After months of waiting, Nintendo has finally revealed its additions to the upcoming Smash Bros. Ultimate, coming to the Switch. And here they are!
FUCKING EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER BEEN IN THE SERIES.
That’s right. Everyone. From Pichu to Snake to Wolf to the Ice Climbers, everyone – yes, even the Mii Fighters, are returning to the series.
And whilst we didn’t get much info on new combatants, we did get two reveals:
Princess Daisy…
…and ‘too big to fit’ Ridley himself.
Masahiro Sakurai touted the game as “the biggest crossover in gaming history”, and we’re inclined to believe him considering Ultimate features over 69 fighters and 50 assist trophies. One trophy, the Squid Sisters from Splatoon, assist by reducing the size of the screen due to the girls getting a ‘close up’.
But old faces are indeed getting tweaks; a few of which are listed below:
- Mario can wear Cappy, his Wedding, and Building outfits.
- Link can wear either his classic tunic or Breath of the Wild attire, and has a new smash: Ancient Arrows.
- Ike can wear both Radiant title outfits, each with a different voice.
- Pikachu can now be female.
- Fox’s design is based on Star Fox Zero, and he has an Arwing based smash.
- Falco’s design is also based on Star Fox Zero, and features an Arwing based final smash different to Fox’s.
- Ryu now always faces his foe in 1-v-1 fights, just like in Street Fighter.
- Samus can now charge her attacks in mid-air.
- Marth’s dancing blade is faster, and he is voiced in English.
- King Dedede’s final smash is a cage fight.
- Zelda is a mix between her Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild incarnations; final smash is a seal.
- Sonic’s final smash is Super Sonic, going even faster than in previous titles.
- Pac-Man zooms around the stage in retro mode in his final smash.
- Pokemon Trainer can be male or female, and switch between Pokemon freely.
- Captain Falcon’s punch can be appropriately depicted as a dramatic slow-mo.
- Cloud can wear his FF7 or Advent Children outfits, and his limit gauge is visible on screen.
- Robin has a gauge showing his/her tome’s remaining usage.
- Villagers can come in eight different appearances, and can see pocketed items above their icon.
- Bowser is bigger in his final smash.
- Wolf wears his Star Fox Zero outfit, and is stronger.
- Kirby can copy every single fighter in the game.
- Shulk can now select Monado Arts directly – Fiora also appears in his final smash.
- Ganondorf wears his Ocarina of Time attire, and turns into the Ocarina of Time demon boar as his final smash.
- Mii Fighters have twelve voice options, but is not yet online ready.
- Pit’s final smash is now the Lightning Charriot.
- Zero Suit Samus fires a laser from atop her ship as her final smash.
- Bayonetta can wear either of her game’s outfits, each with voice changes.
- Wario’s final smash is no longer seperate attacks.
- DK’s final smash is based on his Kongo Fever title.
- Wii Fit Trainer’s face is more detailed, as requested by the devs of that title.
- Plautena’s down special is now a deflect.
Other tweaks have also occurred; Sakurai stated that character faces are much more expressive than in previous games. And not all characters are available from the start, however – they must be unlocked to play.
Additionally, not all characters are technically characters in their own right – some are essentially clones. This time, the Smash Bros. team have given these fighters a special symbol to advertise this to players; an Epsilon (ε). These fighters are known as ‘Echo Fighters’. These include the likes of Daisy, Dr Mario, Lucas, and so on.
Old stages from previous games – such as Peach’s Castle – return, alongside new additions like the Great Plateau Tower. Some stages, like Dr. Wily’s, have been re-worked – in that particular stage’s case, it includes all hazards present in both it’s Smash Bros. For Wii U and Smash Bros. For 3DS iterations. Omega forms- that meaning, very blank versions of the stage for pure smash action- are available for all stages.
The gameplay itself has also had some changes from previous titles. Players may now dodge directionally in mid-air, but excessive dodging makes you more vulnerable due to a reduction of invincibility frames. Short hop attacks are now available and smash attacks again return. Shielding now requires perfect button pressing. The title, still supporting eight-player battles as per Smash Bros. For Wii U, will scale down damage as more players are in the match. And players in the lead will sometimes flash with light to let others know who is winning.
The title supports the Joy Con, as well as the Classic Gamecube controller, as per popular demand. All Smash Bros. Amiibos are supported – data from previous titles can be transferred, suggesting a return of the training mechanic. All alternative series version Amiibo may be used as well.
We did get some info regarding the Inklings attacks, also: They may use different weapons based on the game. Inked opponents take more damage from attacks. They can paint arena, and use painted area to refill as their guns use ammo. They have eight outfits and colours.
Ridley’s down special has a ‘sweet spot’; if you input it just right, it does extra damage. One of his moves drags opponents across the ground. His standard special is a fireball, which can be charged. His final smash has him attacking opponents – when versing Samus, he attacks her on top of her ship in a special sequence.
The title will release this year, on December 7th.
As more Smash Bros. Ultimate news emerges, Respawning UK will cover it. Thanks for joining us for our E3 coverage, and we hope you enjoyed the presentations as much as we did. Have a good one!
