Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Curious how we evaluate games for busy parents? Read everything about our methodology in the How We Rate Games: Pause & Play Stats guide.
Do not let the bright Nintendo colors fool you; Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a fantastic, accessible introduction to the tactical grid-based genre. I played this on the Switch and clocked in around 40 hours, including Donkey Kong DLC, some side content and exploring the overworld. It is not an overly difficult game, which makes it absolutely ideal for parents who want engaging combat without the punishing stress of a hardcore strategy game.
The Pause & Play Stats
1. Pause & Play Flexibility: 5/5
Because combat is entirely turn-based, you have all the time in the world to pause, assess, or tend to your baby. The game features both auto-saves and manual saves, but be aware: if you manually save and reload, the game sometimes confusingly drops you back at the beginning of the overworld level.
2. Pick-Up & Play Factor: 4/5
The game follows classic Nintendo design: it introduces a mechanic, lets you master it, and then presents a boss or henchman that combines everything. If you leave the game for two weeks, you miss zero story, but you might need a moment to re-learn your characters', or the enemies, mechanics. The only reason it scores a 4 instead of a 5 is the time commitment per battle. If you only have a 20-minute window to game, you will likely only finish one battle. However, rushing through the easy overworld puzzles is a breeze.
3. Energy Level: 2/5
Very chill. While it requires tactical thinking, some character builds become gloriously overpowered later on. For example, relying on Mario's or Luigi's "Overwatch" skills, or utilizing Rabbid Luigi’s ridiculously strong Vamp build, allows you to confidently steamroll through most encounters without breaking a sweat.
4. Silent Playability: 4/5
The Rabbid noises are genuinely funny, especially the NPC Rabbids doing ridiculous things in unreachable background areas. It is definitely fun to listen to, but if the baby is sleeping, muting the game does not impact your tactical advantage whatsoever.
5. Contact Nap Factor: 4/5
Playing this in handheld mode while your baby sleeps on you is incredibly comfortable. The only thing keeping it from a perfect score is the overworld traversal; trying to outrun enemies while steering your little robot guide (Beep-0) with one hand can be slightly awkward.
The Verdict:
A wonderfully weird, highly accessible tactical game that leverages the Switch's portability beautifully. It offers deep, satisfying combat that you can pause at any second. Moreover, it is a fantastic, colorful title to keep in your library to play with your kids once they are a little older, and the best thing, this game is often on sale.