Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the upcoming and possibly final game in the popular Nintendo fighting series.
Earlier reports quote creator Masahiro Sakurai claiming that this will be the final entry in the series after each entry has taken a high toll on his physical health.
As such, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is aiming to bring the best and most complete Super Smash Bros experience to date, and it will do so in four exciting ways.
Everyone Is Here
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s slogan is “Everyone is here,” referring to all of the characters to ever appear in a Super Smash Bros title. Every one of them is back for a final appearance in Ultimate.
Even long-lost characters like Pichu and Young Link make a triumphant return. Crowd favorites absent from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, such as Snake, Pokemon Trainer, and Ice Climbers are back as well.
All characters have had notable makeovers. Moves have had their effects modified, buffed or debuffed to make a stable and fair ground for all fighters. The developing team has fixed some of the game-breaking exploits a few characters had, and it looks like the game will overall feel a lot more balanced.
Some of the returning characters will now feature new designs. Among them is Link, who now dons his iconic blue tunic from Breath of the Wild.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate now features Echo Fighters – special fighters who are alternative versions of existing characters. These include Dark Pit, Dark Samus, Lucina, and Daisy, among others.
The details put into the different fighters are astounding. Some characters such as Ike or Bayonetta even feature unique looks and voice acting to match their appearances in the sequels to their games.
New Fighters Are Here Too
Everyone is here means that new fighters are here as well and a lot of them have already been announced.
The first newcomer and probably one of the most requested characters in a Smash title is Ridley – the reptilian space pirate responsible for orphaning Metroid’s Samus Aran.
I had a go at playing Ridley (who is, if you did not know, named after sci-fi director Ridley Scott) while playing a demo of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and I already feel like he is going to be one of my favorites in this title. Ridley hits hard and moves fairly quickly, and I’d like to think of him as a cross between Meta Knight and Ike.
Other newcomers include the Inklings from Splatoon, who have entirely new mechanics for coloring the stage and manipulating painted areas for their special moves, and Simon Belmont and his Echo Fighter Richter Belmont from the Castlevania series who bring their holy whip and cross-shaped boomerangs.
King K. Rool, the crocodile king from the Donkey Kong Country series, is also here to cause mayhem with his bloated belly.
Finally, we also have Isabelle, the naive secretary from the Animal Crossing series, who is here to join the brawl while we wait for a new Animal Crossing game.
Everywhere Is Here
Being the final Super Smash Bros. game as it might turn out to be, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate features almost every single stage to ever appear in a game in the series.
All stages look stunning due to upgraded visuals, and as an added new feature, you can play them in both normal and omega form. In case you weren’t familiar with the concept, an omega form is a variant of the stage without obstacles that can be beneficial for both new players who are looking for a simpler experience, and for highly competitive players who just want to focus on their skills.
Stages also have a battlefield form similar to the omega form, but with three additional platforms. You can also turn off stage hazards for an easier experience for new players.
Stage customization does not end there. With the new stage transform feature, you can select two stages when beginning a match, and the battle will shift between for added chaos.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate also introduces new stages. The first of the new stages is Moray Towers from Splatoon. This stage features a zig-zagging ramp going up that lets you get the drop on other fighters.
I also got the chance to play in the Great Plateau Tower from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In this cool new stage, the top of the tower can be blown off to reveal a hidden platform.
We also got to see two more new stages – Castlevania’s Dracula’s Castle and Super Mario Odyssey’s New Donk City Hall.
The Best Controller Is Here
It’s a well-known fact that the best way to play Super Smash Bros. is not with the Wiimote or the Nintendo 64’s controller, and certainly not the little Joycons.
In another nostalgia-pleasing act of fan service, Nintendo has announced that they will be re-releasing the Nintendo Gamecube controllers, along with an adapter to let you connect them to your Switch console.
This, along with the omega stages will assist Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in becoming possibly the best competitive Smash title to date.
There’s a lot to look out for in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The series has long been my favorite fighting game series, and this title aims to please longtime fans like myself.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will release on December 7, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. Which fighter are you going to play?
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