“Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle” will take over the Nintendo Switch a few weeks from now – a crossover that never made any kind of sense from the very beginning; that nobody seemed to want when it was announced. But now that we're all blessed with bits and pieces of its marvelousness, it’s clear that the game is actually a tactical XCOM-inspired RPG.
‘Kingdom Battle’: bizarre but wonderful
The Mario-Rabbids mash-up game allows players to take control of a team of three characters to discover a Rabbid-laden world. Combat is a turned-based affair with surprising similarities to other strategy games.
Don’t be fooled by its colorful art style and humorous tone, though – it’s hardly a dumbed down XCOM.
After entering a clearly marked battle area, players get to examine the battlefield from a bird’s eye view to contemplate on a strategy. This mode also allows one to hover over enemies to see more details about them, like how much health they have left. If it’s your turn, you’ll be able to move your character and choose an attack style. As you go along, you might be able to launch a special move.
One of the most interesting things about “Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle," surprisingly, has nothing to do with its gameplay. The fact this is the first time Nintendo gave its blessings to another company – Ubisoft – to get creative with one of its most popular franchises makes the game something you would want to have.
And if you're wondering how the dev team managed to come up with such a weird mash-up, the reason isn't far off from how a regular person would think: they thought it would be fun.
How ‘Mario + Rabbids’ came to be
By now, gamers keen on Nintendo already have an idea on this crossover’s ridiculousness, and apparently, the dev team behind it sort of meant for that to happen.
In an interview with Gadgets 360, Ubisoft Milan’s creative director Davide Soliani shed some details about the game and revealed that they toyed with the idea of absurdity. "We said, if Mario who is well known as a hero, and Rabbids who are well known for being crazy, is embarking on an adventure, what will happen?" Soliani remarked.
Well, it has happened – now what? A peculiar strategy game with gurning mascots seems like the type you’d pick up when nothing else is around, except that it does make sense. “Mario + Rabbids” offers surprising tactical depth. Nintendo has always been about making crazy ideas work; what better way to do it than putting out a Ubisoft-developed, turn-based Mario title that’s honestly one of the best things happening on Switch?
Check out “Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle’s” co-op clip below. The game hits stores this Aug. 29.
