Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle has been out for several years now, and I gained an interest in playing it during the holiday season. I remember this game getting leaked several years ago before it was revealed at E3 2017. I also remember not liking the idea of seeing a crossover between Mario and the Rabbids, especially since the Rabbids haven’t aged very well. I’m also aware that Rayman fans despise them as they took the spotlight from him when the Rayman Raving Rabbids games were still around. Those games were a result from the cancelled Rayman 4 that was being developed at the time. What did finally give me an interest in trying the game out though was the soundtrack, the Donkey Kong Adventure DLC, and the fact that it was a strategy RPG game.
Story
Just like any Mario game, the story is simple. The game starts with the Rabbids getting teleported into the Mushroom Kingdom. This results into chaos, and it’s up to Mario and the others to put an end to it. The story also introduces us to Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Luigi, Rabbid Peach, and Rabbid Yoshi. You will meet all of them as you progress through the story. They all also have their own unique personalities.
Gameplay
As far as gameplay goes, the level design is in the format of progression. You move your party exploring different environments and solving puzzles. The puzzles are easy in the beginning, but as you progress further, they get challenging. When solving these puzzles, you are rewarded with power orbs which can be used to get new weapons and skills. These weapons and skills can be upgraded as you progress through the game. Besides power orbs, you are also rewarded with 3D models which can be looked at in the gallery. Some of these puzzles are also required to solve in order to progress.
When battling, you are given three options to choose from when controlling each character. You can use all three options in any order. These options are move, attack, and using a character’s special ability. You also don’t have to use them all. As far as movement goes, each character has their own movement length, but you can increase them using the power orbs. You can also increase your movement by moving one character to another in order to have them team jump into a spot that you can’t get to. When moving, you are also allowed to slide tackle enemies in order to do a small amount of damage. When attacking, each character has a main and secondary weapon. The secondary weapon is usually the strongest weapon, and if used, you will have to wait for a bit in order to use it again. Each character also has their own abilities. These abilities usually provide stat boosts and protection.
My Experience
During my playthrough, I mostly used Mario, Luigi, and Rabbid Mario. Mario is used by default and can’t be switched out. Luigi was added to my team because of how good he is at sniping. His shooting range from a distant is very useful in killing enemies before they reach your teammates. Rabbid Mario was added because of how strong he is. His hammer, which is his secondary weapon, is very strong in performing heavy damage, and knocking out enemies in a single turn. Combine this with his Magnet ability in order to knockout several enemies at once. I used this strategy so many times, and it felt satisfying just to get so many enemies killed in a single turn. I also enjoyed using Mario and Luigi’s ability that lets them counter attack if an enemy nearby is moving. They were very useful when doing damage.
As far as the other characters go though, I rarely used them, and if I did, they would only be in certain occasions. One of those occasions was when I used Peach for her Protection ability against one of the boss battles. Her protection ability helped out on reducing damage. You should really give each character a try in order to find which ones fit your play style.
Donkey Kong Adventure DLC
The Donkey Kong Adventure DLC is a huge reason to get this game, especially since it’s already been ten years since the last main entry in the series. For the most part, anything with DK always ends up being good. Controlling DK is so funny since he’s basically broken. That’s not to say that the game isn’t challenging because it still is. It’s just that DK can do so much more than what you were able to do in the base game. His movement is insane when you go on the blue DK arrows in order to swing from one location to another. He can also grab enemies and blocks. Grabbing enemies is a good way to keep them from attacking your teammates. Also, did I forget to mention that you can also pull the rabbits growing out of the ground? My point is…..just play it. It’s the only recent thing from DK at the moment. That is if you don’t count the Mario vs. Donkey Kong remake.
Music
The music in this game is phenomenal. Grant Kirkhope does it again by giving us an amazing soundtrack. The music will give you Banjo-Kazooie vibes if you listen to it.
Conclusion
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is worth the money and I recommend you guys to play it. The game is very beginner friendly for those that want to get into strategy RPGs. The game introduces us to new iterations of the Rabbids, and are probably the only iterations that I’ll be able to appreciate for the time being. This game was also something new that Nintendo gave to us by working with Ubisoft. Despise the backlash both companies get for their stupid business decisions, they both have the resources to make great games. Although Nintendo is more accurate of course. After completing this game, I am definitely looking forward to playing its sequel Mario + Rabbids Spark of Hope.
What are your guys thoughts on this game? Have you guys played Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
