Smash esports

Guide

A Brief Background

With its origin dating all the way back to the beginning of the millennium through the first iteration and original title of Super Smash Bros., the series born since has been one of Nintendo’s few opportunities to invest in and grow an esport. The next release of Super Smash Bros Melee would strike gold in 2001 with its release on the GameCube as a bestselling title – up to this day the title is still competitively played on the GameCube!

Following this, the Nintendo exclusive series then branched out to form Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 2008 followed by the current title of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate released in 2018 on the Nintendo Switch.

The Super Smash Bros. series has been carefully engineered for competitive play and fair multiplayer, spawning a healthy community. Hence, the esport is an essential component of the FGC, fighting game community, as all four titles still seem to retain a degree of activity to this day.

How to Play

Like most first-party Nintendo titles, Super Smash Bros. has consistently proven to be incredibly transparent and understandable at its core. On this basis, the game is similar to the piano – easy to understand yet difficult to master. 

The fighting game plays on an open map – combining elements of button-mashing combos and platforming. To play the game, regardless of the game mode one must survive and remain on the platform last not by registering enough damage, but by literally kicking off the opponent/s from the platform and into the abyss. 

Damage percentage during fights may go up to 999% and the higher the figure, the more receptive a player is to being knocked out of the arena. Depending on the character, attempting to return to the arena will vary in difficulty as the effectivity of jumps and dashes relates to weight.

When it comes to fighting, each character has four variations of three attacks:

• Ground attacks
• Mid-air attacks
• Special attacks

Variations come by mixing up the input together with the directional buttons including jumping. A characteristic move of the series is the ‘Smash Attack” which may be performed as a charged attack.

Attacking, however, only forms one-third of the total strategic moves a player may perform, namely:

• Attacking
• Grabbing
• Shielding

Choosing the correct input is vital as shielding is optimal against attacking but punished by grabbing. On the other hand, attacking is superior to grabbing though stopped to a certain extent by shielding, as shielding is in fact, finite.

Besides the core fighting experience, players may make use of items which fall under certain categories:

• Battering items – used for hitting and ramming opponents such as bats and swords
• Throwing items – throwable damage such as bombs and shells
• Shooting items – guns and blasters
• Recovery items – reducing damage percentage
• Special items – rare such as Poke Balls and Smash Balls

With regards to game modes, the two most popular ones across the entire series are Time and Stock:

• Time: based on points earned by taking out opponents over a set period of time. Points will be earned by both, directly and indirectly, kicking out opponents. The side with the most points wins.
• Stock/Survival: players have a limited number of lives and the last side standing wins.
• Campaign: solo stories driven by set fights to help players learn the game better, unique to each title in the franchise
• Stadium: players may select a combination of modes to have some fun

Both of the above modes may be played as solos or teams. In competitive play, Stock/Survivor is utilized with a timer where a draw will result in Sudden Death. Apart from this, items are not available and only certain stages are played on as not all are competitively viable.

The recent title of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate also comes with other gameplay mechanics which have been warmly received by the community such as dash-dancing and directional air-dodging.

Lastly, the playable characters are central to the competitive series. Unlike any other esport in the fighting-game community, the size of the roster is incomparable as the tally rises up to 83. Characters include both Nintendo and non-Nintendo characters, though not all are present in each individual title.

Depending on your playstyle, one will have to settle for a certain archetype:

• All-Rounder
• Rushdown
• Pressurer
• Hit & Run
• Mix-Up
• Zone-Breaker
• Dominating 
• Footsies
• Glass Cannon
• Tag Team 
• Zoner
• Bait & Punish
• Trapper
• Turtle
• Keep Away
• Stage Control 
• Half-Grappler
• Dynamic 
• Aura
• Precision

Bearing in mind this exhaustive list, the possibilities within a match-up are seemingly endless. Therefore, a massive sense of preparation and strategy is involved once you’ve refined the core mechanics. Super Smash Bros as a series has been perfected for esports and a great viewership experience.

How to Watch

The most recent iteration that of Smash Ultimate is the best-selling title in the history of fighting games. It is a staple of the yearly EVO, often receiving the most viewership with a registered 279,000 for the latter portion of the competition. Besides EVO, a plethora of third-party events are held each month with respectable viewership and prize pools.

Nintendo has also shown support through the Smash World Tour exclusively for Ultimate and Melee titles with $250,000 prize pools. The international tournament series will include multiple venues across the entire world in order to crown a World Champion. By earning points at the number of events, professional players have the opportunity to qualify for the SWT Championships held in December where the title will be given.

Apart from LAN connection, Nintendo has managed to rework the online connection to allow for the best connectivity out of any FGC title, making online events more legitimate and reliable.

Either or will offer intense, visceral gameplay cast over by analytical commentary behind an electric crowd.

To view competitive Super Smash Bros. the following links are available:

• https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Super%20Smash%20Bros. – Super Smash Bros. Twitch Page
• https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Super%20Smash%20Bros.%20Melee – Super Smash Bros. Melee Twitch Page
• https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Super%20Smash%20Bros.%20Ultimate – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Twitch Page

There are currently rumours of a sixth and final instalment to the series which looks to offer its own quirks. That’s what is truly unique about competitive Super Smash Bros. – each title has a unique playstyle and character roster, while they all refuse to age.