Hello there. Well, it's been three weeks since I got the latest iteration of Super Smash Bros.. I think now would be a good time to finish off my thoughts of the game as a whole. Let's begin with the story mode.
The World of Light is marketed as the single-player campaign of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, designed to take advantage of the newly introduced Spirits.
After a beautiful opening cutscene, you are thrusted right in the overworld map, where you start with Kirby and must try to awaken fighters imprisoned by Galeem (and eventually Dharkon), all while competing in Spirit battles.
The Spirit battles are quite creative; most of them give a nice simulation of fighting the character represented. I like how the AI is modified here.
Honestly, though...World of Light is one of my least favorite campaigns in Smash. Though the battles are fun, they get repetitive quick. Granted, this mode is better done in short bursts, but even so, the pacing of World of Light is awkward...
Now, there are some things this mode has going for it. Again, the Spirit fights are well-designed. The Easter eggs in the world map are neat; I especially dig some of the sub-areas, like Kongo Jungle or the Street Fighter World Tour. I also believe that the World of Light works for the setup of the Nintendo Switch, where you can play a few rounds, take a break, then come back again when you want.
Many debate on whether this mode is better than Subspace Emissary. For me, I like it a bit more than SSE. While Subspace has a lot more cutscenes and platforming, World of Light feels more fun moment-by-moment. Plus, you get to change your character's color and the right Spirits and Skill Tree powers can give you a good boost.
I will finish World of Light eventually.
Pros and Cons
To finish up this mini-review of Smash Ultimate, I will start off with the cons.
The World of Light mode is not my preferred kind of campaign in Smash. In all fairness, I didn't think the mode would wow me to begin with, but it's a bit better than expected. However, I honestly prefer the more straightforward platforming of Melee's Adventure Mode or Smash 3DS' Smash Run. Heck, I even like Smash Tour more, which is a triggering opinion, to be sure...
As for Spirits in general, they are cute, but...I prefer trophies. I know that Masahiro Sakurai pointed out how difficult they were to make, but I love looking at a fully-rendered model of a character or object with a few sentences of text. It felt as if I was enjoying a Nintendo museum of sorts. Now, that's not to say that Spirits entirely suck; the quality of each artwork or sprite is beautiful, and the way they actively help you in-game is neat.
This is a common complaint thrown around; Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has little modes beyond fighting. To be fair, I it that it's a bit disappointing that the Ultimate Smash game is devoid of other fun side distractions like Home-Run Contest, Break the Targets, Race to the Finish, and so on. That said, I imagine that some DLC will address much of these complaints and make this game feel more complete for the casual Smash fan. All I wish to see is an HD, multiplayer and online Smash Run sometime next year...
Moving past that, there are things that SSBU does right.
The fact that absolutely Everyone is Here is a major selling point. I can't stress enough how cool it is to see every single fighter from the past in this one game alone. While many veterans received some changes here and there, most feel as fun as they always do, and that makes me, a casual player, quite happy.
Likewise, the sheer number of stages is insane. Yes, there are only four new stages (with New Donk City Hall as my favorite), but with so many of them being brought back in gorgeous HD, it's staggering, to say the least. Plus, every arena has a Battlefield and Final Destination form for more serious players. You can also turn off stage hazards if you want.
Finally, I would like to praise the feel of this game. It's notably faster than SSB4, and I like the new Special and Final Zoom effects. The knockback also feels nice, and I appreciate that Final Smashes are consistently designed to be straight to the point. Incidentally, I prefer to use the Smash Ball, but the Final Smash Meter is an okay alternative.
If I were to give this game a ranking, it would be an 8/10. A great celebration of every single fighter and most stages and a must-have for the Nintendo Switch. It could use a few extra modes, but I honestly don't hate this game.
...That being said, I will take a break from SSBU for a little while; I would like to catch up on some Mario games on the GameCube and Wii.
Thanks for reading!
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