Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle | Nintendo Switch | Review

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This game is silly. Don’t get us wrong, we don’t mean that in a bad way, but you have to admit no one was calling for Nintendo’s iconic Mario franchise to collide with Ubisoft’s collective of crazed, rabbit-like creatures. What we’ve ended up with as a result of this unholy alliance however, is truly something special.

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​​by James
Michael
Parry

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@James_Parry

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Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Players: 1-2

Kingdom Battle begins by introducing you to a character that serves as the catalyst in bringing these two worlds together. The passionate inventor proudly demonstrates her SupaMerge, a device which combines two objects to create a third. Alarm bells soon start to ring as the phrase “overheating problem” is uttered.

From there, with a little help from the rabbids and a space-time continuum-manipulating washing machine, you’re thrown into the colourful Mushroom Kingdom we all know and love, only with an added tinge of mayhem. For many the setup isn’t that important, but the time and care put into it by Ubisoft really puts across what it meant to them to be able to work within the Mario universe.

Now, if you haven’t met the rabbids before, think of them as Minion-like agents of chaos who enjoy a bit of mischief and have somehow managed to release nine games since they span off from Rayman back in 2006. A neat touch here is that the levels in Kingdom Battle manage to reflect some of the motifs of that series by having elements of the setting contribute to the soundtrack, whether that’s through flowers that look like trumpets or creepers (the plant, not Minecraft’s explosive enemy) that pluck strings like a harp. In fact the soundtrack overall is notable for how perfectly it slots in, to bring the two universes together.

Visually and creatively the worlds which make up the bulk of the game, outside the hub around Peach’s castle, are properly stunning. Perhaps not brimming with ingenuity as we’ve seen in the likes of Rayman Origins or Legends more recently, but perfectly put together to expertly convey what the game’s going for.

​A big part of the game’s overall feel also comes from the personality of Beep-O, who’s essentially a Roomba (one of those little robot vacuum cleaners) which sprouted bunny ears as a result of the world collision and now serves as the character you control when exploring and puzzle solving between battles. His (its?) frustration and sarcasm at the situation, as well as the pun-tacular observations thrown out as you stumble across rabbids doing trademark random acts, is more than enough to raise a smile.

For many the setup isn’t that important, but the time and care put into it by Ubisoft really puts across what it meant to them to be able to work awithin the Mario universe.

​Battles are where the action is of course, and while Beep-O is fine at the odd puzzle, it’s Mario and co. who you’ll be relying on to tackle the rabbids that went extra wacky during the transition. There are a few ever-so-slightly more sane rabbids on your own team, including Rabbid Peach, who constantly snaps selfies and admires herself to really inject her with personality.

Each character has access to different weapons and skills, but variety feels somewhat lacking, with the same skills having different names depending on the hero in an attempt to disguise what’s essentially a copy and paste exercise. What makes things more frustrating is that you might not unlock the character you really want until near enough the end of the game, though at least you can reset your skills at any time to tailor your team to the challenge at hand.

Speaking of which, challenge maps become available once you’ve completed each mode, these taking an existing level and throwing in different conditions like a one turn limit or added enemy variety. Some of these can be taken on in co-op as well, in a perhaps slightly underdeveloped mode which nonetheless manages to be a great time for players in the same room (there’s no online option).

Combat begs comparisons with fellow tactical, turn-based strategy game XCOM, and disappointingly misses the opportunity to poke fun (as far as we noticed), but, on the whole, it really feels quite different thanks to its more basic approach. For example, Mario and chums can dash through enemies during movement to deal serious damage and then attack with weapons, compounding the damage dealt in a way which also fits in with Mario's head-stomping pedigree. Things can even be further simplified by toggling ‘Easy Mode’ at the beginning of any skirmish, helping to make Kingdom Battle more accessible to all.

Combat begs comparisons with fellow tactical, turn-based strategy game XCOM, and disappointingly misses the opportunity to poke fun (as far as we noticed).

Enemies gain skills and health as you do, making the learning curve quite gradual, but there’s a fair amount more re-skinning going on as you progress. Despite that, when the different classes start to interact you suddenly find yourself being tested in ways you didn’t expect, making it all the more rewarding when you finally take all the units down for a victory.

In the end, there’s not much to complain about with Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. It could use more variety in a number of areas - namely abilities, weaponry and the cast of characters on both sides of the titular battle (there’s no shortage to draw from on that front, looking at the recent Mario Kart 8 Deluxe) - but, generally, this is an essential purchase for Nintendo Switch owners. An original game that’s of great quality both at home on the big screen and on the go. In fact, it’s so engrossing that at one point we may have missed our stop on the train… and couldn’t be happier about it.

Pros

• Familiar-feeling Mushroom Kingdom with an exciting twist
• A premise which really shouldn’t work, but really does
• Combat is tactically rich while also accessible

Cons

• Could do with more variety in general
• Environmental puzzles feel quite basic
• Those wanting XCOM levels of depth won’t find it

10/10