REVIEW

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Review

by Rob Pritchard, December 19th, 2018

The concept of crossing over characters from various franchises into a fighting game is a highly popular idea, as well as a extremely lucrative business opportunity. The Super Smash Bros. series from Nintendo is a prime example of this success and has sold millions of copies since the original game was released for the Nintendo 64 back in 2001. The franchise has now made its long-awaited debut on the Nintendo Switch with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and you can rest assured that this latest entry in the long running Smash-athon will not leave you feeling disappointed.

The basic gameplay structure of the Super Smash Bros series is one of the best examples of an activity that is simple to learn, but difficult to master. Each match consists of various characters from the numerous game franchise facing each other in battle to drain them of their energy and fling them out of the current arena. If you are a player that like to master every character’s special abilities, you will be busy for quite some time with this fighting title, as the playable roster in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is comprised of seventy-four individual fighters. From Mario to Metroid, and Donkey Kong to Duck Hunt, all the previous playable characters from the Smash Bros. series have returned for Ultimate, along with some new fighters such as Simon Belmont from Castlevania and the Inklings from the Splatoon franchise.

In case you are concerned about the size of the roster available at the beginning, you can be assured that over sixty of the playable characters in the game are required to be unlocked. Once you have met the required criteria, all you have to do is beat the character in a match to add them to your playable cast list. Many of the characters have their own unique roster, with only a few of them being ‘echo fighters’, such as Roy and Chrom from Fire Emblem and Peach and Daisy from the Mario franchise. In case you do not recognise the term, echo fighters are characters which have the same move set as another fighter, but the visual appearance of another character. This is commonly done in some with some of the lesser known games, to increase the representation and gain a spotlight of exposure for their origin franchise.

If you thought the amount of playable characters was a large number, it pales in comparison to the number of background tracks that can be unlocked to play during your fighting matches. Over a thousand pieces of music can be selected, with many of them waiting to be unlocked once you have achieved certain goals. This monumental soundtrack stretches all the way from the original NES versions of the Overworld theme from Super Mario Bros. to the jazz inspired toe tapping musical number “Jump Up, Super Star” from Super Mario Odyssey. What is a nice touch, is that it is entirely up to you with soundtrack you choose for each fight, so you could have a song from Sonic Adventure 2 playing whilst you attempt to defeat Isabelle in the Animal Crossing inspired stages.

Alongside the multitude of weapons and items such as the size changing Mushrooms from the Mario series and the laser guns from the Contra series, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate introduces equippable beings known as Spirits. These power ups are shaped like characters from the many represented franchises such as Shadow the Hedgehog, Tingle and even Alexandra Roivas from Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. They are equipped before a battle begins, and if chosen correctly can dramatically alter the player environment or physical abilities. For example, the Master Core can increase your characters initial damage ratio, whereas Julius from Fire Emblem increases the strength of any fire-based attacks. Although you can choose to remove Spirits entirely in the multiplayer mode, leaving them enabled makes each battle feel like a unique experience with the effects that can be implemented.

Like it’s older siblings, the multiplayer options provided by Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are extensive and highly inclusive. Whether you play via the internet or using the local multiplayer feature, the game remains stable throughout, without any connection issues present whilst playing with your international competitors. You can use the JoyCon controllers, the Switch Pro Controller and even a USB GameCube controller which is provided in some editions of the game, or if you would prefer, this option can be purchased separately at a later date. As a seasoned video game player who grew up with wired game pads, my preference shifted towards the Switch Pro Controller, but each controller option is comfortable, and designed for use by players of every skill level.

Although the major appeal for the Smash Bros series is focused on the multiplayer component of the game, it could be stated that sometimes the single player modes are neglected as a result. This has been rectified in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with the addition of the World of Light mode. After being randomly spared following the domination of the world by an evil overlord named Gaheem, Kirby must travel across the now fractured world, rescuing the various characters that have fallen under the tyrant’s hypnotic spells. While it is does seem like fan fiction fodder at first glance, the 30 hour plus challenge offers battles that will test your fighting skills and endurance to their limits. A cool feature is that if you do not currently have a character in your roster outside of the World of Light mode, they will be unlocked for use in every other mode upon their defeat.

Another major improvement since the Wii U entry is the dramatic reduction in the loading times, which were needlessly excessive even if the game was running from a download version instead of a physical disc. Thanks to the power of the Nintendo Switch, the characters move at a silky-smooth frame rate for even the most graphically intense matchup. As a result of the additional graphical hardware, each of the characters and stages are beautifully rendered, without a trace of aliasing artefacts to be seen on their 3D models.

Overall, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of the best fighting games on the Nintendo Switch, and quite possibly the best entry in the entire Smash Bros. franchise. It’s vast character roster, along with its excellent battle system and vast selection of game modes will keep you and your gaming companions coming back for just one more round time and time again.

If you buy any game for your Nintendo Switch this year, Super Smash Bros Ultimate should be firmly at the top of your wish list.