With around three weeks before the American release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the hype is continuously building up. But we have been blessed with an import copy of this magnificent game from the motherland, and the hype has been fulfilled.
For hours and hours we have been playing endlessly through the third installment to Nintendo’s most prized fighting series. And I have to say, we’ve grown accustomed to both the subtle changes and additions. It’s still the same mascot battle we all have learned to love over the years with other friends, but Nintendo has made sure that Brawl feels like a sequel to Melee, rather than an expansion. And here, we explain these changes, spoiler-free!
The speed and pacing of matches are still lightning fast and frantic, but serious enthusiasts will feel that it’s a bit slower than before. The leap from the original Smash Bros. on the N64 to the Gamecube in terms of speed is light-years apart. However, Brawl snuggles right in between these two games. It feels slightly more floaty in control, but is much easier to move around than Melee characters. Perhaps it was an intentional design choice, as Sakurai aims the game to appeal more to the masses than to its serious fanboys. Brawl maintains the incredible speed of Melee, but offers a steady balance that will be sure to please fans of any Smash Bros. game.
Being a brand new Smash Bros., there are sure to be more basic additions to its gameplay. Nintendo has graciously added some new beneficial moves.
Swimming is always conspicuously forgotten from games until later additions to the series. And Brawl has finally added this life-saving move for those water based stages. Stages such as the Ice Climbers’ Summit level, have areas where you can swim; however, stay too long and a huge fish dives out and swallows your character. It isn’t game changing, but it gives the players a bit of freedom to explore the level and avoid irritating pit deaths. Interestingly enough though, there is a hidden stage where swimming proves useless, when clearly there is water at the base.
While swimming is an ability that everyone has, Nintendo has chosen to give certain characters some unique moves. Characters such as Solid Snake and Lucario can now duck underneath certain attacks and projectiles. By pressing down, they will go into a prone position that will leave them unharmed by higher attacks and projectile moves. In the down position, players can additionally eat food items while staying in this defensive stance.
Another unique technique is being able to grab onto the walls. Quick characters such as Lucario and Sheik can stick to the sides of the wall. By jumping towards a wall, they will automatically attach, allowing them to take a position high above, while watching the fight below.
Speedier and more nimble characters like Fox can wall jump off the sides to get that extra boost in his jumps. Like Mario in his games, they will be able to navigate through narrow vertical corridors and maneuver their way to the top of levels.
Flying characters like Charizard, Pit, and Metaknight can glide through the air by holding the jump button in the air. It allows them to gain more ground by soaring, but hasn’t proven necessarily beneficial in any of our fights.
Some of the characters have whips or lasso-like attacks, which allows them to grab onto ledges from afar and climb up. It’s proven most useful in recovering from a harsh smash across the level, as it easily can pull them back onto the stage from below. For example, Olimar’s Pikmin chain or Zero Suit Samus’ whip can stick onto the edges, and will snap them back up to safety.
Smash Bros. Melee certainly catered to the hardcore with its long list of advanced techniques and glitch exploitations. Brawl however takes away a lot of these special moves. Long gone is wavedashing – but who knows what other exploits exist. We are far from discovering every single move, but there are sure to be hidden techniques that have yet to be discovered.
Nintendo has learned from Melee is on top of balancing the gameplay. Oddly, for all characters, there is some sort of trip mechanic that forces your character to stumble and fall to the ground. It has occurred countless occasions, but it’s been seen most when we’ve been dashing around the screen too much. We see this as a counter against dashing around too much.
In attempts to stop spammers from annoyingly shooting projectiles, each attack gets progressively weaker, or even fails to execute. Wario’s fart blast will only work once it’s been passively unused for a moment. Even when using a certain Pokemon for extended periods of time, as the Pokemon trainer, it will lose its power and become tired out.
By far the most daring change in the series is the Smash Ball. It’s a devastating item that completely changes the dynamic the game. When the Smash Ball appears, everyone goes rushing after Smash Ball, trying to break it open. From what we’ve noticed, it takes around two to three smashes in order obtain it. Some people may stick behind, waiting for the first smash, while others will frantically attack it, in the flurry of other players. It’s funny because this becomes the new focus during the game. Often, I’ve found myself chasing after another player, and leaving them to go straight towards the Smash Ball. The thing is though, the Smash Ball is constantly moving about throughout the level. One hit will cause it to move in the opposite direction, which makes the chase almost comical, as four characters are rabidly following it.
Once you’ve obtained the Smash Ball, the character will begin glowing, telling all players who have it. Thankfully, the Smash Ball can be knocked out of a character with a few smashes or projectiles. But, it is often too risky as the power can be used quickly. A simple press of the B-button will initiate the Final Smash and effectively damage players if used correctly. Each Final Smash is used differently according the character. Some will shoot out projectiles that cover the entire map, some will make characters incredibly strong for a period of time, some will attack with a flurry of strikes in a certain direction, and others will morph into enormous beings.
While the Smash Ball is an amazing move that can easily change the tides of the battle, it is horribly imbalanced from one character to another. Sonic’s Final Smash that transforms him into the invincible and swift Super Sonic in which he can roam around the screen, smashing and killing players he touches. At times, I’ve been able to kill players twice during this transformation, as it runs for quite some time. But others such as Lucario’s, who shoots a slow moving beam from above can be easily avoided by moving to the top corners. This imbalance makes the Smash Ball unfavorable for some characters, and is sure to be turned off by hardcore purists and competitors.
But in the end, Smash Bros. is Smash Bros., and from the Japanese release, the gameplay remains nearly the same, replicating the same frantic experience all Wii-owning Americans are anticipating.
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