With Mario’s next planetary adventure just around the corner, some fans can spot similarities between the official artwork for the title and a certain gang of space pirates turned good guys. That’s right, Mario, Peach, and the rest of the crossover group of tactical pals look a lot like the Guardians of the Galaxy in the latest art out of Nintendo.
It’s no surprise that fans have pointed out the similarities between the look and dynamic of the Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope art with that of the MCU’s space-age tearaways, with a pretty obvious resemblance between the two. From Mario’s duo blaster pistols, just like Starlords, to Bowser’s left-of-centre angry pose, our Drax stand-in. If anything, it’s hard not to see any resemblance.
We’re not sure whether or not we’re supposed to read the similarities between the two groups of galactic defenders, but it wouldn’t be a massive surprise with Ubisoft’s Western-based studios under the chokehold of MCU cultural dominance. It’s also worth pointing out that Chris Pratt is, of course, taking up the mantle of Mario in the upcoming debut from Nintendo Pictures, so maybe we just can’t help but see the American action hero without also seeing Jumpman anymore.
However, as we know from some time playing the upcoming tactical title out of Ubisoft for our Mario + Sparks of Hope preview, the in-game dynamic isn’t quite like Guardians of the Galaxy. For one, rather than a leading man offering the comic relief as Starlord so often does, Mario is as mute as ever in his adventure through space, and much of the heavy lifting in the laughs department is left to the Rabbids.
Whether or not the Mario + Rabbits Sparks of Hope art resemblance to Guardians of the Galaxy comes through in the full game we don’t know, but we do expect there to be some similarly universal threats to face. For more rocketing away from strange planets, see our picks for the best space games.