A Nintendo game, one that has made the rounds months before, has now leaked weeks ahead of E3 by virtue of what appears to be an official artwork. That game, of course, is Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.
The game has been much speculated starting late last year, in part because of rumors that a Super Mario and Rabbids crossover is happening, possibly due as a Switch title, no less. Speculation calmed down upon lack of further details, not to mention Nintendo having made no announcement about such a crossover during the Switch event in January.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Art
Now, an artwork has made its way online, and fortunately, it isn't one of those traditional leaks where the images are too obscured to discern details with clarity. It's clear, all right, if a bit fuzzy. That said, one can clearly see the usual Mario crew accompanied with the Rabbids, one of which is dressed as peach, one as Luigi, one as Yoshi, and more. Everyone is holding what appears to be a bionic arm that shoots a strong blast of laser.
The artwork was originally shared via a tweet but has now been taken down. Fortunately, Comicbook was able to reach its sources at Ubisoft, and not only did it verify the authenticity of the leak, but it has now also uploaded the artwork in its full glory for everyone to see.
Take a look at the allegedly leaked Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle artwork:
More Details About 'Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle'
More details are beginning to filter in as well. As Nintendo World Report reports, backing it up with leaked assets and what looks to be official slides from an internal presentation, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was supposed to be a big surprise during E3, with a first hands-on demo in tow. There will no longer be any surprises, needless to say, but the game is reportedly still due for release this August or September.
Here is a summary of all that has leaked:
• There are four "world environments" to discover.
• The game will feature a turn-based combat.
• The game will have eight playable characters.
• Each character will have a unique play styles, in addition to collectible or upgradeable weapons.
• There are seven enemy archetypes and one boss and mid-boss per world.
• The game will feature multiplayer co-op.
• The story mode will approximately feature 20 hours of gameplay.
Nintendo At E3
Similar with its E3 plans in previous years, Nintendo will skip the traditional stage presentation and instead provide a Nintendo Direct. There's no telling what else it could unveil beyond Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, but rumors suggest that there could be three new Mario titles unveiled during E3 — one of which is probably the aforementioned Mario and Rabbids crossover.
Thoughts about Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle? Do you think this should have been a surprise announcement, or are you pleased it has now leaked ahead of the gaming conference? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!