Revolutionizing Super Smash Bros Ultimate: Innovative Ways to Elevate the Classic Game

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate continues to shine as one of the top five best-selling Nintendo Switch games with an impressive 31 million units sold, despite Nintendo and Sora Ltd. no longer releasing major updates. The game has maintained its popularity among both casual and competitive players, leaving many hopeful for a sequel in the future. However, following Ultimate's design philosophy presents a challenge for developers to surpass its scale. To stand out, Smash 6 must take a bold approach to reworking its playable characters. Ultimate's "Everyone is here!" slogan set a high bar for character inclusion, meaning the next game will need to do something special with its cast. A dramatic overhaul of the fighters could be the key to keeping the game fresh and exciting for fans.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Successor Needs a Hard Reset for its Fighters

In a potential Smash Ultimate sequel, fans can expect to see the return of beloved Nintendo characters such as Mario, Link, Samus, and Pikachu. However, with the possibility of entirely new movesets, these characters could feel like fresh additions to the roster. While some characters have seen tweaks in their movesets, such as Link's use of the Remote Bomb from Zelda: Breath of the Wild, many still retain their basic moves from past iterations. This familiarity can be helpful for players transitioning from one game to another but may also lead to a feeling of staleness.

Critics argue that some Smash characters no longer accurately represent their respective franchises. For example, characters like Donkey Kong have generic movesets that don't pay homage to their source material, likely due to preserving design elements from older Smash games. While some characters may have evolved over time, there's still room for improvement. Ganondorf, for instance, has moved away from being a Captain Falcon clone, but his moveset still doesn't fully capture the essence of his character in The Legend of Zelda.

The slow pace of change may be acceptable for characters with limited appearances like Sheik, but it shouldn't be the standard for the entire cast. Many Nintendo characters have evolved and adapted, gaining new abilities, undergoing character development, and exploring new genres since their earlier appearances in Smash. Therefore, it is essential for the next Smash game to capture the modern essence of Nintendo's mascots, including Link's BotW and TotK abilities, Mario's friend Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey, and Pokemon's ever-evolving gimmicks. These features can inspire fresh movesets for the older fighters in Smash. Fortunately, there's hope for character-driven reworks in a new Smash game, as demonstrated by the DLC fighters like Minecraft's Steve, Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Min Min from Arms, who incorporate unique properties from their respective source material. The next Smash game can follow this design philosophy to revitalize the franchise's biggest mascot characters and usher in a new era for the game.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch.