Nintendo and Ubisoft announced Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope for Nintendo Switch during the Ubisoft Forward E3 2021 event. Sparks of Hope is a sequel to 2017’s Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle that sees Mario and eight other companions travel across the galaxy to rescue Sparks and restore order to the planets, and it’s slated for a 2022 release date.
If it wasn’t already apparent, Sparks of Hope draws heavily on Super Mario Galaxy, including planet hopping and even Rabbid Lumas, which will probably end up being as horrifying as they sound.
The Sparks power up Mario and friends during battle. They appear to draw on elements such as ice and fire and hopefully add something similar to classic Mario power-ups that were noticeably missing in Kingdom Battle. The grid-based system is gone in favor of
Mario’s traveling buddies are a bit different this time too. The key art Nintendo provided and the trailer show Luigi, Peach, and Rabbid Peach returning, but they’re accompanied by Rabbid Rosalina and a big-haired Rabbid that looks like he jumped out of an anime series. Mario is dual-wielding pistols, and Rabbid Peach has an assault rifle, while Luigi wields a bow instead of his sniper weapon from the original.
Stay tuned for more on Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle 2 Sparks of Hope as we learn it.
