Mario and the Rayman Rabbids are about to get together for a crazy adventure in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Players will get to experience a unique Mario adventure unlike ever before. Mario and his allies must fight against other Rabbids in a turn based tactical shooter with loads of special moves and attacks. Explore a colorful world that brims with both themes from Mario’s and the Rabbids worlds. Get ready to take down some baddies in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.

Developer Ubisoft Paris and Milan clearly wanted to change the Mario formula up in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Instead of the usual 3D platforming or 2D adventures of the past Mario titles, players will explore a large world in a turn based tactics style. Expect the hilarious Rabbids to make you laugh with their goofy antics as well as the large adventures that usually follow Mario and his gang. Whether you’re at home or on the go, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a ton of fun either alone or with a companion. Expect a turn-based RPG that changes the Mario gameplay format completely but in a very clever way.

A scientist has created a headset that can be used to fuse various objects—both organic and non-organic—together. Unfortunately for her, a bunch of Rabbids who have been traveling through dimensions and time get a hold of the device and begin to run amok. To make matters worse, one of the Rabbids gets the device fused to him and now, is unable to control its shooting off the margining beam at random targets. Meanwhile in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and his friends are now in awe as they get sucked up into a portal that was made thanks to the Rabbids. While some of the Rabbids—who look suspiciously like Mario characters—want to help Mario save his friends, the other Rabbids would rather cause more mayhem. Mario is about to go on a journey that is quite different from any of his past adventures.

Mario fans aren’t strangers to Mario and his friends being put into a RPG-like world. However, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle changes the usual RPG elements and goes more towards a strategic gun based turn based game. Mario+ Rabbids Kingdom Battle has a lot of great qualities going for it but not every new change is without issue. Now then let us dive into the newest Mario adventure now on the Nintendo Switch. Trust us folks, this will be an exciting adventure to be sure.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle story is the first element we really loved about this new Mario title. The Rabbids work really well and insert a lot of comedy that works within the world of Mario pretty well. Equally the new story that doesn’t have the usual Princess Peach being kidnapped or the Mushroom Kingdom being in immediate danger is a nice change of pace. That isn’t to say that the Mushroom isn’t in danger this time around in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle though it doesn’t feel as bad as the usual issues we see in Mario games. Definitely one of the strengths of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is the story hands down.

Gameplay wise Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle plays out unlike any other RPG Mario adventure. Players will go around a large—but linear—world having to fight in set areas on a map. Here, Mario along with two others—there are several allies Mario can swap between—will fight in a turn-based shooting game. Players will need to hide behind various areas and shoot, slide and hit enemies depending on who’s on your team. Each of the characters in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle have their own perks and special moves that players will need to learn to utilize for best results, especially in boss fights. As a whole, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle works well in this new gameplay element not seen in Mario games prior but it’s not perfect and we’ll talk about that later.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle strongest element has to be in the form of the graphics and soundtrack. We knew the Nintendo Switch had some strong graphics but Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle must be pushing the system to its max. Not only do the environments look incredible but even Mario and his friends look incredible whether you’re on your TV screen or using the native Switch Screen. The same can be said of the soundtrack which accompanies Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle very well. If there was one perfect element of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, it’s the graphics and sound.

Now, not all is well in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. The RPG elements—both combat and exploration—have some rather big issues that will turn some people off. While Mario’s new world is beautiful, it’s also very linear and that hinders the adventure aspect. While you can find some different paths and hidden areas, it doesn’t feel like freedom and that really made us here at Honey’s Anime ever only want to go to the next area. It’s sad but the unfortunate reality with the new changes found in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.

The issues continue when you look at the RPG elements found in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. While the upgrade system is deep enough—each character has multiple skills to be enhanced and upgraded—the weapon system is where we have issues. While exploring players can find new weapons via hidden areas and chest—or sometimes given via quests—but you can’t just equip these items; you actually buy them via coins gained in combat or while walking around. Most RPGs give you items and weapons when you find them, not make you buy them and that is a very odd design choice to say the least.

Then we saved the last big issue of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle for last and that is the turn based combat itself. First we need to mention again that the combat within Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle works as a whole, there’s a lot of interesting moves players can do such as sliding into enemies or using allies to jump to further areas but all of these mechanics grow old very fast. Most battles—outside of boss situations—will feel tedious and are very easy. Co-Op can alleviate this a bit—it’s fun to be able to coordinate with friends on how to take down a boss or enemies—but even then battles will always boil down to take cover, shoot, move around and repeat. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a lot of fun at times but after a few hours be prepared to hit that fast forward button to make the battles go by a lot faster.

Overall, it’s safe to say that Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a truly fresh spin on the usual Mario franchise themes. While the Mushroom Kingdom has never looked better—seriously Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is breathtaking visually—the linear nature destroys the fun of the usual adventure focused Mario titles. Equally while certain battles can be exciting and tough, most tend to be tedious and overly simple. After a few hours of playing the charm of the turn based shooting mechanics began to feel old and repetitive. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a breath of fresh air but a lot of issues keep it from being amazing. Still as a whole enough Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle works and thus we’re happy to at least report that.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a lot of fun and has some truly innovative ideas for a Mario title. The battles and linear nature of exploration do hurt Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle but not enough to say don’t try it out or buy it. Developer Ubisoft Paris and Milan did something risky with Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle but we think it worked out in more ways than not but it may not be a change all fans will like at the end of the day. Have some thoughts of your own about Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle? Leave some comments down below and be sure to keep coming back to Honey’s Anime for more reviews like this one.