Once considered rumors that were thought too crazy to be true, today the floodgates opened on one of the most bizarre video game mashups announced recently. Yes, the Super Mario and Rabbids crossover game is real (brownie points for Laura Kate Dale breaking the rumor months ago) — so prepare yourselves: it’ll be out this August or September.
Today’s images appear to have been created for internal use only, as they detail aspects of the RPG and ways of promoting this oddball of a title.
Gameplay
Overall, the game will be heavy on the turned-based combat side, with an estimate that 65% of gameplay will focus on this alone. The remaining 35% will be exploration-based.
We have four worlds to look forward to traversing with the help of Tuttorio, a new face that might be a Rabbid-like robot character, featured next to Mario on the game’s cover art. There will also be Easter eggs, puzzles and secret zones to find.
The story mode currently has an estimated completion time of 20 hours, and there’s no word yet on whether or not other available modes are available.
As for the fighting aspect, every world will have one main boss and one mid-boss. There will be seven enemy archetypes that our heroes will have to take down on the way to the big baddies. Luckily, multiplayer is available (local only co-op), and it looks like even more fun can be had while playing with friends. You’ll be able to collect and upgrade weapons, play off of each character’s unique playstyle/skill set, and find new battle scenarios based on the tactical choices you make.
Characters
The overall tone of the game will be filled with humor and and self-mocking, hence standard tropes for the Super Mario series will be inverted or cast aside. Already, Princess Peach is being labeled a “self-defense kickass” and “badass princess.”
If you’re curious about what skills and weapons Mario and friends will wield, we can infer a little bit from the subtitles they’ve been given:
Mario “The Leader”
Luigi “The Eagle Eye”
Peach “The Badass Princess”
Yoshi “The Explosive Head”
Rabbid Mario “The Macho Man”
Rabbid Luigi “The Unstable”
Rabbid Peach “#Sassy #NoFilter”
Rabbid Yoshi “The Crazy One”
Release plan
From here until the game’s release date, the plan is for the game to be shown off at E3 where it’ll be the first time the game will be hands-on for attendees. Mario + Rabbids will then be previewed at events — possibly the Nintendo Play Tour, San Diego Comic Con and Gamescom. And after that, you’ll be seeing Mario and Rabbids grace magazine covers just in time for the title’s launch.
If all this news wasn’t enough, there appears to be a Donkey Kong Rabbid chasing after everyone on the game cover. Perhaps we’ll see more Super Mario characters and their Rabbid counterparts throughout the summer? Waluigi Rabbid, where are you?
Excited? Horrified? Thinking this might be in the running for Game of the Year 2017? Let us know in the comments section!
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Written by Jennifer Burch
Illustrator, designer, writer and big Nintendo geek, you can find Jennifer with an N3DS within reach 24/7. As the oldest of three, she has survived many Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart sessions intact in addition to getting her brothers hooked on some really weird games. (Cubivore anyone?)
