Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

Genre: Turn-Based Strategy-RPG

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

Game Company Bad Behavior Profile Page: UbiSoft

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in the physical-only bundle Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle / Sparks of Hope Double Pack, along with Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope.)

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is a Turn-Based Strategy-RPG that some have compared to games like the XCOM titles, although with the obvious note that the more mature presentation of those games has been replaced with the bright cartoony Mushroom Kingdom and its residents, along with UbiSoft’s own kooky Rabbids characters.

When this game was first announced, it was a head-scratcher for many who found themselves saying “who asked for this?”, but when it came out, everyone was delightfully surprised by it.

Now, the Switch is no stranger to Strategy-RPG games. Quite the contrary, the Switch has tons of them. But Mario + Rabbids manages to find its niche as a good game to introduce people to the genre, especially youngsters who already enjoy Mario-style games.

To that end, UbiSoft has really knocked it out of the park when it comes to presentation – this game is absolutely gorgeous, looking for all the world like a Nintendo-developed 3D Mario game with big imaginative worlds, beautiful bright colors, and Nintendo’s own unique brand of charm busting out of every seam. I recall reading that Nintendo was shocked by what UbiSoft accomplished here, wondering if they had somehow managed to steal Nintendo’s own work, and I believe it – this game may not technically be a first-party Nintendo game, but if it weren’t for the Rabbids and UbiSoft’s name plastered on, you would never know it.

The gameplay here does some interesting things to appeal to genre newcomers too, rewarding players for running into and through enemies before getting to their destination, and giving them the ability to use teammates to “boost” to get farther than they would have otherwise. On top of this, the small party of 3 characters keeps things faster-paced.

However, some of these changes cut down on the “strategy” elements of the game. It’s hard to gauge how far enemies can go since they can boost each other as well, and the way the game punishes both sides for letting characters stray too close to the enemy, since that leaves you open to a melee attack, makes it seem like you’re often getting caught up in attacks you didn’t even know you were leaving yourself open to.

On top of that, while there’s a decent sized roster of characters here, I’m a little perplexed by the decision to make half of them Rabbid duplicates of Mario and his crew, and the further decision that players’ teams must include Mario and at least one Rabbid character. Oh, you want both Peach and Luigi on your team? Too bad.

So it’s definitely not without its flaws, but Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is still a solid strategy-RPG, and a great one for those new to the genre, or youngsters coming off of the latest Mario game and looking for something a little more thoughtful. Definitely an excellent addition to the Nintendo Switch library.

tl;dr – Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is a Turn-Based Strategy RPG that plays a bit like the XCOM games, but is designed to be more approachable for players who are new to the genre. It looks gorgeous, has some unique gameplay elements, and is pretty user-friendly overall, although genre veterans may find some elements of the game frustrating.

Grade: B+

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