thought it was something in the first game that forced you to choose every moves carefully to finish the level in least turns possible. On an other topic, I also like the new art style, I think it's beautiful and does a great job showcasing the planets.

    In the end, if you like turn-based games like Kingdom Battle or Fire Emblem you should love Sparks of hope. If you didn't like Kingdom Battle, maybe you'll like this one. Just try it out. I give it a strong 9, great job Ubisoft!    … Expand
  68. Holacaracol
    Jan 7, 2023
    10
    Very great game.

    and now complete the caracters:aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
  69. PMG-Writer
    Nov 5, 2022
    8
    Ubisoft did not create a new title with Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope for the Nintendo Switch, but thanks to the improvements and new ideas, the game is twice too much fun. The new freedom of movement during the move is successful and allows more tactical ideas from you. Graphically, the game looks just great and the animations of the familiar characters look simply fantatic. Also theUbisoft did not create a new title with Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope for the Nintendo Switch, but thanks to the improvements and new ideas, the game is twice too much fun. The new freedom of movement during the move is successful and allows more tactical ideas from you. Graphically, the game looks just great and the animations of the familiar characters look simply fantatic. Also the voice actors do a great job and the humor fits, again really well into the game. Fans and newcomers alike can pick up Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope on the Switch.… Expand
  70. judgementblade
    Nov 29, 2022
    9
    I did miss out on Kingdom Battle but I loved Sparks of Hope. It just has something charming to it. Doesn't mean it's perfect but nothing is. Obviously it's still the Switch but I'm not that needy in terms of graphics so this was just a good, colorful style Mario is known for to me.

    It didn't take long to me to got everything in terms of controls and gameplay mechanics down and it was    I did miss out on Kingdom Battle but I loved Sparks of Hope. It just has something charming to it. Doesn't mean it's perfect but nothing is. Obviously it's still the Switch but I'm not that needy in terms of graphics so this was just a good, colorful style Mario is known for to me.

    It didn't take long to me to got everything in terms of controls and gameplay mechanics down and it was one enjoyable ride till the end.
    I only played on standard difficulty and I never felt it was too hard or too easy. Some missions were easier others not and if I had trouble I just had to mix up my team a bit and adjust my approach and I made it through the mission. Just what you expect from Mario games, open for all so to say.

    The map though wasn't too helpful and I always despise enemies in an RPG environment to scale without an option to switch it off. What's the point of character progression if the ALL enemies grow equally stronger. Might as well save the work implementing RPG elements like this for other things. At least there is a cap on scaling per world. But I'm still someone who wants to be rewarded for the time grinding with being maxed out in everything eventually and stronger than anything the game offers. Although, I'm aware I'm in the minority of this standing and it's not like you NEED to grind as much I just do it because I like it to some extent.
    Still, without even trying to and just taking all Missions and Fights coming my way capped me at level 30, the max, a third through the second last world. You don't even get enough skill points to max out everything.

    Despite all that, the game does have some bugs though only Completionists will get annoyed by them since the game didn't register me finishing the sidequest in 2 worlds so I'm stuck with 99% on those. Maybe it's just in the EU version and maybe it's something very few will encounter because it just happens that my individual way of playing triggers them. I couldn't tell. It did seem that there is a pretty good progress tracker (god more developers need to get a more detail progress tracker for Completionists/Pseudo compleionists who do almost everything asides some really annoying and time consuming things) but maybe there are some secrets that aren't tracked that well. I usually try to do everything I can in my first visit to places so it could be that I just wasn't throughout enough and what I missed is next to impossible to find now since it's also badly tracked.

    Then there are some minor bugs that will affect you even if your not completing. Sometimes you get stuck on air while walking around and your directional input is not recognized and the echo blocks you'll encounter early on and are required to move/activate for some environmental puzzles everywhere may not work at times (specifically one in world 5) but it seemed I either had to reload the area or progress in plot to make them move again.

    No other issues or performing problems asides from all the loading getting on your nerve sometimes, especially if you try to reload a battle because you made a dum-dum and can't recover.

    That's about it. Good game and I'm looking forward to the dlc when it comes.    … Expand
  71. Adasc2906
    Nov 13, 2022
    9
    Way better than the first one. And also way easier which makes the game more enjoyable
  72. FredtheMole
    Nov 10, 2022
    10
    Probably my game of the year. Wasn't sure how I felt about the gameplay changes coming from the original, but I felt they all worked. Managed to make the Rabbids a lot less annoying this time, and the game was fully engaging until the very end. No complaints (outside of various visual bugs from time to time)
  73. GIL11
    Nov 12, 2022
    10
    O jogo é muito bom, melhor que o primeiro mas existem algumas side quests que são injustas e contém alguns glitches mas ainda assim, é um ótimo jogo, recomendo a todos jogarem!
  74. TODD17
    Nov 16, 2022
    8
    It is very good, but it does have some issues. Mainly beep o’s voice. It is the absolute worst.
  75. Marmolillo
    Nov 1, 2022
    10
    Mejorando al anterior en todo, compra obligada para los fans de los SRPG en nintendo switch.
  76. MasonCP
    Oct 30, 2022
    10
    To the people giving this game low reviews: Really? If the game is too hard or too easy you can change the settings. This game was meant for everyone to enjoy. Here’s a short, sweet, and to the point review of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope:

    Ubisoft put heart, soul and passion into this game, and it became the best game of all time. They fixed all of the issues that the first game    To the people giving this game low reviews: Really? If the game is too hard or too easy you can change the settings. This game was meant for everyone to enjoy. Here’s a short, sweet, and to the point review of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope:

    Ubisoft put heart, soul and passion into this game, and it became the best game of all time.

    They fixed all of the issues that the first game had and incorporated great new ideas, and they definitely succeeded.

    This is how you make an awesome sequel! Go buy it!    … Expand
  77. MarioMaster13
    Oct 28, 2022
    10
    This took everything I loved about the first game and made it even better
    The combat is way more fun, there is so much you can do in a single turn. The real-time combat makes everything flow better as you directly control the characters. Every character was fun to use, and I enjoyed constantly changing my team around, since everyone levels up at once. The Sparks make it so you can    This took everything I loved about the first game and made it even better
    The combat is way more fun, there is so much you can do in a single turn. The real-time combat makes everything flow better as you directly control the characters. Every character was fun to use, and I enjoyed constantly changing my team around, since everyone levels up at once. The Sparks make it so you can customise how you want your characters to play.
    The Story felt way more epic for a Mario game and has many cool and funny moments. Some may not like the Rabbids talking, but it makes every Rabbid character feel unique and their own characters
    The overworld got a complete revamp and it is a lot of fun exploring every world and looking for every hidden secret
    This game is one of the best Mario games I've ever played, and I recommend it to anyone who is a Mario fan or wants an amazing introduction to a Turn Based Strategy Game    … Expand
  78. Rubixstar400
    Oct 29, 2022
    10
    This game is better than Kingdom Battle in almost every way. Even though it's much less polish than the first one, Combat is much more kinetic and satisfying while exploration is incredibly fun and 3x as big now.
  79. Handy17
    Oct 31, 2022
    10
    Ubisoft vc está de parabéns, vc fez um jogo tão foda mas tão foda, que está na categoria de jogo do ano sério, cada coisa bom nesse eu posso ficar aqui o dia todo falando com o jogo é incrível mas ser eu fizesse isso possivelmente o limite de texto do metacritic, mas único ponto estranho disso e que agora os rabbids falam, eu acho isso um pouquinho estranho mas não quero dizer "Meu deusUbisoft vc está de parabéns, vc fez um jogo tão foda mas tão foda, que está na categoria de jogo do ano sério, cada coisa bom nesse eu posso ficar aqui o dia todo falando com o jogo é incrível mas ser eu fizesse isso possivelmente o limite de texto do metacritic, mas único ponto estranho disso e que agora os rabbids falam, eu acho isso um pouquinho estranho mas não quero dizer "Meu deus isso estragou meu jogo nota 0 e incrível como uma empresa que seus personagens " NÃO afinal gamers são estranhos afinal eles preferem jogos com 60 ou mais do que jogos que são abaixo de 60 fps é depois eles dão nota 0 por risso ( falei igual o toddyn agora ) mas é essa a minha crítica obrigado por terem lido :)… Expand
  80. Gman_54
    Oct 30, 2022
    9
    An overall improvement over the first game in this series in almost every way. The new movement system that is range based instead of grid based gives this game much more fluidity. Gameplay is easy to pickup but is a little tricky at parts. Also added is the new spark ability system, a lot of great characters with unique skills that allow the player to mix and match to their preferredAn overall improvement over the first game in this series in almost every way. The new movement system that is range based instead of grid based gives this game much more fluidity. Gameplay is easy to pickup but is a little tricky at parts. Also added is the new spark ability system, a lot of great characters with unique skills that allow the player to mix and match to their preferred playstyle or to the enemies that are on the battlefield.

    Add to this a bright colorful character and world design, amazing music, solid voice acting here and there and just great production values all around, this is easily an essential switch title for both older Mario fans and strategy game fans in general!    … Expand
  81. KingUrko
    Oct 31, 2022
    10
    Absolutely brilliant! Brimming with adventure, tons to do, super fun and satisfying combat and an amazing score from three industry legends .... wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone!
  82. Bkillinm
    Dec 16, 2022
    9
    I wish other tactical turn based games put as much effort and polish into what they make as Nintendo does. Although the story isn’t anything to write home about the game is charming, challenging, and great fun.
  83. died231
    Nov 16, 2022
    9
    5 Years of waiting and 60€, and for me this game gave me everything i expected for it, the price is fair and the play-time is enough.
    This game is nothing like his predecessor and this is a very fine touch, cause they could just do the same game with renewed graphics and put a 60€ tag on it but they did a completely new game made by the bottom of their heart and for this i say it's whort    5 Years of waiting and 60€, and for me this game gave me everything i expected for it, the price is fair and the play-time is enough.
    This game is nothing like his predecessor and this is a very fine touch, cause they could just do the same game with renewed graphics and put a 60€ tag on it but they did a completely new game made by the bottom of their heart and for this i say it's whort your time and money, 9/10.    … Expand
  84. Pedrolper
    Nov 17, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. O jogo me proporcionou uma das melhores se não a melhor de um jogo estratégico… Expand
  85. ZYMROD
    Jan 25, 2023
    9
    Una gran secuela que aporta, mejora, perfecciona y pule las mecánicas de su antecesor. Así mismo, mejora la sensación de fluidez de los combates junto a la mecánica de los Sparks que aportan nuevas estrategias y una ambientación preciosa que le da personalidad al mundo.

    Lo único malo son uno que otro tiempos de carga; por ejemplo, al entrar en el menú del juego y comenzar un combate.    Una gran secuela que aporta, mejora, perfecciona y pule las mecánicas de su antecesor. Así mismo, mejora la sensación de fluidez de los combates junto a la mecánica de los Sparks que aportan nuevas estrategias y una ambientación preciosa que le da personalidad al mundo.

    Lo único malo son uno que otro tiempos de carga; por ejemplo, al entrar en el menú del juego y comenzar un combate. Pero son solo limitaciones del hardware actual que no merman la experiencia de juego.    … Expand
  86. ReviewdaShopee
    Dec 12, 2022
    9
    Mesmo depois de seu antecessor elevar muito a barra e nossas expectativas, a franquia "Mario + Rabbids" surpreende mais uma vez. "Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope" é um jogo fantástico!! Embora a história e os chefões não sejam tão marcantes quanto o primeiro e foquem menos na estética "mistureba" entre rabbids e o universo Mario, a inovação na jogabilidade do gênero "tatics" foi o que maisMesmo depois de seu antecessor elevar muito a barra e nossas expectativas, a franquia "Mario + Rabbids" surpreende mais uma vez. "Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope" é um jogo fantástico!! Embora a história e os chefões não sejam tão marcantes quanto o primeiro e foquem menos na estética "mistureba" entre rabbids e o universo Mario, a inovação na jogabilidade do gênero "tatics" foi o que mais me surpreendeu. São nove personagens (todos com árvores de habilidades) e mais de 30 sparks que podem ser utilizados para montar sua equipe, o que incentiva o jogador a testar várias combinações diferentes ao longo da gameplay. Além disso, o mundo de Mario + Rabbids é bonito e agradável aos olhos. Embora, no momento do lançamento, existissem alguns bugs menores, recentemente eles foram corrigidos em um patch, o que resolveu qualquer tipo de experiência desagradável envolvendo o manuseio da câmera. Levei quase 30 horas para zerar o jogo e me diverti muito! Se você gostou do primeiro, não há razão para hesitar em pegar esse título!… Expand
  87. Glowz
    Dec 3, 2022
    8
    Loved the first glad ubisoft upped their game to a brand new level and bringing in even more characters from Nintendo's franchise and even more abilities
  88. Ars123
    Dec 10, 2022
    9
    Incredibile innovativo. Gli standard si sono alzati. Non do 10 solo perché è troppo semplice
  89. Jwillas1992
    Jan 19, 2023
    8
    Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope: 8.4/10 (B)
    Spoiler-free review:
    Good: - Presentation is gorgeous - Orchestral music is lovely, and fitting for bizarre worlds - Characters are fun and interesting - Simple puzzles make for great brain-teasers - Exploration is well rewarded - Even challenge level Middle: - Voice acting is good, but diminishes physical comedy and leaves less to the    Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope: 8.4/10 (B)
    Spoiler-free review:
    Good:
    - Presentation is gorgeous
    - Orchestral music is lovely, and fitting for bizarre worlds
    - Characters are fun and interesting
    - Simple puzzles make for great brain-teasers
    - Exploration is well rewarded
    - Even challenge level
    Middle:
    - Voice acting is good, but diminishes physical comedy and leaves less to the imagination
    Bad:
    - Not much is left after main game
    - Lack of other modes (multiplayer, challenge, etc.)
    - Bugs and frame rate issues make it feel like it wasn't made specifically for Switch at times. The hardware can't handle certain graphical elements and transitions. Very occasionally the game will softlock

    A sequel of such an odd premise had no choice but to eventually occur. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is certainly serviceable to this end. Fans of the previous installment will be both impressed and puzzled at the great many changes present here. Some are for better, some are for worse, but the overall product ultimately speaks for itself.
    The immediate and most obvious difference lies firstly in the game's presentation. The graphics here look richer, and more detailed, and the characters are as wildly expressive as they were in the previous installment. The character models are brilliant, and the attention to detail obvious. The worlds feel bigger and more impressive, and the overall look of the game exhibits a freeing sense of wonder and discovery.
    The game will reward one's curiosity for all of this, with clever puzzles and challenges hidden in some devious places. Each level can last several hours when exploring it completely. The game is riddled with all sorts of discovery from lore (presented in the form of "memories") and hidden challenges to tickle the completionist's urge.
    Multiple changes to the battle system keep the game's conquests fresh and interesting. It still works with a grid format, like the previous installment. However, the grid is presented in a circular fashion, and the character movement seems much more natural. The other big change is the lack of secondary weapons. Instead, you may equip "Sparks," which each have unique abilities and often substitute as a secondary attack. The skill tree is back and customizable as ever, lending more diversified skill sets for each fighter.
    Overlooking each area are the brilliant orchestrations accompanying them. Although some loops are admittedly short, most tunes are quite hummable, and are always pleasant to listen to. Some music from the last game makes an appearance. Unlike the last title however, this sequel takes advantage of not just one, but three legendary video game composers: Grant Kirkhope, Gareth Coker and Yoko Shimomura.
    In terms of the audio, most characters are now equipped with partial voice acting. This is a mixed bag. In the previous installment, the story and events were told through visual events and slapstick. It was amusing, and well done. Therefore, it can be a bit jarring that each character now has a script and voice clips. It isn't so much that the voices are bad, or uninteresting, and C-3PO Beep-O's voice is fairly entertaining, but I have to concur with his ironic assessment that it was probably better when we didn't know what the Rabbids were saying.
    That said, the characters remain interesting and the game has an uncanny ability to make each feel unique and characterized to their original potential. They all have individual personalities, from the vain Rabbid Peach, the showboating Rabbid Mario, the mysterious and serious new character, Edge, and they always lethargic Rabbid Rosalina. The Mario series characters, Mario, Peach Luigi and Bowser are all properly characterized as one would expect from any other game in the main series.
    The faults of the game are few, and aside from some frame rate and graphical issues, mostly arise from what was left undone. The game has wonderful potential as a multiplayer battler, and yet the main story mode is the only mode available in the game. This is head scratching, as there were a couple of modes playable with multiple people in the last. This significantly diminishes the replay value, as it also lacks any challenge or mission mode. Also, they completely removed battle rankings (...Why?). It's still a solid 40-80 hours, depending on one's desired level of completion, so although some of these decisions may raise a brow, they are mostly forgivable.
    Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope has been touted as "better than the original in every way". Although I don't necessarily agree with that, the changes to the battle system and the overall gameplay are mostly quite agreeable. The Sparks are a fun way to customize special moves. The story is less funny, but certainly has more depth. The levels are bigger, multi-layered, and made more free to explore. The game is a great experience, it's main issues are what it leaves you wanting, rather than what was accomplished.    … Expand
  90. Theblackreavan
    Jan 6, 2023
    10
    Very fun game and a good concept. That you can collect up to 30 Sparks and upgrade them, make the game more fun and enjoyable
  91. Sonicfam
    Feb 13, 2023
    10
    It's a great Mario game even for the rabbids I love the attack's enemies and I the bosses were better than ever and the storyline was amazing All around and combat was good even Bowser is playable.
  92. SolarPowerLP
    Feb 15, 2023
    9
    First Ubisoft game since late 2010s that doesn’t feel like a total cash grab.
    Kingdom Battle was good but this one is on a whole another level. Loved every second of it.
    Ubisoft - please make more.
  93. SLMU
    May 13, 2023
    10
    This game is an absolute masterpiece, my favourite game of the decade so far, highly recommend it, 10/10 game.
  94. MarkusZ
    Aug 5, 2023
    10
    For me this is one of the best Mario Games on Switch. Nice that they kept the good mechanic of the first part and added some more great stuff. I'm excited for the DLCs.
  95. Shartrais
    Jun 28, 2023
    0
    Sadly this is not like the first Mario & Rabbids which I loved.

    At the gameplay part they have replaced the squared movement and gameplay for a free movement and aiming, choice I don't personally like. The team jump is worse, with the dron making your movement, battles has no score, I like to have mi stars rating and try to improve my developing of the game. A good point is that the    Sadly this is not like the first Mario & Rabbids which I loved.

    At the gameplay part they have replaced the squared movement and gameplay for a free movement and aiming, choice I don't personally like. The team jump is worse, with the dron making your movement, battles has no score, I like to have mi stars rating and try to improve my developing of the game. A good point is that the playable characters that are not playing the game raise their experience and level too, although they are not playing.

    At the technical part, the game is beautiful, but not as much as the first one. Also, and this is a spanish problem mainly, we can't change the voice language of the game, I hate the translation, and I also hate that the caracthers has voices now, Rabbids are more wholesome making noises instead of talking.

    At the narrative part, well, the first wasn't a George Orwell book, was a harmless and dumb story, but enjoyable and funny. Now we have a woke culture boring story which is not harmless and with woke and vegan indoctrination. It's not funny, is not wholesome, is despicable.

    I've finally given up after try so hard to finish the game and you can find the game in a second hand store now.    … Expand
  96. Schwammlgott
    Nov 2, 2022
    9
    Sehr guter Nachfolger mit praktischen Neuerungen. Schade, das Lvl 30 das Höchste ist, ein paar Punkte mehr zum Vergeben wären praktisch. Was aber zum Schwierigkeitsgrad passt, finde es zwar leichter als den Vorgänger, trotzdem ein guter Schwierigkeitsgrad, hab' von Anfang bis Ende auf Schwer gespielt. Gute Anzahl an Nebenmissionen, nicht zu viel und nicht zu wenig
  97. frederik1478
    Mar 22, 2023
    7
    This is a really good strategy game the things that make this stand out is the movement mechanics the movement are what makes it fun.

    You can't really powerful but the enemies also become really powerful and they make you work hard to get money in the beginning but later you will be able to heal through all of them it eats fights because you just get too much money. The character    This is a really good strategy game the things that make this stand out is the movement mechanics the movement are what makes it fun.

    You can't really powerful but the enemies also become really powerful and they make you work hard to get money in the beginning but later you will be able to heal through all of them it eats fights because you just get too much money.

    The character animation is fun and the edge whether it is so cool. I enjoy character dynamic, but the story was just kind of day and all the world puzzle just make me sad because I just wanted to fight more.

    Is a really good game please play it you'll enjoy it    … Expand
  98. Onioncreature
    Nov 7, 2022
    9
    An excellent sequel to one of the strangest crossovers to ever occur, which expands on the original in scope and content.

    The game features many gameplay additions and tweaks, such as the removal of the grid and allowing the player to directly control characters. The overworld sections have been totally overhauled, and feature must larger and more open environments than the first game    An excellent sequel to one of the strangest crossovers to ever occur, which expands on the original in scope and content.

    The game features many gameplay additions and tweaks, such as the removal of the grid and allowing the player to directly control characters. The overworld sections have been totally overhauled, and feature must larger and more open environments than the first game had, with more compelling puzzles and extra content. The cost of this is that the art style of this title is far more simplistic than the first, and is less detailed, though the game does still look very good taken on it's own.

    The battles are just as fun as they were in the first game, and feature more complexity and flexibility thanks to the new character additions and spark system.

    The music and sound design are incredible, with two amazing new composers joining Grant Kirkhope to score the game's different levels and environments. The soundtrack is almost all outstanding, and feels cohesive while still retaining each composter's signature stylings.

    The game isn't perfect, and does contain a few more glitches and technical issues than I'd have hoped for, one of which resulted in a crash. With that being addressed, it's still a worthy title and well worth checking out for those looking for a unique and highly enjoyable game, especially to those who played the first entry in this series. I still can't believe that a Mario and Rabbids crossover is one of the best tactical RPGs I've ever played, but here we are.    … Expand
  99. Cedoch
    Jun 21, 2023
    10
    Dans l’ensemble, Mario et les Lapins Crétins est un jeu vidéo brillant qui plaira aux fans de Mario ainsi qu’aux nouveaux venus dans la série. Son gameplay solide, son humour charmant et son univers captivant en font une expérience mémorable et hautement recommandée pour tous les amateurs de jeux vidéo.
  100. EmCza
    Apr 7, 2023
    7
    Really good game, I really like it but previous one was much better (mostly because battles was much more tactical).
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Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best Switch Game of 2022
13
#13 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 122 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 117 out of 122
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 122
  3. Negative: 0 out of 122
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 25, 2024
    80
    Sparks of Hope is an interesting sequel to the first game, and even though it has its flaws, you'll still have a great time and enjoy the vast majority of the tactical battles. [Issue#323]
  2. Het Nieuwsblad
    Jul 31, 2023
    60
    He lands in theaters next year, with a movie of his own. But until then, Super Mario continues to reign supreme on the Nintendo. 'Sparks of hope' is yet another game centered around the world's most famous plumber. Just a shame that the piping shows more wear and tear than in the previous game.
    Read full review
  3. Movies Games and Tech
    Mar 10, 2023
    95
    From start to finish, this game really has taken me through some amazing missions, entertaining video content, and action-packed gameplay with levels of massive and destructive villains. For the beautiful art which makes up the graphics, well let’s just say there is plenty to gawk at! Everything that Mario represents is shown in this game, with the addition of those humorous Rabbids. Plus, the ability to build a team of unlikely characters really makes for some entertaining storylines and some marvelous defeats! Lastly, even if there have been many Rabbid games in the past, I felt this game might have just topped them. It has exceeded my expectations and has me curious to see what the future beholds with the Rabbids. So I fully stand beside this game and recommend it for a worthwhile, new experience worth playing.
    Read full review
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