The next crossover game between Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. franchise and Ubisoft’s Rabbids characters is titled Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. The game was revealed ahead of the Ubisoft Forward E3 2021 livestream event. Nintendo set its eShop store page to go live a few hours before the scheduled broadcast on June 12, 2021.
The store page contains information about Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, as well as screenshots. Its release window is listed as within 2022.
As with the original Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle game released in 2017, Sparks of Hope is a tactical strategy title. Players will take control of nine characters from across the Mario universe, as well as their Rabbid counterparts, and battle enemies with various weapons. This time, the game takes players to space, as Mario and the Rabbids confront “a malevolent entity” to save friendly companions called Sparks. Sparks have powers that can help out in battle as well. Players will also explore planets and go on quests while fighting enemies.
Screenshots from the store page showed characters exploring worlds in teams of three. Promotional art also confirmed the presence of characters like Mario, Peach, Luigi, Bowser, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Rosalina, and what seems to be a new Rabbid-based character. New weapons like dual-wielded blasters, a bow, and a cannon-equipped parasol were also shown.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope will release on Nintendo Switch in 2022. The previous game, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is immediately available on the system.
