One of the most well-received launch titles for the Nintendo Wii wasRayman Raving Rabbids, a party game spin-off of Ubisoft’sRaymanplatforming series that had more in common withMario Partythan anyRaymangame. The titular Rabbids proved popular enough to star in a franchise of their own, with Ubisoft since releasing various sequels toRaving Rabbidsand crossing the manic bunny creatures over with other series, like with theMario + Rabbidsstrategy games. The latest title to star the Rabbids is yet another party game,Rabbids: Party of Legends.
Rabbids: Party of Legendsis amini-game compilationthat 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 ofMario 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, theRabbids: Party of Legendsmini-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 whatMario Partyhas to offer. This is mainly because the mini-games inRabbids: Party of Legendslast longer than mini-games do in its competitors. For example, bothRabbids: Party of LegendsandMario Partyhave a mini-game where the goal is to knock players off a platform. InMario Party, getting knocked off means that the mini-game is effectively over for that player, butRabbids: Party of Legendsgives everyone multiple hit points.
What this means is thatRabbids: Party of Legendskeeps 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 makesRabbids: Party of Legendsmore consistently entertaining than thesome of the recentMario Partygames, making it an easy recommendation forMario Partyfans looking for a similar experience.
Another big advantageRabbids: Party of Legendshas overMario Partyis 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 inRabbids: Party of Legends, which is a nice change of pace fromMario Partyand 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 ofRabbids: Party of Legendsthree biggest flaws: the progression system. Every timeRabbids: Party of Legendsplayers 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 arenew Rabbidsto 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 forRabbids: Party of Legendsplayers 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 withRabbids: Party of Legendsis the lack of online multiplayer, which is an odd limitation in this day and age.Rabbids: Party of Legendsis still a solid choice for anyone who wants alocal multiplayerparty game to play, but those hoping for online connectivity will have to look elsewhere.
The third and final big problem withRabbids: Party of Legendsis 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 trophiesdon’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 Legendshas fun mini-games and is genuinely a great party game experience that surpasses recentMario Partygames 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 Legendsis available now for PS4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One. Game Rant reviewed the Xbox One version of the game.
Rabbids Party of Legends
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.
