This was little more than a tease, but Sakurai confirmed that custom movesets will be available for characters. This was demonstrated with Mario throwing larger, slower fireballs, Donkey Kong headbutting characters into the ground, and Kirby having ice breath. The custom movesets won’t be available for online matchmaking at all, but they can be incorporated into solo play and both local and online matches against Nintendo Network friends by the sound of things.
Unfortunately, no other info was mentioned, and Sakurai said that more news would be revealed about this feature (which was only demonstrated in the Wii U game, leaving it potentially up in the air as to whether it will also come to the 3DS game), some time in the future. Oh well. Perhaps we’ll hear more at E3.
More concretely laid out was a brand new online multiplayer mode that will be exclusive to the 3DS game, that being Smash Run. In Smash Run, four players run around a large dungeon-like area, beating up enemies from throughout the histories of various Nintendo franchises, and collecting items that boost their strength, speed, jumping range and other such capabilities. After a set five-minute time limit, players will then fight with their altered parameters, with players that possess more boosts having an advantage.
That’s not all either! The subsequent battle can have special variants as well, such as Reflect Smash, where projectiles are reflected back at players, Flower Smash where players have flowers growing out of their heads, Easy-Launch Smash, where it’s especially easy to knock players away, and the aptly-named Climb!, where players simply focus on surviving an upward-scrolling area.
Special events can also be triggered in the pre-dungeon areas where players are meant to ignore each other and focus more on boosting. These include maxing out players’ speed and jumping capabilities, sending a frenzy of Bullet Bills after everyone, and blowing everyone around with harsh winds. On top of that, certain items can be found and equipped to further alter player parameters in the subsequent battles against each other.
Apparently, this mode was inspired by Kirby’s Air Ride on the GameCube, and Sakurai wanted to resurrect a small piece of those sensibilities in the new Super Smash Bros. games. It’s certainly unorthodox, but it’s nonetheless an expansive and promising new mode for players taking their Super Smash Bros. shenanigans on the go.
Opposing players between matches are enemies such as: Goombas from the Mario series, Stalfos from the Legend of Zelda series, Tacs from Kirby Super Star, Kihunters from Super Metroid, Reapers from Kid Icarus, Mettaurs from the Mega Man series, Poppants and Roturrets returning from the Subspace Army in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Tiki Buzz’s from Donkey Kong Country Returns, Bulborbs from the Pikmin series, Chandelures from the Pokemon series, Mimicuties from Kid Icarus: Uprising, and finally, Waddle Dees and Gordos from the Kirby series, among others. Apparently, enemy placement is random during each play session as well.
This mode essentially seems to be a multiplayer-enabled substitute for Adventure Mode from Super Smash Bros. Melee and the Subspace Emissary campaign from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and it has a lot of intriguing promise. Hopefully it lives up to said promise, creating another compelling new way to play with friends beyond the same old smash ’em up bouts.
To round things off, Sakurai thanks players for their patience and asks fans to wait just a little longer, so he and his team at both Sora Ltd. and Namco Bandai can deliver the best games possible. A montage of the confirmed playable fighters for both games is then shown: Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, Pikachu, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Zelda, Sheik, Marth, Pit, Zero Suit Samus, Olimar & Pikmin, Diddy Kong, Dedede, Lucario, Toon Link, Sonic, Villager, Mega Man, Wii Fit Trainer(s), Rosalina & Luma, Little Mac. That’s all she wrote…
… Or is it?
A new, slick-looking pre-rendered CGI scene takes over, showing a series of Pokemon standing together, with Pikachu placed atop them, alongside a Charizard. It’s then quickly confirmed that Charizard will be a playable fighter in the roster! This is likely taking the place of the Pokemon Trainer character from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, who doesn’t seem to be returning for the new 3DS and Wii U games.
As much as Charizard’s sweet moves (and apparent Mega Evolution from Pokemon X, another possible Final Smash attack) are shown off in pre-rendered fashion, taking on Mario, Samus, Kirby, Link and Captain Olimar, another mysterious figure appears to hang in the background, channeling a water-type power. As the fight goes on, the figure eventually reveals itself, that being the frog-ninja Pokemon, Greninja! Turns out, Greninja is also an all-new playable fighter in the roster of the new games, doubling the excitement for Pokemon fans!
From there, we get a montage of both Charizard’s and Greninja’s special moves, including an apparent Final Smash by Greninja that has it zipping through a target amidst a moonlit backdrop, before finally slicing them away.
Looks like we have yet more promising faces to add to the roster!
Well, needless to say, the amount of information we got on both games here was immensely satisfying. Both the 3DS and Wii U games appear to be shaping up quite nicely, and it would appear that Super Smash Bros. fans have loads of great times to look forward to later in 2014, and beyond!
Some questions still need to be answered, but it’s likely that we’ll get finalized info on some leftover teasers, and perhaps some still-unrevealed playable fighters, later in June, come E3.
Keep smashing your way to Eggplante for any and all Super Smash Bros. news, as it enters the fray!