Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Edition The drawing was well received by critics and fans alike, but a previous game was often maligned by fans: Super Smash Bros.. Brawl deserves more credit for its controversial self-stumbling feature and poor online implementation at launch: it laid the groundwork for Ultimate’s success. 15 years after its release, I’m here to tell you why this malicious entry in one of the most successful game franchises of all time deserves more respect.
The Super Smash Bros. franchise is known for its epic character crossovers. The eclectic cast wouldn’t work without Subspace Emissary tying them all together. A follow-up to Melee’s adventure mode, Subspace Emissary is filled with high-quality cutscenes that weave together an interesting story. Bringing characters like Snake and Mario into a unified world isn’t easy, but Brawl does it neatly with this mod.
You’re always invested in what comes next, and the story it tells is the ultimate love letter to video game history. Subspace Emissary also introduces lite-RPG elements where you can equip each character with stickers that add stat boosts. This forms the basis for the Spirits system in Ultimate; after all, you can’t run until you can walk.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Edition somewhat brings back the idea of a narrative-focused single-player mode — and those nice light RPG elements — but it’s seriously lacking in Smash Bros. in the storyline. What Ultimate lacks is the interesting combination of a combat game and a platformer in one game. Brawl uses locations from Nintendo’s history to showcase well-crafted bosses like Pokémon’s Rayquaza and Super Mario Bros.’ Piranha Pete, with climactic encounters sorely lacking in the sequel.
You may have forgotten that some of the most popular items in the series also started in Super Smash Bros. Without this game, we wouldn’t have Final Smash or Assist Trophies. Despite the scoffing from the competitive community, the two projects elevated Brawl’s casual gameplay and helped make it a party hit that many will miss. The struggle to break out of Final Smash in a four-player match is always rushed – even the most predictable matches can spiral into chaos.
Once you finally gain access to the power in the orb, your character unleashes powerful and satisfying attacks that open the realm. For example, Mario unleashes an intense fireball that covers the entire map, pushing opponents away in an instant. As comeback mechanics go, it’s hype.
Assist trophies are also a mainstay of the Super Smash Bros. franchise. Similar to Pokéballs, they summon a character in the game – and the potential allies you get are always the lottery. It could be a hero or villain from a lesser-known Nintendo series, such as Isaac from the Golden Sun and Shahi Amamiya from Sin and Punishment. It also allows other beloved characters – like Waluigi or Krystal – to enjoy their time in the sun too.
Brawl may be basic compared to recent entries, but the Wii game still has elements that its Wii U and Switch stablemates don’t. For example, you can create your own stages in Brawl. Players create levels based on their favorite game series, or based on gimmicks like two platforms between a giant spike gap.
For the first time, you’ll also be able to take snapshots of the on-screen chaos, which was the way before photo modes proliferated in the PS4/Xbox One generation. You can pause the game at any time, adjust the angle and zoom, and take a screenshot. It can then be stored on SD card. This was a brand new feature at the time, and one that was loved by many on forums and early social media. There’s definitely an argument that this popularized the ability to take screenshots in games, perhaps laying the groundwork for later console generations to actually take notice of the feature.
Elsewhere in the development process, music has become more important in the Brawl series. In the Wii game, you can choose not just one song, but many, and you can even change the probability of a song being played at each stage in the settings.In Ultimate offers a frankly ridiculous 1,000 tracksBrawl is the best we have – and it does it well.
Super Smash Bros. brought us a look at more of the lesser-known characters from Nintendo history that remain some of the franchise’s most cherished fighters to this day. The pit is probably the biggest highlight. His mid-air moves and updated character designs were well received, and he even got a new 3DS game, Kid Icarus: Uprising, after Brawl launched. coincide? Maybe not.
Wario is an excellent joke character, and he’ll continue his career in the game as a fart-obsessed professional troll. Pokémon Trainer gave us the unique ability to switch characters on the fly, rotating between Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard, all of which give players different strategic options (and make you feel like Champion Red, if you know your combination and timing are good enough).
But, perhaps most importantly, we have Brawl’s third-party characters to thank. Sora, Cloud, and Simon Belmont all make their debuts here–breaking the mold and proving that Nintendo can make this unlikely fighting game work outside of its own walled garden. When Snake from Metal Gear Solid popped out of his box at E3 2006, the crowd was confused. And that revealing excitement is what continues to define Smash.
Super Smash Bros. also raised the bar on the stage. They take you through the stunning Plaza Delfino, put you on a spin, or let you soar into space battles on a Lylat Cruise. Brawl has more refined stages than its predecessors to keep you on your toes.
Check out the stage at Erding Bridge in The Twilight Saga, where King Bulbrin rides his pig-like creature and drops bombs. It exploded, revealing a gap. Moments later, the bridge reconnects and a Twilight Portal appears above the stage. You never know what will happen next! The stage is alive!
Super Smash Bros. deserves more respect from the community. It introduced many of the features that Ultimate continued to refine, and introduced a whole new generation to some of the weirder and more exciting aspects of Nintendo’s history. Brawl ends with an incredible story mode, proving that the series can transcend the cornerstones set by Melee. Smash wouldn’t be what it is today without Brawl – so let’s all respect it a little more.
