Super Smash Bros is an extraordinary franchise, not only for Nintendo but for video games as a whole. Whereas the rest of the industry’s top franchises churn out an entry every year, Smash Brothers is a generational event. Each instalment is not just another game but a celebration of Nintendo and its long storied history that dates back the very roots of the medium which, in turn, makes Smash a celebration of video games in general. This has been especially true for most recent entries that have featured third party characters that have been developed within the periphery of Nintendo’s world such as Sonic, Pac-Man and Mega Man. This reverence to the past permeates every aspect of Super Smash Bros for Wii U from the character roster, the elaborate stages to the music and even the control options. The game is playable via Wii Remote, the Wii U Gamepad, Wii Remote and nunchuck, Wii Pro Controller, Wii U Controller Pro, a Nintendo 3DS and, most importantly, the GameCube Controller (with the use of an adaptor). Loving allusions and tributes are not only made toward Nintendo’s biggest franchises like Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon but toward the most obscure as well, such as Soma Bringer, Captain Rainbow, Devil World and Sheriff.
But perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself; it’s easy to forget that even after fifteen years, the franchise will still have newcomers. Super Smash Brothers is a fighting game but it’s not like Tekken or Street Fighter, it’s very much it’s own animal. In Smash Bros players play as characters from classic Nintendo (and Nintendo related) games on stages inspired by those same characters. The goal is to damage your opponents enough to be able to knock them off the stage. The more damage a player has accumulated, the easier it is for them to be knocked off. Unlike other fighting games like the aforementioned Street Fighter, Smash Bros is less about being able to perform complex button combinations and much more about managing and retaining control of the environment. Like Nintendo’s own Mario Kart series, items and stage hazards add a random element, though they can be turned off if one wishes. All this makes Smash Brothers much more accessible than other games in the genre but no less rewarding to play or master.
In terms of game modes, Super Smash Bros for Wii U is brimming with content. There are so many things to do and so many ways to do it, you may feel overwhelmed at first, especially since the menus used to navigate it all are somewhat cumbersome. While the bulk of the game’s appeal will be it’s competitive multiplayer, Smash for Wii U offers a robust collection of things to do by your lonesome. Take on the Classic mode for an arcade experience or waste hours trying to beat your high score in returning mini-games like Home-Run Contest or Multi-Man Smash. Players can also earn coins and other in-game goodies by playing Event mode which provides special challenges with set conditions. You can also take a break from all the fighting and just browse through the encyclopedic level of Nintendo trivia and musical arrangements provided by the collectable trophies and CDs you’ll earn throughout the game.
As far as multiplayer goes, Super Smash Bros for Wii U refines what came before it and also expands the scale of what can be done. A greater emphasis has been put on competitive play, addressing many of the gripes professional Smash players had with the Wii entry, Brawl. Gone is the random tripping dynamic, the game feels much more fast paced, and each stage has an “Omega mode” which essentially turns it into a themed version of the tournament favourite, Final Destination. That greater focus on “serious” play won’t prevent a casual player’s enjoyment, however. This choice of casual/hardcore extends to the online mode where players can choose to play between two modes, “For Fun” which allows for up to four brawlers, stage hazards and items but without counting toward a global ranking or “For Glory” which pits two fighters against each other in Omega mode stages which do count toward a ranking. The choice of how many items appear, which items appear or if they appear at all is still present and for the first time in series history eight players can fight simultaneously. Eight-Player Smash can only be played locally but considering the fact that online latency can be hit or miss, this is most likely for the best. That said, lag in Smash Bros for Wii U may be a nuisance but it doesn’t render the game unplayable as it did in the previous Wii incarnation. One other major addition to this game’s multiplayer offering is Smash Tour, a mode that melds Smash Bros matches with a board game reminiscent of Mario Party. Unfortunately this mode is too complex for the casual player and is fairly redundant, as the board game element adds only frustration and confusion at worst or a fleetingly novel way to experience Smash Bros at best. There is fun to be had here, but for the vast majority it will be a mode that will be quickly forgotten.
The last major new aspects of this latest entry are character customization and amiibo support. Upgrades and new moves can be unlocked and used to modify the existing characters or to create all new Mii fighters. At first, it seems rather pointless but being able to develop your own character and using them in Classic mode or against a friend’s custom character is very rewarding. Character upgrades can also be used on amiibo fighters. Amiibo fighters are unique computer controlled characters attached to an amiibo figure, Nintendo’s very own Skylanders-type toys. Twelve figures were released at the launch of Super Smash Bros for Wii U and a figurine of every other character will be hitting shelves in separate waves throughout the coming months. While basic computer players only go up to level 9, an amiibo can be trained to reach level 50, making them formidable opponents. My level 50 Fox amiibo was able to face seven level 9 CPU characters in a one vs. seven team battle and win. It can be truly frightening how good they can get. That said, outside of a challenging sparring partner the amiibo are fairly useless, you can pit them against friend’s amiibo but watching computer players fight isn’t as compelling as doing the fighting yourself. The figures themselves are fairly well detailed especially characters like Fox, Mario or Donkey Kong who aren’t too “realistic.” More complex character designs such as Link and Marth suffer and characters with more dynamic poses such as Link and Fox receive garish support beams that may ruin their appeal for some. Even still, the amiibo may be the only time we see quality collectable figurines for relatively obscure Nintendo icons like Captain Falcon or Ike so collectors would be wise to pick up a few of their favourites.
One of this game’s greatest achievements is undoubtedly its performance. In an age when other blockbuster games fail to run at a consistent frame rate at sub-1080p resolutions and on much more powerful hardware, Smash Bros for Wii U runs at a solid 60fps at native 1080p without any noticeable hiccups. Even during 8-player smash sessions, the game is smooth and seamless. That level of polish extends to every facet of the game, especially the brand new stages, character animations and remixes of classic tunes. It all speaks of a game that was crafted masterfully, both technically and creatively and with a lot of heart and soul.
If you’ve ever loved a Super Smash Bros game, this is a must buy. If you’ve ever loved a Nintendo game before, this is a must buy. If you own a Wii U, this is a must buy and if you don’t, this is the killer app you’ve been waiting for. Super Smash Brothers for Wii U is a celebration of everything great Nintendo has ever given to the medium. It’s a gift to all of Nintendo’s extremely diverse and dedicated fan base, those who’ve collected every bug in Animal Crossing, caught every Pokemon multiple times over, replayed Ocarina of Time for the tenth time or lost weight using Wii Fit. It’s fan service in every possible and positive sense of the word. Go play it.
