No game is more synonymous with Nintendo than Super Smash Bros. Well, except for Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Pokemon, Metroid, and a whole bunch of other games, but since the main characters from those franchises duke it out in Smash Bros., my point still stands. Several months ago, when Nintendo teased Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo Switch, the jaw of every Nintendo fan dropped. And Nintendo’s E3 presentation managed to elicit the same response again.
Going into E3, we knew there would be several changes to the Smash roster, but then again, Nintendo’s always changing the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch, now known as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, roster, adding some characters while removing others. We already knew the Inkling from Splatoon would be a playable character (previously it was only a costume for the Mii Gunner) and that Link would ditch his iconic green tunic for Breath of the Wild clothes. However, we didn’t know how they would fight. Would the Inkling be a ranged fighter who uses the latest in paintgun technology? Would Link keep his dungeoneering toolkit or trade in his bombs, boomerang, and hook/clawshot for Breath of the Wild spirit powers? Nintendo answered all of those questions during its presentation. Now we know that Link will still mostly play as he always did and that the Inkling will feature a unique ink mechanic similar to that in the Splatoon games.
Speaking of changes to the roster, gamers started speculating who else would (and wouldn’t) make it into Super Smash Bros. ultimate. Every Smash Bros. player (myself included) submitted his or her own list of characters and anticipated the inevitable E3 reveal of any new fighters. Well, I’m proud to say that Nintendo did not disappoint. During the video presentation, we finally learned that Ice Climbers are making their long-awaited return, as are Squirtle, Ivysaur, Young Link, Wolf, and Pichu. Oh, and Snake’s back. And literally all the DLC characters. If a character (or stage) appeared in a previous Smash game, they’re in Smash for Switch. Plus, the trailer revealed new playable characters like Daisy and Ridley (guess he wasn’t too big for Smash after all). Celebrate!
Of course, what Super Smash Bros. game is without little fixes and mechanics tweaks? In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, all Final Smashes have been redone and balanced to be more like a short cinematic attack, and many characters have undergone redesigns. Marth is now voiced in English; Princess Zelda dons her Link Between Worlds look, Pikachu now comes in both male and female versions (as does the Pokemon Trainer), and Gandondorf’s rocking his Ocarina of Time threads. The game will also come with several quality of life updates, including a Limit Break meter next to Clould’s icon, a weapon durability meter on Robin’s icon, directional air dodges, and damage that scales with the number of players.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will finally be available on December of this year. Happy smashing.
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