Our favourite pixelated plumber has generated a lot of hype this year, with the Super Mario Bros film trailer having sent fans into a frenzy. But instead of debating voice actor choices today, we’re leaving the big screen behind in search of space adventures. It’s time to buckle up, my friends.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is packed with whimsical worlds, loveable humour, and familiar enemies to fight. There’s a lot of ground to cover if we’re going to save the universe.
But before you charge headlong into the fray, it’s worth brushing up on your tactical thinking. That’s right, turned-based fighting is back, only this time it has a revamped format.
Slicker and more intuitive than what Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle offered, our heroes can traverse the battlefield free of tedious grid systems boxing them in.
Huzzah! However, with that new freedom comes new tricks and tips to learn.
It sounds simple enough, but it’s easier said than done if turn-based fighting is new to you. That’s where we come in; we fully intend to help you hone your skills so you can battle with the best of them.
If you’re ready, it’s time to become a battlemaster of legend using this Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope battle guide!
Learn How Difficulty Affects The Battle
Believe us when we say that strategy begins with knowing how the difficulty level impacts your experience.
In Sparks of Hope there’s three difficulty levels: Relaxing, Average, and Demanding.
Despite their fancy titles, these are basically easy, normal, and hard mode, so please pick accordingly. If you favour the story above all else, Relaxing mode is your best bet. As chill as a lazy Sunday morning, enemies will barely make a dent if they hit you, with your HP able to withstand a lot of abuse.
Average is the comfortable middle ground, as name suggests – think of this as a playthrough of balance, there’s some challenge but not enough to throw your controller in temper. While Demanding mode packs a considerable punch.
It reminds us of Mario Striker Battle League’s Galactic mode, which doesn’t invoke the fondest of memories.
Fortunately, if the going gets too tough, you can change the difficulty.
Just make sure to do that before you start a battle, otherwise you’ll have to ride out the pain for as long as it lasts. Once you select ‘Here we go’, your fate is sealed; never has Mario’s famous phrase sounded so threatening.
Make Use Of The Tactical Cam In Every Battle
If you don’t intend to back down no matter the cost, the tactical cam is a godsend. As much as we adore Beep-O’s sassiness, we love its tacticam more.
Throughout every battle, Beep-O can be deployed to scan the field far and wide, able to wander where you can’t. And unlike Mario and co, the robotic companion knows the weaknesses and strengths of each enemy, a handy breakdown that can turn the tide in your favour.
Similar to when you change the difficulty, the best tacticam practice is to launch Beep-O before you start fighting. Mainly because you won’t be able to swap out your team once you’ve started, which will make exploiting enemy weaknesses hard.
Trust us when we say we learnt this the hard way.
Choose The Right Spot On The Battlefield
Taking cover should always be your first port of call when fighting. Still, in order to get there, you need to know how to tactically work the board, so to speak.
Choosing the right attack spot is key in Mario Rabbids.
As previously mentioned, you’re no longer locked into a grid system when fighting and so you can move around at leisure. Still, while the grid has disappeared, there’s a set distance radius that does inhibit free-roaming, though it’s quite generous, especially when used in combination with Team Jumping.
If you’re undecided on where to place yourself, our advice is never fire your weapon until you’re ready. Although you have two moves per character each turn, the moment you use your weapon you can’t move until after the enemies retaliates.
Cover Greater Distances With Team Jumping
You’ll never be entering battle alone in Sparks of Hope, with teamwork being crucial to your survival. With that in mind, it makes sense to take the hand of your partner, quite literally.
We’ve teased about this long enough, so let’s jump into the Team Jump details (please excuse the bad Dad joke).
Stand beside your companion and wait for the prompt to appear. Once you see it, confirm the move to watch as your partner tosses you into the air, ready for Beep-O to grab you and carry you to a nearby spot.
You can’t travel far, but distance isn’t important, the destination is. By being able to cross the radius limit, you can move yourself into a more advantageous position – perfect for hitting the target when objects block the way.
Make Use Of The Techniques Skill
Beep-O will introduce you to hero techniques early on in the tutorial stage. However, it can be easy to quickly forget about these special abilities once the action begins to unfold.
Well, we’re here to remind you to always use those techniques!
Each hero has their own unique set of three talents, though you’ll only have access to one of these skills when first starting out. To begin with your options are as follows: Rabbid Peach has Heal, Mario has Hero Sight, Luigi has Steely Gaze, Rabbid Mario has Magnet Dance, and Rabbid Luigi has Weaken.
To unlock the other techniques, you need to complete the techniques skill tree one tier at a time. It sounds tedious, but we promise you it becomes a speedy process, even more so if you autocomplete skills allocation.
You can activate techniques before or after you fire your weapon, making it a useful tool to fall back on if your first line of attack fails. We lost count of the amount of times we relied upon our abilities to save the day.
And there you have it, battle cleared!
We really hope this guide helps you navigate the big changes that Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope has introduced, though don’t get too disheartened if you still find tactical battling a challenge. Like all artforms, it takes time.
If you’re still feeling weary after battle, we get it – fighting is hard work, even for heroes. So why not try a more low-key Mario game? Our 10 best games like Mario Party guide is sure to help you find the perfect way to shake off the cobwebs of defeat.
And who knows, maybe after some much needed downtime you’ll be ready to take up arms once more.
We’d love to hear about your tales from Mario Rabbids, so please reach out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If nothing else, we can be a shoulder to cry on!
Emma has loved video games ever since she first saw Alex Kidd platforming across her TV screen. Since then, the 32 year old has dedicated an obscene number of hours to playing as many games as possible. When she isn’t obsessing over games, she spends her time honing her vinyl collection.
