What it's about a brawl where you knock people off the stage
Smash Bros. is a fighting game, but not the serious kind. Characters from Nintendo's games, and some from outside it, fight on stages taken from those games. You don't empty a health bar. The more damage you take, the further you fly when you're hit, and you win by knocking others off the stage.
It came out on the Switch in December 2018, made by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. for Nintendo, and Masahiro Sakurai directed it. There are 74 fighters in the base game, more than 100 stages, and you can play with up to eight people in one match.
How I got into it N64 with my cousin, and a return that didn't hit the same
I first played Smash on the N64 with my cousin when we were kids, and I was an instant fan. Then I kind of forgot about it for a long time, until I played again at a friend's house recently. I bought it straight away and started playing at home.
Nowadays I play solo, working through the solo campaign. Online feels daunting, and I've never dared to try, for fear of getting my ass handed to me. Maybe one day.
And here's the honest bit: it's just not as fun as it was when I was a kid, and I'm a bit disappointed. There's a bit of a learning curve, figuring out the moves and the special moves. Maybe my expectations were too high, because I wanted to feel what I felt more than twenty years ago. Or maybe it just isn't a game for playing alone, and the CPU is boring to play against. Probably a bit of both.
How it looks colourful stages and a whole cast in one picture
It's colourful, clean and full of characters from lots of different series, all in one picture. The stages are small works of art, with backgrounds that make you want to look around. The effects when a character is hit are big and bright.
On a TV it's at its best, and the arenas feel properly big. In handheld it still runs well, but with several fighters on screen the characters are small and a busy fight is hard to follow.
How it sounds punchy fight noises, funny screams and a huge soundtrack
I'm not sure the music is the forte of this game, at least for me. I never really paid attention to it, because I'm much more focused on the sound effects: the fight noises, and each character's little scream when they go flying. I find those quite funny and, weirdly, enticing.
The music is still a big deal on paper. There are hundreds of tracks from Nintendo games, new arrangements of old favourites, and you can choose what plays on each stage. The main theme, Lifelight, is a sung choir piece that sounds properly epic. The hits themselves sound punchy, and with a full match the room gets loud.
The story and the people the cast is the draw, the story is a bonus
The people are the draw: Mario, Link, Kirby, Pikachu and many more, plus guests from other companies. There's a solo story mode, where you work through a big map and fight your way through, and it mostly serves as a way to unlock fighters and collect spirits. I wouldn't play Smash for the story.
After work: effort and challenge a couple of fights to let off steam, not to wind down
It's easy to start and takes a while to master. You can be fighting within a minute, but figuring out the moves and the special moves takes learning. Classic Mode is a short run of fights that you can finish in one sitting. Online matches need a Nintendo Switch Online membership.
The effort grows with how deep you want to go. There are lots of characters, items, stages, rules and spirits, but you don't have to learn them all. After a week away, you pick a favourite and go, and a lost fight costs seconds, not progress.
So, does it give you space to chill? Not really. A couple of fights is great for getting the day's aggression out, but it doesn't calm you down in the evening, haha. If what you want is to wind down, this isn't the game for it. If you want to let off steam first, then yes.
Docked vs handheld docked gives the arenas their scale
Docked is amazing, because you can really appreciate the depth and scale of each map. It's a fighting game, so I love it when it feels like a big arena. Handheld works for a quick fight, but the screen gets crowded.
You can use Joy-Con, a Pro Controller, or a GameCube controller with an adapter. For eight players, you need enough controllers for everybody. On Switch 2 the wired GameCube controller works in TV mode with the adapter, and the new wireless GameCube controller is available to Nintendo Switch Online members.
What gets in the way playing alone, online fees and busy fights
- On my own, the CPU got boring, and it is much better with other people.
- Online play needs a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership.
- With lots of fighters and effects, fights get hard to follow, especially in handheld.
- It doesn't calm you down after work.
- Unlocking the full roster and everything else takes time.
On Switch 2 faster loading and GameCube controller support
There is no dedicated Switch 2 Edition, but it plays through backward compatibility, and it benefits from it. I compared it myself and the loading is faster on Switch 2. Other players report the same, with costumes on the character select screen appearing almost instantly, and a steady 60 frames per second even in a huge eight-player match. The GameCube controller support is a nice touch for people who like that way of playing.
Verdict a great party game, but it didn't win me over alone
Smash Ultimate is generous, noisy and packed with Nintendo history. The huge cast, the big arenas on the TV and the funny little screams are a joy, and I get why so many people love it.
For me, it didn't give me the feeling I was chasing from my N64 days with my cousin. On my own, the CPU got boring, and the learning curve with the moves took some of the fun out. It also won't calm you down after work, so don't pick it for winding down. Pick it for a couple of fights to let off steam, then put something calmer on.
If you have friends or family on the sofa, I think it's a blast, and I'd still say it's worth owning for that alone. If you mostly play solo, borrow it first. I still haven't dared go online, though. Maybe one day.
