Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is the game no one thought they really wanted -- until they actually saw it in action. Ubisoft carried out an amazing feat by combining their irreverent Rabbids with Nintendo's most revered franchise and creating something completely new (in more ways than one). The end result is well-balanced and has greater strategic depth than it appears to at first sight, though its main draw is the charming world the developers created.
As good as the game is, though, there is always room for improvement. Ubisoft previously announced plans for expanded DLC -- and after reflecting on the game's strengths and what it could do even better, we've put together a list of four things we'd like to see in future updates. Let's dive in!
More Characters
This one probably comes as no surprise, but we definitely want to see more characters. Ubisoft's presentation of the game's eight playable characters is excellent; however, the Mario universe has a wide array of quirky characters to draw from, and it seems a shame to leave them untapped.
A Rabbid version of the usually mysterious Rosalina would be a particular highlight. It would also be nice to see an expanded role for Bwario, cast as a hero this time, as well as the real Wario. But there could be more in keeping with Mario Kart's inspiration for the developers -- including Princess Daisy and the normal version of Donkey Kong, along with the surprisingly absent Toad.
Sure, a large part of this is fanservice. After all, who wouldn't want to see what skills and movesets Ubisoft dreams up for Wario? At the same time, though, it offers expanded playability and provide as wide variety of ways for players to build their teams -- which lets players create their own unique methods of approaching each scenario.
Image via Ranker
More Villains
More characters naturally has to mean more villains as well. The jumbled Rabbid enemies fit perfectly with the game's story and make for some charming foes. Yet there is plenty of room for the more traditional Mario foes like Koopa Troopas and Shy Guys, alongside Rabbid forms of the same.
The same may be said of boss characters, too. The Koopa Kids are made for a tactical game like this, since they each have their own combat style and personality to begin with -- plus, as an added bonus, it would make for a longer story (or at least one with even more major fights).
This is probably venturing into dream territory, but Rabbid Cackletta or Rabbid Popple would be rather fun to see as well.
Image via GameSkinny
More Environments
The development team created some excellent mechanics and maps for the game. The four worlds Ubisoft includes cover the major Mario themes very well, and they also utilized terrain and cover in effective ways. But there's always room for more.
Drawing from New Super Mario Bros. and the Paper Mario series, a jungle world would be a nice fit that presents numerous opportunities for expanded exploration and battle stage obstacles or traps. However, it would be especially good to see themes or additions that provide a whole new set of battlefield options and considerations.
Stages pulled from the Super Mario Galaxy games, with gravity affecting fields and movement, stages with an added underground component to deal with, or underwater maps that also alter movement and cause characters to lose health for time spent underwater are just some of the possibilities the developers should consider.
Image via Anthony Pigeot
More Skills
One area that seems ripe for additions is the skill system. The existing skill trees provide a lot of fun and cause players to really think about what upgrades they pursue and how to use them. That players can reset their skills at no major cost is another major benefit.
At the end of the day, though, one Rabbid Yoshi is pretty much the same as the next. Additional skills of each type that allow more control over character development would allow for that kind of customization and add even more depth to the battle system as a whole.
This could take the form of focusing exclusively on a character's specialties, such as having Luigi only as a long-distance character at the expense of anything else, or taking a character far from their original setup -- like having a completely combat-oriented Rabbid Peach. The added replay value wouldn't hurt either.
Image via Polygon
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For the first in what will hopefully be a longer line of tactics games involving the two franchises, Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle provides a healthy balance of what makes both great to begin with. Yet both, especially the Mario universe, have even more to offer, whether it be more characters or even grander boss battles. With luck, the additional DLC will expand on the original in more than just storyline and include even more for players to sink their time into.
Let us know in the comments what you'd like to see in future updates or if you think the base game is already perfect the way it is!
Published: Sep 13, 2017 10:49 pm