Gaming
Games
5 things we learned from playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
It’s finally official: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the next entry in the famous fighting franchise. We had the chance to get our hands on it for a handful of rounds – here’s what we came away with.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is here. Nearly four years on from its last Wii U outing, Nintendo’s famed brawling franchise is set to debut on the Nintendo Switch, with its most jam-packed entry to date.
One of the most exciting parts of every Super Smash Bros. reveal over the last 20 years has been the diving into the new roster. Casual and competitive fans come together to anticipate and celebrate each announcement, but things were a little different this year.
Series creator Masahiro Sakurai told hundreds of thousands of fans across the globe that every single character from the franchise’s two-decade long history would be returning for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It was something that few expected, but everyone was amazed by: no one would have to worry about their favourite character not showing up in the Switch outing.
Aside from the huge roster, Ultimate brings a number of other changes to the franchise, including new stages, mechanics, assist trophies, and items. We had the chance to check the game out at Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Invitational event at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles – here are a few things that we came away with.
New characters could still be on the way
The Inklings and Ridley were the only new additions to the rosters
© Nintendo
During the initial Nintendo Direct, where most of the big announcements were made, Sakurai said he hoped we “weren’t expecting new characters” since they had listened to us and included such an expansive roster. But immediately at the end of the Direct presentation, they announced Ridley, the big baddie from the Metroid series, would be joining the brawl, so it’s not completely clear what thread we should follow.
Nintendo revealed a hefty 65 characters during their presentation, but some attentive players noticed that they listed a complete roster of 66 characters, with space left for one more. A lot of fans and community members predicted that another character would be revealed after the Invitational, similar to how they announced the release date for the Octo DLC for Splatoon after that game’s champions were crowned. Unfortunately, that never happened.
Hopefully we’ll see at least one new character introduced through DLC, and it’s hard to see Nintendo not making more announcements in the months leading up to the game. We can only hope that we’ll see the likes of Crash Bandicoot or Goku jump into the fight now that both of their games are coming to the Switch – and even on the official Smash Bros. site, Ridley looks pretty lonely by himself, while every other character is presented in groups of three. Stay tuned, here.
Old meets new in a different kind of experience
A whole boatload of classic maps from Brawl, Melee, and even 64 are coming back with brand-spanking-new HD makeovers that makes playing them feel perfectly nostalgic. Walking throughout the lounge, where fans were dissecting the game, it was clear that the stages from Melee and 64 were getting a lot of love.
Maps like Jungle Japes, that have only appeared in Melee and Brawl, are getting a visual touch-up while maintaining most of the hurdles (like the roaring river) that they’re known for. In fact, fans have done some digging and have confirmed that 80 stages should be available, since they were featured in different character profiles posted on Nintendo's YouTube page. Many of these will be from the older games, and it’ll be the first time they’re featured in glorious high definition.
Saffron City in all its classic glory from Smash 64
© Nintendo
Smash is suited up with a whole new sense of style
While Nintendo wouldn’t let players film anything outside of general gameplay, the user interface, transitions, and general flair of the game was absolutely phenomenal. Characters were displayed across the scene in dynamic profiles once everyone made their selection, and while it may not seem like a big deal, it genuinely increases the excitement before the match.
This flair is all over the place in the game, from the intro title card to the post-game stats. We’re not saying that previous games have lacked this extra bit of polish, but it's never been quite as present as it is in Ultimate, and you can tell Nintendo have really gone the full mile with their latest title.
Wolf and Snake are bigger surprises than Ridley
While everyone freaked out over the long-time rumour of a playable Ridley finally coming true, the bigger surprise is characters like Wolf and Snake finally returning to the fray. Snake, from the incredibly popular Metal Gear Solid series, is a dominant fan favourite that many believed wouldn’t return due to licensing issues.
Wolf is a part of the dynamic trio alongside Falco and Fox; all three have a similar style with very important differences. Falco and Fox are prefered by a lot of players, and Wolf only adds to that mix. Most fans didn’t expect characters that had been done before to actually return in such a big way with their own stages and items in tow.
Nintendo is clearly trying to bridge the gap
Ever since 2001, Melee fans have stuck to their favourite entry in the series, while other players have moved from game to game. A handful of dedicated fans still also stick to Brawl and 64. Nintendo are trying to address this divide by addressing issues that the different communities have with the other games – essentially creating a game that caters to all of these fans.
Ultimate is bringing back everyone's favourite characters in hopes that Ice Climber addicts will finally join us in the 21st century, leaving Brawl behind. They’re also trying to balance the speed in Ultimate, while eliminating new technical hurdles that were introduced by Brawl and Smash 4. It’s too early to say if this will be the go-to game for everyone who loves Smash, but come December 7, it very well could be.
