Everyone’s favourite limbless hero will return in DLC for the new Ubisoft game Mario and Rabbids: Sparks of Hope.
Sparks of Hope is a turn-based strategy title on the Nintendo Switch. When the first game Mario and Rabbids Kingdom Battle was released, it was a bizarre crossover between two franchises no one expected to meet. Its sequel, Sparks of Hope, introduces even more characters from both franchises.
But one surprise was in store for fans of a certain Ubisoft platforming mascot. At the end of a Mario and Rabbids segment from Ubisoft’s latest showcase this month, we got a glimpse of Rayman. He will be returning as a playable hero in Sparks of Hope.
The DLC will be the third of three releases as part of the game’s post-launch plans. Alongside free updates, the game will have a season pass featuring these three DLC packages.
Rayman Returns
Rayman fans will know that it’s been a long time since he was in the spotlight. Despite Ubisoft making two more amazing 2D platformers with Origins and Legends, Rayman wasn’t able to stick around as one of Ubisoft’s main franchises. And that’s a shame, because his games were almost always memorable and fun adventures.
He started out on the original PlayStation as a 2D platforming hero. Later, he made the jump to 3D with Rayman 2, followed by Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc. The transition between 2D and 3D was handled very well by Ubisoft, making him a solid competitor for games like Mario, Sonic and Crash Bandicoot.
However, in 2006, Rayman’s rise was halted by the arrival of the rabbids. These raving bunnies appeared in Rayman Raving Rabbids, a spinoff filled with mini-games. The rabbids quickly became more important to Ubisoft than Rayman himself, spawning numerous titles and the aforementioned crossover with Nintendo.
But will this DLC mark a glorious return for Rayman? Or will it be more of a cameo designed to drive DLC sales? As a Rayman fan, I’m hoping for the former.
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