Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
When the Mario + Rabbids crossover leaked well ahead of Ubisoft and Nintendo’s E3 2017 presentations, there was a collective “what?” that reverberated through the gaming community. While the image that showcased Mario and Princess Peach wielding arm cannons amidst a sea of equally armed Rabbids was intriguing, there was no combination of mechanics that made this sound like an amazing idea in our heads. But then we saw the trailers and got to actually play the game. Nintendo and Ubisoft have always had a strong relationship, and at E3 2017 they used that relationship to leave our jaws firmly glued to the grown as our screens were filled with a family friendly rendition of XCOM-style gameplay and the most fierce princess we’ve ever seen in a video game (and yes, we do mean Rabbid Peach).
The colorful visuals and hilarious Rabbids may make this look like it just won’t work, but there’s a surprising amount of depth to the whole affair. Verticality, obstacles, different enemy types, and more keep the strategy at the front of the experience. The added humor, as well as puzzles, help to round out Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle very well. The end product is a deep game that is both hilarious and fun. It wasn’t only one of the biggest surprises but also one of the best games at E3 2017, period.
