Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battles is truly the most bizarre game for Nintendo Switch. In so many ways.
The game was first announced at E3 in June 2017, and now, just over two months later, it's about to be released. That kind of reveal-to-release timeline is unheard of for a major release from top publishers and for a machine that's still new enough that every new game gets time in the spotlight.
Then there's the game itself, which quite literally smashes together Nintendo Mario universe with Ubisoft's Rabbids universe. Not only that, but it does so from atop the foundation of a turn-based tactical strategy game that frequently feels like a re-skinned version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
Nothing about Mario + Rabbids makes sense. And yet, here it is, just moments away from its Aug. 29 release. Let's take a look at what the critics thought.
Polygon (Russ Frushtick)
Most tactics games are incredibly daunting because the player’s constantly presented with new choices and failure points. Mario + Rabbids cuts most of that out, focusing instead on just core combat mechanics, minor character customization and some basic puzzle solving. There’s no perma-death, no base building, nothing to distract you from figuring out the absolute core concepts of the genre.
And yet, despite the mask of simplicity, the combat in Mario + Rabbids is tremendously strategic. Mobility is king in this game, and units combine forces in fantastic ways. The team jump maneuver allows you to launch a unit across the map with the help of a fellow squadmate, reaching adorably colorful sniper towers with ease. While most of the heroes utilize jumping to get vertical, Mario is able to butt stomp enemies when he lands on them for extra damage. A common tactic would be to send, say, Rabbid Luigi ahead, acting as a springboard for Mario’s eventual death-from-above attack.
USgamer (Mike Williams)
Ubisoft also throws in some alternate objectives and weirder ideas. There are levels where you simply have to reach an area, making your way through a lengthy battlefield to touchdown on a specific spot. Or there are Chain Chomps, neutral figures that bite down on the nearest person; they force you to move around to keep an enemy between you and the Chain Chomp at all times. In one region, there are Boos that will grab your characters and teleport them to a different spot on the battlefield.
IGN (Dan Stapleton)
Merging the intentionally obnoxious Rabbids with Mario mainstays like Boos and Piranha Plants produces lots of weird combinations, and that gives Mario + Rabbids a very respectable amount of enemy variety. There are the already-mentioned shield guys and bludgeoning guys (who advance toward you every time you shoot them), Centurions who can shield allies and fire machine guns out of their nipples (I wish I were making that up) and spectral enemies who can teleport long distances and then shoot you in the back from afar, whom I hate. There are bomb-throwers and shielded cactus guys.
Twinfinite (Zhiqing Wan)
Even the bosses have pep and energy to spare. From a purely aesthetics standpoint, they’re all very well-designed, complete with quirks that really bring their personalities to life. Despite looking completely different from the original character, Rabbid Kong has defining traits and characteristics that make him stand out. He pounds angrily at the ground when he’s out of bananas, and he’ll pick up Rabbid Peach and use her as toilet paper (yes, really) when she’s right in front of him. The bosses are always a pleasure to duel against, not just because of how colorful they look, but because of the fighting mechanics as well.
Kotaku (Patricia Hernandez)
The game’s zones are numbered similarly to Super Mario Bros.’ in that there are worlds sectioned by levels—1-1, 1-2, and so on. Each area has its own Pixar-esque landscape, all themed in the most video-gamey way possible. Fire and ice world! Lava world! Obligatory starting-area-basic-forest world! It all seems crafted from clay. I don’t think I saw a sharp edge throughout my adventures; that cartoon aesthetic, combined with the top-down camera, made me feel like a kid mashing together dolls from different sets.
You can poke and prod some stuff around the overworld—there are some light environmental puzzles, and coins to collect—but just looking around is a joy. The haunted world, for example, is dotted with Boos, pipes stuffed with candles, and turbulent waters squeaking with rubber duckies. You move through these worlds controlling a party of three characters. I would run through everything and watch in awe as Mario stuck his arms out at top speed, Rabbids trailing behind him maniacally. The characters’ animations oozed so much personality that, dozens of hours in, I still stopped to appreciate them.
Eurogamer (Oli Welsh)
Once a zone is completed, you can also replay any sections you like to try to improve your ranking. This rewards you with satisfaction for the sake of it, but also helps you grind out a few more coins (for new weapons) and power orbs, which fill out the heroes' skill trees, powering them up and unlocking new abilities. Finally, in the Buddy Dome you will find a suite of levels especially designed for local co-op play, with two players taking control of two characters each. Collaborating effectively in a game as stacked with tactical layers as this isn't easy at all, and it will really test your communication skills, but it's exciting to play with the additional possibilities a fourth hero brings. Overall, it's a very well rounded package that will keep you playing for a while - and it's worth pointing out that this style of game is a superb fit for portable use.
