Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- "SSBU" redirects here. For other uses of the term "SSBU", see SSBU (disambiguation).
| “ | Everyone is here! | ” |
| —Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tagline | ||
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
|---|---|
 American box art. | |
| Developer(s) | Bandai Namco Sora Ltd. |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Designer(s) | Masahiro Sakurai |
| Released | December 7, 2018 (worldwide) |
| Genre(s) | Fighting Platforming |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer, Online multiplayer |
| Ratings | ACB: PG CERO: A ESRB: E10+[1] PEGI: 12 USK: 12 |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch |
| Media | ROM Cartridge Digital distribution (Nintendo eShop) |
| Input methods | Joy-Con, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, GameCube controller (via adapter)/ Nintendo Switch 2: Joy-Con 2, Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ SPECIAL, Great Fray Smash Brothers Special), often shortened to "SSBU" or "Ultimate" (スマブラSP), is a crossover action fighting game released for the Nintendo Switch. The game was first teased at the end of a Nintendo Direct on March 8th, 2018, and fully revealed on June 12th at E3 2018. It is the fifth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series (sixth if the two versions of Super Smash Bros. 4 are counted as separate titles). The game was released worldwide on December 7th, 2018.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate received critical acclaim from both critics and players, with some critics calling it the best installment in the series. It received praise for its large amount of content and fine-tuning of existing Smash gameplay elements, although its online mode was widely criticized. Ultimate is currently the best-selling Super Smash Bros. game and also the best-selling fighting game of all time, beating Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Street Fighter II, which previously held each title respectively. It is also the third best selling game on the Nintendo Switch. Its massive success has caused it to be nominated for, and win, multiple awards, including winning "Best Fighting Game" at The Game Awards 2019.[2]
Opening movie[edit]
The opening movie of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is composed of the cutscenes from World of Light and some gameplay footage from the game set to the tune of Lifelight, featuring all the fighters in the base game.
Fighters[edit]
All 63 characters (65 if counting the Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon as three fighters) from all previous Smash Bros. games return as playable fighters. In addition to the returning cast, the game features 23 newcomers (24 if counting Pyra and Mythra as two fighters). 11 of these characters are available in the base game, with the remaining 12 (13) characters available as downloadable content. In total, 74 characters (76) are playable in the base game, and 86 (89) characters are playable overall, the most for any Smash Bros. game. Each character is numbered based on the order in which they first joined the series, except for Echo Fighters (who share a number with the character they are based on) and Pokémon Trainer (whose Pokémon are numbered instead).
An Inkling from the Splatoon series, with various male and female designs from the original Splatoon, was the first character confirmed to appear in the game as a new playable fighter in the base roster. Ridley (with Meta Ridley as an alternate costume) from the Metroid series and Daisy from the Mario series were confirmed to be playable during E3 2018. Simon Belmont and his descendant Richter from the Castlevania series were announced as the game's first third-party newcomers in the August 8th, 2018 Nintendo Direct. King K. Rool from the Donkey Kong series, Dark Samus from the Metroid series, and Chrom from the Fire Emblem series were all confirmed to be playable newcomers as well during the same Nintendo Direct. Isabelle from the Animal Crossing series, who previously appeared in Smash 4 as an Assist Trophy, makes her playable debut as the second Animal Crossing fighter. Finally, Ken from the Street Fighter series and Incineroar from Pokémon Sun & Moon join as the title's last base roster newcomers.
In addition, most full clones and one semi-clone are now labeled as "Echo Fighters" and are marked with an epsilon (ε) next to their fighter numbers, which they share with the characters they are based on. Returning characters Lucina and Dark Pit are given this title (as they are Echo Fighters of Marth and Pit, respectively), while new characters Princess Daisy, Richter, Chrom, Dark Samus and Ken Masters are Echo Fighters of Peach, Simon, Roy, Samus and Ryu, respectively. Aside from an option allowing these characters to be displayed on the same slot as their counterpart on the character selection screen exclusively during Vs. Mode, Tourney, Custom Smash, Super Sudden Death, and Quickplay, there is no special distinction between most of them in-game, and the name is used mostly for marketing purposes.
Twelve (or thirteen) characters were added to the game from January 2019 to October 2021 via downloadable content. The first of these, a Piranha Plant from the Mario series, was released as an early purchase bonus DLC character. An additional five newcomers were added in Fighters Pass Vol. 1: Joker from Persona 5, an amalgamation of several Heroes from the Dragon Quest series, Banjo and Kazooie from their namesake series (counting as one character), Terry Bogard from the Fatal Fury series, and Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Following this, an additional six (or seven) characters were added in Fighters Pass Vol. 2: Min Min from ARMS, Steve from the Minecraft series, Sephiroth, arch-nemesis of Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, Pyra and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (counting as one or two characters), Kazuya Mishima from the Tekken series and Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series.
As in Smash 4, further "characters" exist as alternate costumes for preexisting characters. In this game, fourteen characters have such costumes: Alph is accessible as a playable character via Olimar's alternate costumes; the seven Koopalings are available as playable characters via Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes; one of Pichu's costumes depicts the specific "Spiky-eared" variant; Alex, a Zombie and an Enderman appear as Steve's alternate costumes; Pokémon Trainer, Wii Fit Trainer, Robin, Corrin and Byleth each have opposite-gendered variants as alternate costumes; Pikachu possesses two costumes based on female specimens of its species, one of which is based on the Pikachu Libre variant; each of Villager's and Inkling's costumes represent different customization options for the character, including gender; the Hero has three other protagonists from across the Dragon Quest series as palette swaps; and the Ice Climbers swap the playable Ice Climber from Popo to Nana in half of their alternate costumes. Additionally, the Mii Fighters have alternate gender options depending on the created Mii used for them. However, none of these characters are treated separately in-game.
Only the Original 8 characters from Super Smash Bros. and any DLC fighters that have been purchased are available from the start. Like in Smash 4, the Mii Fighters are also available via customization without needing to be unlocked traditionally, but are still technically locked upon initial startup of the game. The rest of the cast must be unlocked; however, the unlocking process and conditions are much simpler than in past games. Fighters will challenge the player in ten-minute intervals after completing a basic activity, such as a battle or by clearing Classic Mode with a prerequisite character, and can also be unlocked by being rescued in World of Light, rather than having unique unlock criteria for each character.
