In Super Smash Bros, the goal is simple: knock the opponent off the screen. Seems simple, yet this fighting game brings in so many dimensions to combat that makes it so special. For one, it doesn’t work like your standard fighting game. Unlike using health bars (boring), players’ health are shown through damage percentages. And as this number racks up, your character will be knocked back further and further with every hit, and will lose a stock/life when hit far enough off the screen. Thanks to this neat mechanic, dominating the stage and keeping your opponents off the ledge is crucial, and is a beautifully done dynamic in Smash.
Unlike other fighting games which rely on either button mashing or a drained health bar to win, edge guarding in Smash provides players with extremely creative ways to kill their opponents, which fosters very dynamic gameplay. When your opponent is knocked off the edge, they only have three options to recover: use their upwards special, air dodge, or use their one mid air jump. Because of these limited choices, you can strategically plan your attack by predicting which of three options they will use. It’s a resources game, as you manage in your head about what moves your opponent has left, and choose your next attack accordingly. Even then, the other player still can switch up their approach to throw off their opponent. If you happen to be on the recovering end, once you grab a hold of the ledge, you can either attack, stand up, jump, or dodge to get back on stage. If done right, you can then counter attack and now be the one edge guarding! These mind games and strategic aspects of Smash allow for some amazing creativity to be put on display.
Along with this, the character selection adds such a fantasy aesthetic to the game. Whether you want to fight as your childhood beloved heroes like Mario or Pacman, or play unexpected characters you’d never thought you’d be able to punch people with like Wii Fit Trainer and Minecraft Steve, the ability to play characters across different universes is such a special and unique opportunity that only Smash Ultimate can provide.
