Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a Nintendo Switch game released on October 20, 2022. It is the second game in the Mario + Rabbids series, and the sequel to Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Like its predecessor, the game is a crossover featuring characters from the Mario franchise and Ubisoft's  series, and sees the return of characters from the previous game in addition to introducing new ones such as Rabbid versions of Rosalina and Lumas named Sparks. The game contains nine playable characters with a team of three allies like its predecessor. The game's story revolves around the cast venturing through space and traveling to different planets to rescue the Sparks. Also similar to its predecessor, the game was leaked ahead of its official announcement, on Nintendo's official website hours prior to the Ubisoft Forward 2021 broadcast.

While Nintendo is publishing the game in Japan like it did its predecessor, Ubisoft is taking publishing duties for South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan over from Nintendo.

Plot
An entity named Cursa wants to consume the Sparks' energy and take over the galaxy, spreading Darkmess, a type of dark matter, across its planets. She takes control of Bowser's army and sends her own minions to capture the Sparks, leading Mario and his team to rescue them and save the galaxy. Along the way, Bowser joins Mario on his journey so he can reclaim his army.

Playable
There are nine playable characters in the main game. Of the eight playable characters from the previous game's main campaign, six of them return in this game, as Yoshi and Rabbid Yoshi are stated to be on a vacation and do not return. Likewise, Donkey Kong and Rabbid Cranky from the Donkey Kong Adventure campaign are also absent. Four new playable characters are introduced in this game, including Bowser, who was a boss in the previous game, and Rayman, who is set to appear as DLC. Like the previous game, the player creates a party of up to four to travel the worlds and fight in battles, though this time, Mario is not required to be in the party at all times.

The following descriptions are taken from the game's official website.

Allies

 * Jeanie
 * Sparks
 * Starburst
 * Pyrogeddon
 * Exosphere
 * Vampdash
 * Aquanox
 * Ethering
 * Reflector
 * Toxiquake
 * Glitter
 * Pyrostar
 * Zephyrquake
 * Regenesis
 * Electrogeddon
 * Cryobolide
 * Electroid
 * Aquaquake
 * Pulser
 * Decibel
 * Beep-0

Bosses

 * Cursa
 * Giant Wildclaw, a boss of the Sunrise Temple
 * Darkmess Eyes, which possess an enemy or element and must be all destroyed to progress
 * Midnite, a purple-blue-haired ghost Rabbid, part of the Spark Hunters
 * Wiggler, a boss possessed by Darkmess that chases after the Wiggler Train
 * Bedrock, a giant, blocky Rabbid dressed as a Greco-Roman wrestler, part of the Spark Hunters
 * Daphne, A plant-like Rabbid with vine tentacles, part of the Spark Hunters

Enemies

 * Goombas
 * Armored Goombas, Goombas with pots on their heads
 * A Big Goomba covered in Darkmess
 * Bob-ombs
 * Magikoopas
 * Stooges, cloaked Rabbids with skull masks
 * Flamin' Stooges, which wear dragon heads
 * Sea Stooges, which wear fish heads
 * Wildclaws, large tiger-Rabbid hybrids
 * Deep Freezes, arctic versions
 * Black versions with rubber chickens as weapons
 * Squashers, large, pig-like Rabbids that carry Thwomps on their backs
 * A giant version covered in Darkmess
 * Floating, cloaked Rabbids with long hair and invisible eyes
 * Oozers, which have Ooze-based attacks
 * Scoopers, little sniper Rabbids dressed in gray wolf costumes
 * Lone Wolves, arctic versions
 * Large bee-Rabbid hybrids
 * Stone masks, Rabbid-shaped rocks that blow gusts of wind

Other

 * Rabbids
 * Toads
 * Rosalina
 * Lumas
 * Augie, a large, bearded Rabbid that resides in water and wields a staff, and the warden of Beacon Beach's planet
 * Twinkle (Spark of Light), the source of power of the lighthouse of Beacon Beach
 * Captain Orion, a large, mustachioed Rabbid and sea captain, and the warden of Pristine Peaks' planet
 * Prof. Backpack, a small explorer Rabbid wearing a large backpack
 * Sullivan, the engineer of the Wiggler Train
 * Cheep Cheeps
 * Bloopers
 * A large, bearded lumberjack Rabbid with a beaver/raccoon-like creature on its head
 * DJ Cheep Tuna, a DJ Rabbid wearing a Cheep Cheep hat
 * Moles
 * Salesbot 9.99+TX, a floating robot with long arms and Rabbid-like ears that sells items
 * Manta, a giant, flying, dark manta ray that releases Darkmess
 * A bee Rabbid with pigtails
 * A Rabbid with a pinecone-like head capable of controlling the fall leaves
 * Chain Chomps
 * Mechakoopa-Rabbid hybrids
 * Penguins
 * Dragoneels
 * Conkdors
 * Rabbid Kong

Items

 * Coins
 * Coin Stacks
 * Star Bits
 * Red Coins
 * Blue Coins
 * POW Blocks
 * Green Coins

Objects

 * WM ARC, the team's spaceship
 * Warp Pipe
 * P Switch
 * Jump Panel
 * Treasure Chest
 * Wiggler Train
 * Teleport Flags
 * Red Ring
 * Green Ring
 * Darkmess Portal, which summons an enemy the next turn and can be destroyed
 * Purified Darkmess Energy

Locations

 * Mushroom Kingdom
 * Beacon Beach, a sunny beach area with a temple known as the Sunrise Temple
 * Pristine Peaks, a snowy area with a mountain, caves, and a palace known as the Winter Palace
 * Palette Prime
 * Terra Flora, a green and flowery planet with a volcano known as Mt. Spout, which the team uses the Wiggler Train to reach. A tree known as the Everbloom Tree is also found here.

Release
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope will be released in two editions: the Standard Edition, which only includes the base game, and the Gold Edition, which includes the game, a Season Pass featuring downloadable content packs (which contain additional story, characters, quests, and battles), and the Galactic Prestige Pack (also referred to as the Galactic Prestige Collection), a series of space-themed skins for the characters' weapons. Pre-ordering either edition gives the player the Megabug Collection, skins for each character's weapon based on Megabug, the main antagonist of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.

References to other games

 * Super Mario Galaxy: An arrangement of the Comet Observatory theme, "Rosalina in the Observatory", plays when Rabbid Rosalina is introduced in the game's cinematic trailer. The first three notes of the main melody also play when Rabbid Rosalina uses her Ennui attack.
 * Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: Weapon skins based on Megabug are available as part of the Megabug Collection pre-order bonus.

Staff
As with its predecessor, Xavier Manzanares and Davide Soliani respectively acted as the lead producer and creative director for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Grant Kirkhope also reprised his role as the composer for the soundtrack from the previous game, this time being joined by Gareth Coker and Yoko Shimomura.