On January 21, 1999, a franchise was released in Japan that would change fighting games forever. While America would have to wait until April to get in on the fun, Super Smash Bros. would unleash a lasting impact on Nintendo and the genre at large. For those unfamiliar, Super Smash Bros. characters are your Nintendo favorites, along with some iconic guests over time. They come together in an attempt to quite literally smash each other out of existence. The last man standing wins. The franchise has evolved over its 25-year run. Below, we’re taking a look at its incredible journey to becoming one of Nintendo’s best-selling franchises.
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A Look Back at 25 Years of Mayhem With Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. started with the Original 12 and has amassed a growing roster featuring 89 playable fighters. But the expansion of characters on Super Smash Bros. is just one of the changes brought to the franchise in its 25-year run.
There are storylines, a variety of party modes, challenges, and much more that have helped expand each rendition. Amassing nearly 74 million copies sold, here’s how the franchise breaks down so far:
- Super Smash Bros. started it all on Nintendo 64 (N64) (April 26, 1999*).
- Super Smash Bros. Melee was the second installment bringing the action to the Nintendo Gamecube and maintains a cult following (December 3, 2001*).
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl was the third game in franchise history, that finally delivered the action we all love to the Wii (March 9, 2008*).
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U were a duo of games that even allowed players to trade characters back and forth between the two respective systems (October 3, 2014, for 3DS*; November 21, 2014, for Wii U*).
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the latest rendition of the franchise and is available on the Nintendo Switch (December 7, 2018).
*Indicates the North American release date.
The series has many different possibilities for gameplay these days. Throughout the years, a variety of new features including classic minigames, such as Break the Targets and Board the Platforms have brought story elements to life.
Multiple Modes of Play Creates Iconic Franchise
However, the meat and potatoes of the franchise comes from either the original single-player mode known as Classic Mode and Multiplayer Mode:
- In Classic Mode, you CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER and then set off to fight others on various stages until reaching Final Destination to have the ultimate showdown with Master Hand. A glove-like figure with special attacks that acts as a classic boss fight.
- Multiplayer Mode allows you and your friends the chance to team up or duke it out against each other on a host of fun stages. You can even throw in some CPUs while you and your friends fight for more chaos.
Although there are now modes with HP, the fighting system works differently in SSB. For the most part, you aren’t trying to drain someone’s health but rather add to their damage. The higher your percentage, the farther you’ll go flying. If you fall or fly off the stage, you die.
However, this was only one of the several elements brought forth by Nintendo’s crossover fighting series, as Super Smash Bros. has made popular a variety of fighting game elements:
- Throwing in a variety of items, modifications, and levels with unique, interactive features, SSB. provides hardened gamers and casuals alike hours of entertainment.
- It’s not just about the reveal, but how you have to access characters. In fact, nobody does it quite like the Super Smash Bros. franchise. Hacking your way through Classic Mode isn’t enough, you’re going to have to explore and grind if you want to unlock everybody.
- The franchise helped launch eSports into what it is today.
There are many games out there that have borrowed elements from the franchise, for better or worse, but SSB. remains its own testament to the genre unlike anything else.
Is a Potential Movie In the Works?
You know how we all like to do that thing where we demand an obscene amount of content from a franchise and create overarching storylines that transcend multiple forms of media, only to get mad at the creators for giving us what we asked for while we continue to lap it up? Well, it seems Super Smash Bros. could be part of the next cycle.
The Super Mario Bros. movie has been met with resounding acclaim from critics and audiences alike. This is a stark difference from the 1993 rendition we all try to forget. Now, the idea is floating around to create a Nintendo Cinematic Universe similar to what Marvel has done so well in the past.
What this means is that multiple Nintendo titles have the potential to have their own individual movies and come together when it makes sense. Sure, we can have our favorite mascots show up on the big screen to play tennis or have a day out go-karting, but a violent rendition of fighting each other, Master Hand, or a combination of sorts sounds much more entertaining.
As of now, the Super Smash Bros. movie has not been confirmed. Frankly, it seems that Nintendo is taking its time to assess the next steps for the alleged project with everything from a Mario sequel to the confirmation of a long-awaited live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda.
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Who Is the Best Character In Super Smash Bros?
The characters of Super Smash Bros. are wildly diverse, even if many are copycats of core figures. Nevertheless, when you play as Mario, Link, Fox, or Ice Climbers, you’re going to note some differences. So, this begs the question, who is supreme?
Sometimes, characters are so powerful that they become banned from tournament play. The first example is Meta Knight’s infamous ban from Brawl tournaments, and more recent examples coming from Steve’s expulsion.
In the end, it doesn’t matter who you choose. Whether it be one of the Original 12 from decades ago or the latest DLC available, Super Smash Bros. has something for everyone, which is why its staying power continues to prove so strong.
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