MINOR SPOILERS AHEADMario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope improves upon the original in a number of ways, including turning a streamlined point-to-point adventure into a dynamic open world. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope gives fans much more exploration than the first game, and with all the secrets, Sparks, and interesting side quests in the game, it's easy to get lost in all of this. Of course, part of this is the design of each of the planets players will visit.
It's easy enough to look over and is no real critique of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope's locations, but there is one thing that holds these planets back - they're not really planets. Indeed, there are plenty of approaches in Sci-Fi when it comes to building out planets, but Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope's repeats one of Star Wars' most confusing approaches. Again, this doesn't mean the game is any less fun, but it is interesting to see this new title through a Star Wars lens.
Mario + Rabbids + Star Wars Planets
Space is vast and has limitless potential, with planets being able to deliver on that in unknown and interesting ways. Sci-fi games like Mass Effect: Andromeda do a good job of pushing that unknown, but then others like Star Wars limit their planets. This, like Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, lends itself to that vast feeling of the franchise, but some (if not most) Star Wars planets are one-dimensional. Coruscant is just a city, the Forest Moon of Endor is just a forest, Tatooine is just a desert, and Kamino and Mon Cala are just oceans. Sure, one could argue that some planets in a vast universe are going to be one-dimensional in this aspect, but not every single one. This can limit storytelling, because no matter what, Boba Fett's background will always be a desert.
The same thing happens in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. It doesn't take away from the vast feeling, but Beacon Beach is just a beach, Pristine Peaks is just a snowy mountain, Palette Prime is just an autumn village, Terra Flora is just a big forest (with a touch of technological advancement), and Barrendale Mesa is just a mesa...as its name describes. Truth be told, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope could have just taken place in the Mushroom Kingdom, and all of these environments would have made as much, if not more, sense.
Of course, it might not be the deepest universe-building in the gaming industry, but these planets do make the conflict with Cursa in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope feel more consequential. It accomplishes that, but it's still funny to imagine a whole planet just being a beach.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is available now, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.