How to Become a Master Mario + Rabbids Tactician
It's tempting to think that a strategy game featuring Mario would be simple, but Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is anything but. While some of its elements aren't as complex as those in other strategy games, there's plenty of depth hiding in the game, and it can be pretty difficult at times.
There are plenty of little things in Mario + Rabbids that are a bit different from the turn-based strategy titles you might be used to. Here's a list of things you'll want to know before you get started, which can save you time--and maybe a few losses.
Kingdom Battle is out now for Nintendo Switch. It sports a season pass, which includes new weapons and a story expansion. For the uninitiated, the game sees you pick a squad of three characters to face a bunch of heinous enemy Rabbids. Its local co-op mode, meanwhile, has you team up with a friend, each controlling a squad of two.
Despite the game receiving poor first impressions when a piece of concept art leaked online, it managed to defy all expectations when it was officially unveiled at E3 2017 this past June. Kindgom Battle has since been well-received by critics. GameSpot's Edmond Tran said the game "triumphs in creating a magical game world that is undeniably delightful" and called it "a consistent delight." Check out our in-depth review for our full thoughts about the game.
You Can Change Squad Members at the Start of Every Battle
This is a bit of an unintuitive element, but your team is almost never set in stone in Mario + Rabbids. In fact, before almost every battle in the game, you'll have time to survey the battlefield, switch characters, buy new weapons, and even level up your team. Take advantage of that fact and trade out characters as the situation warrants. You don't have to stick with the team you had for the last fight.
...But You Can't Change Squad Members in Boss Fights
The only battles that restrict your ability to choose new teammates are boss fights, which are activated by crossing a banner like the other chapters in the campaign. When you cross the banner, a cutscene starts, and you're stuck with whomever you bring. Work around that issue by restarting the whole chapter, rather than just the battle, and pick new characters before you head into the fight. It's better to give up early and get the fighters you want than to waste a bunch of time in a boss fight where you're struggling.
Solving Puzzles Gets You New Weapons
You may find yourself wanting to skip all the exploration that you can do in Mario + Rabbids. Most levels are pretty dense, with lots of side paths and hidden treasures to grab--but they're often items like concept art, which can feel like a lot of effort for little payoff. The puzzles are worth it, however, because they're chiefly how you'll unlock new weapons. Keep an eye out for red rings that trigger a race to pick up red coins, and blue rabbid cannons, in particular. Both give you puzzles that almost always dish out new, better guns. And you might find Power Orbs on the odd occasion that will make the time you spend exploring worth it
You Can't Buy Everything
Weapons are bought with coins after you unlock them, but your stash of money is shared across all your characters. At the beginning of the game, it doesn't seem like a big deal, but you'll quickly find out you can't buy everything, and you'll waste a lot of money if you're not careful. It's pretty rough getting stuck with a low-level gun in a late-game battle because you can't upgrade your characters. Save your money whenever you can and choose your weapon purchases very carefully.
Upgrade Your Rabbid Characters' Movement Abilities
One of the major things that sets Mario + Rabbids apart from other strategy games is its movement system. Your characters all can move around a large area every turn, and each character can actually slide tackle enemies as they move, with no penalty to their range. That means if bad guys fall in your characters' move area, you can hit them. The Rabbids in particular can often hit multiple characters in every move, which lets you dish out a ton of extra damage if you're careful. And certain enemies, like Smashers, have abilities that trigger if you shoot them but not if you slide tackle them. It's totally worth it to spend your Power Orbs to upgrade your characters' movement damage. It often functions like a free hit and can be a game-changer when used effectively.
And Upgrade Your Ability Cooldowns
It might seem wise to go straight for the damage and healing upgrades for most of your characters, but the first thing you should upgrade is their ability cooldowns. Being able to use Mario's Hero Vision or Rabbid Peach's healing capabilities as often as possible is extremely handy and worth dumping your Power Orbs on right away.
Keep an Eye on Movement Upgrades, Too
There are a variety of different battle objectives throughout the Mario + Rabbids campaign, and not all of them have you thrashing every enemy you come across. Some are chase scenes, in which you need to get from one side of the battlefield to the other in one piece. In those scenarios, you're going to be thankful you spent some Power Orbs on upgrading your characters' movement distances--or wishing you did so. It's an easy-to-overlook upgrade, but one or two extra cells of motion can be a game-changer in lots of battles, particularly as you get toward the end of the game, when enemies and bosses become much tougher.
But Don't Be Afraid to Respec At Any Time
Mario + Rabbids lets you reset and redistribute your Power Orbs at any time, and without penalty. So, if you're having trouble with a particular map, consider restarting the match and funnelling your skill points into abilities that will be useful. For example, it's often a good idea to boost everyone's movement abilities in a map that requires you to reach an area quickly.
Criticals Can Affect Your Teammates, So Be Careful
Lots of the weapons in Mario + Rabbids have a chance to dish out special effects on a critical hit. Most just hamper enemy movement or abilities, but a couple are pretty dangerous: particularly, Push and Burn. Push knocks characters out of their cover positions, sending them flying in a straight line, and Burn lights enemies on fire like they're in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, causing them to move.
Trouble is, if you shoot an enemy with Push and it's too close to one of your characters, your teammate will go flying too. And if a burning character touches another character, they both get burned. Keep in mind what kind of effects your guns might have, and where you're shooting them--an unintentional critical at the wrong time can be disastrous.
You Can Restart Any Battle at Any Time
Some players aren't keen on "save scumming," but if you're having a hard time in a battle or just mess something up early, you can restart the fight from the Plus button menu whenever you want. It's handy when you accidentally send the wrong character to a location or when you're learning the ropes on a new enemy, and it can save a lot of time.
You Must Have a Rabbid on Your Team
For some reason, Mario + Rabbids doesn't let you roll a team of just Mushroom Kingdom characters--you need to bring a Rabbid along. Keep that in mind if you're thinking about buying a bunch of new weapons as you unlock new characters. It's best to be as balanced as possible and to build teams to respond to multiple situations, so try to spend time with different combinations of characters to see how their abilities mesh or clash.
Protect Mario
You're stuck with Mario on your team for the entire, since he's the "leader" of your team. Every chapter in the game features at least two battles, and the damage your characters take in the first fight stays with them through the rest. Sometimes, if you're into exploring, you can find a mushroom between battles to get some health back--but sometimes not.
While you can rotate your hurt characters out for fresh ones between battles, you can't switch out Mario, which means if he takes too much damage in one fight, he can become a liability in the next. It's tempting to throw Mario into the thick of it in every battle, but keep in mind that you're stuck with him if he gets trounced.
The Tactical Camera Is Really Useful
Hitting X lets you view the battlefield from above, and it's really useful for surveying the battlefield at the beginning of a fight, getting a sense of the terrain and enemy types, and deciding who should be on your team. It's also really useful during a fight, since you can take a look at your enemy's potential movement and attack ranges--very useful for keeping yourself out of reach from Rabbid Smashers.
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