When Nintendo announced that the Switch version of Smash Bros. would be called Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it wasn't kidding about the title; every single character that has ever appeared in any previous Smash Bros. game is available on the Nintendo Switch incarnation. Crikey. Show
Along with updated moves and final smashes, Sakurai-san and his team updated the visuals for almost all the characters matching them with, more often than not, their latest game appearance. We've put them together in this gallery of hi-res artwork for everyone to sit back and enjoy. Remember, while the numbers currently go up to 81 (or 82 if you follow Nintendo's awkward numbering), you'll find more than that in our gallery thanks to the five 'echo' fighters — denoted here with a 'ε' — that share another fighter's spot (Ryu and Ken at #60, for example, or Simon Belmont and Richter at #66). With Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses taking up the final slot in the first batch of DLC, and Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series being the last recipient of a Smash Ultimate invitation, the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster is finally complete! Updated 5th October 2021: Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series is the final DLC Challenger to get an invite! Challenger #11 will be arriving on 18th October. Updated 15th June 2021: Kazuya from the Tekken series is confirmed as DLC Challenger #10, "coming soon"! Updated 8th Mar 2021: Pyra and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 join as DLC Challenger(s) #9 and occupy separate places on Nintendo's official roster! Updated 11th Dec 2020: Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII Joins as DLC Challenger #8! Updated 1st Oct 2020: Steve, Alex, Zombie and Enderman are confirmed as DLC Challenger #7! Updated 22nd Jun 2020: Min Min is confirmed as Challenger #6! Updated 17th Jan 2020: Fire Emblem's Byleth is confirmed as Challenger #5 and Nintendo has announced a further six places to be filled by new challengers in the Fighters Pass Vol. 2 DLC. The hype continues! Updated 5th Sep 2019: SNK's Terry Bogard has been revealed as Challenger #4, and Nintendo has revealed that even more DLC fighters are planned following the release of Challenger #5! Updated 11th Jun 2019: During Nintendo's E3 2019 Nintendo Direct it was revealed that Hero from the Dragon Quest universe (with four variants: Eleven, Erdrick, Solo and Eight) would be next challenger. Also during the E3 Direct, it was teased and revealed that Banjo & Kazooie would be the 73rd entry. Guh-huh! Updated 17th Apr 2019: Joker's official render was spotted in the source code on Nintendo's website. Updated 7th Dec 2018: The game is finally here! Check out our full review to find out more. Updated 1st Nov 2018: Today's Smash Direct has added two new characters, Ken and Incineroar. It was also announced that more characters will be added via paid DLC, with Piranha Plant being a pre-order bonus. Updated 10th Aug 2018: During the Smash Direct it was announced that Dark Samus, Chrom, Simon, Richter and King K. Rool have all been added to the line-up!
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ SPECIAL, Great Fray Smash Brothers Special), often shortened to "SSBU" or "Ultimate" (スマブラSP), is a crossover action fighting game for the Nintendo Switch. The game was first teased at the end of a Nintendo Direct on March 8th, 2018, and fully revealed on June 12th at E3 2018. It is the fifth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series (sixth if the two versions of Super Smash Bros. 4 are counted as separate titles). The game was released worldwide on December 7th, 2018. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate received universal acclaim from both critics and players, with some critics calling it the best installment in the series. It received praise for its large amount of content and fine-tuning of existing Smash gameplay elements, although its online mode was widely criticized. As of September 30, 2022, Ultimate had sold over 29.53 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling Super Smash Bros. game and also the best-selling fighting game of all time, beating Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Street Fighter II, which previously held each title respectively. Its massive success has caused it to be nominated for, and win, multiple awards, including winning "Best Fighting Game" at The Game Awards 2019.[2] Opening movie[edit]The opening movie of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is composed of the cutscenes from World of Light and some gameplay footage from the game set to the tune of Lifelight, featuring all the fighters in the base game. Fighters[edit]
Panoramic artwork of all fighters All 63 characters (65 if counting the Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon as three fighters) from all previous Smash Bros. games return as playable fighters. As well as the returning cast, the game features 23 newcomers (24 if counting Pyra and Mythra as two fighters). 11 of these characters are available in the base game, with the remaining 12 (13) characters available as downloadable content. In total, 74 characters (76) are playable in the base game and 86 (89) characters are playable overall, the most for any Smash Bros. game. Each character is numbered based on the order in which they first joined the series, with the exception of Echo Fighters (who share a number with the character they are based on) and Pokémon Trainer (whose Pokémon are numbered instead). An Inkling from the Splatoon series, with various Girl and Boy designs from the original Splatoon, was the first character confirmed to appear in the game as a new playable fighter. Ridley, a central villain from the Metroid series, was confirmed to be playable during E3 2018, with Meta Ridley as an alternate costume. Simon Belmont of the Castlevania series was announced as the game's first third-party newcomer along with his descendant and echo fighter, Richter Belmont. King K. Rool, arch-nemesis of the Kong family from the Donkey Kong series, was confirmed to be a playable newcomer as well, with his move-set drawing on his appearances as a boss in the Donkey Kong Country games. Isabelle from the Animal Crossing series, who previously appeared in Smash 4 as an Assist Trophy, makes her playable debut as the second Animal Crossing fighter. Finally, in the November Nintendo Direct, Incineroar from Pokémon Sun & Moon was announced as the title's last base roster newcomer. In addition, most full clones and one semi-clone are now labeled as "Echo Fighters" and are marked with an epsilon (ε) next to their fighter numbers, which they share with the characters they are based on. Returning characters Lucina and Dark Pit are given this title (as they are Echo Fighters of Marth and Pit, respectively), while new characters Princess Daisy, Richter, Chrom, Dark Samus, and Ken Masters are Echo Fighters of Princess Peach, Simon, Roy, Samus, and Ryu, respectively. Aside from an option allowing these characters to be displayed on the same slot as their counterpart on the character selection screen exclusively during Vs. Mode, Tourney, Custom Smash, Super Sudden Death, and Quickplay, there is no special distinction between most of them in-game, and the name is used mostly for marketing purposes. A Piranha Plant from the Mario series touches new ground as the first mob character in Smash, and as an early purchase bonus DLC character, announced on November 1st, 2018, pre-released on January 29th, 2019 and fully released on February 1st, 2019. It was also confirmed that five more unique newcomers would be added as DLC by January 2020, all of whom are purchased in numbered 'Challenger Packs' that also contains a stage and several music tracks. These five Challenger Packs can be bought together as part of the Fighters Pass. For Fighters Pass Vol. 1, Joker from the Persona series is part of Challenger Pack 1 (announced on December 6th, 2018, one day before Ultimate's release; released on April 17th, 2019), an amalgamation of several Heroes from the Dragon Quest series is part of Challenger Pack 2 (announced on June 11th, 2019; released on July 30th, 2019), Banjo and Kazooie from their namesake series are part of Challenger Pack 3 (announced on June 11th, 2019; released on September 4th, 2019), Fatal Fury’s Terry Bogard is part of Challenger Pack 4 (announced on September 4th, 2019; released on November 6th, 2019), and Byleth from the Fire Emblem series is part of Challenger Pack 5 (announced on January 16th, 2020; released on January 28th, 2020). During the September 4th, 2019 Nintendo Direct, after revealing Terry, it was announced that even more DLC fighters beyond the five in the Fighters Pass Vol. 1 was in development. Fighters Pass Vol. 2 was fully revealed during the January 16th, 2020 presentation revealing Byleth and includes 6 more Challenger Packs. Challenger Pack 6 includes Min Min from ARMS (announced on March 26th, 2020; revealed on June 22nd, 2020; released on June 29th, 2020). Challenger Pack 7 includes Steve from the Minecraft series (announced on October 1st, 2020; released on October 13th, 2020). Challenger Pack 8 includes Sephiroth from the Final Fantasy series (announced on December 10th, 2020; pre-released on December 17th, 2020; fully released on December 22nd, 2020). Challenger Pack 9 includes Pyra and Mythra from the Xenoblade Chronicles series (announced on February 17th, 2021; released on March 4th, 2021). Challenger Pack 10 includes Kazuya Mishima from the Tekken series (announced on June 15th, 2021; released on June 29th, 2021). Challenger Pack 11 includes Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series (announced on October 5th, 2021; released on October 18th, 2021). No further DLC characters are planned to be released. As in Smash 4, further "characters" exist as alternate costumes for preexisting characters. In this game, fourteen characters have such costumes: Alph is accessible as a playable character via Olimar's alternate costumes; the seven Koopalings are available as playable characters via Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes; one of Pichu's costumes depicts the specific "Spiky-eared" Pichu variant; Alex, a Zombie, and an Enderman appear as Steve's alternate costumes; Pokémon Trainer, Wii Fit Trainer, Robin, Corrin, and Byleth each have opposite-gendered variants as alternate costumes; Pikachu possesses both an opposite-gendered variant and a costume depicting the specific "Cosplay" Pikachu variant; each of Villager's and Inkling's costumes represent different customization options for the character, including gender; the Hero has three other protagonists from across the Dragon Quest series as palette swaps; and the Ice Climbers swap the playable Ice Climber from Popo to Nana in half of their alternate costumes. Additionally, the Mii Fighters have alternate gender options depending on the created Mii used for them. However, none of these characters are treated separately in-game. Only the Original 8 characters from Super Smash Bros. and any DLC fighters that have been purchased are available from the start. Like in Smash 4, the Mii Fighters are also available via customization without needing to be unlocked traditionally but are still technically locked upon initial startup of the game. The rest of the cast must be unlocked; however, the unlocking process and conditions are much simpler than in past games. Fighters will challenge the player in ten-minute intervals after completing a basic activity, such as a battle, or by clearing Classic Mode with a prerequisite character, and can also be unlocked by being rescued in World of Light, rather than having unique unlock criteria for each character.
Bold denotes starter characters. Stages[edit]The stage selection screen in Ultimate with all downloadable stages available. With the exception of the Super Smash Bros.-original stages, all stages are ordered chronologically like the fighters are, based on their first appearances in the series (excluding the stages that were introduced in both versions of SSB4, which are listed among the stages introduced in the Wii U version). For the first time in the series, all stages are available immediately from the start, with none that need to be unlocked first. Additionally, due to 8-Player Smash no longer being a separate mode from regular Smash, all stages can be played with up to eight players, rather than just a select few as in SSB4. All stages have both a Battlefield form and Ω form. In its base game, Ultimate features 103 stages (305 if counting Battlefield forms and Ω forms separately). There is an additional stage exclusive to Training Mode, which replaces the Random Stage option on the stage selection screen for said mode. Ninety-six stages from previous games have returned overall: seven from Super Smash Bros., 19 from Super Smash Bros. Melee, 26 from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and 44 from Super Smash Bros. 4 (18 from the 3DS version, 18 from the Wii U version, and eight from both versions), with an additional seven new stages (in the base game). All returning stages from Melee, Brawl, and for 3DS were visually updated to HD, as well as for Wii U stages receiving minor touch-ups to match the game's overall visual style, though Smash 64 stages retain their primitive polygonal aesthetic for nostalgia. In update 8.1.0, another new stage was added as a free download: Small Battlefield. This update also made it possible for any Super Smash Bros.-original stages to play music from any series, instead of just music from the Super Smash Bros. series. In update 3.0.0, the Stage Builder was added as a free download, and any custom stages made with it can be selected from the "Custom" tab. Five additional new stages were added to the game as part of the paid Fighters Pass Vol. 1 DLC, bringing the total number of stages up to 109 (321 if counting Battlefield forms and Ω forms separately). An additional six new paid DLC stages released as part of Fighters Pass Vol. 2, bringing the number up to 115 (339 if Battlefield and Ω forms are counted). Each of the eleven Challenger Packs contains one of these stages, alongside their corresponding fighters and music. The eleven paid DLC stages are Mementos, Yggdrasil's Altar, Spiral Mountain, King of Fighters Stadium, Garreg Mach Monastery, Spring Stadium, Minecraft World, Northern Cave, Cloud Sea of Alrest, Mishima Dojo, and Hollow Bastion, which released alongside Joker, Hero, Banjo & Kazooie, Terry, Byleth, Min Min, Steve, Sephiroth, Pyra/Mythra, Kazuya, and Sora, respectively. Only 15 stages featured in previous games are absent from Ultimate (excluding stages exclusive to single-player modes and previous forms of Battlefield, Big Battlefield, and Final Destination). These stages are: Planet Zebes and Sector Z from Smash 64; Icicle Mountain, Mushroom Kingdom, Poké Floats and Mute City from Melee; Rumble Falls and PictoChat from Brawl; Rainbow Road and Pac-Maze from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS; and Jungle Hijinxs, Pyrosphere, Woolly World, Orbital Gate Assault, and Miiverse from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. While Flat Zone from Melee and Flat Zone 2 from Brawl are also technically absent, Flat Zone X incorporates all elements of both of these stages. The World 1-2 version of Mushroomy Kingdom is also absent, as is the grayscale version of Dream Land GB.
Development[edit]Towards the end of Super Smash Bros. 4's post-launch development, Masahiro Sakurai announced that his next project had been finalized and that he would be taking a small vacation following the completion of Smash 4's DLC content.[3] Unbeknownst to the public at the time, this next project would be the newest entry in the Super Smash Bros. series. Sakurai had been inspired to work on the next Smash Bros. game by a request from Satoru Iwata before he passed away.[4] Unlike previous Smash titles, which had their development studios built from the ground up, Bandai Namco returned to help game development. Before starting development, the team had a choice between completely overhauling the game's system and feel or working off what was established in the last game. The team ultimately went with the latter. Had the team gone with the former, the game would have likely only had a third of its characters.[5] Despite deciding to base the game on the previous installment, Sakurai still increased the overall speed of the game, but only by an amount that wouldn't be too alienating to people unfamiliar with the series.[5] Sakurai notes that he had wanted to make this change in previous titles, but was unable to because it was easy for one to lose track of their character's position on the screen, especially on the Nintendo 3DS.[5] When Sakurai had revealed to his development team that he intended to bring back every previously playable character, he was met with silence.[6] The project plan was later finished by December 16, 2015,[7][8] and development officially began in February 2016, immediately after DLC was finished for SSB4.[9] As Sakurai revealed in volume 542 of his Famitsu article, his work schedule had been cut down significantly, citing strict regulations regarding work hours.[10] Various characters had been considered to be added to the roster. Alucard was originally considered to be a playable character for Castlevania due to his recognizability before Sakurai decided to choose Simon and Richter instead as he felt they would please fans more.[11] Decidueye was also considered to be a playable character from Generation VII of Pokémon, but Sakurai picked Incineroar instead because it would be the first wrestler character in the game.[12] Due to the timing of the finalized plans for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, fighters from ARMS and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 failed to appear in the base game; in compensation, Rex, Nia, Spring Man, and Ribbon Girl had Mii Fighter costumes made based on them, with Rex's Mii costume being bundled as part of the first Fighters Pass, while Spring Man also appears as an Assist Trophy and various ARMS and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 characters appear as spirits.[13] ARMS would eventually get a playable character with Min Min as DLC in the second volume of the Fighters Pass, who was a request from ARMS director Kosuke Yabuki, after Sakurai had narrowed down potential ARMS fighters to Min Min and Ninjara (though the latter ended up being the basis for a DLC Mii Fighter costume). Xenoblade Chronicles 2 would also end up getting its own playable DLC character - Pyra/Mythra - as part of the second volume of the Fighters Pass. On March 8, 2018, what appeared to be a Splatoon trailer was revealed via a Nintendo Direct. However, the trailer then revealed itself to be a surprise announcement for a new Smash game, tentatively titled Super Smash Bros. with a release window of 2018. Without explicitly confirming the playable status of any characters, the teaser trailer hinted that the Inklings would be debuting in the game as newcomers, while also suggesting that Mario, Link, and several other series veterans would be returning. Shortly after the reveal, Sakurai explained in a tweet that he had been working on the game "in silence, day after day".[14][15] No more information was revealed until E3 2018, where an extended look into the game was livestreamed via a Nintendo Direct, with Masahiro Sakurai directing the presentation. The presentation revealed that every character from the Super Smash Bros. series, even characters that have previously been cut such as the Ice Climbers and Snake or were DLC fighters like Cloud and Bayonetta, would return to the roster as playable fighters. The presentation also highlighted several changes made to the Smash Bros. roster, such as Zelda having her look based off her A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds design. The end of this initial trailer revealed the game had the subtitle Ultimate (Special in Japan). Sakurai then took the stage and announced more information, such as certain clone characters now being designated as Echo Fighters, with a new clone fighter, Daisy, announced to be appearing under this label. The presentation ended with the reveal of Ridley from the Metroid series - long requested by fans for inclusion in the series but rebuffed by Sakurai due to his large size - being confirmed as a playable character and a released date of December 7, 2018. The following Nintendo Treehouse also included additional info about the game that was not mentioned during the presentation, such as the stage hazard toggle. Following the Nintendo Treehouse, the Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 took place on June 12th where invited professional players like MkLeo and ZeRo played Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the first time. Immediately following the presentation, the official Super Smash Bros. Ultimate website was published, and would serve as the primary source for new details about the game. The website hosted the Super Smash Blog, where information was trickled out in posts, such as trailers for veteran fighters, as well as confirmation of stages, items, and other random topics akin to the Smash Bros. DOJO, albeit with less frequent posts. The website also had a music section where a sampling of music tracks can be played. This music section accidentally leaked the inclusion of Castlevania content in-game by mislabeling the track Galaga Medley as Bloody Tears / Monster Dance with the new series logo. A Smash Ultimate-focused Nintendo Direct was then released on August 8, 2018. This direct started with a trailer that Simon and Richter are playable characters alongside the Dracula's Castle stage, the Alucard assist trophy and the Dracula boss battle. Later in the direct, Chrom and Dark Samus were revealed as echo fighters, as well as the confirmation of the returning stages and King K. Rool, the lattermost being a very popular request, as playable characters. The Nintendo Direct of September 13, 2018 revealed Isabelle from Animal Crossing would be joining the roster in conjunction with the announcement of a new Animal Crossing game for Nintendo Switch. A November 1, 2018 Direct revealed both Ken and Incineroar as the final fighters in the base roster, as well as the new Spirits mode and Adventure Mode: World of Light. The direct also announced the Fighters Pass, featuring five fighters that had been selected by Nintendo that would be added to the game with their own stages, music tracks, and spirits.[16] Piranha Plant's inclusion as an additional DLC fighter was also announced. Piranha Plant officially released on Janurary 29th, 2019 for free to all digital purchases and all players that register a physical purchase through My Nintendo before January 31st, 2019. All players that purchase the game after February 1st, 2019 would have to purchase Piranha Plant separately. During The Game Awards 2018, a trailer for what seemed like Persona 5 played, only to be a surprise announcement for Joker as Challenger Pack 1 for the Fighters Pass. Reggie Fils-Aimé then took the stage to confirm that all DLC characters will be new to the series and some will be unexpected picks. Joker received a proper trailer on April 16th, 2019, which revealed the stage Mementos, 11 music tracks, a DLC spirit board, several Mii Fighter costumes, and a collection of updates as part of version 3.0.0, including Stage Builder and Video Editor, which would be released the following day. During E3 2019, Hero from the Dragon Quest series was revealed for release in the summer; Banjo & Kazooie from the from Banjo-Kazooie series were later revealed in the same presentation for a fall release. On July 30, 2019, Sakurai himself held a presentation for Hero titled Mr. Sakurai Presents, which would be held for every future fighter. This presentation showcased Yggdrasil's Altar, 8 music tracks, a new spirit board, Mii costumes, new amiibo, and other updates for version 4.0.0, which would be released later that day. There were considerations to include Slime from Dragon Quest had Square Enix not allowed the team to use Hero.[17] Eight Dragon Quest heroes were considered as alternate costumes, but only four were finalized due to time constraints.[18] A presentation for Banjo & Kazooie was aired following the September 4, 2019 Nintendo Direct. The presentation revealed a release date of that day, Spiral Mountain, 10 music tracks (11 if MEGALOVANIA is counted), a new spirit board, Mii costumes, new amiibo, and other updates for version 5.0.0 like Home-Run Contest. That same Nintendo Direct also revealed Terry from the Fatal Fury series in addition to further DLC fighters beyond the Fighters Pass. Terry later received a presentation on November 6th, 2019, which showcased King of Fighters Stadium, 50 music tracks, a new spirit board, Mii costumes, amiibo, and other updates for version 6.0.0, released the same day. A presentation for the fighter included in Challenger Pack 5 was announced on January 14, 2020, for a premiere date on the 16th. The fighter was revealed to be Byleth from Fire Emblem:Three Houses, who would be released on January 28th, alongside Garreg Mach Monastery, 11 music tracks (12 if Floral Fury is counted), a new spirit board, and Mii costumes. The presentation also fully revealed Fighters Pass Vol. 2, which would feature six fighters, once again selected by Nintendo, in addition to stages, music tracks, and spirits. Development for Fighters Pass Vol. 2 was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic starting March 2020, forcing the developers to work remotely. The first fighter for Fighters Pass Vol. 2 was revealed to be a character from ARMS on March 26th, 2020 during a Nintendo Direct Mini. This character was revealed to be Min Min during a Mr. Sakurai Presents on June 22nd, 2020, which also revealed a release date of June 29th, Spring Stadium, 18 music tracks, a new spirit board, new amiibo, and other updates for version 8.0.0 like Rematch. Version 8.1.0 would have a surprise release on August 4th, 2020, and include several updates, most notably the introduction of Small Battlefield. A mystery presentation was announced for September 30th, 2020, and premiered on October 1st, which revealed Steve from Minecraft and a proper Mr. Sakurai Presents on October 3rd. The full presentation revealed a release date of October 13th, Minecraft World, 7 music tracks, a new spirit board, Mii costumes, and new amiibo. According to Daniel Kaplan, former Production Director for Minecraft, negotiations between Mojang Studios and Nintendo had begun somewhere during 2014/2015, during the period when SSB4 post-content development was ongoing[19][20], though said negotiations went nowhere until 2020, as Steve would join the roster as DLC. As Sakurai explained, developing Steve required immense work, having to readjust every stage to allow Steve to use his Create Block move.[21] The Game Awards 2020 revealed Sephiroth from the Final Fantasy series as a playable fighter, with further details revealed in a Mr. Sakurai Presents on December 17, 2020; this presentation revealed a release date of December 22nd, Northern Cave, 9 music tracks, a new spirit board, Mii costumes, and the Sephiroth Challenge, which was a limited-time boss battle that allowed players to receive Sephiroth as early as the day of the presentation. During the February 17th, 2021 Nintendo Direct, Pyra and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 were revealed as a 2-in-1 fighter. A presentation premiered on March 4th and revealed a release date of that day, Cloud Sea of Alrest, 16 music tracks, a new spirit board, and Mii costumes. During E3 2021, Kazuya from the Tekken series was announced as a playable fighter. A separate presentation premiered on June 28th, 2021, and revealed a release date of June 29th, Mishima Dojo, 39 music tracks (40 if Burning Town is counted), a new spirit board, Mii costumes, and new amiibo. Sakurai confirmed during this presentation that Fighters Pass Vol. 2 is the last planned Fighters Pass for the game. Fighters Pass Vol. 2 was originally going to only come with five fighters, but thanks to a chance encounter with a Disney representative and for the reason of being the most-voted character from the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot, Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series was added to Fighters Pass Vol. 2 as an additional fighter.[22] The September 23rd, 2021 Nintendo Direct announced a special presentation for the final fighter, which premiered on October 5th and revealed Sora. In the same presentation, Sakurai confirmed that Sora was the actual winner of the Fighter Ballot, aligning with the statement that Bayonetta won among "realizable and negotiable characters". Sora was released on October 18th, alongside Hollow Bastion, 9 music tracks (10 if save data for Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is present on the player's Nintendo Switch), a new spirit board, and Mii costumes, with new amiibo planned for the future. After a final update that applied character balance changes and amiibo support, active development has reportedly ceased. On November 15, 2022, Sakurai revealed portions of this game's design document in a YouTube video. According to the video, while the document was finalized on December 16, 2015, it was later revised with the final revision on November 1, 2016. The document took the form of a PowerPoint presentation, and was over 200 slides in length. Each slide had the basic format of a header for the topic of the slide, an edited image of either Smash 4, alpha builds of Ultimate and several non-Smash games, and a brief explanation of the topic and how that is portrayed in the image. Sakurai also mentioned that he did not repeat the script on the slide verbatim during presentations to avoid redundancy and boring the audience. The document was broken up into nine categories: Overview, Smash, Fighters, Visuals, Audio, Game Modes, Spirits, Online, and New Fighters. This was done to more easily locate specific slide by filtering to a single category instead of going through each slide one by one. Specific slides shown are the following:
Version history[edit]Like Smash 4 before it, Ultimate received regular update patches post-launch. The issue of unusable replays caused by gameplay altering updates persisted at launch. In version 3.0.0, players can upload replays to Shared Content, as well convert replays to a video file. Also, the feature of the game retaining old patch data to mitigate the issue was discovered with version 6.1.0. Ultimate adopts a semantic versioning system (major.minor.patch), meaning each update is categorized based on its significance. Updates that introduce new fighters and their challenger pack change the first number (i.e. version 2.0.0). Otherwise significant updates such as new content or major game mode alterations that do not have any downloadable content attached change the second number (i.e. version 2.1.0). Smaller updates that exist solely to change the game in minor ways like character balance, bug fixes or amiibo support change the third number (i.e. version 2.1.1), though the latter two haven't always been applied consistently. When a number is changed, all numbers after it are reverted back to 0 (i.e. version 3.0.0). Compared to the simple incremental system used by Smash 4, the semantic versioning used by Ultimate allows players to more easily infer the significance of any given update at a glance. The latest and apparently final update for Ultimate was version 13.0.1, which introduced support for certain amiibo and balance updates for several playable fighters. Changes from SSB4[edit]Menu and UI changes[edit]The versus splash screen for a one-on-one match between Ryu and Samus.
Game mode changes[edit]
Gameplay changes[edit]
Mobility changes[edit]
Attack changes[edit]
Aesthetic changes[edit]
Item changes[edit]
Reception[edit]
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate received universal critical acclaim from both critics and the audience, with several critics calling it the best installment in the series. They praised its large amount of content and fine-tuning of existing Smash gameplay elements, although its online mode received criticism. It was estimated that the game sold over 5 million copies worldwide within three days of release, making it the fastest selling Switch game (at the time). The game has sold 12.08 million units as of December 31st, 2018, marking it as the fastest-selling Nintendo game in history (at the time).[37] In March 2019, that number reached 13.81 million, surpassing the total number of sales for the Wii U console in just 4 months. Since then, that number has reached 29.53 million units as of September 30th, 2022[38], making it the best selling game in the series, and also making it the best selling fighting game of all time (previously held by Super Smash Bros. Brawl with 13.30 million copies). If all versions of a game are to be counted as a single entry, it would still be the best selling fighting game of all time (previously held by the combined sales of all versions of Street Fighter II with 15.5 million copies.)[39] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate currently holds an aggregate review score of 93 out of 100 on Metacritic,[33] tying it with Brawl as the highest-rated game in the series on the website, and held a score of 92.17% on GameRankings prior to its shutdown.[40] At The Game Awards 2019, Ultimate was nominated for Best Fighting Game, Best Family Game, and Game of the Year. It won Best Fighting Game, though it lost to Luigi's Mansion 3 and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, respectively, in the other two categories. In a first for the awards show, a separate, tournament-style nomination called Player's Voice allowed fans to vote on certain games that they deemed their favorite; Ultimate successfully made its way to the final round of voting, though it lost to Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Staff[edit]Gallery[edit]Logos[edit]
Fighters[edit]Artwork[edit]
Part of Smash Bros. Countdown[edit]
Splash Art[edit]
Trivia[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
How many Smash Ultimate characters including DLC?And the latest game in the series, Ultimate, has more characters than ever: A whopping 89 fighters from 43 different series.
What DLC characters will be in Smash Ultimate?DLC FIGHTERS. PIRANHA PLANT.. JOKER.. BANJO & KAZOOIE.. TERRY.. BYLETH.. MIN MIN.. STEVE / ALEX.. Who is the 11th Smash DLC character?Challenger Pack 11* is out now, adding Sora to the Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate roster of fighters. If you're interested in adding him to your lineup, there are a couple options: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters Pass Vol.
How many characters are in Smash Ultimate excluding DLC?76 Fighters in the base game. 74 if you count Pokemon Trainer as one Fighter. 69 different unique fighters, 7 Echo Fighters, 1 additional DLC Fighter Piranha Plant.
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