One of the most well-received launch titles for the Nintendo Wii was Rayman Raving Rabbids, a party game spin-off of Ubisoft's Rayman platforming series that had more in common with Mario Party than any Rayman game. The titular Rabbids proved popular enough to star in a franchise of their own, with Ubisoft since releasing various sequels to Raving Rabbids and crossing the manic bunny creatures over with other series, like with the Mario + Rabbids strategy games. The latest title to star the Rabbids is yet another party game, Rabbids: Party of Legends.
Rabbids: Party of Legends is a mini-game compilation that sees the Rabbids getting up to their usual antics. The main game mode is Adventure Mode, which has players participate in one mini-game after the next to earn books, with books taking the place of Mario Party's Stars. Books are primarily earned by doing well in mini-games, though those in last place are given some opportunities to steal books from their opponents, and there are certain points where players are able to spin a wheel to get bonus books as well.
A mini-game compilation lives and dies by the quality of its mini-games, and luckily, the Rabbids: Party of Legends mini-games are all quite fun. The mini-games themselves should be familiar to anyone that has played a game like this, and while they're not terribly original, they function well and are more competitive than what Mario Party has to offer. This is mainly because the mini-games in Rabbids: Party of Legends last longer than mini-games do in its competitors. For example, both Rabbids: Party of Legends and Mario Party have a mini-game where the goal is to knock players off a platform. In Mario Party, getting knocked off means that the mini-game is effectively over for that player, but Rabbids: Party of Legends gives everyone multiple hit points.
What this means is that Rabbids: Party of Legends keeps players engaged with the mini-games longer, and there is far less time spent moving around a game board, sitting through loading screens, or watching cut-scenes. This makes Rabbids: Party of Legends more consistently entertaining than the some of the recent Mario Party games, making it an easy recommendation for Mario Party fans looking for a similar experience.
Another big advantage Rabbids: Party of Legends has over Mario Party is that it's not bogged down with cheap mechanics to give players an unfair advantage. Whenever someone is given an opportunity to get free books or steal from others, it's always the person in last place. And even then, they won't be able to claw their way back to first place if they don't have the skill in the mini-games. The person who is best at the mini-games is going to win in Rabbids: Party of Legends, which is a nice change of pace from Mario Party and its unpredictability.
Besides Adventure Mode, players can also create a playlist of their favorite mini-games and face off that way. However, this brings to light one of Rabbids: Party of Legends three biggest flaws: the progression system. Every time Rabbids: Party of Legends players complete a mini-game, they are rewarded with XP. Players level up with enough XP, with each level granting them an unlock. Sometimes these unlocks are new Rabbids to play as, which is fine, but unfortunately, the mini-games themselves are also locked behind this progression system.
It would have made much more sense for Rabbids: Party of Legends players to unlock mini-games after having played them in Adventure Mode. Putting mini-games behind the progression system is an unnecessary restriction that makes it more difficult for players to simply play the mini-games that they want to play. In fact, it essentially forces players to repeatedly play mini-games they may not be interested in to get enough XP to unlock the ones they'd like to keep replaying. The game would have been much better off if it focused on letting players unlock Rabbids through the progression system and allowed them to obtain mini-games another way.
The second major issue with Rabbids: Party of Legends is the lack of online multiplayer, which is an odd limitation in this day and age. Rabbids: Party of Legends is still a solid choice for anyone who wants a local multiplayer party game to play, but those hoping for online connectivity will have to look elsewhere.
The third and final big problem with Rabbids: Party of Legends is the lack of content. While the mini-games available are all plenty of fun to play with friends, there simply aren't enough of them to justify the $40 price tag. It functions great as a game for get-togethers every once in a while, but it doesn't offer much beyond that. Achievements and trophies don't even provide much reason to keep playing the game, as achievement hunters will likely have unlocked everything in a few hours.
Rabbids: Party of Legends has fun mini-games and is genuinely a great party game experience that surpasses recent Mario Party games in some ways. However, there are some significant drawbacks that keep the game from reaching its full potential, like the unnecessary progression system, the absence of online multiplayer, and the general lack of content compared to other party games on the market. It's still fun while it lasts, but don't expect it to last all that long.
Rabbids: Party of Legends is available now for PS4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One. The Best War Games reviewed the Xbox One version of the game.
Rabbids Party of Legends
- Released
- June 30, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Take the family holiday party to the next level with Rabbids Party of Legends! The game can be played locally with four players simultaneously and includes over 50 fun mini-games. At 90% off, it’s a great time to join in on the fun. Rabbids Party of Legends’ sale price is on the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch versions.
- Genre(s)
- Party Game
