

If you like jumping in pipes, bouncing on bad guys, and doing backflips, Mario + Rabbids lets you do all of that, strategically. Ubisoft Milan found a unique approach to the tactics genre that strips out all of the heavy menu navigation, number crunching, and meticulous unit management, and instead created something that feels as authentic to Mario and his friends as any of their other adventures. The remarkable thing about Mario + Rabbids is that it looks, feels, and even plays like a Mario game. But if you’re imagining X-COM, Fire Emblem, or Divinity: Original Sin, you’re way off. Turn-based tactics, or strategy RPG games, have a reputation for being slow, mechanically dense, lore-heavy, and I’ll say it - boring. Related: Give Every Nintendo Series A Tactics Spin-Off

I’m here to tell you that’s a mistake, and you need to get your dang thumbs on this puppy while it’s free. From the elevator pitch, it seems like an easy game to ignore if you’re not particularly invested in tactics games and/or Rabbids. It also features those precocious little Rabbids, Ubisoft’s Minion-like party game characters that many, including myself, find insufferable. It takes our most beloved Nintendo platforming characters and puts them in a slow-paced, turn-based tactics RPG, a genre that I have to admit is pretty niche. It’s not a complete mystery why so many people have avoided this game.
