The unlikely pairing of Mario and the Rabbids yields a surprisingly clever turn-based tactics game. Cover, chained movement and snappy slides turn battles into genuine brain-teasers, served with welcome offbeat humor.
Your verdict
Category
Tactics2 players7+
Co-op
Description
Mario and zany Rabbids team up to save a Mushroom Kingdom turned upside down. Published by Ubisoft, released worldwide in 2017. Grid-based tactical battles with cover and gunfire, slide moves, exploration puzzles and good-natured humour.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Marrying the Mario world to turn-based tactics had every reason to surprise, yet the result still holds up thanks to grid battles where cover and shooting borrow cleverly from XCOM. The real find is the gleeful dash movement, which pushes you to chain actions and plan turns like combos. Puzzle-strewn exploration airs out the pacing, the Rabbids' humour lands, and the well-judged difficulty rewards thought. A few repetitions, but an excellent entry point that's still a real pleasure.
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Easy"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Beneath its guise of a bridge between two universes, the campaign hides genuine tactical depth and a crowd of optional challenges. Secret maps, movement puzzles, bonus battles and two-player co-op flesh out a journey already well stocked. That unexpected generosity, urging you to comb every corner of the Mushroom Kingdom, has surprised more than a few with its longevity.
Technical info
💾3 GB📅29/08/2017
Published by Ubisoft
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Nintendo Switch) price, value & rarity
Beneath the goofy surface, this tactics game hides genuinely dense boss duels: Phantom, the Lava Queen or the Mega Bug force you to rethink cover, dashes and weapon combos turn by turn. Each arena bends the rules, and victory rewards foresight over brute force. Colourful, cheeky XCOM with real teeth.
An underrated gem
The unlikely pairing of Mario and the Rabbids made people grin, and many judged the concept before touching it. A shame, because underneath sits a surprisingly sharp turn-based tactics game built on chained slides and clever positioning. Released early on the console, it suffered from that comedic label. Rediscovering it rewards strategy fans open to a little chaos.
Better with friends
Splitting the squad between two players reshapes the dynamic: you plan together, coordinate cover and the dashes between blocks before launching the assault. The turn-based tactical cooperation makes you talk through every call, and a plan that clicks into place leaves a real sense of partnership. Calm and readable, it picks back up effortlessly for a thoughtful session for two.
Is Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle still worth playing in 2026?
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle surprised everyone by wedding the Mario universe to turn-based tactics, and the result still holds up. The grid battles, with cover and shots, borrow cleverly from XCOM while adding gleeful sliding movement that pushes you to chain actions. The puzzle-dotted exploration airs out the pace, and the Rabbids' good-natured humor often lands. The well-judged difficulty rewards thought without frustrating. There is some repetition over the long haul, but the whole remains an excellent entry point into the tactics genre, still very enjoyable.
