The artwork for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope has a starry similarity.

Some fans have seen resemblances between the official artwork for Mario's next planetary journey and a certain group of space pirates who became nice men. Yes, the most recent Nintendo artwork has Mario, Peach, and the other members of the crossover group of tactical friends looking a lot like the Guardians of the Galaxy.

It's not surprising that fans have drawn attention to the striking visual and dynamic parallels between the Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope art and the space-age tearaways from the MCU. Mario uses two blaster weapons, precisely like Starlords, while Bowser, our Drax emulation, strikes a furious left-of-center stance. In fact, it's difficult to ignore the similarities.

Although we're not sure whether we're meant to see parallels between the two teams of intergalactic defenders, it wouldn't come as a huge surprise given how tightly MCU culture dominates Ubisoft's Western-based studios. Not to mention that Chris Pratt will be playing Mario in the next release from Nintendo Pictures, so maybe we won't be able to see the American action hero without also seeing Jumpman.

But as we discovered after spending some time playing Ubisoft's next tactical game for our Mario + Sparks of Hope preview, the gameplay dynamics aren't quite the same as in Guardians of the Galaxy. One reason is because Mario remains quiet during his space voyage, and the Rabbids handle most of the laughs instead of the main character, Starlord, who often provides comedic relief.

We're not sure whether the Guardians of the Galaxy-inspired artwork for Mario + Rabbits Sparks of Hope will appear in the finished game, but we do anticipate facing some challenges that are equally global. See our selection of the greatest space games for more space travel.