As a video game purist, who still clings to his old school roots, Smash Bros. has and always will be a special series to me. A game that embraces gaming’s past through its roster, levels, and musical score while providing a strong level of high precision, skill based gameplay seems to be the perfect match for my gaming needs. I can enjoy the nostalgia aroused by the game’s wonderful homage to franchises past and get wrapped up in the game’s high precision make-your-own-combo fighting mechanics. Simply put, Smash Bros. was a great idea from the onset of its N64 release, and the series has seen quality improvements with each iteration (despite Brawl taking some steps backwards).
The reason why I and so many have clung to Melee over Brawl, however, is due to the game’s unintentionally perfect fighting mechanics. You see, Smash Bros. was never intended to be a fighting game, but rather a fun aside that turns much of the genre’s mechanics on its head. However, what arose is a game (in Melee) built around precise, high paced gameplay, that holds true in the fighting community.
Brawl on the other hand is an amazing masterpiece from a standpoint of development and a tribute to gaming history. Brawl featured an unprecedented amount of music, levels, characters, and cameos from videogames (stepping a little bit outside of even Nintendo developed boundaries). And though Brawl presentationally stands as a masterpiece of gaming lore, it’s almost as if the game’s main developer, Sakurai, intentionally Punk’d us all by adding in quirks and removing options that would allow Brawl to be the adequate fighter that Melee is. Sure, Brawl still exists in the competitive community, but Melee is the pure form of Super Smash Bros. that has had the most sticking power over the years.
So what of Super Smash Bros 3DS/Wii U. Clearly Sakurai, Nintendo, and Namco have provided even more nostalgic content through an even loftier roster of characters, music, and roots stretching into the boundaries of Mega Man, Pac Man, and Punch Out. Thus, presentationally, I think the main deciding factor is how the game plays and how the game looks/sounds. But the ultimate question on everyone’s mind is if this game is up to the level of Melee in terms of crisp mechanics.
Super Smash Bros. 3DS is the Perfect combination of Brawl and Melee
When I first received the demo of Super Smash Bros. 3DS as a Club Nintendo Platinum status promotion, I’ve got to say that my first few battles were a little awkward and difficult to get used to (I had just played Melee in the previous week, so this could be part of the reason). The first issue I had was that the button layout is slightly less optimal than the wonderful setup on the GameCube controller. Thus, I began using up to jump (something that could not be turned off in the demo) and struggling with the overall button placement. Also, I found it very difficult to kill enemies and found myself feeling a little bit out of my element (I’m not going to say I’m an elite level Melee player but I have played in the competitive scene and know that I’m pretty darn good at the game).
After giving the demo a break for a few days, I came back to it on a plane ride during a business trip and began to really enjoy the mechanical differences between it and Melee. Once I received the game for review and really dove into the gameplay, characters and movesets became more familiar, I became more efficient at whittling down and finishing my opponents, and the slightly longer battles only seemed to improve the overall quality of stock matches (typically used in the competitive community). The controls took me a little bit longer to truly get used to but after turning off up-jump, I reverted back to the the standard control scheme and can’t say I’ve had many issues since (aside from sore thumbs after long play sessions).
In terms of technical gameplay, SSB3DS’s intermediary speed (between the hyper fast speed of Melee, and the slower speed of Brawl) feels quite adequate for both veterans and newcomers alike. The wide variation of play styles that each of the game’s many characters provides allows gamers to capitalize on characters’ different skill sets during battles (even wider array than in Brawl). Though I am still far from feeling comfortable with every available character, it’s nice to see such a wide range of play styles.
The Wii U version will indoubtedly be the best multiplayer experience due to the larger screen and an expectedly better online system. Still, the fact that the handheld game holds true at 60FPS on the 3DS is a true testament to the developers’ emphasis on strong fighting experiences on both platforms, and it certainly feels as fast as any handheld game I’ve played to date. Really, I couldn’t find anything to complain about in the game’s fighting mechanics (they finally got rid of tripping too!) and it feels like it will be a strong game for the competitive community, though probably more likely on the Wii U for GameCube controller use and large screen use for events. The only quip I could find was in the latency of the game’s online matches, though it’s a difficult factor to judge since the game isn’t currently out and the majority of players I was facing were from Japan.
As for the other end of the “For Glory”/”For Fun” coin, I found myself also enjoying the game’s plethora of levels and items through my experiences with 1-Player mode and 4 player melee vs. computers. Granted, I still played online “For Glory” (no items, non-hazardous levels) but the chaos created by items and level design seemed more fun this time around (levels are a little bit toned down from Brawl, save a few, and some of the items are just really cool).
Thus, SSM3DS does what Brawl was not able to do and what Melee was too primitive to accomplish: strong fighting mechanics to go along with a masterpiece in terms of nostalgic content.
Strong Single Player Depth
When I first heard that this installment of Smash Bros. would be dual released on both the 3DS and Wii U, I found myself wondering why Nintendo would resort to such a tactic other than for pure monetary gain. However, now that I’ve played an extensive amount of time on the 3DS, I’m starting to understand that this iteration of Smash Bros. needs to be on two different systems. Where the Wii U version of the game will undoubtedly be the version to play for multiplayer, the 3DS is built for the game’s various single player modes.
For the longest time, handhelds have been the optimal platform for the RPG genre, purely because they are slow-paced, segmented gameplay sessions where progression is the number one driving force (and thus having the game with you at all times allows you to feel the sense of progressive accomplishment at any time). Super Smash Bros. 3DS further introduces RPG elements into the Smash Bros. series and does so in a wonderful way. And, though it’s still yet to be determined whether modified characters will hold up in a more competitive atmosphere, the ability to change your characters’ skill sets based on your preference is exactly what Smash Bros. needs.
For instance, let’s say you’d prefer Mario’s F.L.U.D.D. attack to actually do damage; if you unlock “Scalding F.L.U.D.D.”, you can do rapid damage similar to Bowser’s fire breathing attack. Or, I personally prefer the standard boomerang over Link’s default Gale Boomerang. Thus, after unlocking, I’ve created a customized Link that has this has one of his customized movesets. Each of the characters’ four special moves has an additional two alternate moves that can be replaced, making for a near endless number of combinations of movesets at your disposal.
Beyond movesets, characters also have the ability to equip up to three different pieces of equipment that alter their inherent stats (attack, defense, speed) and can do a number of different added bonuses (such as starting a round with a ray gun, or regenerating life over time). As was the case with stickers in Brawl, these items and movesets are the perfect addition to single player progression, as the more you play the game, the more options and play styles you’ll unlock, and the higher the difficulty you can complete. However, this time around the system feels simpler, and less impactful than in Brawl, which leads to the notion that the system could hold merit in multiplayer.
In addition to customizing the existing roster, players also have the ability to create their own Mii fighters. You begin by picking a Mii from your system that you would like to create a unique character. Then, you choose from three different fighting styles, which are Brawler, Swordfighter, and Gunner. Next you can choose three pieces of equipment from the same pool as the roster upgrades as well as an outfit and headgear to personalize its appearance. Finally, you can pick each of the character’s four special moves from a list of 3 extremely varied moves per special per character. All in all, the custom characters have only three main molds but the special move customization does add some variety into the experience.
The difficulty mode, taken directly from Sakurai’s own “Kid Icarus: Uprising” also feeds into the addictive single player experience. Players have the ability to wager their hard earned coins in order to increase the difficulty up to 90 different levels (from 0.0 to 9.0 by increments of 0.1). Both the difficulty and rewards increase exponentially as the levels increase but the price gets steeper as you hit the top. It’s probably best to start somewhere in the middle, even if you’ve played previous Smash Bros. because each loss reduces the amount of gold and prizes you earn.
During a typical classic mode playthrough, you’ll embark on six random battles (similar to classic mode from previous games) followed by a final battle. As usual, Master Hand and Crazy Hand await but the cool part is that the higher the difficulty, the final battle will actually evolve. I won’t get into details but the later levels can be extremely intense. As I write this review, the highest difficulty I was able to complete was 8.5, so I couldn’t actually get to the final boss on 9.0 without dying but I’m sure it was even more difficult.
Once Super Smash Bros. Wii U hits the shelves, I can almost guarantee that the 1-player experience on the 3DS will be the more appealing of the two, purely due to the system’s portability and personability. And considering the fact that the 3DS version has the exclusive Smash Run mode (another mode where you can unlock equippable upgrades), the 3DS version appears to be the game driven around progression and honing your skills to play on the big screen. Where a dual release really makes sense is with the ability to take your custom characters, equipped with your hard earned items and moves, and transfer them onto the Wii U, a la Pokémon Stadium, to play epic battles on the big screen.
Additional Game Modes & Unlockables
Because Smash Bros. always has an immeasurable amount of content, I wanted to focus this section on the various game modes and their overall staying potential.
All-Star
If you’re familiar with Smash Bros. or Kirby games for that matter, All-Star is just as it has been in every iteration of the series, with a small twist this time around. Players will play through a series of battles against the different characters from the roster but rather than fight a lengthy array of 1 vs 1 battles, your opponents are grouped based on the year they came into existence. Typically you’ll face 5-7 opponents per round and then rest at a centralized hub prior to each additional battle. Damage carries over after each battle and you’ll be given 2 hearts, a Maxim Tomato, and a Fairy in a Bottle, all of which should be preserved for optimal progression.
Players can also team up with a friend to play through All-Star mode. All in all, I found the mode to be a little bit too easy in its new setup (you can only choose between easy, normal, and hard, and I finished the game on hard with 5 different characters without losing once). All-Star is a mainstay to the experience so I can understand why it wasn’t dropped, but after only a few play throughs, there isn’t much reason to go back (aside from earning trophies and gold without having to wager your own).
Stadium
Also true to the Smash series, stadium mode features three main events, Home-Run Contest, Target Blast, and Multi-Man Smash. Home Run is just as it was before, players must pummel a punching bag for 10 seconds, get a home run hit off before the bell rings, and are graded based on the distance travelled. Multi-Man melee is another mode that is essentially the same game as that of its predecessors. Different modes are 10-man smash, 100-man smash, 3-minute smash, endless smash, cruel smash, and finally rival smash (where you battle against an opponent to try and defeat more enemies before one of you is knocked off the stage).
Target Blast is the one game mode that steps outside the convention of previous games in the series. Rather than moving quickly through an obstacle course hitting all of the targets as quickly as possible, players must instead play a game somewhere between the Home-Run contest and Angry Birds. Players will pummel a bomb as much as possible within a 10 second time limit, and then launch it via a strong attack towards a structure of obstacles, targets, bombs, and trophies. You’ll have two shots at destroying as many targets as possible and will be rewarded with a score at the end. Honestly, I was a little disappointed in the mode and feel that the traditional target smash mode was a more enjoyable endeavor.
Classic
Classic is very similar to previous classic modes from other Smash games with a few key differences. First of all, the difficulty has been changed to the sliding scale mentioned before, with 90 different levels from 0.0-9.0. Aside from scaleable last boss battles, there really aren’t any major differences in the battles along the way (they’re randomly chosen and you’ll have the option of choosing from a path between 2-3 different battles. Aside from standard Smash mode and online gameplay, Classic has the most Staying power of single player experiences.
Training
Training is the typical sand box mode where you can create a set of circumstances to test the effectiveness of characters’ moves as well as items. After choosing an opponent character and difficulty as well as your own character, you can choose from any of the game’s many stages. The typical amount of settings is available including spawning items, changing the speed, no. of CPUs, CPU behavior, and damage %. Nothing special here.
Vault
Vault contains a number of different unlockable content to be accessed. You can view records, screen shots, replays, tips, and music from the game. Finally, trophies features four different modes for additional trophy content. Gallery mode allows you to view each trophy individually with a unique description for each, while Hoard shows them all displayed at the same time. A shop is available for you to spend gold or Play Coins on up to 6 trophies per day. Finally, Trophy Rush mode features a short game of destroying as many falling boxes as possible in the allotted amount of time. 30 seconds is the minimum starting point (costing gold) and spending additional gold allows you to increase the overall amount of time. This is another quick way to get some trophies and moves if you’re not up for playing through Classic, All-Star, or Smash Run.
Smash
Self explanatory, this is the standard mode where you can choose from up to four players, time/stock, and various rule changes, and the option to toggle on customizable characters. You can play 1-4 players via Wireless Multi-Card play.
Smash Run
One of the unique modes to the 3DS version, this mode features a 5 minute trek through an adventure-mode style map where you have to quickly destroy various enemies from the characters’ games. Destroying enemies rewards you with stat upgrades (the same stats from equipment customization) and your goal is to collect as many as possible prior to a final battle.
I enjoyed the change-up on adventure mode and felt that the 5 minutes leading up to the final battle was an extremely fun portion of the game. However, I found the final battle to be very underwhelming, and almost unnecessary (the mode is definitely unique, but I would have been just as fine without the final battle and the winner chosen based on a points system).
One of the additional options in Smash Run is the ability to equip your custom characters with additional powers (beyond equipment and customized specials). Each character has a total number of power points they can spend based upon their weight (heavier characters can don more than lighter ones). These additional items are unlockable, and entirely unnecessary, but add additional content that makes the 5 minute experience even more enjoyable.
Online
Online mode features a few different options, all battle oriented. First, you have the option to register friends to find someone who owns the game from your friends list. Or, if you don’t have many options of people you know, you can choose to fight random battles with anyone. The first option you must choose is “For Fun” (Items on and all stages enabled) or “For Glory” (no items and only play on simple, alternate forms of the stages).
Next, you can choose the style of battle from Smash (battle with up to 4 players), 1-on-1, and Team smash. After choosing an option, you’ll go to the character select screen, and then into a training mode until the game finds a suitable opponent. After fighting a battle, you can continue to fight the same opponent as many times as you like until either you or he leaves the character select screen. I found setting up matches to be very accessible and should be quicker and easier once the game is released in the States in a few weeks.
As I mentioned before, online play does have its latency issues if facing an opponent with a weaker internet connection. In cases of even a little bit higher latency than optimal, matches were very difficult to trudge through (and since it’s frowned upon to leave a match early, you’re really stuck with an opponent until the match ends). It would be nice to see a connectivity gauge prior to playing a match or if the game possibly paired players based on their internet speeds.
Finally, there is a more passive mode of online play called “Spectate.” As you can guess, this mode allows you to watch live matches as well as replays of previous matches with different characters. You can wager gold on matches to win and odds are even determined prior to the match based upon the players’ rankings.
There is also a section in Spectate called “World Status” that shows the location of all of the players currently playing Smash Bros. on a world map. Various aggregate stats are scrolled across the screen such as the number of total hours logged worldwide, the total Target Blast Score worldwide, etc. Also, the mode cycles through various matches and shows the location of the next spectated match and you can watch at any time by pressing A. I found the mode to be a cool feature, showing the worldwide reach of the game (though it was only out in Japan at the time, I could see many different reviewers in the States were playing, someone in Europe, Chile, Australia, Canada, and Hawaii).
StreetPass & StreetSmash
StreetPass is used in this game to trade custom tokens with people you swap data with while you’re out. Once you collect other characters’ data, you can go up against their tokens in a battle similar to Smash Bros. but in a top-down perspective. The goal of these matches is to knock off the other tokens to win the match. You move around with the control stick, attack with A (you can charge up for a longer attack), and can even dodge attacks. This is a brief aside and you can earn prizes.