Special Zoom
Special Zoom is a mechanic introduced in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It is an aesthetic effect designed to add drama during a fight. The term was coined by Masahiro Sakurai and his development team.
Overview
When a fighter is hit by certain attacks, the background flashes blue, and if there are only two players on screen, the action momentarily freezes, and the camera zooms in on the point of impact. This slowdown effect only lasts for about half a second and is usually accompanied by the sound effect previously only used by Little Mac's KO Uppercut in Super Smash Bros. 4. KO Uppercut, which previously had its own slowdown effect, now uses Special Zoom, as does Cloud's Limit Break. During a Special Zoom, camera control is disabled.
Most attacks that trigger Special Zoom have conditions that need to be met, such as Ridley's Skewer needing to be sweetspotted, or Little Mac's smash attacks requiring his armor to be triggered during the start-up. Certain items and stage hazards may also trigger this effect, similarly requiring special conditions in some cases.
Similar to Special Zoom is Finish Zoom or Final Zoom, terms also coined by Sakurai and his team. Finish Zoom is used when an attack will likely result in a game-winning KO. Like the Deadly Blow mechanic introduced in Super Smash Bros. 4, this effect does not factor in DI being used to make an otherwise-deadly blow survivable. Like Special Zoom, Finish Zoom zooms in on the point of impact and briefly slows down time. However, Finish Zoom uses a red background instead of a blue one, and the sound is always the same. The sound used is also different again, being akin to a ping hit combined with the sound of slashing swords.
List of attacks that trigger Special Zoom
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By character
| Character | Move(s) | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Falcon | Falcon Punch | |
| Chrom | Flare Blade | Fully charged. |
| Cloud | Cross Slash | Limit Break. |
| Climhazzard | ||
| Finishing Touch | ||
| Donkey Kong | Giant Punch | Fully charged. |
| Ganondorf | Volcano Kick | Clean hit. |
| Warlock Punch | ||
| Ike | Eruption | Fully charged. |
| Incineroar | All smash attacks | When Revenge is active. |
| Alolan Whip | When Revenge is active and the move is sweetspotted. | |
| Cross Chop | Explosion hitbox while Revenge is active. | |
| Jigglypuff | Rest | |
| King Dedede | Jet Hammer | Fully charged. |
| King K. Rool | Belly Super Armor | If broken by an attack. |
| Kirby | Hammer | Fully charged. |
| Little Mac | All smash attacks | When attacked during startup armor. |
| KO Uppercut | ||
| Lucario | Force Palm | On grab attack when at high aura. |
| Lucas | PK Thunder | On last hit of PK Thunder 2. |
| Lucina | Shield Breaker | When breaking a shield. |
| Luigi | Super Jump Punch | Grounded sweetspot only. |
| Marth | Shield Breaker | When breaking a shield. |
| Mii Brawler | Exploding Side Kick | |
| Mr. Game & Watch | Judge | Judge 9. |
| Oil Panic | On release. | |
| Ness | PK Thunder | On contact during PK Thunder 2. |
| Ridley | Skewer | Sweetspot. |
| Roy | Flare Blade | Fully charged. |
| Wario | Wario Waft | Fully charged. |
By item
| Item | Conditions |
|---|---|
| Assist Trophy | Upon defeat. Only possible for defeatable summons. |
| Death's Scythe | Sweetspotted tilt or smash attack at 80% damage. |
| Home-Run Bat | Smash attack. |
| Motion-Sensor Bomb | When detonated by touch (No sound and camera moves differently but there is still a blue background). |
| Staff | Any hit at maximum range. |
By assist trophy
| Character | Conditions |
|---|---|
| Black Knight | Triggers for all attacks except a backhanded slash. Will not cause camera zoom. |
| Lyn |
By stage hazard
| Hazard | Stage(s) | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Klaptrap | Jungle Japes | On contact, which causes a one-hit KO. Camera zooms in slightly. |
| Odin | Midgar | When his Zantetsuken hits a fighter as it slices the stage in half. |
Trivia
- Special Zoom will still be triggered even if the knockback is negated by armor.
- Marth and Lucina's Shield Breaker is the only attack that will trigger Special Zoom when a shield is broken.
