Fans of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope got a fresh look at the game at today’s Nintendo Direct Mini, revealing more details about this highly-anticipated sequel. The new footage showed off how exploration and combat are changing in the new title, as well as a new playable character and an official release date.

Exploration has changed slightly since Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle: players can now wander around larger environments and encounter battles organically around the world. In combat, players no longer move around on a grid-based battlefield; instead, they can move their characters freely within a certain range, which provides more control over tactical positioning. Characters can even move multiple times before firing their weapon and ending their turn.

Bowser will also be making his official debut as a playable party member in Sparks of Hope, and he appears to have a very large, unique weapon that dishes out explosive payloads. This segment of the Direct Mini closed with the reveal of an October 20th release date and the announcement of a special showcase on the game happening tomorrow, June 29th, at 12 PM Eastern.

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope will launch exclusively for Nintendo Switch on October 20th, 2022. For more from the Nintendo Direct Mini, check out the reveal of the Persona series coming to Switch and Capcom’s announcement of Megaman Battle Network Legacy Collection.