Mario + Rabbids local co-op mode ups the squad size to four and lets two players take on a series of increasingly difficult challenge battles
 The bulk of the game sees you choosing a three-person squad (always Mario with two others)
 Take them into cordoned-off combat zones, then use a combination of movement, stat-heavy combat and special abilities to fight off an opposing force
 There doesnt appear to be any ability to revive a downed squadmate
 The games combat areas arent just disconnected maps, but part of distinct worlds
 Areas include a lush garden, an ice-covered desert, a ghostly-themed area, and a volcanos innards
 Each combat area has a single, seamless set of challenges
 Combat missions with different objectives
 Missions include defeating whole enemy forces, or reaching an end-zone
 Game has puzzle areas that require no combat
 Boss battles require bespoke tactics to beat
 First world takes 2-3 hours to complete
 Each world takes longer
 Every combat area is turned into a more difficult challenge objective once completed
 Game puts a huge premium on movement, particularly as a team
 Characters can technically only move once a turn
 By using both friends and enemies, that single move can be prolonged
 Running into an enemy performs a Dash melee attack that offers an extra spurt of movement afterwards
 Some characters can Dash multiple times, meaning you could attack three enemies, run through a Warp Pipe (another extra burst), run up to a squadmate, Team Jump (an extra-long bonus move) into cover, then fire again at the enemies you already hit
 Different character abilities
 Luigi has the Steely Glare ability that allows him to take extra sniper shots at any enemy moving past him
 Rabbid Yoshi has a move that scares enemies into moving during your turn, setting up Luigi to take extra shots
 Heroes differently to different situations, right down to how they take cover
 Rabbid Marios got a toothpick-chewing swagger, Rabbid Luigi is clumsy, Rabbid Peach has pathological sass
 The camera regularly zooms in and out, by turns picking out cinematic little details, then swooping up to turn the whole stage into a tilt-shift toybox
 Second level is from late in the game, called Spooky Trails
 Peach and her fire shotgun, a lethal close-quarters weapon that, if it doesnt kill, leaves your enemies with a nasty burn
 Its devastating power causes enemy Rabbids to scatter around the map holding their burned behind
 Enemies have intelligent AI and can outthink and outflank you with ease
 Local co-op mode puts you and a friend in charge of a pair of fighters each
 Easy mode included that heals your squad and boosts their HP count by 50% at the start of a fight