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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The North American promotional box art for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
North American box art.
Developer(s) Bandai Namco
Sora Ltd.
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Designer(s) Masahiro Sakurai
Projected release date December 7, 2018
Genre(s) Fighting
Platforming
Platform(s) Nintendo Switch
Media ROM Cartridge
Digital distribution (Nintendo eShop)
Input methods Joy-Con, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, GameCube controller (via adapter)

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ SPECIAL, Great Fray Smash Brothers Special) is an upcoming fighting game for the Nintendo Switch. It was first announced on March 8th, 2018 at the end of the Nintendo Direct released the same day. It will be the fifth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series (sixth if both versions of Super Smash Bros. 4 are counted as two games). The game is scheduled to release on December 7, 2018.

Trailer

The first teaser trailer was revealed at the end of the Nintendo Direct on March 8th, 2018. Without explicitly confirming the playable status of any characters, the teaser trailer hinted that Inklings would be debuting in the game as newcomers, while also suggesting that Mario, Link, and several other series veterans would be returning.

The next two trailers would be unveiled at Nintendo's E3 Direct on June 12th. In the first trailer, several past stages such as Green Greens from Melee and Shadow Moses Island from Brawl would be announced to return as the trailer showed off one or two veterans (sans Inkling) at a time, revealing that Zelda would be based on her Link to the Past design, all the DLC fighters from Smash 4 would return as part of the launch roster, Ike would have both his Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn designs from the two previous games and all the formerly "lost" veterans including Pichu and Young Link from Melee as well as Wolf and Snake from Brawl in addition to the previously leaked Ice Climbers. The game's finalized name was also revealed at the end: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

The third trailer came at the end of the Direct in which Ridley from the Metroid franchise - after several years of being rejected entry into the pantheon of playable fighters because of his immense size - finally "hits the big time" as he joined the roster as a playable character.

Confirmed elements

Characters

All 63 characters (65 if the three different Pokémon of the Pokémon Trainer are treated as individual characters) from all previous Smash Bros. games return as playable characters. Inkling, with various Boy and Girl designs from the original Splatoon, has been confirmed to appear in the game as a playable character. Ridley is also confirmed to be playable, with Meta Ridley as an alternate costume. Playable clone characters are now described as "Echo Fighters" and are marked with an epsilon symbol (ε); Daisy is confirmed to be an Echo Fighter of Peach.

Veterans (65)
Mario SSBU.png
Mario
MarioSymbol.svg
Luigi SSBU.png
Luigi
MarioSymbol.svg
Peach SSBU.png
Peach
MarioSymbol.svg
Bowser SSBU.png
Bowser
MarioSymbol.svg
Dr. Mario SSBU.png
Dr. Mario
MarioSymbol.svg
Rosalina & Luma SSBU.png
Rosalina & Luma
MarioSymbol.svg
Bowser Jr. SSBU.png
Bowser Jr.
MarioSymbol.svg
Yoshi SSBU.png
Yoshi
YoshiSymbol.svg
Donkey Kong SSBU.png
Donkey Kong
Symbol of the DK series.
Diddy Kong SSBU.png
Diddy Kong
Symbol of the DK series.
Link SSBU.png
Link
ZeldaSymbol.svg
Zelda SSBU.png
Zelda
ZeldaSymbol.svg
Sheik SSBU.png
Sheik
ZeldaSymbol.svg
Ganondorf SSBU.png
Ganondorf
ZeldaSymbol.svg
Young Link SSBU.png
Young Link
ZeldaSymbol.svg
Toon Link SSBU.png
Toon Link
ZeldaSymbol.svg
Samus SSBU.png
Samus
MetroidSymbol.svg
Zero Suit Samus SSBU.png
Zero Suit Samus
MetroidSymbol.svg
Kirby SSBU.png
Kirby
KirbySymbol.svg
Meta Knight SSBU.png
Meta Knight
KirbySymbol.svg
King Dedede SSBU.png
King Dedede
KirbySymbol.svg
Fox SSBU.png
Fox
StarFoxSymbol.svg
Falco SSBU.png
Falco
StarFoxSymbol.svg
Wolf SSBU.png
Wolf
StarFoxSymbol.svg
Pikachu SSBU.png
Pikachu
PokemonSymbol.svg
Jigglypuff SSBU.png
Jigglypuff
PokemonSymbol.svg
Mewtwo SSBU.png
Mewtwo
PokemonSymbol.svg
Pichu SSBU.png
Pichu
PokemonSymbol.svg
Pokémon Trainer (solo) SSBU.png Squirtle SSBU.png Ivysaur SSBU.png Charizard SSBU.png
Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard)
PokemonSymbol.svg
Lucario SSBU.png
Lucario
PokemonSymbol.svg
Greninja SSBU.png
Greninja
PokemonSymbol.svg
Captain Falcon SSBU.png
Captain Falcon
FZeroSymbol.svg
Ness SSBU.png
Ness
EarthboundSymbol.svg
Lucas SSBU.png
Lucas
EarthboundSymbol.svg
Ice Climbers SSBU.png
Ice Climbers
IceClimberSymbol.svg
Marth SSBU.png
Marth
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
Roy SSBU.png
Roy
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
Ike SSBU.png
Ike
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
Robin SSBU.png
Robin
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
Lucina SSBU.png
Lucinaε
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
Corrin SSBU.png
Corrin
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
Mr. Game & Watch SSBU.png
Mr. Game & Watch
Game&WatchSymbol.svg
Pit SSBU.png
Pit
KidIcarusSymbol.svg
Palutena SSBU.png
Palutena
KidIcarusSymbol.svg
Dark Pit SSBU.png
Dark Pitε
KidIcarusSymbol.svg
Wario SSBU.png
Wario
WarioSymbol.svg
Olimar SSBU.png
Olimar
PikminSymbol.svg
R.O.B. SSBU.png
R.O.B.
ROBSymbol.svg
Villager SSBU.png
Villager
Symbol of the Animal Crossing series.
Wii Fit Trainer SSBU.png
Wii Fit Trainer
WiiFitSymbol.svg
Little Mac SSBU.png
Little Mac
PunchOutSymbol.svg
Shulk SSBU.png
Shulk
XenobladeSymbol.svg
Duck Hunt SSBU.png
Duck Hunt
DuckHuntSymbol.svg
Snake SSBU.png
Snake
MetalGearSymbol.svg
Sonic SSBU.png
Sonic
SonicSymbol.svg
Mega Man SSBU.png
Mega Man
MegaManSymbol.svg
Pac-Man SSBU.png
Pac-Man
PacManSymbol.svg
Ryu SSBU.png
Ryu
StreetFighterSymbol.svg
Cloud SSBU.png
Cloud
FinalFantasySymbol.svg
Bayonetta SSBU.png
Bayonetta
BayonettaSymbol.svg
Mii Brawler SSBU.png
Mii Brawler
Symbol of the Smash Bros. series.
Mii Swordfighter SSBU.png
Mii Swordfighter
Symbol of the Smash Bros. series.
Mii Gunner SSBU.png
Mii Gunner
Symbol of the Smash Bros. series.
Newcomers (24)
Daisy SSBU.png
Daisyε
MarioSymbol.svg
Piranha Plant SSBU.png
Piranha Plant (DLC)
MarioSymbol.svg
King K. Rool SSBU.png
King K. Rool
Symbol of the DK series.
Ridley SSBU.png
Ridley
MetroidSymbol.svg
Dark Samus SSBU.png
Dark Samusε
MetroidSymbol.svg
Incineroar SSBU.png
Incineroar
PokemonSymbol.svg
Chrom SSBU.png
Chromε
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
Byleth SSBU.png
Byleth (DLC)
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
Isabelle SSBU.png
Isabelle
Symbol of the Animal Crossing series.
Pyra SSBU.png Mythra SSBU.png
Pyra/Mythra (DLC)
XenobladeSymbol.svg
Inkling SSBU.png
Inkling
SplatoonSymbol.svg
Min Min SSBU.png
Min Min (DLC)
Symbol of the ARMS series.
Ken SSBU.png
Kenε
StreetFighterSymbol.svg
Sephiroth SSBU.png
Sephiroth (DLC)
FinalFantasySymbol.svg
Simon SSBU.png
Simon
Symbol of the Castlevania series.
Richter SSBU.png
Richterε
Symbol of the Castlevania series.
Joker SSBU.png
Joker (DLC)
PersonaSymbol.svg
Hero SSBU.png
Hero (DLC)
Symbol of the Dragon Quest series.
taken from here
Banjo & Kazooie (DLC)
Official symbol for the Banjo-Kazooie series.
https://twitter.com/SmashBrosJP/status/1169388880182689792
Terry (DLC)
FatalFurySymbol.svg
Steve SSBU.png
Steve (DLC)
Symbol of the Minecraft series.
Kazuya SSBU.png
Kazuya (DLC)
TekkenSymbol.svg
Sora SSBU.png
Sora (DLC)
KingdomHeartsSymbol.svg

Bold denotes starter characters.
"ε" denotes Echo Fighters.

Stages

New stages (19)
SSBU-Battlefield.png
Battlefield
Symbol of the Smash Bros. series.
SSBU-Final Destination.jpg
Final Destination
Symbol of the Smash Bros. series.
SSBU-Big-Battlefield.png
Big Battlefield
Symbol of the Smash Bros. series.
SSBU-Small-Battlefield.jpg
Small Battlefield (8.1.0)
Symbol of the Smash Bros. series.
SSBU-New Donk City Hall.jpg
New Donk City Hall
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Great Plateau Tower.jpg
Great Plateau Tower
ZeldaSymbol.svg
SSBU-Garreg Mach Monastery.jpg
Garreg Mach Monastery (DLC)
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
SSBU-Cloud Sea of Alrest.jpg
Cloud Sea of Alrest (DLC)
XenobladeSymbol.svg
SSBU-Moray Towers.png
Moray Towers
SplatoonSymbol.svg
SSBU-Spring Stadium.jpg
Spring Stadium (DLC)
Symbol of the ARMS series.
SSBU Northern Cave.png
Northern Cave (DLC)
FinalFantasySymbol.svg
SSBU-Dracula's Castle.png
Dracula's Castle
Symbol of the Castlevania series.
SSBU-Mementos.jpg
Mementos (DLC)
PersonaSymbol.svg
SSBU-Yggdrasil'sAltar.jpg
Yggdrasil's Altar (DLC)
Symbol of the Dragon Quest series.
SSBU-Spiral Mountain.jpg
Spiral Mountain (DLC)
Official symbol for the Banjo-Kazooie series.
SSBU-King of Fighters Stadium.jpg
King of Fighters Stadium (DLC)
FatalFurySymbol.svg
SSBU-Minecraft World.jpg
Minecraft World (DLC)
Symbol of the Minecraft series.
SSBU-Mishima Dojo.png
Mishima Dojo (DLC)
TekkenSymbol.svg
SSBU-Hollow Bastion.jpg
Hollow Bastion (DLC)
KingdomHeartsSymbol.svg
Returning stages (96)
SSBU-Peach's Castle.png
Super Smash Bros. Peach's Castle
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Mushroom Kingdom (SSB).png
Super Smash Bros. Mushroom Kingdom
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Princess Peach's Castle.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Princess Peach's Castle
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Rainbow Cruise.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Rainbow Cruise
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Mushroom Kingdom II.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Mushroom Kingdom II
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Delfino Plaza.jpg
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Delfino Plaza
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Mushroomy Kingdom.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Mushroomy Kingdom
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Mario Circuit (SSBB).png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Figure-8 Circuit
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Luigi's Mansion.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Luigi's Mansion
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Mario Bros.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Mario Bros.
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-3D Land.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 3D Land
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Golden Plains.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Golden Plains
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Paper Mario.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Paper Mario
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Mushroom Kingdom U.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Mushroom Kingdom U
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Mario Galaxy.jpg
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Mario Galaxy
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Mario Circuit (SSB4).png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Mario Circuit
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Super Mario Maker.png
Super Smash Bros. 4 Super Mario Maker
MarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Yoshi's Island (SSB).png
Super Smash Bros. Super Happy Tree
YoshiSymbol.svg
SSBU-Yoshi's Story.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Yoshi's Story
YoshiSymbol.svg
SSBU-Yoshi's Island (SSBM).png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Yoshi's Island (Melee)
YoshiSymbol.svg
SSBU-Yoshi's Island (SSBB).png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Yoshi's Island
YoshiSymbol.svg
SSBU-Kongo Jungle.png
Super Smash Bros. Kongo Jungle
Symbol of the DK series.
SSBU-Kongo Falls.jpg
Super Smash Bros. Melee Kongo Falls
Symbol of the DK series.
SSBU-Jungle Japes.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Jungle Japes
Symbol of the DK series.
SSBU-75m.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl 75m
Symbol of the DK series.
SSBU-Hyrule Castle.png
Super Smash Bros. Hyrule Castle
ZeldaSymbol.svg
SSBU-Great Bay.jpg
Super Smash Bros. Melee Great Bay
ZeldaSymbol.svg
SSBU-Temple.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Temple
ZeldaSymbol.svg
SSBU-Bridge of Eldin.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Bridge of Eldin
ZeldaSymbol.svg
SSBU-Pirate Ship.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Pirate Ship
ZeldaSymbol.svg
SSBU-Gerudo Valley.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Gerudo Valley
ZeldaSymbol.svg
SSBU-Spirit Train.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Spirit Train
ZeldaSymbol.svg
SSBU-Skyloft.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Skyloft
ZeldaSymbol.svg
SSBU-Brinstar.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Brinstar
MetroidSymbol.svg
SSBU-Brinstar Depths.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Brinstar Depths
MetroidSymbol.svg
SSBU-Norfair.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Norfair
MetroidSymbol.svg
SSBU-Frigate Orpheon.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Frigate Orpheon
MetroidSymbol.svg
SSBU-Dream Land.png
Super Smash Bros. Dream Land
KirbySymbol.svg
SSBU-Fountain of Dreams.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Fountain of Dreams
KirbySymbol.svg
SSBU-Green Greens.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Green Greens
KirbySymbol.svg
SSBU-Halberd.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Halberd
KirbySymbol.svg
SSBU-Dream Land (3DS).png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Dream Land GB
KirbySymbol.svg
SSBU-The Great Cave Offensive.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U The Great Cave Offensive
KirbySymbol.svg
SSBU-Corneria.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Corneria
StarFoxSymbol.svg
SSBU-Venom.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Venom
StarFoxSymbol.svg
SSBU-Lylat Cruise.jpg
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Lylat Cruise
StarFoxSymbol.svg
SSBU-Saffron City.jpg
Super Smash Bros. Saffron City
PokemonSymbol.svg
SSBU-Pokémon Stadium.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Pokémon Stadium
PokemonSymbol.svg
SSBU-Pokémon Stadium 2.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Pokémon Stadium 2
PokemonSymbol.svg
SSBU-Spear Pillar.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Spear Pillar
PokemonSymbol.svg
SSBU-Unova Pokémon League.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Unova Pokémon League
PokemonSymbol.svg
SSBU-Prism Tower.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Prism Tower
PokemonSymbol.svg
SSBU-Kalos Pokémon League.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Kalos Pokémon League
PokemonSymbol.svg
SSBU-Big Blue.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Big Blue
FZeroSymbol.svg
SSBU-Port Town Aero Dive.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Port Town Aero Dive
FZeroSymbol.svg
SSBU-Mute City (3DS).png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Mute City SNES
FZeroSymbol.svg
SSBU-Onett.png
Super Smash Bros. Melee Onett
EarthboundSymbol.svg
SSBU-Fourside.jpg
Super Smash Bros. Melee Fourside
EarthboundSymbol.svg
SSBU-New Pork City.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl New Pork City
EarthboundSymbol.svg
SSBU-Magicant.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Magicant
EarthboundSymbol.svg
SSBU-Summit.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Summit
IceClimberSymbol.svg
SSBU-Castle Siege.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Castle Siege
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
SSBU-Arena Ferox.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Arena Ferox
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
SSBU-Coliseum.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Coliseum
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
SSBU-Flat Zone X.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Flat Zone X
Game&WatchSymbol.svg
SSBU-Skyworld.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Skyworld
KidIcarusSymbol.svg
SSBU-Reset Bomb Forest.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Reset Bomb Forest
KidIcarusSymbol.svg
SSBU-Palutena's Temple.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Palutena's Temple
KidIcarusSymbol.svg
SSBU-WarioWare, Inc..png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl WarioWare, Inc.
WarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Gamer.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Gamer
WarioSymbol.svg
SSBU-Distant Planet.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Distant Planet
PikminSymbol.svg
SSBU-Garden of Hope.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Garden of Hope
PikminSymbol.svg
SSBU-Smashville.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Smashville
Symbol of the Animal Crossing series.
SSBU-Tortimer Island.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Tortimer Island
Symbol of the Animal Crossing series.
SSBU-Town and City.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Town and City
Symbol of the Animal Crossing series.
SSBU-Wii Fit Studio.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Wii Fit Studio
WiiFitSymbol.svg
SSBU-Boxing Ring.png
Super Smash Bros. 4 Boxing Ring
PunchOutSymbol.svg
SSBU-Gaur Plain.png
Super Smash Bros. 4 Gaur Plain
XenobladeSymbol.svg
SSBU-Duck Hunt.png
Super Smash Bros. 4 Duck Hunt
DuckHuntSymbol.svg
SSBU-Shadow Moses Island 2.jpg
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Shadow Moses Island
MetalGearSymbol.svg
SSBU-Green Hill Zone.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Green Hill Zone
SonicSymbol.svg
SSBU-Windy Hill Zone.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Windy Hill Zone
SonicSymbol.svg
SSBU-Wily Castle.png
Super Smash Bros. 4 Wily Castle
MegaManSymbol.svg
SSBU-Pac-Land.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Pac-Land
PacManSymbol.svg
SSBU-Suzaku Castle.png
Super Smash Bros. 4 Suzaku Castle
StreetFighterSymbol.svg
SSBU-Midgar.jpg
Super Smash Bros. 4 Midgar
FinalFantasySymbol.svg
SSBU-Umbra Clock Tower.png
Super Smash Bros. 4 Umbra Clock Tower
BayonettaSymbol.svg
SSBU-Hanenbow.png
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Hanenbow
ElectroplanktonSymbol.svg
SSBU-PictoChat 2.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS PictoChat 2
DSSymbol.svg
SSBU-Balloon Fight.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Balloon Fight
Symbol of the Balloon Fight series.
SSBU-Living Room.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Living Room
NintendogsSymbol.svg
SSBU-Find Mii.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Find Mii
FindMiiSymbol.svg
SSBU-Tomodachi Life.png
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Tomodachi Life
TomodachiSymbol.svg
SSBU-Wrecking Crew.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Wrecking Crew
WreckingCrewSymbol.svg
SSBU-Pilotwings.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Pilotwings
PilotwingsSymbol.svg
SSBU-Wuhu Island.png
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Wuhu Island
WiiSportsSymbol.svg

New Items

For the entire confirmed list of items, see Items page.
Item Type[1] Heavy[1] Notes Universe
Banana Gun Shooting No Ejects the banana out of the peel and the player is left with the banana peel after using it. MarioSymbol.svgMario
Black Hole Throwing No Creates a massive black hole, dragging all items and players nearby in. Throws the opposite side of user's orientation. Symbol of the Smash Bros. series.Super Smash Bros.
Bomber Special No Explodes in the player's hand when used, which only affects enemies. Will also explode after a short amount of time or if it falls off a ledge, affecting everyone. KirbySymbol.svgKirby
Fake Smash Ball Special No Flies around the stage, similar to the Smash Ball. Characters can break it in order to activate. Once broken, it will explode. Symbol of the Smash Bros. series.Super Smash Bros.
Healing Field Throwing/Recovery No Can be thrown on the ground. Once thrown, it will open up and will heal anyone standing on it. Symbol of the Smash Bros. series.Super Smash Bros.
Launch Star Throwing No Can be set in midair, where it will attract and launch any characters that get too close to it. The launch has the potential to KO fighters. MarioSymbol.svgMario

Development

Towards the end of Super Smash Bros. 4's post-launch development, Masahiro Sakurai announced that his next project had been decided and that he would be taking a small vacation following the end of development.[2] Unlike previous Smash titles, which had their development studios built from the ground up, Bandai Namco returned to help develop the game. Prior to starting development, the team had a choice between completely overhauling the game's system and feel or working off of what was established in the last game. The team ultimately went with the latter. Had the team gone with the former, the game would have likely only had a third of its characters.[3] Despite deciding to base the game off of the previous installment, Sakurai still increased the overall speed of the game, but only by an amount that wouldn't be too alienating to people unfamiliar with the series.[3] Sakurai notes that he had wanted to make these changes in previous titles, but was unable to because it was easy for one to lose track of their character's position on screen, especially on the Nintendo 3DS.[3] When Sakurai had revealed to his development team that he intended to bring back every previously playable character, he was met with silence.[4] Prior to leaving Bandai Namco, presumably sometime in 2016, Tiago Sonobe, then a software engineer and graphics programmer for the company, started development on the game's rendering engine. On November 12th, 2017, Nintendo filed a number of trademarks, notably including a Japanese Super Smash Bros. logo.[5]

A Super Smash Bros. title for Nintendo Switch was later officially revealed on March 8th, 2018 via a Nintendo Direct. Shortly after, Sakurai confirmed in a tweet that he had been working on the game "in silence, day after day".[6][7] On March 22nd, 2018, Nintendo announced the Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018, a tournament taking place on June 12th where invited professional players will play the upcoming game. Later, in volume 542 of his Famitsu article, Sakurai revealed that his work schedule had been cut down significantly, citing strict regulations regarding work hours.[8] On April 18th, 2018, Nintendo again filed a number of trademarks for several game logos, including the Super Smash Bros. logo. Most of these game logos originate from games with some relationship to the Smash series, including Pikmin, Star Fox, and F-Zero. These trademarks were approved on May 14th, 2018.[9]

The game was finally unveiled at E3 2018 via a Nintendo Direct. The 25-minute trailer featured in the Nintendo Direct confirmed the title of the game as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, revealed that every previously playable character would return, introduced Daisy and Ridley as new playable characters, and showcased new and returning gameplay features. Following the end of the presentation, a Nintendo Treehouse event went live. During the Treehouse event, several matches were streamed and some new features were revealed and discussed. In addition to the Treehouse livestream, a playable demo of the game was opened to the public at E3 2018 and at the Nintendo Store in New York. Following the end of the Splatoon 2 World Championships, the Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 began. During the match pitting MkLeo as Bayonetta against Plup as Ridley, Masahiro Sakurai reportedly shook his head after MkLeo had performed a successful ladder combo on Plup.[10] At the end of the invitational, the Nintendo Treehouse livestream resumed, further showcasing more gameplay elements and matches. In addition to this, the official Super Smash Bros. Ultimate website was published. This would serve as the primary source for new details about the game.

The game would later be playable at certain tournaments and events including Rage 2018 Summer, Next Generation World Hobby Fair ’18 Summer, CEO 2018, and Jump Victory Carnival 2018.

Changes from SSB4

As Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is still in development, the information listed below has been taken from the E3 Demo version and gameplay trailers and may be subject to change after the official release of the game.

Menu and UI changes

  • In Vs. mode, the stage selection screen now appears before the character selection menu, making players select a stage before selecting characters. This could be interpreted as fairer to the losing player in a set of matches.
  • All stages now have a Battlefield form. Ω forms are also standardized to have the same underside shape akin to Final Destination, with none of them having vertical walls.
  • Stage hazards can be turned off for the first time in the series, allowing players to remove intrusive elements from gameplay. What constitutes as a "hazard" is not yet clear, but seems to include even mild elements such as tilting or platform movement.
  • Alternate costumes are now shown at the bottom of the player's portrait, with at least eight small stock icons representing each palette swap. Additionally, each color is now listed with a name from the numbers 1-8 (e.g. Color 5).
  • In timed matches, characters in the lead will occasionally flash with a gold sparkle.
  • While a match is loading, an intense versus splash screen will appear, showing the combatants in their CSS renders and alternate costume. Consequently, this seems to remove tips - at least from where they were in Smash 4.
  • The damage meter now displays tenths of a damage percentage (e.g. 10.5%). Note that while all games since Melee have used decimal percentages, this is the first game to reveal that fact instead of simply rounding down for display.
  • In one-on-one stock fights, the stock count of both fighters will be briefly displayed onscreen whenever a stock is lost.
  • While a fighter is knocked off the stage, a minimap which shows the character locations, blast zone, and camera zoom will appear on the corner of the screen.
  • The closer a fighter is to a blast zone, the smaller their "magnifying glass" camera becomes. It will start flashing when they are almost touching the blast line.
  • Like Little Mac in Smash 4, several characters now sport additional UI elements next to their damage meter, such as Villager's Pocketed item, Robin's durability counters, or Inkling's Ink Tank gauge.

Gameplay changes

  • To increase gameplay speed, all damage taken in one-on-one fights with no items is increased to 1.2x.
  • Short hop aerial attacks now have a damage multiplier of 0.85x. This is presumably to offset the aforementioned 1.2x damage increase.
  • While knockback itself might be unchanged, the physics of launch movement are different - characters have a much higher initial speed and deceleration, resulting in being launched at very high speeds yet slowing down to nothing very quickly.
  • Rage only becomes noticeable when the opponent is at 120% or above, and its knockback increase has been toned down.
  • Perfect shields are performed in reverse: instead of pressing the shield button several frames before an attack connects, players have to release the shield button when an attack connects on their shield instead. This also causes the screen to pause briefly, with the fighter's eyes flashing to signify a perfect shield. This updated mechanic allows a perfect-shielding fighter to retaliate much faster against attacks, though it is currently unknown if it forces shields to take damage before a player can retaliate.
  • It now takes 11 frames to shield drop, making the game less defensively focused.[11]
  • Moves now enter the staling queue when hitting shield.
  • If two grabs collide, both characters take minimal damage and act as if grab released. This removes the effect of port priority in determining who gets the grab.
  • Edge sweet spots have become smaller.
  • Footstools have been nerfed, with opponents being able to tech on the ground during the footstool animation.
  • Reeling can be teched on the ground, like in previous Smash games.
  • Locks can now only be performed twice in a row.
  • Characters can no longer run through shielding characters and instead push them backwards, preventing cross-ups or mixups revolving around moving through an opponent. This also seems to affect several momentum-based moves, which now stop on shield (such as Fox Illusion and Heel Slide). As of now, it is unknown if this is a bug.
  • Screen KOs are much faster, making them once again faster than Star KOs.
  • Instead of Bob-ombs falling, Sudden Death consists of the screen slowly zooming in, making the blast zones gradually shrink. It also appears to have a fixed camera angle, and the screen progressively gets covered in aesthetic flames, starting with the corners.
  • Timed battles can last 2 and a half minutes, which signifies more precise time limit options for versus mode.

Mobility changes

  • The universal jumpsquat timing of every character has been standardized to 3 frames.
  • Rolling and sidestepping repeatedly now penalize the user by slowly causing grounded dodges to lag and lose intangibility frames, leaving them more vulnerable.
  • Perfect pivoting can no longer be performed, since characters no longer enter their standing animation when turning around out of their initial dash.
  • Air dodges now act as a combination of Melee and Smash 4: airdodging to the left and right grant fighters a quick momentum boost in said direction, but without making them helpless. However, fighters can only air dodge once before landing or getting hit, and the directional version has roughly a full second of ending lag.
    • Fighters suffer from almost no landing lag should they attempt a standard air dodge too close to the ground; however, directional air dodges cause more landing lag.
    • Unlike in Melee, wavedashing is impossible due to the new mechanics added to directional air dodging as well as increased landing lag. Wavelanding can still be performed, but it is less practical by comparison.
  • Initial dashes seem to have been lengthened allowing some aspects of dash-dancing to return. However, characters cannot turn around until the entire dash animation making it more similar to fox-trotting.

Attack changes

  • Characters can now perform any ground attack out of a run, including their neutral attack, tilt attacks, and all smash attacks. In previous games, only dash attacks, up smashes and special moves could be performed out of a run. Characters can also instantly turn around to input any grounded attack in the other direction, a technique unofficially named "Reversed Run Canceling" by fans.
  • Landing lag has been significantly reduced in general.
  • Rapid-jab neutral attacks no longer push the user off edges when hitting opponents.
  • Smash attacks can be charged about three times longer than previous games. Unlike in previous games, the damage increase from charging caps after a set period, but knockback continues to increase until the move is unleashed.
  • Aerial attacks can be performed while hanging onto a ladder, a property known officially as a "ladder attack".
  • Pummels have been universally sped up, but deal less damage.
  • Edge attacks have been buffed, now granting intangibility until the hitboxes cease rather than until 2 frames before the hitboxes come out, allowing them to beat out opposing attacks.
  • Non-storable chargeable neutral specials can now be reversed right before they are unleashed.
  • Taunts can now be canceled, and are performed much faster.
  • The effectiveness of every tether recovery has been nerfed, as they cannot be performed out of airdodges quickly, brought on by increased lag, and the amount of getup is the same as regular up specials.
  • Final Smashes are quicker, with versions granting a controllable transformation being removed, so players can return to fighting quickly. As a result, many fighters receive new Final Smashes or have returning Final Smashes with altered functionalities, such as Landmaster being replaced by an Arwing cutscene, and Octopus dragging opponents offstage immediately after transforming.

Aesthetic changes

  • The particle effects of the game are significantly more cartoony, with a solid-color or cel-shaded aesthetic. Compared to Smash 4, hits are signified by spark-like blows instead of colorful stars, while attack effects appear visually longer-lasting or possess far larger particle effects.
  • Most returning fighters feature a more subdued color scheme, but with slightly more detail in their models than from previous games.
  • Time slows down and the camera zooms in with an colorful blue background at significant moments during a match, such as when landing a highly damaging special move (such as a fully-charged Giant Punch) or when breaking a shield. The camera also does this for potential final hits of a match, dramatically pausing gameplay with intense sound effects and red lightning from the previous game, while zooming in. These are referred to as "Special zoom" and "Finish zoom" by Masahiro Sakurai and the development team.
    • Apart from game-ending final hits, these moments are signified by a sound similar to landing a KO Uppercut.
  • Punching and kicking SFX on hit are different and sound harder-hitting compared to the previous game, with even weaker attacks playing loud "punch" effects.
  • Fighters sent flying now leave a colorful, lingering trail of solid-colored smoke behind them. If dealt enough knockback, they will also play a whistling sound while flying, akin to a jet plane.
  • Grab immunity after a character is thrown or released from a grab is visually indicated by their model flashing yellow until it wears off.
  • All characters now have unique hitstun animations for taking hits from behind.
  • Blast KOs cause a burst of confetti on the screen alongside the standard colorful blast.
  • Star KO'd characters now use a tumbling animation similar to Brawl's Screen KOs, rolling away from the screen as they fly away.
  • Final Smashes now cause a segment of the screen to show the upper portion of the summoner's face, which is taken entirely from the summoner's official artwork, before the move begins, similar to Chrom's appearance in Pair Up.
    • In Mr. Game & Watch's case, the close up is of where his eyes would be.
  • Any characters standing too close to a Final Smash will visibly react to it.
  • While on Final Smash standby, the character's percentage gauge will constantly spark with aqua-colored electricity. Upon use, one of the eyes on the fighter's character portrait will flash.
  • Many Assist Trophies and Final Smashes now affect the background of the stage.
  • Victory scenes appear identical to the ones in the previous installment. However, the winner's area now takes place on this game's Battlefield. Additionally, while playing Team Battles, all teammates will perform their complete victory animation instead of only the player with the highest score/stock count, much like the first three games.
  • On the victory screen, the Announcer now says "(Character name/Team) wins!", instead of saying "The winner is... (character name/team)!" as in the past three installments.
  • In addition to some characters with a mirrored stance, some Assist Trophies and Poké Ball Pokémon face the screen regardless of the direction they turn towards.
  • Names now override some instances of character names, such as underneath the damage meter.
    • If the player enters a name, any Poké Ball Pokémon or Assist Trophy character summoned by the player will be indicated by the player's name.
  • Moves with Reflection now display shining hexagon effects, similar to Fox's Reflector, upon reflecting projectiles.

Item changes

  • There can now be more than one Assist Trophy active at any given time. Additionally, characters summoned by an Assist Trophy can be KO'd, granting a point to whoever KO'd said character. If multiple players summon an Assist Trophy each, they will proceed to fight one another if close enough.
  • When an Assist Trophy or Poké Ball is used at the edge of a stage or ledge, they no longer immediately fall off the stage/ledge.
  • Fake Smash Balls were introduced, with inverted lines as their design. When broken, these explode into a colorful X-shaped explosion, causing heavy knockback and damage to nearby fighters. Unlike the standard Smash Ball, Fake Smash Balls tend to drift towards players and general action instead.
  • Smash Balls and Fake Smash Balls have a chance of spawning with Soccer Ball physics, rolling around the stage and respawning once they drop offstage. These despawn after a set time.
  • The Boss Galaga causes a black background to cover the screen when it catches an opponent, complete with pixel stars. Additionally, if the Boss Galaga Star KOs a character, it can now be seen with the character in the distance. The star also becomes larger.
  • The Hammer and Golden Hammer have a unique 8-bit-styled hit particle, resembling the particle effect used when Mario destroys a barrel in the original Donkey Kong.
  • The Warp Star's descent can now be stalled by the user.
  • The Timer now creates a dark warping background alongside its usual slowdown effect.

Gallery

Miscellaneous

Characters

Trivia

  • This is the first Super Smash Bros. game since the original Super Smash Bros. to not be announced alongside new hardware. Super Smash Bros. Melee was revealed alongside the final retail version of the Nintendo GameCube at E3 2001; Super Smash Bros. Brawl was announced alongside the Wii itself, then-codenamed Revolution at E3 2005; and Super Smash Bros. 4 was announced alongside the Wii U at E3 2011. Moreover, unlike the latter two games, this is the first time since Super Smash Bros. Melee that a Smash Bros. game is not announced years in advance, as Super Smash Bros. Brawl was announced in 2005 and revealed a year later, and Super Smash Bros. 4 was announced in 2011 and revealed two years later, with both released in 2008 and 2014 respectively.
  • This is the first Super Smash Bros. game to:
    • Not feature the involvement of Satoru Iwata as he passed away in July of 2015.
    • Have no veteran characters cut since Melee.
    • Have a planned simultaneous worldwide release.
    • Have the announcer's English-language voice actor unchanged, with Xander Mobus reprising his role from Super Smash Bros. 4.
    • Feature unlockable characters and only one newcomer on the box art.
    • Have all of its veterans announced prior to launch and at the same time.
    • Have none of its newcomers as starter characters.
    • Feature more unlockable characters than starter characters.
  • Because of the size of the USK icon on the game's box art, the German version has a slightly different variation of said box art: Pikachu is moved upwards, Yoshi is completely missing, and the logo is off-centered.[12]
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate marks the first time in the series where long-running veterans Peach, Bowser, Ice Climbers, Zelda, Sheik, Meta Knight, Pit, Zero Suit Samus, Ike, Charizard, Diddy Kong, King Dedede, and Olimar are unlockable characters.
  • The Ultimate logo features the same curved line under the game title as Super Smash Bros. 4, though it is no longer hidden behind the series name.
  • Ultimate's release date falls one day after the late Satoru Iwata's birthday, December 6 (which was also the release date of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in Japan).
  • This is the second Super Smash Bros. game to feature 2D illustrations on the box art, with the first being the original Super Smash Bros.

References

External links