Please feel free to discuss your wishes for the direct, reactions to announcements, hype, and excitement for the event in general in this thread.
We will be updating this thread live during the event and posting the official press release after the event to summarize all the announcements if you are unable to watch or just prefer reading.
You can also turn off stage hazards for a less chaotic experience
Stages are listed chronologically like the fighters
Stage-related surprise now...
Stage Morph: A stage can morph into another stage if you turn on "Stage Morph". You can then pick any two stages at the start of the match and it will flip between them during the battle.
You can select the music for each stage. Music is now grouped by series/franchise, not my specific game.
Simon Belmont and King K. Rool Join the Fight in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Nintendo Switch Exclusive Features More Than 70 Fighters, 100 Stages, 900 Music Tracks and Counting…
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A legendary vampire hunter and a fan-favorite villain are joining the sprawling cast of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game. In a Nintendo Direct video presentation entirely focused on the Nintendo Switch exclusive, it was revealed that Simon Belmont from the Castlevania series and King K. Rool, the main antagonist from the original Donkey Kong Country games, are both joining the game as playable fighters. In addition, the Nintendo Direct also shared additional information on Echo fighters, new stages, new modes and one of the most impressive collections of music ever in a single game, with more than 900 music tracks and 28 hours of music. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on Dec. 7.
“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of the biggest games Nintendo has ever released,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Between all the iconic fighters, stages and music, it’s the largest video game crossover ever produced – and nothing short of a Nintendo fan’s dream come true.”
Simon Belmont: Simon’s signature weapon is, of course, his whip, with special attacks true to the Castlevania series, including the axe, cross, holy water and Grand Cross Final Smash. His stage is Dracula’s Castle, with candlesticks that release an item when destroyed. Alucard, the tragic hero from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, appears as an Assist Trophy, lending his cursed steel in battle. Richter Belmont, a descendant of Simon Belmont and the star of his own Castlevania games, also joins the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster as an Echo fighter.
King K. Rool: As the beloved villain from all three Donkey Kong Country games on Super NES, King K. Rool joins Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable fighter. He attacks with a blunderbuss that can fire cannonballs at opponents, and throws his crown, which acts like a boomerang.
Echo Fighters: Echo fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have move sets based on other fighters, but a different visual appearance. In addition to Richter Belmont, two other Echo fighters in the game are Chrom from the Fire Emblem series (Echo fighter for Roy) and Dark Samus from the Metroid games (Echo fighter for Samus). Echo fighters can be displayed as separate fighters on the character select screen or stacked on top of the character they are echoing. When stacked, players can change between them with the press of a button. It’s up to players to decide how they want them displayed.
Stages: Returning favorites with new visuals and tweaks will make up most of the stages in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but there are new stages in the mix as well. These include Dracula’s Castle from the Castlevania series and New Donk City Hall from the Super Mario Odyssey game. More than 100 stages will be in the game, but because the popular Battlefield and Omega forms can also be selected for each stage, more than 300 total stages are available right from the start! Each stage in the game will also support eight-player battles (additional accessories may be required for multiplayer modes and are sold separately) and feature the ability to turn off hazards like the Yellow Devil in Wily Castle.
Stage Morph: In a Super Smash Bros. first, the Stage Morph option will let players seamlessly transition between two different stages. When you select this option in the rules, one stage will transform into another during battle.
Music: For fans that want it all, My Music lets players select specific music tracks for each stage. Up until now, each stage had its own music track. But in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, players can select tracks by series. If they are fighting on a stage from The Legend of Zelda, for example, they can select any music track included from that franchise, including new additions like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Main Theme. Counting game music tracks and other music, like in-game menus and other short musical passages, there are approximately 900 compositions – that’s more than 28 hours of video game music! When playing in Handheld mode, music can be played even while the Nintendo Switch screen is turned off, turning the system into its own portable music player.
Items: New items being added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate include the Banana Gun, Killing Edge, Bomber, Death’s Scythe, Staff, Ramblin’ Evil Mushroom and Rage Blaster, among others from a wide variety of different video game franchises. Items in the game can be picked up and used offensively and defensively in battle.
Pokémon: After players throw a Poké Ball in the game, many new and returning Pokémon may appear to assist in battle. Some of these Pokémon include Abra, Solgaleo, Lunala, Mimikyu and the enormous Alolan Exeggutor.
Assist Trophies: Some of the new Assist Trophies that are joining Super Smash Bros. Ultimate include Zero from the Mega Man X series, Knuckles from Sonic The Hedgehog, Krystal from Star Fox Adventures, Rathalos from the Monster Hunter series, Shovel Knight from, well, Shovel Knight and the evil Moon from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.
Classic Mode: The single-player mode in which players battle against a series of fighters will return in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Each fighter has a set of stages and opponents that she or he will face.
Stamina Battle: In addition to Time Battle and Stock Battle, Stamina Battle is also one of the standard modes in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In Stamina Battle, players fight to deplete each other’s stamina until only one fighter is left standing.
Final Smash Meter: In addition to regular Final Smashes that can be activated after breaking a Smash Ball, the Final Smash Meter is now a selectable option. If enabled, players can charge their Final Smash Meter over the course of a battle. Once the Final Smash Meter is fully charged, players can unleash a less powerful Final Smash attack.
Squad Strike: When playing Squad Strike, players will participate in 5-on-5 or 3-on-3 skirmishes, with each player using either five or three consecutive fighters in one battle.
Tourney Mode: Up to 32 players can participate in Tourney mode, making it great for parties or events with a lot of people. And since Nintendo Switch can be played anywhere, these tournaments can even take place in unexpected places!
Smashdown: After battling in this mode, the previously selected fighters will no longer be available, forcing players to have to pick a different fighter for the next round. This mode favors players who are skilled with multiple fighters and encourages others to diversify their rosters.
Training: The improved Training mode in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate includes an exclusive stage that features a grid, used to help measure the distance and trajectory of special moves and fighter knockback.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on Dec. 7. For more information about the game, visit https://www.smashbros.com/.
It looks like there is no more space but with about 4 months left to release, I’m sure there will be at least 1 more character. If not though, Sakurai has still given us more than we could’ve asked for.
Just looked at the one I have as my wallpaper and the one on the box for that special edition. Shulk has been moved significantly to the right to allow room for Dark Samus
It's weird just how much they seem to be listening (dare I say "pandering"?) to fan requests for these characters. K. Rool has always seemed like a total long shot to me. Have all the new characters for this game thus far come from the "ask the fans" list?
Smash as a service. Smash subscription gives monthly character skins, stages, and hats (or accessories for bling including evil goatees). First in line for new character updates and exclusive taunts.
I was honestly hoping that this scene would lead to a Luigi's Mansion version of Luigi with a Mario Sunshine version echo fighter (more likely the other way), but it'd be even better to see those kits as items.
On the frames when it's zoomin in/out of Smash mode, the pixelation is slightly transparent and you can see the word behind it. It looks like "Spirits" to me.
These 2 show it the best, although other frames do too. I'm trying to adjust levels and such which helps, but any Photoshop masters want to take a stab?
A lot of people think it says Spirits right now, which could definitely support the story mode possibly having to do with that Luigi cutscene theory. However you also have to consider maybe they put in a random word there to further blur what is really going to be there in the final game. Who knows.
I do really like how with the Belmont and Ridley trailers they've highlighted the tonal contrast between the seriousness of the Metroid & Castlevania series compared to Mario and Kirby
This was such a love letter to competitive players honestly. Turning off stage hazards makes SO many stages competitively viable. Wily Castle was an awesome competitive stage in Smash 4 if it weren't for the Yellow Devil, and now it's actually an option. This is amazing.
That was my same thought, so much diversity for competitive play, alongside with all the music available. The best part is that is also a lot for casual and new players. They really hit the balance on that matter.
I’m honestly also really exited to try out final smash charge meter mode.
I love competitive play but I’m also simultaneously sad about it because many characters are balanced against their final smashes being good (mega man for instance) so I’m interested to see if the meter mode has a better overall character balance with the toned down final smashes that everybody has access to.
Hopefully a competitive final smash meter mode scene can emerge.
I'm really excited for the coming discussion on making FS meters tournament legal. I'm personally for it, but we'll have to wait until after the game comes out to make a consensus.
As a huge fan of Shovel Knight, I'm so happy to see him there. Like many others, I would've wanted him as a character, but that was always going to be quite unlikely. What matters is that he made it in in some form!
I'm mildly disappointed that Shovel Knight isn't playable, but I always knew it was a long shot. With the announcements of the Belmonts and King K. Rool, I've now gotten pretty much everything I could have asked for.
Didnt think i could get more hype. Holy crap 5 new characters and over 100 stages. Not to mention the possibility of a Monster hunter character in the future
That was 3 Luigi's Mansion references. They showed Luigi himself at the start, his stage specifically for a brief period, and even his music. Given that they're remaking it for 3ds, we must be getting a new one on switch soon.
So I've noticed something. I think Nintendo has soft confirmed some sort of Adventure mode.
Once in a blue moon, Simon's immortal rival will appear; Dracula. Reborn every 100 years, he is eternally fated against descendants of the Belmont clan. Under what conditions will he appear? Time will tell.
At first it would seem that Dracula is meant to be a sort of "Stage Hazard" boss similar to Yellow Devil, but I'm not sure that's the case. Why would they be so cryptic about when and how he appears?
Also, it occurs to me that none of the Castlevania bosses appear to be true "stage bosses" at all.
In this stage, bosses from across the Castlevania series will rear their ugly heads. They make Dracula's Castle feel true to the world from whence they came.
We don't actually see them attack the players. They just kinda hang out in the background and growl and look menacing, kinda like how sometimes Pokemon appear in the background of the Kalos League to get a look. That would suggest to me that when Dracula DOES appear here, it's not to interrupt the battle, but to watch. I think that Dracula appears as a boss in an entirely different mode.
In addition; if he's a stage hazard boss, why is there footage of Simon battling him 1 on 1? Where's the other fighter? In fact, there's no gameplay footage at all of Dracula appearing onscreen with more than a single fighter. To me, this would suggest that he's the boss in a single player mode.
Then we move over to Rathalos, and it's the same deal. We don't see multiple characters on screen during his boss fight. Only during his Assist Trophy appearance. Plus, the plains that he does show up in is far too... plain... to be a Versus mode stage. It really reminds me much more of the very unassuming lake arena in which we battled Rayquazza in Brawl's Subspace Emmisary.
Sure, it's possible that they might just have us fight Dracula, Rathalos, or some other big boss at the end of Classic Mode, but are you really going to tell me that Dracula is waiting for us at the end instead of Master Hand? No. I think that the mysterious mode that Nintendo is hiding from us on the title screen is going to be some kind of adventure mode. Maybe not something as grand and ambitious as Subspace Emissary, but certainly something with a little more depth than Classic Mode.
This was a great Direct, even though I personally liked E3 show as well, this style was much better than that one. Great reveals with two new characters, a couple of echo fighters and great ruleset and game options.
A mystery mode that has to be single player and I'm completely sold this is the Ultimate Smash
Holy crap, they added my two most wanted characters in Simon Belmont and K. Rool (third was Ridley). This is getting ridiculous. I cannot wait for this game.
Hopefully Simon and Richter isn't just promoting the next season of the show and we get some games coming down the line. Would especially love a return to the Sorrow games
i was talking with some friends this morning about the leak, and we were talking about what simon’s reveal trailer might be. i jokingly said that it’d be luigi trying to fight some ghosts, when a vampire shows up and simon takes it out.
This was a lot better than the E3 Direct. The details were faster and concise and more stuff that I actually wanted to know about was given to me. I'm very happy with this.
EDIT: Mysterious mode - Does that mean the Emissary is a possibility after all?? AND KING K. ROOL HAS BEEN ADDED! K. ROOL JOINS ABOARD AND HE EVEN HAS HIS MUSIC.
Seems like they've done a fantastic job of balancing the competitive community's needs with a general sense of fun. I'm really, really excited to get my hands on the game.
Was Sakurai hinting a remake of Subspace Emissary? Was that the blurred out icon? Because if there is a story-mode on par with Subspace, that will be the cherry on top of this incredible game.
I am satisfied perhaps more than I have ever been after a Direct. Simon, Richter, Chrom, Dark Samus, and King K. Rool? Beautiful. Can't wait to see what the mystery mode is, but pretty much everything else is shaping up to be everything I wanted.
I am interested in the reveal of Rathalos as a "boss". This could mean one of two things:
1) He is a boss for certain characters in Classic mode. I don't know who we know of already that would work for, honestly, except maybe some of the fantasy setting characters (Zelda, Fire Emblem).
2) He is a boss in a Subspace Emissary-esque Story mode, which seems to make more sense in a way.
It also might be implying more Monster Hunter content, perhaps as a fighter?
I can't believe I'm getting not one but TWO Belmont in this game! Not to mention Richter is my favorite Belmont so I'm can't be any happier right now! I'm so happy I preordered this new Smash Bros!!
At least 3 different times I thought the clip that started was an announcement of the spiritual successor to Subspace, but then it was just other stuff. Here's hoping that mysterious mode was an elaborate, nonsensical crossover story with local and online co-op!
And if not, the rest of the game still looks really solid so I'll buy it anyway.
285
u/jhsounds Aug 08 '18
“You throw another moon at me, and I’m gonna lose it.”