When a game focuses so heavily on PvP fighting with a roster as large as Super Smash Bros., balance is key. It would be unfair to have a certain character be stronger than the rest of the lineup, and balance gives players a wider array of choices when picking a character and hitting the stage. The web may be full of fans calling their favorites the strongest in the game, but Nintendo game director Masahiro Sakurai has said that the Internet is like an “echo chamber” and has said that opinions have made Super Smash Bros. seem unbalanced rather than the finely-tuned machine it is.
Masahiro Sakurai Says “Average” is Not the Goal With Super Smash Bros
For those unaware, Super Smash Bros. boss Masahiro Sakurai has a YouTube channel where he occasionally delves into the inner workings of his design process. His newest video, “Average and Mediocre Are The Same Thing”, explains the design specifics behind creating fighting game characters that are both balanced and unique.
According to Sakurai, the key to making characters balanced isn’t to make them average, it’s to make them each unique and different from each other. To prove his point, the director provided the global win rates for Super Smash Bros’ entire, 85-character roster, and showed that the highest win rate was 51.43%, while the lowest was 47.18%. If that’s not balanced, we don’t know what it is. Regarding the online rumors that certain characters are stronger than others, Sakurai stated that that wasn’t true and that the internet had just become saturated with people’s opinions on his characters, not the facts.
“The internet can tend to be an echo chamber of sorts, so if people start saying something is strong or weak, that assessment will gain momentum and make people think it’s truer than it is.”
Masahiro Sakurai/YouTube
There’s been no news from Nintendo regarding whether Masahiro Sakurai’s design philosophies will be incorporated into a new Smash Bros. game anytime soon, but with a new console not far off, we might see a new game at some point.
For a deeper look at Sakurai’s work, check out his YouTube channel here.
