---------------------[Playing on 'Demanding']--------------------

Immediately upon starting I'm struck with the shocking revelation that most characters now talk, have dialogue, and even feature voice acting. Feel very conflicted about the decision, but I'm not ready to go in depth until further into the game.

As for my impressions regarding the gameplay, 'Sparks of Hope' completely overhauls the combat and exploration structure of 'Kingdom Battle'. The most notable positive change is that Mario isn't required to be on the team anymore. In 'Kingdom Battle' I'd often be working around having Mario in my team and it limited my strategies, so having the requisite removed opens so much more freedom for experimentation. The game makes a departure from tile based movement in favour for being able to move freely around an area. This does mean I'm less likely to accidently misinput and completely fuck up battles so that's welcome. Movement ends once you attack though so can't cheese the smasher type enemies as easily anymore.

Certain aspects have been streamlined and integrated with the new Sparks mechanic. Every character now only has one distinct weapon and a single 'signature' technique. Of course each is entirely unique and have different functions, but Super Effects are no longer tied to weapons rather are temporary buffs from Sparks, which allows you to pass the effects around to whoever you want giving much more flexibility. Likewise, several techniques from the previous game have been turned into sparks and be used by any character.

Also, visually the game is downgraded from 'Kingdom Battle' in my opinion.