We had the opportunity to take part in the official presentation of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope at Ubisoft Milano studios!
The emotion of the staff of Ubisoft Milanoin conducting their own presentation from Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, it was still tangible. Years have already passed since Davide Soliani’s fateful tears in response to the nickname “Davide-san” with which Shigeru Miyamoto addressed him, but the guys on the development team still live with their humble awe. We found this out before taking part in theevent on October 18, close to day one, on the development team’s Twitter profiles. The trepidation awaiting the reaction of the fans is comparable to the heartbeat of a baby on Christmas Eve.
Before leaving the reins to pride for a sequel that immediately promises to outclass its forerunner in every aspect, there was no shortage of words on humble origins. In this sense, the caution of the guys at Ubisoft Milano is unanimous: the lowest common denominator of the tweets of the members is always “the first reviews have arrived, now it remains to be seen if the fans are of the same opinion”. For our part, we are also working to subject the game to fair scrutiny, but we would like to before then to share with you the words of Davide-san and his very Italian crew.
It all started in one room
Despite the capacity of the suite in which we followed the presentation of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, it is not difficult to imagine how cramped “an office the size of one third of this room” can be. And that’s how it is David Soliani remarked the humility of the origins of the predecessor, Kingdom Battle, when it was nothing more than a sprout of idea. Or better, one of many: after much brainstorming, the crossover conclusion was reached. A strategy title, conceived immediately as if it were finished: the poster immediately convinced Ubisoft Milan, to then seduce the Parisian high echelons and, finally, Nintendo itself.
Not that the network responded well to the leak years ago: joining Mario to the Rabbids was pure heresy at the time, and this Soliani repeated recalling a recent tweet. The queues at E3 for Kingdom Battle were a sign of lasting appeal, and now that the Italian division of the transalpine publisher has entered by right among the bigwigs, it is normal that there are expectations. The different context of a development born in full lockdown has certainly not slowed down theambition. Now, in fact, the studios of Chengdu, Montpellier, Pune and, of course, Paris are also supporting the local branch of Ubisoft.
This tweet made me go back in time. I almost forgot how harsh some comments were in 2017, but it’s good to know that people are ready to change their mind. ❤️ https://t.co/ALdir3qwvx
— Davide Soliani (@DavideSoliani) October 17, 2022
Music, masters – presentation of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
If there is something astounding in the predecessor that will return to surprise even further in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, it is precisely the musical flair that lies behind the audio sector. Our Music & Video Games column has already talked about Grant Kirkhope, whose carefree cartoonish music has already given an unmistakable identity to other video games in the past. From Rare, he also joins him Gareth Coker. We have not dedicated an article to him, but just think that the notes of Minecraft, Halo Infinite, ARK: Survival Evolved and the two Ori they all bear his signature.
Among the three, however, the biggest curveball is the participation of Yoko Shimomura. Ubisoft Milano has set itself the goal of creating a unique appeal by taking the best of each musician, and the Osaka pianist is back as always in top shape. The soundtrack is recorded (also) in Tokyo, with the usual help of the arrangers who translate the creations of the divine Yoko into orchestral versions. We saw it all with our ears during the tutorial: the musician’s notes would not be out of place in a final battle of a random Kingdom Hearts.
Chromatherapy – Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope presentation
Davide Soliani, concluding his speech with an emphasis on a new more fluid gameplay formula, passed the word to the artistic director Mauro Perini. The watchwords, now, are two: surprise the players with secrets to discover e immerse them with something unique and hypnotic. The feeling is that of opening a book in an already existing saga: we know who will experience the adventure, but we do not know what the latter offers. And to engage the public, the “Art Bible” has set four different key points, which Perini was more than happy to expand on.
The atmospheres planets give each of them a unique identity. There is a lot of play on contrasts, thanks also to a 360 ° view compensated by an unprecedented management of the skyboxes. The climate of the various zones will also affect the gameplay, making virtually every battle as unpredictable as ever. The “pillar to keep” is the chromatic aspect, with which Soliani previously defined the entire experience as “chromotherapeutic”. The elements coexist in the most total harmony, resulting in screenshots that are almost indistinguishable from the illustrations on which they are based. In short, a graphic engine capable of replicating oil painting on polygons.
“Ow, the Edge” – presentation of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
At this point, Framework Renso took advantage of the new character Edge to illustrate his work as director of animations. The newcomer in the cast, in fact, does not boast any element borrowed from Nintendo’s imagination. Nonetheless, the welcome that the general public gave her was nevertheless warm. The intent of Ubisoft Milan, with Edge, was to “create a charismatic Rabbid” that diverged from the imagery of “videogame Minion” which earned the first title its premature criticism following the leak. And it was Edge who led the development team to evolve.
Already from the initial preparatory sketches, there is a parody key in which to reinterpret various similar character designs, while creating something unique. However, the rigging (the “pose” of the 3D models) used in Kingdom Battle proved inadequate for the new character, and this forced Ubisoft Milano to create a new special software. The lips alone, for example, now boast separate controls. New technologies dictated by a more complex story, for which it was also necessary to perform the cutscenes live. Bringing theanimatic (animated storyboard) wasn’t easy, but the team did it great.
Sorbole, Surginis, you look like Sakurai – presentation of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
The last to speak is Ugo Laviano, who years after his role as “Surgo” at Nintendo the Official Magazine is now a full-fledged game designer. Good Surginis reminds us that there is always one net schism between exploratory phases e tactical battles, although both aspects have evolved dramatically. The aim is to bring the genre closer an ever wider target, and that’s how the chess-inspired grid got lost. The gameplay is now more fluid and dynamic, and although the choices must be carefully considered there is also room for theurgencybetween Bob-Ombe to launch quickly and timed missions.
To benefit is also theuniqueness of each character: Mario is the only one to have two shots at a time, while Luigi reconfirms himself as a long-range expert with his bow. The gameplay can be summed up in five words: movement, attack, techniques, tools and Spark. Regarding these last two novelties, the instruments they can make up for certain shortcomings in the team (such as mushrooms to heal themselves even if they don’t have the damsel in pink with them). As for the Sparkthey are not only living MacGuffins to be recovered to progress with the plot, but they serve to further expand and balance the range of strategic options for those who play.
The game is beautiful because it is varied (without “W” … for now)
The movement will be as well in real timebut it is clear that the sequel wants it at the same time leverage on strengths of the predecessor e reinvent itself until it becomes (at times) unrecognizable. Concatenare the moves remains an indispensable pleasure: we have seen this by trying the game with your hand. THE jump team to broaden the movement of the characters they return to bombs, and the same can be said of the slip to hit opponents. It will sound paradoxical for those who only have memory of Kingdom Battle, but trust us: without grids, the freedom that is put in the hands of those who wield the controller, without distorting the gameplay, is total.
To demonstrate this, there are even more options at the level this time around difficulty. Contrary to the halfway measure of the first chapter, you can now choose whether to play in easy or hard mode. In the first case, the enemies have less life points and can steal less from ours with their attacks. The exact opposite, however, occurs with the difficult mode. The purpose of this choice, according to Laviano, is to make the game as exciting for experienced players as it is accessible to parents who want to cooperate with their children. The mantra is the same: “The harder the battle, the harder it gets.” The game comes out tomorrow, October 20.
Now it’s up to you to tell us yours: what idea did you have about the game? Let us know below, and as always don’t forget to stay on TechGameWorld.com for all the most important news for gamers and more. For your purely gaming needs, you can instead find the best discounts in digital format on Instant Gaming.