We finally know everything there is to know about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Ahead of the games release on Dec. 7, series director Masahiro Sakurai used this 40 minute Nintendo Direct to unleash every last bit of information on the upcoming title.
The Direct kicked off with the final two fighter reveals, Ken from Street Fighter and Incineroar from Pokemon. Ken will be an Echo fighter to Ryu as previously assumed. He will have a full move-set, unique from Ryu to set himself apart. Incineroar, on the other hand, is a big burly fire Pokemon from the Sun and Moon Pokemon generation. He will use what Sakurai described as wrestling moves to throw his opponents around the arena. With the addition of these two characters, the total roster comes to 74 playable fighters.
Next, Sakurai announced that there will be an upcoming line of Amiibo to support the new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster. Ridley and Wolf will kick off the staggered release with new Amiibo figures planned through mid-2019.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s online suite is getting a rework. The online matchmaking is now fully customizable allowing you to tailor your experience to your liking. You will now be paired with players in your general proximity and those with a similar Global Smash Power to your own. This allows for less latency and more fairness in the online Smash experience.
With this iteration of Smash, the developers have done away with the collectible in-game trophies and replaced them with a new Spirits mode. In Spirits mode, players will be able to face off in challenge matches based off of a slew of Nintendo characters that they can then collect and use to improve their fighter. This along with the new Adventure mode, World of Light, seems to be the main single-player focus for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. World of Light was announced alongside a slick new, fully animated trailer showing our heroes getting wiped out in gruesome fashion. The full trailer can be viewed below. Full details on World of Light are vague, but from the trailer we can see that you will be moving across different Nintendo themed maps, taking on challenges and foes. It seems to be pulling the best parts from Subspace Emissary and Classic mode into one place.
Finally, Sakurai revealed that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would be receiving support in the form of new characters and stages after release. There will be five packs including a new fighter, stage, and songs for $5.99 individually or $24.99 in a season pass. It was also announced that Piranha Plant will be joining the fight as a preorder bonus and will be available soon after launch.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches on Dec. 7, 2018, exclusively on Nintendo Switch.
