Announced in an infamously bizarre Ubisoft E3 showcase, the first Mario + Rabbids game was better than it had any right to be, and now the sequel seems to be making key improvements in terms of enemy variety. While Mario is a franchise synonymous with quality, the same can't really be said for Ubisoft's Rabbids, who only ever appeared in mind-numbing Rayman party games. But somehow, combining the two franchises into an XCOM-like tactics game worked surprisingly well, albeit with a few shortcomings. With an extended look being given at the recent Ubisoft Forward Showcase, it seems as though the sequel, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, is improving on its predecessor in every conceivable way.
While Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was a surprise hit, it wasn't without its fair share of faults. Some oddly harsh difficulty spikes, some repetitive battle mechanics, and a lack of Mario characters were all points of criticism with the original. But, by far, one of the biggest issues was with the game's aforementioned enemy variety. Thankfully, based on the most recent trailer, it seems as though Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope will fix this too.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Has Some Real Enemy Variety
On paper, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle had a lot of different enemy types and variations. There were Smashers, Ziggies, Hoppers, and a handful of other colorfully-named enemy types, with each one having a different appearance based on which biome they were found in. However, peeling away the surface layer, all of these enemies were simply the same Rabbid character model, just with a different hat, and the Smashers were just buff Rabbids in a different hat.
Gameplay-wise, it was pretty much the same case. Regular-sized Rabbids would just run to cover, then shoot on their turn, and the bigger Rabbids would rush the player and hit them over the head with a huge block of ice or stone. After the first few hours, players had pretty much seen all the enemy variation that Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle had to show, and that could lead to some stale late-game battles.
Based on the trailers released so far, it seems as though Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is remedying this issue from the get-go, with a plethora of new enemy types already being revealed. In just the 10-minute gameplay breakdown that was revealed at Ubisoft Forward, fans could see a slew of new Rabbid types, ranging from regular Rabbid shooters to Rabbid mages, Rabbid snipers, and floating support Rabbids. On top of this, Rabbid-animal hybrid enemies were also shown off in a little more detail. During Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, players will come across Rabbids that have been spliced with animals, leading to half-Rabbid-half-tiger abominations equipped with their own unique weapons and skillset. Players are sure to come across more Rabbid-animal hybrids during their adventure, which should keep the gameplay fresh throughout.
Previous trailers have also revealed that players will be facing off against some iconic Mario enemies as well, with Goombas and Bob-Ombs being showcased already. Some of the game's bosses will also be possessed versions of classic Mario creatures, such as an enraged Wiggler, which was shown off in the most recent trailer. As well as adding a lot of visual variety to the enemies in Sparks of Hope, the inclusion of so many different enemy types also adds a lot of variety to the gameplay itself, with players having to strategically approach each enemy's particular strengths and weaknesses to gain the upper hand.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope will release on October 20, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
