A ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ retrospective

“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” was possibly the most anticipated fighting game for the Nintendo Switch in recent memory. 

Announced in June 2018 and released in early December of the same year, the game was received with loads of excitement and anticipation of what characters would end up in the newest title. For years, Smash has been a massive crossover event that has given fans the chance to play as their favorite video game characters in an all-out brawl against their friends, family or people online. However, when “Smash Bros. Ultimate” came out, the series changed forever.

The first trailer highlighted the characters joining the new installment, which showed how much this game would change the series. Since every character was returning to the game, this included characters who were originally DLC in the previous title, to veterans from previous games, like Solid Snake, the Ice Climbers and Pokémon Trainer, solidifying the game’s tagline, “Everyone is here.” The game also included various newcomers that fans have wanted for years, such as Ridley, Chrom, Daisy, Ken, Isabelle and many more. Even classic stages would return and look stunning.

All the returning characters still play as they did in their original games, with new tweaks and changes that make them more enjoyable than their original counterparts. The newcomers can all be controlled well, and some are better than others. 

One critique to give this game is its new story mode. Unlike the Subspace Emissary from “Super Smash Bros. Brawl,” the game focuses on the rescuing the spirits of the game’s representatives and rescuing their fallen allies from Galeem, one of the antagonists of the game. While enjoyable on a surface level, it’s just fighting one opponent after another and switching out a team to make you stronger than them at a constant rate. The storyline is lacking and could have been a lot better. It also feels lazy to use spirits as a collectible instead of trophies, like in games prior, since it is just a render of a character with nothing more to it.

Right before the game’s release, Nintendo announced new DLC characters joining the franchise. Every character within the first wave was someone from a past series. Joker from “Persona 5,” Hero from “Dragon Quest,” Banjo and Kazooie from games of the same name, Terry from “King of Fighters” and Byleth from “Fire Emblem: Three Houses” all would join the fight – with mixed reactions from fans. DLC Wave #1 ended in January 2020, with a new wave of DLC characters coming over the next year.

DLC Wave #2 was met with a lot more positive feedback and hype, as many characters that fans wanted in Smash were added after years of waiting. Steve from “Minecraft,” Kazuya from “Tekken,” Sephiroth from “Final Fantasy VII” and Sora from “Kingdom Hearts” were received with an explosion of hype and excitement when they were announced. 

The journey of “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” can best be described as “getting everything you wanted for Christmas.” It’s a game that has created friendships and brought fans together with new games and franchises. 

It lives on as one of the greatest crossovers in gaming history. If you were to talk about this game in 2008 when Sonic the Hedgehog had just joined, nobody would have believed you. 

Having characters like Steve, Sora, Ridley and Mario all on screen together feels like a fever dream. This game has even created a team for our very own Hofstra eSports club. “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” will live with Nintendo fans for generations to come as the greatest crossover in video game history.