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| Everyone is here. |
The much talked about Spirits Mode houses the main "story" mode, World of Light, where an entity known as Galeem has taken the spirits of all but one fighter, Kirby, in an effort to clone their powers. All alone, it's up to our pink puffball to restore the spirits of the fallen fighters and restore the light to the universe. Make no mistake, it's not as story-heavy as Smash Bros. Brawl's Subspace Emissary mode but the little amount of cutscenes still manage to hook you in while also being a worthwhile adventure. The bulk of the mode has you navigating through a giant map in an effort to clear various stages that house stat-increasing perks known as Spirits as well as battling fallen fighters in order to unlock them.
Each stage has a specific handicap such as the floor being covered in lava or the enemy being giant. With that in mind, each spirit you collect has certain abilities that nullifies some of these handicaps for an easier time. You can level up Spirits by either feeding them snacks or partaking them in activities, both of which enhance their powers. can be leveled up to increase their powers. Spirits can be also sold to buy more spirits and snacks from shops, which there are plenty. World of Light is no easy breeze as the mode is a lengthy one that took me around 30 hours to beat.
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While it's no Subspace Emissary, the amount of
content here is simply daunting.
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The essence of Smash Bros. remains intact. You choose a stage, adjust the rules, choose a fighter, then duke it out! The goal here is to beat your opponent by either launching or knocking them off the stage. It sounds simple enough until you're actually trying to do it. The more damage you deal, the easier it is to get launched, as indicated by a percentage meter. There's an abundancy of items thrown into the mix to make battles more hectic and unpredictable such as Pokeballs and nonplayable fighters known as Assist Trophies. Others can join the fun as the game supports up to 8 players, though believe me it's hard to keep track of things when there's a lot of chaos on-screen. Ultimate has a wide range of customization to the battles. You can adjust battles to either go on a timer, lives system, or a health-based system where its game over if your health reaches 0. For those who prefer skill-based combat, you can turn items off completely, making for some tense, personal matches. All in all, the game is accessible for everyone thanks to the loads of options you can play around with.
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| Right in the dong! |
A major talking point of Ultimate is the fact that it boasts the largest selection of stages and fighters the series has seen so far. Featuring over 100 new and returning stages from previous Smash Bros. games, they include properties such the Castlevania, Mega Man, and Street Fighter. As for the actual roster, you only have 8 initial fighters to play as (a nod to the original Super Smash Bros.) and you'll have to work your way to obtain the rest through World of Light or by naturally playing the game. This is the biggest roster the series has ever seen with over 74 fighters to play as. New characters are Ridley, Simon Belmont, King K. Rool and more while returning ones include Young Link, Star Wolf, and Snake, among others. I'm the type of guy that usually sticks to one or two fighters but I would be doing myself a disservice by passing up on some of the new additions.
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| Pick and choose from an overwhelming 74 fighters! |
Other game modes include a training mode to help you learn the basics of the game against a training dummy. Classic Mode, which is a 10-stage affair against gradually tough CPU fighters that's full of neat references and tracks based the fighter you're playing. Mob Smash has you fighting against a mob of fighters that'll take you out. New modes include Squad Strike, where you battle in teams of either 3 or 5 fighters against another player, and Tournament, where up to 32 players can fight against each other to reach the top. Online mode, accessible only by a Nintendo Online membership, has battling against real-life players. I played a few matches and my experience with it has been good with solid performances in matches and quick load times, though keep in mind this is after the various updates.
When you're not fighting around, there's a handful of goodies in store in the game's Vault. Here, you can view art pieces and movies, watch replays of your previous matches, buy some music tracks from the store, and most importantly, listen to the game's gigantic soundtrack. The game also supports the Switch Pro Controller, which plays great by the way, and also supports the iconic GameCube controller via a USB adapter. Easily my controller of choice, it just feels comfortable and easier to play with overall. Sadly, Ultimate doesn't support the 3DS or any of the Wii/Wii U controllers like Smash for Wii U did, but that's understandable given that it's a new system.
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| The gameplay remains fun and chaotic as it's always been. |
At first glance, I didn't think Ultimate looked much different from Smash Bros. for Wii U, but as I spent more time with the game I can say that it feels like a brand new experience. There are noticeable improvements with the lighting and shadow effects, with stages like Onett benefit greatly from this as a result. Also, I really liked the amount of detail that went on some character models such as Simon's design. The sound design is fantastic with lots of crunchy sounds. I especially liked the satisfying sounds of punches and kicks as well as the freeze-fame shots. As for the soundtrack, well it's nothing short of spectacular. Featuring over 300 compositions from various game series, I was jamming to my heart's content with neat selection of tracks present here. Some of my favorites are the trophy theme from Smash Melee and the game's own vocal track, "Lifelight". I wished that I could choose different tracks when browsing the main menu like Smash for Wii U did, but that's a small complaint. Overall, the composition team did a great job with some of the remixes and arrangements.
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| The production values is top-notch as expected from Nintendo. |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is another slam dunk for the now two-decade series. It lives to up its legendary name with a slew of content, refined gameplay mechanics and large selection of fighters and stages. I've sunk round 30 hours already and there's still more for me to enjoy. Ultimate is a bang for your buck that's for sure. Moreover, it beats predecessors Smash for Wii U and 3DS, which is saying a lot since I loved those games. No question, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a must-play for Switch owners and also stands as the best Nintendo game of the year that I've had the pleasure of playing.
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