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You might not believe it, but when the Rabbids debuted in 2006, they were awesome. That first
game? Delightful. Rayman Raving Rabbids introduced a group of characters that seemed to have
nothing but potential.
And clinical psychosis.
Of course, fast forward seven years, and things aren’t as promising. Rayman got his mojo
back in a big way, and the Rabbids...they lost theirs in an equally large manner. And
it’s not in Rabbids Rumble, either. There is absolutely no mojo to be found.
Not here, anyway. Not in these parts.
Released in late 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS, Rabbids Rumble is another minigame compilation
starring those once-hilarious Rabbids who suddenly don’t seem quite so hilarious anymore.
The difference with this one is that...it ties them together with this overarching pseudo-RPG.
It’s kind of like Pokémon: Rabbids. That would make its companion version Pokémon:
I’d Rather Just Play Rayman.
White.
So it works like this. There are more than a hundred Rabbids, each with their own unique
characteristics and abilities. And those are important...because the Rabbids must battle.
Minigames are basically separated into worlds, and you have to win these turn-based battles
to progress.
And it’s kind of an interesting concept, actually. Play minigames, collect Rabbids
in battle and even AR games, turn-based combat...gotta catch ‘em all. The Rabbids are dressed funny,
they make cool noises...there’s a lot to like about this game on paper. The execution,
on the other hand, is where the carrot starts to rot.
The main problem with Rabbids Rumble is the same problem that these games have had for
years. The first game was good not only because of the Rabbids, but because of the minigames.
They were inspired and creative, and they really capitalized on the Wii Remote. But
now...it’s like they’re just recycling ideas.
In fact, ideas are recycled within the game.
And so...because these minigames are still the bulk of the experience, the game is never
as interesting as it could be. The RPG elements are only supplemental to the overall package,
and even then...they’re pretty bare bones. You can level-up your Rabbids in battle...and
uh, that’s about the extent of the game’s depth.
Fortunately, it is a nice package with some interesting features. You can share scores
and earn bonus points for your Rabbids through StreetPass, and new Rabbids are also downloadable
through Spot Pass. But again, at heart, this is still a minigame collection. And unfortunately,
minigames are its weak point. Rabbids Rumble isn’t a terrible 3DS game, but it never
quite reaches its potential, either.