Mario + Rabbids (series)
| Mario + Rabbids | |
|---|---|
| |
| First installment | Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (2017) |
| Latest installment | Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (2022) |
| Number of installments | 2 |
| Franchise | Super Mario, Rabbids |
Mario + Rabbids is a spinoff crossover series of turn-based tactical games featuring characters from the Super Mario franchise and Ubisoft's Rabbids series. Two games have been released for the series, both for Nintendo Switch: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope.
Gameplay[edit]
The gameplay of Mario + Rabbids is different from other series as it is more of a tactical turn-based genre. During the player's turn, they can choose to move up to three characters in their party around the battle area and/or perform two actions from each character to help their team or attack an enemy. Some examples of actions include using a weapon on an enemy and using a Technique move to help the team. Its exploration system revolves around controlling Beep-0 in an overworld while the chosen party follows. In the overworld, there are sometimes puzzles, battles against enemies, collectibles, and hidden areas.
Games[edit]
| Title | |
|---|---|
| Cover, original release, and system | Description |
| Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle | |
  August 29, 2017[?]Nintendo Switch |
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a game released on the Nintendo Switch in 2017. It includes eight playable characters, four Rabbid, four from the Super Mario franchise. The gameplay is composed of both tactical grid-based strategy gameplay inside battles, and exploration combined with simple puzzles outside. The plot involves the playable characters and a robot named Beep-0 trying to bring order back to the Mushroom Kingdom, with the invading Rabbids fusing various parts of the world together. The Donkey Kong Adventure story expansion was released in 2018; it features its own set of three playable characters, including Donkey Kong and Rabbid Cranky. |
| Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope | |
 October 20, 2022[?]Nintendo Switch |
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a sequel to the original game, released in 2022. It involves several characters from the first entry, as well as several new ones, exploring the galaxy, trying to save the universe as a force named Cursa aims to consume Sparks, creatures which are a combination of Rabbids and Lumas. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope features nine[1] playable characters in the main game. Three downloadable content expansions were released in 2023; The Tower of Doooom, The Last Spark Hunter, and Rayman in the Phantom Show. |
Characters[edit]
Protagonists[edit]
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Image | Description |
| Mario | |
 |
Mario is the main protagonist of the series. In Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, the player's party requires him and at least one Rabbid, though this requirement is mostly removed in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Mario is one of the initial party members in both games, and, like in other games, he is an "all-rounder" character. |
| Rabbid Peach | |
 |
Rabbid Peach is a Rabbid dressed as Princess Peach. She can be vain, rude, and inconsiderate, but ultimately, she has a good heart and helps her allies when they need her. She is also fond of taking selfies. Rabbid Peach is one of the initial party members in both games, and she excels in healing. She is also present in the Donkey Kong Adventure DLC for Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and the Rayman in the Phantom Show DLC for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope as one of the three heroes in each, making her the only hero to appear in every story in the series. |
| Rabbid Luigi | |
 |
Rabbid Luigi is a Rabbid dressed as Luigi. He is a playful and curious character, and seems friendlier than most other Rabbids. In Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, he is one of the initial party members, while in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, he joins the party following the introductory battles. |
| Luigi | |
 |
In Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Luigi joins after the Pirabbid Plant is defeated, while in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, he joins the party following the introductory battles. Luigi excels at attacking from a distance. |
| Rabbid Mario | |
 |
Rabbid Mario is a Rabbid dressed as Mario. He has a boastful personality, tending to show off his strength. While he tends to be unappreciated, he still shows loyalty to his comrades. In Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, he joins after being thawed from an ice cube in Sherbet Desert, while in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, he joins the party following the introductory battles. Rabbid Mario excels at attacking from close-range. He is also present in the Rayman in the Phantom Show DLC in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, as one of its three heroes. |
| Princess Peach | |
 |
The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. In Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, she joins the party during the battle against the Icicle Golem, while in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, she joins the party following the introductory battles. |
| Rabbid Yoshi | |
 |
Rabbid Yoshi is a Rabbid dressed as Yoshi. He is a hyperactive and trigger-happy character, acting before thinking about the consequences. He joins the party in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle after Calavera is defeated, though he is absent in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. |
| Yoshi | |
 |
Yoshi joins the party in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle after the Mecha Jr. is defeated, though he is absent in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. |
| Donkey Kong | |
 |
Donkey Kong appears as one of the heroes of the Donkey Kong Adventure DLC in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. |
| Rabbid Cranky | |
 |
Rabbid Cranky is a Rabbid dressed as Cranky Kong. He gets angry easily, does not take insults lightly, and is usually very cranky, as his name implies. He is also one of the heroes of the Donkey Kong Adventure DLC in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. He can be seen riding on Beep-0 to move around while the player is navigating the overworld. |
| Edge | |
 |
Edge is a Rabbid character introduced in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Formerly the leader of the Spark Hunters, she rebelled against her creator, Cursa, after realizing Cursa's malevolence, and sides with the heroes in rescuing the Sparks. She joins the party during the battle against the Giant Wildclaw. |
| Rabbid Rosalina | |
 |
Rabbid Rosalina is a Rabbid dressed as Rosalina, introduced in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. She is lazy and apathetic, though willing to battle to help her friends. She joins the party during the battle against Midnite. |
| Bowser | |
 |
Bowser is on the heroes' side in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, opposing Cursa because it has hypnotized his minions. He joins during the battle against Bedrock. |
| Rayman | |
 |
Rayman appears as a playable character in the Rayman in the Phantom Show DLC in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. He joins forces with Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Peach in the Space Opera Network. |
| Beep-0 | |
 |
Beep-0 is a character that acts as a guide in both games, giving advice on what the heroes should do next. He is a creation of the Genius Girl, but he was transported to the Mushroom Kingdom due to Spawny. |
| JEANIE | |
 |
JEANIE (short for Jovial Electronic Artificial Neuronic Intelligent Elite) is a guide character in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. She was created by Beep-0 as the operating system of the WM ARC spaceship and serves as a guide to the heroes alongside him. |
Major antagonists[edit]
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Image | Description |
| Bowser Jr. | |
 |
Bowser Jr. appears in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle as a major antagonist; he decides to abuse Spawny's ability to fuse objects together to create an army of Rabbid-fused enemies, with the intention of taking over the Mushroom Kingdom and impressing his father upon the latter's return from vacation. Near the end of the game, he is defeated within his Mecha Jr., and ceases opposing the heroes when he realizes that the Megabug could pose a threat to his father, who has decided to return early. |
| Rabbid Kong | |
 |
Rabbid Kong is a giant, ape-like Rabbid. He first appears as a boss in the main story of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, summoned by Bowser Jr. to defeat the heroes.
After Rabbid Kong is defeated, he climbs to the top of a fragile block tower which is knocked down by Rabbid Peach, causing him to fall a great distance. Rabbid Kong survives this, and returns as the main antagonist of the Donkey Kong Adventure DLC. Here, the venegeful Rabbid Kong is powered-up through consumption of Megabug-contaminated bananas. After he is defeated twice more in his more powerful form, Rabbid Peach offers him a banana, and they become friends. By Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Rabbid Kong has fully sided with the heroes. |
| Phantom | |
 |
The Phantom is a giant ghostly Rabbid. He first appears in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle as the boss of Spooky Trails, created when Spawny merges a Rabbid with a phonograph and a Boo Balloon. The Phantom reappears in the Rayman in the Phantom Show DLC in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope as the host of the Space Opera Network and invites Rayman, Rabbid Peach, and Rabbid Mario, claiming he had changed for the better after he was under the influence of the Megabug. However, he had secretly plotted revenge for his previous defeat. |
| Megabug | |
 |
The Megabug is the main antagonist of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. It appears to be an anomaly in the fabric of space-time created when Spawny accidentally struck the Time Washing Machine with a blast from the SupaMerge, transporting the Rabbids to the Mushroom Kingdom while warping the very essence of their destination to incorporate elements of the Rabbids' world.
It initially appears as a large blue vortex, eventually becoming strong enough to gain a physical form. It fuses with Bowser to create MegaDragonBowser and attacks the heroes as the final boss of the game; it is finally defeated after being separated from Bowser. |
| Cursa | |
 |
Cursa is the main antagonist of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. It is an entity that wants to consume Sparks and spread Darkmess across the galaxy.
It was created after a fragment of the Megabug mutated with stellar debris and gained sentience. It was drawn to the Comet Observatory, where it attacked Rosalina, as well as some Rabbids and Lumas that were there. It managed to merge with Rosalina, though she tried to rebel against its control. Ultimately, the heroes succeed in separating Cursa from Rosalina, and she assists in defeating it for good. |
| Kanya | |
 |
Kanya is the main antagonist of The Last Spark Hunter DLC in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. She was created by Cursa to lead the Spark Hunters following Edge's betrayal, but, feeling that being subservient to Cursa was holding her back, decided to operate independently. To this end, she travelled to the Melodic Gardens and plotted to conquer the galaxy herself.
She is very skilled with machines, having created the Mecha King Bob-omb, which she uses to attack the heroes. |
References[edit]
- ^ MARIO + RABBIDS SPARKS OF HOPE. Nintendo. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
