When the Nintendo Switch first hit shelves, it would have been lunacy to claim that, in a few short years, one of the platform's best games would be an XCOM-style tactical shooter featuring a crossover between Mario and the Rabbids from the Rayman universe. Now, less than 7 years later, not only is Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle one of the most highly-reviewed games on the Switch, but its sequel - Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope - has hit shelves to equal amounts of praise.
While the Mario veneer gives the game a cartoonish feel, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope is just as dense and layered as any other tactical shooter on the market, even if the degree of challenge presented provides a more accessible experience. There are a lot of mechanics and abilities that exist just below the surface that the game doesn't tell players about, but that all feel absolutely fantastic to use. Here are just a few of them.
10 Attack Nothing
In certain situations, like if there is an enemy far ahead that is out of range but also unalerted, players might want to use their primary attack without having an enemy to target within its range, but won't be able to outright. It's not immediately obvious, but there is a way to do this.
If players have access to a POW Block item, they can throw it out ahead of them and then target it with their attack instead of an enemy. This can extend the range of certain attacks, like Rabbid Luigi's Discruptor, which can bounce between multiple targets, hitting the POW Block first and then the enemies further ahead.
9 Movement Abilities Are Free
Movement in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope has been enhanced to allow players to move in any direction, as opposed to being confined to a grid like in Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Every character has access to an array of movement abilities like running, dashing, jumping, and more.
Unlike other tactical shooters, these movement abilities do not cost action points to use. That means with each character's turn, they can freely move around as much as they want without worrying about it ending their turn. Using every movement ability whenever possible can allow players to do a ton of damage each turn. Use them all, all the time.
8 Use Movement To AOE Buff Everyone
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope's titular Sparks are cute little creatures that can be equipped to party members to provide them with an active and a passive ability. Some of those Sparks provide an active ability in the form of an AOE stat buff.
When using these AOE Sparks, it's good practice at the start of a round to move every character into the range of the character with the equipped Spark. That way, every party member receives the buff first, and can then move into position to attack the enemy.
7 Predict Team Jump Range
When looking to get some extra range from their movement, players can move their character over to a fellow party member and a prompt for a "Team Jump" will appear. This movement ability will launch the controlled character a great distance through the air, allowing them to cover a lot of ground quickly and can open up opportunities for a stomp attack. However, on the surface, it can be hard to know exactly how much ground a team jump will cover.
There is a subtle yet easy way to get this information. When approaching a party member with a controlled character, wait for the "Team Jump" prompt to appear, and then wait just a little longer. A yellow circle will appear in a large radius around the two characters, and this circle indicates how far the team jump will launch them. For some extra distance, try to land the launched character directly on top of a piece of cover. They will land on top of the cover and then hop off, moving them a few extra paces beyond the team jump radius.
6 Activate Sight Abilities At Will
"Sight" abilities in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope are the equivalent to what XCOM fans will call "Overwatch." They're attack abilities that will only activate when an enemy moves within range of the character using them. This means that they require a bit of advanced planning to be properly used. That doesn't have to be the case, though.
There is a way players can trigger "Sight" abilities during the same turn they're activated, it just requires forcing an enemy to move. To do this, have another character dash into an enemy that's within range of the Sight ability. The dash will pop that enemy up into the air, setting off the "Sight" ability before the enemy's turn even begins.
5 Replay Missions From The Quest Log
For completionists, there will be a certain amount of grinding required to max out every character and every Spark in the game. Both coins and Star Bits can be earned through combat, but tracking down more and more fights to earn them from can become tedious.
Luckily, there's a quick and easy solution to that. Quietly tucked away in the game's quest log is the option to replay any mission in the game, including that mission's boss fights. It's a small detail that can go unnoticed but can make the grind to 100% much more bearable.
4 Access Secret Zones
As mentioned earlier, one of the two main currencies in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope are planetary coins, which can be used to purchase items from the shops in each area. One of the most valuable items in each shop is that area's key, which is used to unlock each area's secret zone.
These secret zones are mostly there to provide an extra challenge for players who've already completed the main area. However, there are lots of things to be found in these areas that can't be obtained in the main missions, including some of the strongest Sparks in the entire game.
3 Throw Bowser's Mechakoopas
Bowser's signature ability in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope is already extremely powerful. As an Overseer, Bowser is best used as a summoner, sending out minions to do his work for him. Bowser's signature ability summons 5 Mechakoopas, explosive minions that charge the nearest enemy and, well, explode.
However, it's not necessary for players to wait until an enemy is within range for the Mechakoopas to charge them. Other party members are able to pick up idle Mechakoopas, carry them toward an enemy, and then toss them in that direction. The rest of the work will be taken care of by the Mechakoopa in an explosive fashion.
2 Use Glitter Spark To End Combat In One Turn
About halfway through the game, players will unlock the Glitter Spark. It looks about how it sounds like it would; it's a Spark that shines like a disco ball. Awesome aesthetic aside, the Glitter Spark's passive ability will buff the equipped character's primary weapon damage, which is already a solid bonus. Its active ability is even better though.
Glitter Spark comes with the active ability "Gather Round," which will draw all enemies in range toward the equipped character. If players aren't planning ahead for this, it can create a sticky situation pretty quickly, but when used with a plan in mind, drawing all nearby enemies into tight quarters can allow another character to wipe them all out with a well-placed attack.
1 Speed Up The Enemy's Turn
While sometimes it's beneficial for players to closely observe the opponent's movement and attacks to plan a strategy for their next turn, there are times when the enemy turn can become a bit of a slog, especially when the fight is already essentially over and players just need another turn to wrap it up.
Luckily, there is a solution to this problem. Simply hold down the Y button during the enemy's turn and the game will fast-forward to the next player character's turn. It's that easy, and it really improves the flow of the game in the late stages.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope was released on October 20th, 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.
