Nintendo has just wrapped up what is officially their last Super Smash Bros Ultimate direct before the game releases for Nintendo Switch on December 7th. The 40 minute live stream covered a variety of topics, some brand new exciting modes, as well as future plans for the game post release.
Things kicked off immediately with two characters being revealed, Ken from the Street Fighter series, and Incineroar from Pokemon. Initially Sakurai confirmed this to be the final complete roster upon the game’s release, more details on that later.
Smash Ultimate will break the tradition of trophies, instead replacing them with more interactive partners known as Spirits. Spirits are essentially characters that players will collect on their journey and can be equipped to power up characters and give them different abilities, giving the game a sort of RPG feel. Spirits can range in rarity and strength. Collecting them all will feel all too familiar with those who have played Gacha style games, essentially gambling and crossing your fingers that you’ll be lucky enough to win the grand prize.
Would it be a Super Smash Bros game without great multiplayer? Of course not! Smash Ultimate will of course feature local and online multiplayer, allowing you to duke it out with friends near and far. Smash Ultimate drops the For Fun and For Glory mode in favor of a more traditional matchmaking style, trying to match players based on rule preferences and location. Not all hope is lost however, as once a player has deemed themselves worthy of being a good enough player in enough matches, they will be able to unlock a special elite mode, which essentially replaces the former For Glory mode.
While the initial roster for Smash Ultimate is complete, Sakurai also confirmed there are 5 more on the way. Each fighter is being sold as a small bundle. For $5.99, you’ll receive a fighter, a stage, as well as their respective music track. A special Fighters Pass can be purchased for $24.99 which will include all 5 new characters. Sakurai emphasized that these new fighters will be made from scratch and will not be echo fighters, however they don’t want to reveal them ahead of time, so players should buy with confidence only if they feel they’ll be satisfied no matter the outcome.
Perhaps the biggest and most looked forward to announcement that came from this final Smash Ultimate direct is the all new story mode known as World of Light. We were shown only a small glimpse of game play and story (in addition to an incredible theme song with lyrics), but it boils down to Kirby escaping a certain trapped fate and it’s up to him to go and rescue the entire roster from evil control. The new mode contains overworld elements from a top down perspective that allows characters to travel and interact with others to fight and defeat the enemies in battle. Sakurai said we would only be shown this small glimpse and that he would “leave the rest up to our imagination”, so we’ll simply have to wait and see how this new adventure unfolds!
Oh that’s right…one more thing….
No what you’re seeing above isn’t a joke at all. Piranha Plant is officially confirmed as the 70th fighter to enter Smash Ultimate! A bit odd right? However, what makes this character special is he’s only available for free for a limited time once the game is released. In order to unlock him, players will need to register their game with their My Nintendo Account to make sure they receive the reward. It’s unclear whether or not Piranha Plant will eventually be available as standard DLC, but that is more than likely the case. If not, this means that Piranaha Plant will be a special limited edition fighter only available to those who purchase Smash Ultimate within the launch window!
So with all of that info in mind, what did you think of this final Super Smash Bros Ultimate direct? Are you still as excited for the game as you were from the official announcement? Let us know below!