Yoko Shimomura / Grant Kirkhope / Gareth Coker - Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope (3LP)

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is the kind of soundtrack you put on out of curiosity and end up replaying because it quietly sinks its claws in. Released digitally on 21 October 2022 via Ubisoft Music, it brings together a dream trio of composers, Yoko Shimomura, Grant Kirkhope and Gareth Coker, who each bring a distinct voice that somehow lands in a shared pocket of colour and charm. The game itself is a big, starry adventure by Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Paris, and the music matches that scope without losing the cheeky grin that defines the Rabbids side of the crossover.

You can hear the personalities straight away. Kirkhope, whose Banjo-Kazooie and Viva Piñata scores helped shape a generation of playful orchestral game music, leans into bright melody and rhythmic bounce. Brass pops, woodwinds chatter, and the rhythm section nudges you forward like a friendly tap on the shoulder. Shimomura, famed for Kingdom Hearts, Street Fighter II and Final Fantasy XV, threads in long, lyrical lines that feel almost sung, the sort of themes you catch yourself humming while making a cuppa. Coker, known for the Ori series and Halo Infinite, brings sleek orchestration and that airy, cosmic sheen, with elegant strings and choir textures that give the adventure real lift.

What makes it work is how the album treats space. Not outer space, though there is plenty of that, but musical space, the way a cue breathes and then bursts. The galaxy here is chopped into distinct planets, each with its own mood, and the score paints them with a clear palette. The sunny beach zones get mallets and guitar that sparkle without tipping into novelty. Snowy stretches lean on bells, cool strings and quiet woodwind flurries that make you feel the bite. The autumnal forests feel warm and woody, with clarinet and oboe colouring the air like smoke from a campfire. When the story swerves toward the villain Cursa, the harmony darkens, and you get that low brass and choral rumble that says trouble is circling.

Battles are where the composers really show their craft. Fights start with stealthy pulses and clipped figures, like the heroes testing the ground, then bloom into full statements of the main motifs once you start landing big moves. Percussion is tight, never muddy, and the way strings dart around the brass gives the action a cartoony snap. It is not just wall-to-wall bombast though; there are rests, feints and little comic asides that make the climaxes hit harder. A late game boss cue piles on choir and pounding timpani in a way that feels properly operatic, but you still hear the series’ wink.

This collaboration could have felt patchy, three composers trading scenes like a relay. Instead there is a clear conversation going on. Kirkhope’s buoyancy gives Coker’s glossy textures some grit, Coker’s harmonic turns give Shimomura fresh places to land her melodies, and Shimomura’s themes, stately but tender, give the whole thing heart. Interviews around launch had creative director Davide Soliani talking about assigning different worlds to different composers so each planet would sing with its own character, and you can hear that intention paying off in how cleanly each area speaks.

It helps that the game itself landed well, winning Best Sim/Strategy at The Game Awards 2022, and the soundtrack was part of why players stuck around. There is a generosity to this album. Even the lighter incidental pieces feel considered, like postcards from odd little towns you wish you could visit. And when Bowser stomps into the party, the writing gets satisfyingly heavy, all low brass swagger and crunchy rhythms that still keep a grin.

For anyone who collects, this is the sort of score that sends you down a rabbit hole. You start by hunting for Yoko Shimomura vinyl or checking which Grant Kirkhope albums on vinyl are out there, then realise Gareth Coker’s catalogue also sounds brilliant on the shelf. If you like to buy Yoko Shimomura records online, keep this one on your list of digital essentials, and if a Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope vinyl pressing ever appears, every Melbourne record store will have a queue. Until then, it is a strong digital listen that sits nicely alongside your other game music favourites, and it sounds great blasting from a lounge room on a lazy Sunday.

Put simply, this is smart, tuneful writing by three composers who know how to build worlds. It respects the Mario lineage, revels in Rabbid silliness, and still finds new corners of the galaxy to light up. If you are crate-digging for vinyl records Australia wide, pop it in your mental crate anyway, then press play and let it take you planet hopping.