Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is like XCOM for kids. It’s a fun way to introduce strategy based game to a younger audience and, quite frankly, it’s SO CUTE.
I briefly played a 15-minute demo at Ubisoft’s E3 2017 showcase. In Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle , you’ll play as Mario and his two new friends, Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Luigi, on their journey to save the Mushroom Kingdom.
You progress through the game through turn-based battles that get more challenging as you play. So think XCOM , but a simpler format. You can equip your team with ranged and melee weapons, and use the environment to take cover from the evil Rabbids. There are eight heroes to choose from in the single player campaign, all of which have unique abilities: Mario, Peach, Luigi, Yoshi and their Rabbid counterparts. In the demo, I played as Mario, Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Luigi.
The concept of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is to move across the map and take down your enemies before they hurt you. In my first battle, I faced two evil Rabbids. Both enemies were hiding behind blocks, so I moved Mario closer to the middle of the field first. Then I used Mario, who features an ability that acts like a trampoline, to propel my Rabbid Peacha nd Rabbid Luigi to the other side of the map and rush enemies.
You can use everything in the environment to your advantage. For example, an evil Rabbid might be hiding behind a block. You can attack the character at the expense of damage hits that destroy the block. Now the enemy is exposed for your next turn. Just keep in mind enemies can, and will, do the same to you.
You can also use the pipes to get around the field without sacrificing distance. During my time with the game, I used Mario to help propel Rabbid Peach to a pipe. Propelling doesn’t take away spaces, so I had enough to rush an enemy, hide behind a block and shoot him with my cannon. Down he went and my team was victorious.
In between battles, there are puzzles, coins and loot to pick up. One puzzle I encountered was triggered through a red ring I passed. I had a limited time to pick up red coins in a maze while walls kept going up and down. I ran out of time my first go, but you’re allowed to backtrack and trigger the puzzle again. Once I completed the puzzle, I received coins to buy items for my characters.
You want to pick up as many coins as possible. You need coins to buy cannons for the characters; each item has different stats you’ll want to use. Also, be sure to stop and check out the Rabbids scenes.
Everything in the Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is adorable. The way the characters interact is genuinely funny. The art in the game is everything you’d expect a Mario game to look like without the game you’ve seen before.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle will be released on the Switch Aug. 29.
