Smash Redesign: Introduction

Super Smash Bros is one of the biggest video game franchises in the entire world. Characters from all sorts of games and franchises are invited for a good time to smash and people all around the world are invited to play. It’s a game the simultaneously creates and ruins friendships all over the world and is a staple in the diet of any Nintendo gamer. Even people who don’t normally consider themselves Nintendo fans still frequently have fun with this amazing game.

Super Smash Bros started in the days of the N64 video game console under the title “Super Smash Bros” in Which in featured 8 characters with 4 more unlockable characters. This game was released in 1998 to critical and commercial success.

It was quickly followed by Super Smash Bros. Melee on the Nintendo GameCube in 2001. This new game featured all the original characters, as well as 14 newcomers from popular (and sometimes not so popular) Nintendo games, totaling 25 playable characters (26 if Sheik/Zelda were considered different characters).

Melee was followed by Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Nintendo Wii in 2008. This game featured 21 returning characters and 18 newcomers, totaling 35 playable characters (39 if some of the characters are considered separate like Samus and zero suit Samus).

Next came Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS and WiiU in 2014, which fans named Super Smash Bros 4. This game featured 37 Veterans and 21 newcomers, making 58 total playable characters. It was also the first game since the original to feature no “dual” characters (characters who all share a character slot but play differently, such as Zelda/Sheik or Pokémon Trainer).

Finally, in 2018, The current game in the series, Super Smash Brothers. Ultimate, Hit store shelves. This game featured all previous playable characters from all previous smash games (63, or 65 if Pokémon trainer in considered 3 characters instead of) and 23 newcomers, totaling 74 total playable characters (76) in the base game. The game also features DLC playable characters, which will total 86 (88) playable characters when the game is done with all DLC (not including any possible multi-characters or unannounced Echo Fighters [characters that play similarly to existing characters]).

All these characters are great, but there has been a rather worrying development for some of the characters. This is that some of the veterans most notably the characters from Super Smash Bros Melee and older, all seem to have very archaic fighting moves. Most of the newcomers from Super Smash Bros 4 and beyond all feel like the best and most definitive versions of themselves, featuring moves and abilities that are from their games or else inspired by their appearances in their games. Someone such as Ryu feels like he might as well have been taken straight from his own game as opposed to a character like Mario or Ganondorf.

That is why I have created this series. It is designed to theory craft new move sets for all the characters in Super Smash Bros that simply do not feel like their complete selves. I am going to go through every character that I feel may need an overhaul, or at least some tweaks, to show off the best versions of these characters. Will I talk about every character? Probably not (especially the DLC in Smash Ultimate). Will I do my best to create the absolute best version of each character as I feel they should appear in Super Smash Bros Ultimate? Absolutely.

So strap in and enjoy the ride. I hope that you are as excited to theory craft as I am.