Nintendo itself has accidentally leaked Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, a sequel to Ubisoft and Nintendo’s Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, ahead of an official reveal likely set to happen sometime during E3 2021. Nintendo posted the game’s store page in its entirety this morning with plans to launch on Nintendo Switch in 2022. The company has since removed the store page, but not before fans were able to copy down every bit of information available. We’ll have to wait until later for any official trailer, but there are screenshots available.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope looks like it will introduce a few elements from space this time around, including Rabbid Rosalina and Rabbid Lumas. Even Nintendo describes the game as “a galactic journey to defeat a malevolent entity and save your Spark companions,” with players tasked with exploring different planets throughout the galaxy. You’ll have nine companions to build out your team of three to take down new bosses and familiar enemies. With unique abilities and Nintendo encouraging players to “be strategic as you dash your enemies, team jump on your allies, and hide behind covers,” it sounds like Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is primed to be a proper sequel to 2017’s surprise hit.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle shocked many when it launched a few years ago, bringing tactical XCOM-like combat to an interesting collaboration project. This comedic take on the Mario universe even got Donkey Kong-themed DLC post-launch, setting the possibility to go down the rabbit hole in any potential future games. Prior to this huge leak, the title Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope was leaked elsewhere in the past couple days.
Ubisoft’s E3 2021 Ubisoft Forward event is set to begin later today at noon PT / 3 p.m. ET. The publisher will bring updates on titles like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Riders Republic, and Rainbow Six Extraction and will bring some surprises too (perhaps one fewer surprise now). Of course, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope could always premiere during Nintendo’s E3 2021 Direct instead.
