Glitch

For a list of all articles on glitches, see Category:Glitches.

The Regenerating terrain glitch in Brawl that makes Jigglypuff very large once after using its final smash during when the bridge is reforming.

A glitch is an error in the programming of a video game. They alter gameplay by causing things to happen that were not intended by the game's designers. The main reason for a glitch existing is that a specific situation resulting in unusual behaviour was never encountered during a game's testing, so the developers are unaware there is something that needs to be fixed. For example, the regenerating terrain glitch likely exists because the situation of "terrain appears around character using Final Smash" was not fully tested by the developers. The more complex a game is, the more likely gitches are to exist, simply due to the increased difficulty in testig every possible situation.

Effects that glitches cause can vary. Glitches can be harmful, with such side effects as freezing the game, causing a level to be unplayable, or KOing a player for no apparent reason. Not all glitches have negative side effects, however; some just allow the player to continue playing the game as usual, such as the Black hole glitch, while other can merely be done for fun, such as the Name Entry glitch and all of its variations. Some can even be considered helpful in some ways, such as the regenerating terrain glitch on Jigglypuff and R.O.B.

Most glitches cannot be combined with a player's ordinary tactics in tournaments; a majority of glitches require prerequisites that are unattainable in a tournament setting, such as items, Final Smashes, more than two players, etc. Additionally, most glitches are banned, such as the Freeze glitch, though others, such as the Teleport glitch from Super Smash Bros. are considered fair.

Some glitches in Super Smash Bros. Melee have become very well known, such as the Black hole glitch and the Yoyo/Jacket glitch.