Smash Reflections: Sm4sh

(Part 1 can be found here.)

(Part 2 can be found here.)

(Part 3 can be found here.)

How do you follow-up on a successful third-entry in a franchise that constantly expands on its predecessors? This was the challenge Masahiro Sakurai faced when designing a successor to Super Smash Bros. Brawl; after all, each of the respective entries kept taking the end-result to unique places. There was little else to do at this point that hadn’t been done, but the clock was ticking and people were getting antsy. So Sakurai went forward and started development on a sequel worthy of the Smash Bros. name anyway. And he did so by making two radical decisions.

The first was Sakurai teaming up with Namco Bandai as co-developers. In the past, Sakurai had taken inspiration from Namco’s arcade games, particularly 1995’s The Outfoxies, for his gameplay mechanics in Super Smash Bros. So it figured that, in an ironic full-circle, Sakurai was now approaching Namco Bandai for help, incorporating arcade-like sensibilities into the gameplay. An interesting choice, to say the least.

The other decision was less-dramatic, but equally as interesting: multi-platform appeal. Nintendo was no stranger to console/handheld game interactions, but this marked the first time a Smash Bros. game would be available on both of Nintendo’s next-generation offerings: Sm4sh, as the game would be nicknamed, would have a slightly watered-down 3DS version in late-2014, followed by a more expanded companion game for the WiiU a few weeks later. And the two games would have cross-play, making it necessary to own both in order to unlock everything. It was the Pokémon games approach in Smash Bros. form, essentially.

Sm4sh remains the most-interesting of the Smash Bros. games personally. It’s the most-recent entry in the franchise, so it, naturally, has the least amount of nostalgia tied to it. I didn’t even buy it right away, waiting until I owned a WiiU in late-2016. I also don’t own a 3DS, hence my memories reside almost-exclusively with Super Smash Bros. WiiU. So if my reflections this time feel rushed and short, blame that.

My first exposure to Sm4sh was a series of commercials that played before movies in 2014. Cineplex was known for partnering with Nintendo Canada, and these ads were easily their most-bizarre. The premise was simple: two parties would bicker over something trivial, be it who does the dishes, take-out or sit-in, or even who gets the last remaining spot on the bus. The resolution to these disputes would be to whip out their 3DSes and “settle it in Smash!”. The screen would then show a competitive fight that’d last several seconds, before ending with a winner. Rinse-and-repeat:

One such a commercial. Cute, no? (Courtesy of GameNewsOfficial.)

Of course, the WiiU version had its own commercials, but the 3DS’s versions are the ones that stick out more. Ironic, considering I’d, like I said, end up buying the WiiU port. And it was worth it, with Super Smash Bros. WiiU being my favourite WiiU game next to the long-awaited Pikmin 3. People who know me know I’m a sucker for Mario games, so to hear that come from my mouth? It’s surprising. But it’s true: this really is my favourite WiiU game.

The most-notable quirk of Super Smash Bros. WiiU is how arcade-like it is. I mean this in both its interface and its game mechanics, with characters hitting the screen on occasion instead of simply falling to their doom or flying off into the distance. Even the more streamlined gameplay modes feel arcade-y, and I credit the Namco Bandai influence. And with due cause, as that was probably the best option to contrast the hardened, gritty feel of the game’s predecessor.

The online mode was also vastly-improved. As much of a novelty as it was in 2008, Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s online was hot garbage. It routinely disconnected and lagged, which was unacceptable even when juxtaposed with the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Super Smash Bros. WiiU, while not perfect, was a drastic improvement, thanks in-part to the console utilizing Wi-Fi functionality. It also streamlined the game’s co-op options, making them more user-friendly.

I also like how the game included an even greater roster. Prior games kept upping the available characters, but this one allowed for well-over 50 fighters (including downloadable ones and the custom Mii fighters.) Additionally, the game allowed for Amiibo, weird collectibles that could be bought separately for in-game usage, which was a nice touch. And, true to what Super Smash Bros. Brawl had started, the game’s roster upped the third-party inclusions, with Pac-Man and Mega Man (and later Bayonetta, via DLC) joining Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog. I’m not fond of how many of these characters are unlocked, but we’ll cover that later.

The game had various controller options that were also utilized efficiently. You had the Wiimotes, obviously, and the Gamecube controllers, also obviously, but now you could utilize 3DSes as controllers. Perhaps the coolest one was the WiiU gamepad, that giant tablet that doubled as a controller, as Player 1. I can’t begin to tell you how convenient that gamepad was while my family was watching TV in the rec room, or even not being distracted by my friends on the TV screen when they were present. Add in that 8-player gameplay was now possible, and you had a recipe for a full-out brawl not possible in 1999!

This wasn’t to say the game was flawless, however. Ignoring that my limited imagination still made my Custom Builder stages lame, unlocking additional fighters wasn’t all that creative this time around. It was like Sakurai and team had looked at how incredibly-easy it was to unlock fighters via The Subspace Emissary, realized that it ruined half the fun, and decided to slap on some compensatory fanservice at the last-second. Character unlocks require a certain number of matches, and they’re all variables of 10. It’s boring, predictable and incredibly-repetitive, something which pains me to say.

The stage unlockables aren’t any better. You get them by playing simple Event Matches, which are also pretty lame, and they don’t feel earned. Where’s that sense of exploration? Where’s that sense of satisfaction? Gone was the excitement of games prior.

One final complaint is that stage options were more limited when playing with 8 fighters. And some of the options were repeats of other stages on a grander scale. I fail to understand why there can’t be more stages available for 8-players, but it’s not too big a loss. Especially when you have the option to record fights and play them back later as case studies.

Regardless, Sm4sh, more-specifically Super Smash Bros. WiiU, is a lot of fun to play solo or with friends. Is it as ground-breaking as the entries that’ve preceded it? No. It doesn’t even have that great an opening theme in comparison, a fact it acknowledges by having the previous games’ themes as optional themes for the in-game menu. But could it have been anyway? The Smash Bros. franchise had already made massive strides content-wise in the past, and all this game needed was to be a solid follow-up. Here’s hoping Super Smash Bros. Ultimate remedies that in early-December, but for now…well, I’ll take what we got.

And there you have it: my Smash Bros. retrospective. It was fun taking a trip down memory lane, and I look forward to what the franchise brings next. In the meantime, we’ll have to wait for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate…