I have a lot to talk about, so let’s get right into it.
THE STAGES
One of the defining features of Smash is the number of stages taking inspiration from the various franchises represented in the roster. Ever since Smash 64, we’ve had stages of all kinds. And, to be fair, a great stage can add a little something extra to a battle. A bad stage is the kind where too much goes on at once, to the point where you’re left wondering if it isn’t the stage trying to kill the players, rather than players killing each other.
An ever-changing stage, inspired by a software on a past console? Sure. |
Just like fighters, there’s a handful of DLC stages; those are the same for both versions, and three of those are from the very first Smash game. Both versions also include a couple stages from both Melee and Brawl. We have classics such as Battlefield and Final Destination, and most franchises get decent representation as well.
Here’s my gripe with Smash 4’s stages, however: Save for a handful of exceptions, almost every stage has gimmicks. Wouldn’t be so bad, you’d think; a lot of past stages from Smash 64 to Brawl had gimmicks. However, they went really overboard this time. In addition to the usual (platforms and obstacles passing by or moving around), the devs at Sora Ltd. have included scrolling stages, constantly-changing stages, stage bosses, NPCs or extra effects. New stages with a restrained number of gimmicks are the exception, not the rule. Even stages returning from past Smash games aren't safe from this. Thankfully, some new stages are pretty restrained as far as gimmicks go.
3D Land changes a lot throughout - so many hazards all over. |
Did I say that I hate Yellow Devil yet? 'Cause I do. I fucking hate Yellow Devil. |
Some stages have fun extra effects, though; Golden Plains sees a fighter turn golden if they collect 100 coins, and fighters can play along killing birds in Duck Hunt. I’ll also always enjoy the microgames popping up in the WarioWare, Inc. stage.
No Items! Fox Only! Omega Version! |
So, a lot of good stage ideas, many awesome winks to franchises (first- or third-party), I just wished they had shown some restraint on stage hazards as these can really take over the fight and take away the enjoyment. There is such a thing as "too much".
STREETSMASH
Gonna go over this one quickly. Like a lot of 3DS games, Smash has functionalities that tie in with the StreetPass software installed on the console. StreetPass allows players carrying their console around to “meet” other players’ Miis, adding them to a sort of “people you know” list. Smash 3DS took that idea and created a mini-game out of it. You and up to 11 other players can participate to a sort of Token Smash. The characters are tokens, they can move around the board and attack the other players’ tokens. Like Smash moves in regular battles, it’s possible to charge up an attack that will then knock opponent tokens further away. The goal is simple: Knock all of the other tokens off the board, into the surrounding pits. Of course, you need to build up to having 2 to 12 players at once on the board by going out and meeting people. And once the match is over, well, gotta meet people again in order to play some more.
In short:
-It’s a sweet little mini-game, though its relevance to the series is pretty limited.
-It’s the fastest way of making money (since in-game currency is required to buy trophies, play Trophy Rush or increase the difficulty of the Classic Mode), but only when playing against opponents met on StreetPass.
-There’s a Training mode allowing you to play without meeting people, though while it does give a few coins, it’s not nearly as much as when playing against other people met through StreetPass.
-You can edit your profile (have a message for other players, and pick a fighter to represent your token), view your statistics, or play a Tutorial to learn the game.
CHALLENGES
Image taken from this video. |
The Challenges are split in 3 sets of 35 boxes, totaling 105.
- The first box has very easy, introductory challenges (example: Beat Classic once; use a character’s Final Smash; play any mode a first time);
- The second one has intermediate challenges (example: Unlock all characters; inflict 100 K.O.s; Beat Mode X with 5 characters);
- And the last one has the challenges that are either difficult, tedious or time-consuming (example: Beat Mode X with all characters).
I want to do this! What is their secret? |
I can once again imagine why the Challenges were made that way; splitting challenges by difficulty does make it easier to figure out what you can complete at one point of the game and what you can’t. I wished it was quicker to unlock the later sets, however.
SMASH RUN
After everyone spoiled the Heck out of Brawl’s “The Subspace Emissary”, Masahiro Sakurai expressed his opinion against creating another complex story or Adventure Mode for Smash 4, since it would just be spoiled once again by players. (As “World of Light” can attest, he would eventually go back on his word.)
Gotta pick every single boost! |
Enemies from all franchises are in there - even Mega Man! |
So our stats have changed - alright, but does it make a difference in the long run? |
Also of note, items have weight and each character has a maximum amount of weight they can wear, and so all characters have different carrying capacities. |
Speaking of, customization is an option in every mode of the game, but it’s rarely as impactful as it is here – it’s all about gathering the most stat boosts, so you can choose to start Smash Run with a character already equipped with items that change its base stats. You’re encouraged to customize your characters with pieces of equipment before going through Smash Run, since some of these items are additional powers that can be activated. These items will otherwise only affect the fighter’s attack, defense and speed, increasing a stat and decreasing another.
To conclude, as a replacement for an Adventure Mode, this could have been a somewhat decent idea. Shorter, simpler, not at all lacking in references to the franchises of Nintendo. However, it’s got so many problems I can only play it with gritted teeth. Overwhelming swarms of enemies, many of which are either very strong, cumbersome, or have special attributes; completely random boost drops; completely random final battle; said final battle is frequently too short to really declare a winner outside of Sudden Death; I could go on and on, picking examples from my own playthrough. It could have been so much better with a couple tweaks to gameplay here or there, removing some annoyances, that sort of thing. But hey, it could have been worse – I keep hearing that Smash Tour, in the Wii U version, is even more despised!
In Part 3, the "Games & More": Classic, All-Stars. Stadium, Customization and Vault. ->
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