Sudden Death
Sudden Death occurs when a VS. mode match ends in a tie. All players are given 300% damage, as opposed to zero, making them easy to KO; if items are on, then they do not spawn during a Sudden Death (The original game, however, is an exception). If no characters are KO'd after roughly twenty seconds, Bob-ombs will begin to fall from the sky and explode, thereby speeding up a match.
This mode can be instantly accessed via the Special Melee or Brawl mode "Super Sudden Death". This mode, however, lacks the falling Bob-ombs.
Sudden Death almost never occurs in a stock match (barring a timed Stock Match), though it is possible if all characters lose their last life on the same frame. Kirbycide, Ganoncide, or Bowsercide can easily create this situation in matches with two players remaining, and having all characters on a horizontal platform that hits the bottom blast line can also cause it with any number of players. If all characters are KO'd at the same time in Sudden Death, the player with the lowest player number will win (ie if Player 1 and Player 2 tie in Sudden Death, Player 1 will win). This gives a negligible, but technically true, advantage to players with lower player numbers.
Trivia
- Super Smash Bros. is the only game to have items other than Bob-ombs during Sudden Death.
