Summary

  • Nintendo Switch Online members can play Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope for free for the next seven days.
  • There's no time limit on your trial, play as much as you like for the next seven days until the free period ends.
  • If you like the game enough after that, it's currently on sale for less than $20 at the eShop and will remain that way until July 15.

Although Nintendo technically does have a subscription service that grants you access to a library of games, the Switch doesn't have anything close to its own version of Game Pass or PS Plus. It does give NSO subscribers the opportunity to play newer games for free from time to time though, and this week that game is Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope. The newest game in the Mario + Rabbids series is free to play right now and will remain that way until 2:59 am EST on July 15.

Anyone who says Nintendo doesn't play well with others need look no further than the Mario + Rabbids games. An odd series to team up with, but one that has led to two games during a single era of Nintendo consoles. Possibly something Nintendo won't be in a hurry to do again, and doesn't tend to do with its other big series, as Sparks Of Hope doesn't appear to have done the numbers Nintendo might have hoped for.

Nintendo has hit reset on its seven-day NSO free trial. That means if you're not already signed up, you can cash in your free trial today, even if you have used it before, and truly play Sparks Of Hope for free.

Perhaps that's also why the game is currently free to all NSO subscribers for seven days. This isn't a free trial that runs out after two to three hours. You can play the entire game right now as much as you like until the time and date noted above. However, it's also not a game you can keep once the trial period is over. Once the week ends, if you want your time with Sparks Of Hope to continue, you will need to buy the game.

Plenty Of Time To Play The Whole Game For Free If You're Fast Enough

The good news is Sparks Of Hope is heavily discounted at the Nintendo eShop. Originally $59.99, the Mario + Rabbids sequel is available for just $19.79. Again, a strong indicator that this game hasn't sold as well as Nintendo anticipated. Not a terrible game by any standards, but an interesting window into Switch owner consumer habits. Most who bought the original Mario + Rabbids likely saw Sparks Of Hope and wondered why they'd need it, hence Nintendo's reluctance to release two big games from the same series on a single platform on the same console.

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Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

Strategy Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 86/100 Critics Rec: 97% Released October 20, 2022 ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Cartoon Violence Developer(s) Ubisoft Milan, Ubisoft Paris Publisher(s) Ubisoft Engine Snowdrop Franchise Mario Kart
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PHYSICAL

The sequel to Mario + Rabbids, Sparks of Hope sees the worlds of Nintendo and Ubisoft collide for a second time in a tactical, tile-based take of the Mario formula.

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Most major Nintendo series have only received one big release on the Switch despite its almost-eight-year run. There's been one new installment for 3D Mario, 2D Mario, Metroid, Kirby, Pikimin, Mario Kart, and Animal Crossing. The only major exception is The Legend Of Zelda which got Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom, and even then, there's an argument to be made that BOTW doesn't count as it was a cross-gen release.

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