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. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. 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.
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. 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
  17. 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).
  18. ResetButton
    May 8, 2023
    7
    Update: May 2023:
    Bumped score from 4 to 7/10. There's a charming, well polished game in there. The music/sound, over-world environment design and attention to detail is very good. If you're able to reset your expectations and approach this as if you didn't play KB, you'll enjoy it more. I still stand by my original review, but my gripes aren't getting in the way of my enjoying of the    Update: May 2023:
    Bumped score from 4 to 7/10. There's a charming, well polished game in there. The music/sound, over-world environment design and attention to detail is very good. If you're able to reset your expectations and approach this as if you didn't play KB, you'll enjoy it more. I still stand by my original review, but my gripes aren't getting in the way of my enjoying of the game as much. It's still too easy, so no reply value.

    Downgrades:
    1. There are "real-time" actions like hovering and picking up bombs that are on timers. It loses that aspect of "take as much time as you need" to make the perfect move that make turn-based strategies.
    2. Removing the movement grid makes this feel more vague and sloppy.
    3. Rabbids talk. They're fine as primitive creatures that can speak in broken sentences like previous games. When they speak in coherent sentences and can carry normal conversations, they lose a big part of their charm.
    4. The graphics look Gamecube-era at times. By choosing for full camera-control, the game lost the ability to perfectly frame environments. The world doesn't feel as alive and lush anymore. It looks generic and lacking in detail.
    5. Exploration is gone. Things are marked on the map in typical Ubisoft-fashion. Any sense of discovery is removed.
    6. The battle grounds are shockingly bland. In Kingdom Battle, the battle grounds were built into the world. Here, you run into an enemy and you're taken to a generic battle ground with randomly placed cover.
    7. The actual battles are lifeless and it's not only because of the boring maps and real-time actions. There's no satisfaction in setting up the perfect move and watching in play out.
    8. What happened to the great music from KB?

    Across the board, this is a very disappointing game for anyone who liked KB. They over-thought the game mechanics and crippled themselves by going with free camera movement. On a fundamental level, the game just isn't fun anymore.
    8. WTF happened to the great music from KB?    … Expand
  19. OrangeRood
    Jun 9, 2023
    7
    The game generally doesn't add a lot. The bossfight i feel is neither challenging nor particularly interesting, some quests are not clear enough for me (possibly bc i'm a moron). But the general Gameplay is good and it's fun figuring out which combination of characters is best.
  20. drcrappen627
    Aug 7, 2023
    5
    Amazing game it’s too short needs to be longer I wish there were more planets. The tactics make this game all the more fun I will play it a secound time
  21. The_Last_Bawa
    Aug 13, 2023
    5
    Well, after a game that i enjoyed for many years, this is the sequel. It is similar to Steep and Riders Republic, but not as bad. This game misses the fine details that made me love Kingdom Battle. I personally prefer the old, more tactical battle system over the new one. Generally, the game feels like it was now more focused on kids and really amplifies these kind of jokes. But, the gameWell, after a game that i enjoyed for many years, this is the sequel. It is similar to Steep and Riders Republic, but not as bad. This game misses the fine details that made me love Kingdom Battle. I personally prefer the old, more tactical battle system over the new one. Generally, the game feels like it was now more focused on kids and really amplifies these kind of jokes. But, the game itself isn’t bad, it has an interesting story and gives some characters some much needed, great new abilities. So, decide for yourself if you want to get this game, i would rather get Kingdom Battle which really feels like the devs put lots of work into it.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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.
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  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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