I don’t understand why the eight-character roster includes both normal and only vaguely related Rabbid-ized versions of Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi, but I accepted it because of the humor.

There are some decent jokes that arise from the slurry, including at least one Game of Thrones reference, and a lot is owed to the Rabbids’ almost entirely physical comedy. I couldn’t help but think of the plot of The Fly as a sci-fi gadget merged unwitting denizens of Mario’s universe with an unintentional interdimensional invasion of idiot rabbit-things. When you break it down, a lot of the challenge comes down to pure trial and error, but the moment of figuring out its tactical puzzles and chaining together a string of attacks delivers a strong shot of satisfaction.The bizarre story that brings Ubisoft’s Rabbids into the Mushroom Kingdom of Nintendo’s Mario and literally mashes them together embraces the fact that it’s complete nonsense on every level and just rolls with it. Its XCOM-style, turn-based tactics gameplay is just about the last thing I’d have expected from either Mario or Rabbids, but its absurdist charm works against the odds and it’s far more difficult and meatier than you probably think. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is an unanticipated game that’s full of surprises.

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