Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope marked the return of our favorite Mario characters and their Rabbid counterparts, as well as introduced us to some new faces to the crossover. Each of the nine heroes in the game work together to stop Cursa from absorbing the energy from the Sparks, a Luma-Rabbid hybrid.
Four Mario characters and five Rabbids make up the roster for Sparks of Hope, and each hero has a unique fighting style, distinct personality, and special weapon they use. This allows for some great strategic combinations as you pick which three heroes to use in each turn-based, tactical battle situation. Some heroes, though, are more helpful than others.
Rabbid Rosalina
Rabbid Rosalina is one of the new additions to Sparks of Hope’s playable character roster, but the hype doesn’t quite live up to the results. While it’s great to see a Rabbid spin on Rosalina, her laziness and apathy don’t quite meet the same standard of creativity as the other Mario-inspired Rabbids.
Personality aside, Rabbid Rosalina’s combat abilities are pretty decent. Her special, Ennui, freezes enemies in place for a turn, a unique passive defense maneuver. Her weapon, Kaboomer, a stuffed Luma armed with a cannon, is alright, but its range and the damage it inflicts are rather limited compared to other cannon-like weapons.
Rabbid Luigi
While Rabbid Luigi’s style can’t be denied, on the battlefield he’s not the best asset in most situations. His weapon is Discruptor, a frisbee that strikes three different enemies, and while it is a unique attack style, the damage it does is minimal compared to other heroes. It’s a weapon best used for enemies with low health and standing near each other.
What Rabbid Luigi lacks in combat, he makes up for with spirit. He’s brimming with confidence and a swagger that sets him apart from Luigi himself. Plus, his special, Exhaust, is very useful, as it reduces the damage enemies can inflict during their turn.
Peach
It’s always fun to see Peach in fighting action. The Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom shines bright on the Sparks of Hope hero lineup, and isn’t afraid to get her gloves dirty.
Peach wields a Rabbid version of her signature parasol, the Boom-Brella, which blasts everything in its medium-range scope. Beyond that, she’s a good defensive hero to have on your team, as she can guard herself and allies through her special move, Team Barrier. However, while her shields are among the strongest, certain Sparks can partially replicate her defensive powers, making Peach a little less necessary to have in your party.
Rabbid Peach
While Princess Peach is prim and proper, Rabbid Peach is full of spunk and attitude. While her phone obsession and tendency not to take danger seriously can be a little annoying, Rabbid Peach’s sassy personality grows on you over the course of the game.
On the battlefield, Rabbid Peach is a great asset to have on the team. Her special is Heal, which makes her one of the only ways to restore health outside of using Items. Her weapon is another one of her strengths. She wields the Triple-Troll, which strikes one enemy three times and ignore barriers that other weapons can’t hit through.
Edge
Edge is a new member of the team in Sparks of Hope, and the only playable Rabbid who isn’t a spin on one of the classic Mario characters. She’s the first non-starter character you unlock, and she’s a tough powerhouse from the start. Swinging her Flying Blade, she doles out high damage with fair range. Plus, she can counterattack with her special Stormblade.
Beyond her formidable battlefield prowess, Edge is an intriguing character with her own storyline. As you progress through the game, the mystery of her backstory is revealed, which adds extra to her character and makes us like her even more.
Mario
Though it’s always enjoyable to play as characters other than the main man himself, Mario is a fantastic hero in Sparks of Hope, and a strong member of your battle lineup. In the story, he’s quick to jump into action to help the Rabbids, proving yet again that he’s a worthy hero of the Mushroom Kingdom.
In Sparks of Hope, he wields Dual Slinger, two guns that allow you to fire on two different enemies (or the same enemy twice). It makes him a great distance fighter, which is best in a majority of combat situations in the game. Plus, he can get in an extra hit with Hero Sight, firing on anything that moves within his range of vision.
Rabbid Mario
Rabbid Mario is hilariously aggressive, just as heroic as Mario but with more passion for the art of fighting. As such, his weapon are The Dukes, a set of gloves that pack a major punch. This weapon is one of the few that allows you to strike multiple enemies at once, though its range is limited and requires you to be up close and personal.
Rabbid Mario’s special is Counter Blow, which lets him immediately strike back at an enemy bold enough to attack him. His punches pack a lot of damage, making him one of the strongest heroes to use. He’s also the funniest playable Rabbid in the game.
Luigi
Sparks of Hope shines a spotlight on Luigi, making Mario’s brother look cool, calm, and collected in the face of battle. This more epic take on Luigi is nice, as it gives him the respect he deserves.
Luigi uses a bow and arrow for his weapon, called Sharpshooter. While it only lets you fire once per turn, its range is huge and its single shot does a considerable amount of damage. Like Mario, Luigi can also get an extra blow in with Steely Stare, which lets him fire on any enemy that moves.
Bowser
Though he’s technically a villain, Bowser has to be the best hero in Sparks of Hope. He’s unlocked last out of the three new faces, but getting to him is worth the wait. Plus, it’s always fun to play as Mario’s most infamous enemy.
Bowser is great because he has a powerful range weapon, the Bowzooka, which not only directly strikes a single enemy, but also impacts the other enemies around the target. His special move, Rabbid Mechakoopas, summons three Mechakoopas, which automatically find the nearest enemy and blow it up. These Mechakoopas can also be picked up and thrown at enemies. This gives Bowser a wide range of actions to take during battle, meaning he’s able to deal out a ton of damage. Thank goodness he’s on Mario’s side in Sparks of Hope!
