Making The Most Of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a rather large game. Even though there are only four worlds and eight characters, there is a lot to do with all of them. So much so, that people may have trouble deciding which characters to take into a battle or wonder what to do after a world is done. Fortunately, the game makes it easy to quickly jump between the hub and areas, allowing someone to fast travel and revisit past areas.

Each member of the Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle character has his or her own specialty. Mario is your general, well rounded user. He has a Blaster with medium range, a short-range hammer that deals damage to a wide area, and a damaging jump. The others fit into different types that are appropriate for various situations. Luigi is essentially a sniper, with both his Precision and Sentry ranged and melee attacks allowing him to hit from a distance and Itchy Feet increasing people’s range. Both Peach and Rabbid Peach function as healers who can deal decent damage, with the former having a healing jump and protection skill and latter offering a healing ability and opportunity to protect herself.

I’m inclined to say it is wise to have Peach or Rabbid Peach on hand. Having a healer is always a good idea. Though, it is possible to even use Rabbid Luigi as a healer. His Vampire skill inflicts a status effect that allows any ally character who dashes into that opponent to also sap some health, which is rather handy. (He is also great for inflicting status effects on enemies.) Rabbid Mario is best for levels where you need a lure. His Magnet Dance attracts and Bodyguard helps him take a hit. Combine that with his range, and he’s great to zip around. Luigi, Yoshi, or Rabbid Yoshi are pretty much your ranged units. I like Luigi best for that role, because you acquire him in the first world and Sentry is probably the most useful secondary weapon.

It’s important to be flexible with these characters. You’ll want to have weapons that always have some sort of status effect as an option. Since it doesn’t cost anything to reset the skill tree, you shouldn’t be afraid to redistribute Orbs to make a situation more manageable. This is especially handy for the 10 Challenge levels found in each world after beating it once. Many of these have very specific objectives where you would need to rely more on a skill like Itchy Feet or Hero Sight/Steely Stare/Royal Gaze than usual. Part of this involves earning money. Which you can get by going through the Challenge levels and replaying completed levels via time travel to get higher ranks. Redistribution lets you increase Golden Shot in the skill tree to help you grind. But another big part is being prepared for every situation.

There’s also a sense of satisfaction that comes from revisiting each world to complete its environmental challenges. As you explore, you’ll come across puzzles that involve pushing blocks, lifting items, and so on. The last Beep-0 contextual action, drill, only unlocks after world four is completed. That means there are things left unseen in each world until you have actually beaten the game and can go back to get them. While most of these items are Museum centerpieces, some include extra Orbs or weapons.

When playing Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, there are plenty of opportunities to switch strategies and improve your party. You can revisit completed worlds to try for better performances with a new party. There are Challenge levels that open up in each world after it is completed. Beep-0 earns new contextual actions, making it easier to explore the world. Things are constantly building.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is available for the Nintendo Switch.