Cursa

CURSA

After Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle proved a rampant success, Nintendo and Ubisoft decided to keep up their partnership and produce a second game in the series, this time taking them into space and introducing newer more unique characters and stories. The game begins with Mario, Luigi, Peach, and their respective Rabbids hanging out in Peach's garden when a strange creature called a Spark appears, apparently on the run from something. That something proves to be a giant manta from outer space that takes the Spark and flies away. Our heroes go after it, riding the manta through space until it returns to its master, a huge cloaked figure seeking to capture and absorb the Sparks' power.

This is Cursa, a new and unique villain for the Mario + Rabbids franchise. Over the course of the game, Cursa is revealed to be a remnant of the Megabug from the first game, wandering through space until it found and possessed Rosalina, using her magic to become more powerful and hunting down the Rabbid/Luma combo Sparks.

As a fighter, Cursa will be slow but with really great reach and range. Its moveset will pull from its battles and abilities as shown in Sparks of Hope.

Likelihood rating: Could happen.

Character Sheet: Cursa

CURSA

With the addition of Sparks of Hope, we now add on five new characters, including:

1. Beep-O

2. Rabbid Rosalina & Spark

3. Edge

4. Cursa

5. Wildclaw

Now, let's go on to the main villain of Sparks of Hope, a massive cosmic being extending his reach across the universe and swallowing it all up in Darkmess. It soon turns out that Cursa is Rosalina, possessed by the remains of the Megabug enemy from the first game, using her power for its own game. (A plot twist absolutely no one saw coming by the way. Nope. Did not figure that out almost immediately at all.)

Cursa mainly attacked with its massive extendible hands, sorta Master Hand-style, grabbing, punching, and pointing with incredible reach, draining foes of their life force, disorienting them with flashes when it blinks its eye, opening portals and hypnotizing foes. Certainly more than enough to mess around with.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Blink

Cursa will blink, causing a flash and disorienting a nearby opponent.

Side B: Reach

Cursa will extend its long arm out across the stage. The player then can input a second command to punch, wave, grab, or poke, using the control stick.

Up B: Portal

Cursa will disappear through one of its portals and then reappear in a new location.

Down B: Drain

Cursa will latch onto an opponent with one of its tentacles and start draining their life force from them, taking the energy into itself.

Final Smash: Darkmess

Cursa will grow up to its gargantuan size and start spreading Darkmess all over the stage, similarly to how Calamity Ganon would with his malice.

Entrance: Cursa will loom up out of the void.

Taunts: Up, Cursa will seem to awaken and Rosalina's eye will appear. Side, Cursa will flurry its tentacles in a rage. Down, it will open its hand with a spark in its palm.

Kirby Hats: Basically the hood surrounding Kirby's head with one of his eyes still visible.

Kart: A car based on the Darkmess Manta.

Special Item: Cursa will spread Darkmess across the track, functioning the same as Malice.

Spirit Battle: On Darkmess Manta, a giant battle.

Victory Screen: Cursa will hold all Sparks in its hand and look at them evilly.

Losing Screen: Cursa will cry out in pain and dissipate, leaving only Rosalina behind.

Color Swaps: It's normal purple, Rosalina's blue, Luma's yellow, Edge's black and green, Midnite's ghostly blue, Bedrock's pink, Daphne's green, and Darkmess purple and black.

Thanks for reading! Next up, a rather unexpected new enemy.

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope

MARIO + RABBIDS: SPARKS OF HOPE

Today, let's cover Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, a sequel to the rampant success of Kingdom Battle, this time taking our heroes on a journey across the galaxy to defeat a powerful entity named Cursa who is trying to spread Darkmess across the universe.

Starting with our protagonists this time, we have Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Luigi, and Rabbid Peach all returning from the previous game, with brand new players including Bowser, Rabbid Rosalina, and a mysterious individual named Edge. Most of the gameplay is much as you remember it, with each having guns, heat seekers, remote bombs, and the like, with cover they can hide behind and team launches to allow them to leap into the air. They all have distinct guns and abilities, such as Mario being able to attack in his line of sight, Rabbid Peach healing, Bowser having Mechakoopas, Rabbid Rosalina being able to put enemies to sleep, Rabbid Luigi weakening enemies, Peach creating shields, Rabbid Mario having boxing gloves, and Edge having a blade she can throw.

Our heroes are accompanied this time around by Sparks, basically Rabbid Lumas, all with different names, who all grant special abilities to the hero they're assigned to. These abilities include increasing attack power, reflecting attacks with a mirror, give burn effects, increase defense, splash with water, poison enemies around them, shock, repel enemies with a megaphone, freeze, turn its user invisible, rain meteors, create wind, attract enemies to it, steal life, summon an enemy as an ally (including Rabbid Kong), and revive fallen heroes. Three of these also give the robot Beep-O added abilities, including a sonic blast, light that reveals secrets, and the ability to make plants grow. He can also be used as a helicopter now.

As for our allies, we have a new robot named Jeanie, who takes up a bit of Beep-O's role with him being more active, and Rosalina, who can create portals and shields with the magic in her wand. Then there's smaller roles like Augie, Captain Orion, Woodrow, Sullivan, Bea, and Big Momma, who are all relevant in their own stages but don't have much to go on.

Our main villain is Cursa, a fragment of the Megabug from the first game, who fused with Rosalina and corrupted her, using her power to go after the Sparks. Cursa could create portals, reach out with its giant hands, hypnotize people, grab, drain energy, punch, point with a finger, wave its hand, and flash with a blink. Working under Cursa are the Spark Hunters, including Midnite, Bedrock, and Daphne (Edge is also revealed to be a former member). Midnite was a ghost who could warp and attack with a fan. Bedrock was a big bruiser who could stomp around, tussle, and slam a heavy object. And Daphne had power over plants, using vines and poison to attack.

Stooges take the place of Ziggies in this game and are basically the same, just with a different name (so I'll probably just make them color swaps). Scopers are wolf-based enemies that fire ranged shots, Medicians are the healers, and Squashers are the bruisers. Goombas, Bob-Ombs, Magikoopas, and Wigglers also appear in the game. The most notable new enemy though is the Wildclaw, massive tiger-based enemies that can punch, drop spikes of ice, roll around like a ball, suck enemies in with a rubber chicken, and fire off pulses of water. Darkmess, the substance used by Cursa that functions suspiciously similarly to Malice from Breath of the Wild, also crops up in various forms.

As for our stages, we see Peach's Castle early on, only for it to be attacked by a giant manta ray made of Darkmess. We then go to Beacon Beach that leads to the Sunrise Temple, Pristine Peaks that leads to Palette Prime, Terra Flora which leads to Barrendale Mesa, and finally Cursa's stronghold.

That's about it! Here's what we've got:

Characters:

Mario: line of sight

Luigi: line of sight

Peach: shield

Rabbid Mario: boxing gloves

Rabbid Luigi: weaken

Rabbid Peach: heal

Rabbid Rosalina: sleep

Edge: throwing blade

Sparks: increasing attack power, reflecting attacks with a mirror, give burn effects, increase defense, splash with water, poison enemies around them, shock, repel enemies with a megaphone, freeze, turn its user invisible, rain meteors, create wind, attract enemies to it, steal life, summon an enemy as an ally revive fallen heroes

Beep-O: sonic blast, light, plants grow, helicopter

Daisy

Rosalina: wand, portal, shield, crystal

Pauline

Toad

Yoshi

Birdo

Donkey Kong

Diddy Kong

Wario

Waluigi

Shy Guy

Bowser: mechakoopas

Bowser Jr.

Cursa: portals, reach, hypnotize, grab, drain, punch, point, wave, flash

Midnite: warp, fan

Bedrock: stomp, tussle, slam

Daphne: vines, poison

Stooge: Scopers, Medicians, Squashers

Goomba

Bob-Omb

Magikoopa

Wiggler

Wildclaw: punch, spikes of ice, roll, suck in, water pulse

Futbot/Super Team: Hyper Strike, Mushroom, Red Shell, Green Shell, Banana, Bob-Omb, Star

Stages:

Galactic Strikers Federation

Lava Castle

Spooky Mansion

Jungle Retreat

Mushroom Hill

Royal Castle

Desert Ruin

Planetoid

Urban Rooftop

Peach's Castle

Darkmess Manta

Beacon Beach

Sunrise Temple

Pristine Peaks

Palette Prime

Terra Flora

Barrendale Mesa

Cursa's stronghold

Thanks for reading! Next up, we'll cover our five newcomers that we just got, starting with a certain little robot!