Earlier this year, around the time that Kazuya was revealed as the second to last DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I penned an article about how the final piece of DLC for the game was a sad thought, Admittedly, the article read a bit more pessimistic than most because I assumed that the idea of one last piece of DLC when there’s so many potential characters to pull from would lead to community in-fighting. People have tended to be insufferable about if their favourite was or wasn’t chosen, so amplifying that with the last ever character seemed to be a recipe for disaster.
The final fighter presentation has now been and gone, with Sora from Kingdom Hearts revealed and Sakurai saying his final goodbyes to a game, and potentially a series, that himself and Sora Ltd have poured their hearts and souls into for a long time now. With Sora joining the game in a few weeks, the only issues coming out from the announcement seem to concern the fact that the Disney aspect of Kingdom Hearts is mostly missing, while the also announced Switch ports of KH are cloud versions instead of downloadable games.
As for the choice of Sora himself, everyone seems to be okay with it. For a lot of players, Sora felt like the last big get for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Even me, who doesn’t much care for Kingdom Hearts, understands the importance Sora has. In a series that borrowed and represented characters from across a wide range of sources, taking Sora from the House Adjacent To The House Of Mouse felt like a long-time coming, something that was actually confirmed by Sakurai during the presentation.
All in all then, it sounds like the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentation was a success and everyone’s happy, but for me, there’s still an element of sadness to the whole thing. Even though I don’t play Smash as often as most people, hopping online occasionally to get battered while playing as Incineroar, Ganondorf or Terry Bogard, I’ve never missed a new fighter reveal since Ultimate came out.
Smash Bros. set its stall out as early as Brawl, which introduced guest characters in the form of Solid Snake and Sonic The Hedgehog. Though Smash 4 dropped Snake, the DLC campaign for that version included the likes of Bayonetta, Ryu and Cloud, while the main roster itself also boasted Mega Man and Pac-Man. At that moment, fans likely thought Smash couldn’t get bigger, but Ultimate blew it out of the water.
When Ultimate was announced, there was an assumption that it would be a back to square one moment for the series, with beloved guest characters unfortunately removed due to licensing issues, so when the words “EVERYONE IS HERE” flashed up on screen in front of Solid Snake, Ultimate felt like a whole different beast. Bringing every character back for one big rumble meant Smash Bros. Ultimate truly lived up to its name.
Coupling that energy together with a Fighters Pass promising additional DLC characters made each reveal feel like a transcendental event. “Everyone is here,” but there’s more on the way, creating a sense of “anyone is next,” that made the whole thing sound like Goldberg in the 90s. Speaking of, why wasn’t he a guest character? Missed a trick there, Sakurai.
When a game caters to so many different kinds of people through representing their favourite characters or mascots, each piece of news feels much more monumental because of it. Even if certain franchises didn’t become fully fledged characters, it was still exciting to see them be recognised. It would have been nice to have seen Rayman, Shovel Knight, Doomguy, Dante and others become fully realised, playable characters, but seeing them as Spirits, Assist Trophies or even Mii Fighter costumes feels like a tacit acknowledgement of those franchise’s legitimacy. Above all else, those characters being featured on Smash’s big stage in any way helps a community feel seen.
A new fighter presentation was a chance for the gaming community at large to come together and see what new community would be included next. Sometimes, we’d be blown away, with entries like Banjo-Kazooie and Minecraft’s Steve feeling like they break new ground for partnerships and gaming company relations. Some offer a new chance to appreciate aspects of gaming history that traditional Smash fans might not have otherwise, like SNK’s Terry or Tekken’s Kazuya Mishima. Then, of course, you’d get a Fire Emblem character that would make people scratch their heads.
Now that the final Smash Bros. Ultimate character has been revealed and these huge, collaborative events are no more, the gaming landscape feels just that little bit darker. I mean, the flame that was the Smash Bros. logo literally became extinguished during the Sora reveal, so this isn’t just me using wanky, flowery language. Right now, there’s a genuine sense that there will never be another game like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Not even its follow-up would match up, and that’s saddening.
This isn’t to say that there aren’t genuine attempts to match the inherent crossover appeal that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate provides. Just look at a game like Fortnite, which includes characters and inspiration from not just games, but movies, TV, comic books and more. There’s so many influences and sources that the game pulls from, but it never feels like any have the same cultural impact or significance that a new Smash Bros. character does.
Whenever Fortnite adds a new collaboration or guest character as a skin, it feels almost random, like the creative team just decided one day that Tom Hardy’s version of Venom should be added to a game where Rick Sanchez can get mauled by the Predator. There’s no rhyme or reason, only culture for the sake of it. At least with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters, there’s full blown presentations and history lessons with Sakurai to help understand why the chosen character is significant. It actually feels like a labour of love, not a shameless cash-in.
Considering that Smash Bros. Ultimate is still playable and the Nintendo Switch is one of the Japanese company’s most successful consoles, Ultimate isn’t going to be going anywhere immediately. The online and competitive scene will ensure that Ultimate has a long legacy. However, years down the line, we’ll see the news that Ultimate’s servers will be deactivated, killing the game off in terms of online play.
At the end of the day, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s existence almost falls under the category of “don’t be sad it’s over, be glad it happened” because few games have shined as brightly for so many as Ultimate. Where the series goes from here, if it even goes anywhere at all, is anyone’s guess, but for now, let’s just celebrate and enjoy the fact it existed at all.
READ MORE: Ranking the Super Smash Bros. Games From Worst To Best
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