[REVIEW] Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (Switch)

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Played on: Switch
Genre: Turn-based tactical RPG
Developer / Publisher: Ubisoft

I have to hand it to Ubisoft: the marketing strategy for Mario + Rabbids has to be the best in recent gaming years. In hindsight, it's so simple: 1) leak a rumor for a Mario & Rabbids crossover; 2) let people make fun of the concept for months on end; 3) have a big reveal at E3, after the joke has already died down, and show to your unsuspecting audience that the game actually (gasp) looks quite promising.

I mean, I can think of no video game characters more openly loathed than the rabbids. They're ugly, dumb and obnoxious, and that has usually been a big enough problem to all but suppress their comedic potential. Mario and his gang, obviously, are the complete opposite, with people who haven't even owned a Nintendo console in decades having a soft spot for the plumber.

Of course, having the rabbids parody Mario could have backfired pretty hard. Luckily, the writers for Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle managed to find an elusive fine line between parody and flattery, and as a result... the rabbids are suddenly funny. I mean, yeah, some of the jokes in the game do fall a bit flat, but it's all mostly very well done, with the selfie-taking Rabbid Peach a clear highlight.

And yet that would all be for nothing without compelling gameplay. Luckily, Ubisoft also delivers in that front, offering beautiful worlds to explore and fight insane turn-based battles in. Each character has their own strenghts, complete with a skill tree, and strategizing around them is super fun. Combat has a surprising amount of depth, and seamlessly integrates the comedic value of both worlds into a single whole that actually manages to make sense while also including, of all things, guns. Now that's positively an accomplishment.

In fact, the amount of care put into this little package is a sight to behold. There's a level of polish and a sense of joy in all sections of the gameplay that makes the game feel like a laid-back funny adventure even during the most grueling battle sequences (and trust me, they can get pretty grueling). Yes, there's the camera, which is quite annoying during the light-exploration moments, and some momentary technical hiccups that have frames freezing for a good few seconds, but it's hard to get hung up on the game's shortcomings when there's so much to actually enjoy here.

TL;DR:

Nintendo has been hinting that it's more open to lend beloved franchises to third parties since Hyrule Warriors was announced. With Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, that stance pays off in a big way. Against all odds, Ubisoft's debut Switch exclusive is a surprisingly engrossing turn-based RPG that has the Mario gang (and Rabbid versions of them) adventuring through a Mushroom Kingdom in lovely disarray. It's not perfect by a long shot, but there's obviously so much passion poured into it that this hardly matters. Kingdom Battle hits plenty of notes where it counts: gameplay, production values, and, yes, humor.