Nintendo Switch Online Making Critically-Acclaimed Game Free to Play for a Limited Time

There are a lot of different perks to being a Nintendo Switch Online member, including the ability to claim unique profile icons and play classic games released on various old systems . Those are the most common perks, but the service also periodically offers free game trials, which give subscribers a chance to play a select game completely free for a limited time. The latest of these free trials starts July 8th at 10 a.m. PT, and features Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope . The free trial will come to an end on July 14th at 11:59 p.m. PT, so NSO users will have about a week to see what the game has to offer.

Readers interested in trying the free game trial for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope can download it directly to their Nintendo Switch at the link right here .

For those that have never played a free trial through Nintendo Switch Online , the whole game is made available to the player throughout the duration; if you grind hard enough, you could even beat it before the trial comes to an end! However, once the trial is over, the game will no longer be playable on that Switch console unless a purchase is made. If the player does decide to buy the game, all save data will automatically transfer to the full version, and that's true for both the physical and digital versions. However, those that don't mind buying digital will be happy to know that the base game for Sparks of Hope and its gold version are both currently on sale at a 67% discount, so if you like the trial, it's pretty cheap to upgrade.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope was originally released in 2022. A sequel to Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle , the game made a number of welcome improvements over the previous title. Sparks of Hope received heavy praise from critics, and currently holds a score of 85 on Metacritic. In ComicBook's official review of the game , I awarded the game a score of 4.5 out of 5 for offering "an experience that builds on its predecessor while also surpassing it." For those that have never experienced the spin-off series, this free trial really is the perfect opportunity!

Do you plan on checking out the free trial for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope ? Have you played either game in the series before? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp , on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp , or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming !