New Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope trailer shows off turn-based combat, Bowser, and an official release date

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As expected, Mario + Rabbids made an appearance during the Nintendo Direct Mini

Mario + Rabbids: Spark of Hope
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Mario + Rabbids: A Sparks of Hope got a brand new trailer during today’s Nintendo Direct Mini which focuses on the game’s turn-based combat, Bowser, and the official release date. 

As expected, after it was quietly revealed by Ubisoft yesterday, Mario + Rabbids appeared in today’s Nintendo Direct Mini. This trailer focused mostly on the upcoming game’s turn-based combat and saw Rabbid Rosalina and Luigi, alongside Mario, going up against a group of enemies using a variety of strategic attacks. 

Much like most other tactical RPGs, battles in Sparks of Hope are initiated by approaching and attacking the enemy. Players are able to move around the battlefield freely before using their character's unique weapons.

In the example in the trailer, we got to see Mario use a charge attack at one of three enemies in front of him before swapping to Rabbid Rosalina and Rabbid Luigi who do the same. We then got to see all three of the playable characters engage in their special attack which takes out all five of the enemies the team is up against. 

You can watch the trailer for yourself below. 

Also featured in this trailer was the announcement that Bowser has decided to join the good guys and will be a playable character. As well as all this, we also got confirmation of the game's release date. Just like the leaked shop listing said yesterday, Mario + Rabbids: Spark of Hope will release on October 20, 2022 - with pre-orders available now. 

If you wanted to know more about Mario + Rabbids: Spark of Hope, the good news is that Ubisoft is hosting a dedicated showcase for the upcoming title tomorrow (June 29) at 9AM PT/ 12PM ET / 5PM BST on the official Ubisoft YouTube and Twitch channels. 

Want to know what else we can look forward to in the near future? Take a look at our upcoming Switch games list. 

Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.