Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

– Sparks of Hope has a more angular look compared to the first game
– Most of the environmental assets have been rendered with fewer polygons this time around
– Soft, smoothly lit look of Kingdom Battle is rendered a bit harsher in Sparks of Hope
– Texture art can also look different
– Sparks of Hope has broad brush stroke style patterns drawn into certain environmental textures which now appear flat and lack the incidental geometric and normal maps in the first game
– High polygon geometric foliage from the original swapped out for the typical alpha test foliage textures
– Foliage altered or stripped back
– Ex: Shader effect for high density grass is absent this time
– Sparks of Hope looks more flat, cartoony, and sharp
– However, visual style works well on its own terms
– Contrast between sharp looking environments and geometrically dense characters/enemies lets most shots easy to read visually
– Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope has a resolution of 1600×900 when docked
– 1066×600 resolution in portable mode
– Post-process anti-aliasing
– Edge aliasing is still a bit of an issue
– Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope frame rate targets 30 FPS
– Manages to hit this most of the time
– Some scenarios when frame rate can suffer such as with cutscenes
– Some of the larger combat arenas can suffer from longer frame rate problems

The game’s first DLC is the only one that has an official title. “The Tower of Doooom” is described as a “new combat game mode” and features the creepy robot Rabbid that gives you some of the base game’s harder side content. The image shows Mario, Edge, and Rabbid Peach, but there’s nothing to suggest that these are the only heroes players will have access to. This first DLC will launch in “early 2023” and is exclusive to those who own the game’s season pass.

There are fewer details about the second and third DLCs, although they sound more intriguing than the tower. The second DLC’s description reads: “Heroes confront a mysterious foe on a new, enchanting planet.”

The final DLC, slated for late 2023 [...] The description here says that the DLC will allow players to control Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Mario, and, of course, Rayman himself.