This is a Mario lite-rpgish strategy game not done by Nintendo. The only other time I can remember that happening we got Super Mario RPG, and no one complained. This is one of those cases where Nintendo gives another publisher rights to use their characters and it works!

I'll be the first to admit I had no idea what a Rabbid was going into this. And Mario, who has been in nearly every type of same genre, was my main reason for taking a risk. This is a 3-D battlefield game, where you move your players carefully, and can pay for mistakes. Each side takes a turn moving all their pieces, setting up combos and dealing with certain stage hazards - like a map where a tornado can blow friend and foe away depending on if you stop in its path. If you have played strategy games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgea, Ogre Battle/Tactics, and Shin Migami Tensei -- then you will be right at home here. Concepts such as attacking from higher ground, using spells to not only damage but change enemy behavior - they are here. There is also exploration aspects, where between fights you roam around the map and uncover treasures that unlock anything from concept art to new tools or weapons.

But if you have no idea what that is, or how any of this goes with Mario or Rabbids - you'll do just fine. Your party will include some humorous rabbit versions of your team, but you also eventually get the real versions as well. The rabbids are much like Illuminations Minions characters - both french creations that eventually grew more popular than their protagonist Rayman/Gru. The story sells its absurd foundation, and the rabbit enemies are just a remarkably silly foe, even in boss forms. It was a little weird getting used to Mario, Luigi and gang packing heat - all of them use weird laser guns in this game, which has the effect of resetting the goofy enemies into a more docile state - in truth you are saving the Rabbids, and they return back to Peach's castle to um... show their gratitude by creating things like new weapons or co-op modes, and defacing the landscape.


Graphics: 9

The cartoon design is solid, Ubisoft takes Nintendo's beloved licensed characters and gives them the royal treatment - no one looks off and all have their voice actors for their little quips. The Rabbid heroes are fun and very memorable, such as the selfie-loving Rabbid thats doing a very full-of herself version of Princess Peach. The stages are gorgeous and each world has the enemies redesigned, as well as adding new ones. Hiding behind some blocks for cover and they will eventually shatter, you can see the cracks and chips fall off. The enemies are well detailed as well - changing clothes with the stages. I particularly like the games use of a scenic camera, where you run your gang over massive scenery like a giant statue, there is a lot of these which goes to show how big the Mushroom Kingdom is and they look beautiful.

But unfortunately, all that intricate detail in the stage settings can get diluted, because there is no zoom feature, your camera is pulled so far back to show you alternate routes, you can't really see a lot of the detail the concept art shows. In a battle though, the camera changes and there is no complications.


Sound: 10

There is a lot of tracks in this game, and if it sounds like something you'd hear on Banjo Kazooie, thats because its the same composer. Its good, and has some great stage music to sell it. The battle themes are nice, my favorite being in the third world you travel to. I did like the game isn't afraid to use the Rabbid wrecked kingdoms to show a little musicality in the stages itself, starting from stage 1, you can see things in the background that are making the music you're hearing.


The battle music and sound effects are top notch. Each weapon type gets its own sound, smash a block and you'll hear it crumble. Stages get windy, or listen for a boos distinct laugh. The voice work for the enemies and your comrades is great, small throwaways like Luigi incoherently getting dizzy from traveling up long pipes is a good way to let the Nintendo characters get some humor in on these wacky villains.



Addictiveness: 7

My interest in this game was mainly by my unwillingness to not spoil it all quickly. There are only about 10 battles per world, and I wanted more. I wanted some random encounters, something to give a little unpredictability to the set peices the game kept offering. Its a good strategy game but I wanted more. Each character you can use on your team is defined by their skills as well as their weapons - there is no trading say Mario's laser blaster to Rabbid Luigi. Once you start figuring out how the skill tree works and what you can really do (run through enemies to hurt them without using your turn, secondary weapons like Mario's hammer or a cover destroying bazooka).

The game never got me frustrated but it is challenging. I would say the best time I had with it, was in those first couple hours in World 1. Other worlds frequent a lot of criss-crossing that make the BIG areas feel smaller as you cut through familiar territory.


Story: 8

Rabbids have a time-traveling washing machine they ride around in. They happen to accidentally take a powerful device that just by looking at two things, can trigger a hybrid version that has both elements. This is mainly used for the enemies, where the piranha plant from Mario becomes a 8' Rabbid version that walks. Mario and some friendly Rabbids go around to find the poor guy with the dupicating device stuck on his head - before it causes more chaos. The Rabbids also provide a lot of mayhem from their landing, where you'll see the Mushroom Kingdom in a way you've never seen before. Maybe Mario and gang will keep that enormous toilet in their moat!



Depth: 7

This is a good game in this genre, Mario games are all about understanding controls easily, and this game is no exception. I did enjoy walking around the stages between the many battles, exploring secret spots for loot and maybe a hidden level. However, Here the game fares less well compared to its tactical brethren, as certain features are missing or not fully there. The most annoying for me were the ability to look at the whole map at any time (there is no zoom out view), and the ability to forecast what your options are after you move. Not being able to lock in your choice, so you can still see the options if you were to move there, hurts a lot. You do get a bit of this, like when using the ability to jump assist with your teammates, or if traveling in a pipe or not, you can undo that choice, but regular walking - no. I also did not like the weapons while all unique looking and featuring wild hybrid designs that play up this crossover (a sushi roll mixed with a shotgun) you cannot switch them between party members, and some use the same type.


I also did not like in the story mode, you MUST use Mario. he is always part of your 3 person team. At first this is not so bad, but I started to realize, Mario's two special alternate attacks (to shooting that is) are jumping on the enemies head, and using a hammer up close. Both of these are not great, making him feel underpowered. The jump attack is good in theory, this is what Mario does, right? But you cannot jump off multiple foes, and some bigger enemies you can't do it to, period. Tactical games are about taking cover when you can, so using the hammer can be situational at best, as it will likely leave you vulnerable.


One very, very nice feature is the ability to change your team and your weapons before every battle, without having to teleport back to base and waste time. The game is very user friendly in that way and encourages you to experiment. Some special challenge stages require you to use your noodle. One challenge has you needing to move all 3 characters to 3 designated spots on the board in one turn - you start looking at people's talents, like Luigi's ability to double jump off his teammates, to meet the goal. There are also escort missions which are normally evil in gaming, but you get to control the Toad or whomever. I found the 'reach this point' to be the most fun, as it allowed you multiple options and let you outwit the cpu over just killing everyone.


Difficulty: 6

This is a Mario game, and its not super hard, but Ubisoft didn't skimp on the challenge. There is an easy mode for the story quests, which heal you after each battle and make your life bar longer, and its yours to toggle on and off each fight, so if one in particular you just can't pass, try it with that if you feel frustrated. The regular difficulty requires you to battle 2 or 3 times before getting all healed - you can swap out your characters though - except Mario. Once you learn how to keep your plumber alive with help from your allies, regular challenge is not so bad. There are bosses and they require more to them and just shooting them over and over. Much of the difficulty is your own to make, in your team choices for the stage, and where you put players on the board.

The game makes much ado about going back to completed stages and mastering them, the point being to get what treasure you missed, finesse your 'fair' ranked stages to get higher coins and orbs, and to find the (almost impossible to miss) challenge stages. These are more like Mario Odyssey's level of challenge, as it gives you all sorts of various rules and even enemies unavailable in the area.



Overall: 8

Its not full of secrets and load out depth like Disgea 5 (also for Switch) or FF Tactics, but this is a solid entry to strategy gaming with many options to customize and is a lot more fun than it probably has a right to be, perfect for those who don't want to get heavy RPG in their RPG tactics. If combining Rabbids and Mario seem like oil and vinegar, they are actually delicious and work really well in this game.