I did not believe in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle when it was first announced, anyone with a modicum of sense could see that mixing mario with rabbids, the video game equivalent of the minions, was a recipe for disaster by itself, and then add something as antithetical to mario as guns? Absurd. But low and behold, I was proven wrong, and this game quickly cemented itself as the first good switch game.
I was honestly surprised at how enjoyable this game was. I'm not typically very fond of strategy-tactics games like this but my hand was forced to buy it due to the lack of first party titles on the Switch at the time. An unlikely crossover and an even more unlikely gameplay experience. The levels are designed shockingly well and the mechanics are intuitive and easy to grasp but hard to master. Just a very bizarre but surprisingly fun game.
A very surprising highlight of my year that only fell down in terms of its lack of invention.
The core gameplay is highly satisfying and tightly polished with each character offering genuine variety and balance to your arsenal.
You won’t find many better Switch games for a quick 10 minute gaming session.
The core gameplay is highly satisfying and tightly polished with each character offering genuine variety and balance to your arsenal.
You won’t find many better Switch games for a quick 10 minute gaming session.
This game has no business being this good. I love turn-based strategy, but games like XCOM always left me drowned in a pool of mechanics and attachments "for a 2% buff to crit change when at an angle". The in-depth tuning is likely a strength for many, but this game focuses on making the combat easy to understand yet very fun.
This game has me very mixed on how I feel about it, and it's largely down to how difficult it was to get the 100% completion vs. how difficult it was to beat the game.
On its own, this game has great visuals, plays like a dream, has fun character archetypes, well balanced characters, and lots of fun concepts throughout. This game had a lot of heart put into it and I respect it a great deal. Some of the fights felt overwhelmingly challenging compared to other parts of the game, but that was limited to one or two encounters overall.
The real issue with this game for me comes down to some of the requirements in game to get 100%. Some of the levels have extremely low "par" turn counts to get the perfect rating, leading to hours of restarting levels and having to use guides to figure out how to begin with not getting my team wiped in one turn. The post-game ultimate challenges were all pains in the neck, every last one of them, and it made going for the last 10% of completion take nearly the length of the rest of the game.
If you plan on just playing the story and a few post-game things, then this score should be read as much higher, likely an 8, but if you're going for 100%, just know you'll be in for a good bit of tedium on top of what is ultimately still quite a good game.
On its own, this game has great visuals, plays like a dream, has fun character archetypes, well balanced characters, and lots of fun concepts throughout. This game had a lot of heart put into it and I respect it a great deal. Some of the fights felt overwhelmingly challenging compared to other parts of the game, but that was limited to one or two encounters overall.
The real issue with this game for me comes down to some of the requirements in game to get 100%. Some of the levels have extremely low "par" turn counts to get the perfect rating, leading to hours of restarting levels and having to use guides to figure out how to begin with not getting my team wiped in one turn. The post-game ultimate challenges were all pains in the neck, every last one of them, and it made going for the last 10% of completion take nearly the length of the rest of the game.
If you plan on just playing the story and a few post-game things, then this score should be read as much higher, likely an 8, but if you're going for 100%, just know you'll be in for a good bit of tedium on top of what is ultimately still quite a good game.
Every time I played this game, I was reminded how much joy I get out of it. I felt so awesome when pulling off a well crafted turn. The game is set up to let you create an experience and strategy that is all your own. That's one of the highlights for me.
This game is near perfect in my book. Only two things holds it back:
1. Escort missions. Fortunately, these are the best escort missions I've played in a game.
2. Mario. By the end of the game, Mario is really outpaced in ability and versatility by other characters... And you can't switch him out. You have to use him.
This game is near perfect in my book. Only two things holds it back:
1. Escort missions. Fortunately, these are the best escort missions I've played in a game.
2. Mario. By the end of the game, Mario is really outpaced in ability and versatility by other characters... And you can't switch him out. You have to use him.