Classic mode, meanwhile, consists of themed challenges for every single fighter Ryu’s, for instance, is a wholesale pastiche of Street Fighter II complete with flat stages and 1v1 stamina fights. There’s enjoyment to be had just from trying to figure out the game’s plentiful in-jokes. It’s a fantastic marriage of various systems that have come before in Smash Bros history (for example, in event matches and Smash Run’s collectible power-ups), alongside creative references ranging from Ubisoft’s Rayman to fan-favourite DS rhythm game Ouendan to the Japan-only Famicom-era Urban Champion and everything in between. (A match themed after boulder Pokémon Geodude starred four grey Kirbies who wouldn’t stop turning into rocks.) Matches can be over in 10 seconds flat or turn into gruelling but ultimately satisfying trials against powerful foes. The single-player mode, World of Light, sets you up against hilariously unfair opponents by augmenting your character with ludicrous power-ups, under all manner of bizarre conditions.
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The soundtrack is stuffed full of recognisable tunes and high quality remixes from all over – the Castlevania collection is simply astounding. It’s an electric, bombastic presentation all around, with fights punctuated by dramatic camerawork and sudden freeze-frames when a risky strike hits home and opponents rocket into the sky in a puff of smoke and particles. Ultimate has its fair share of smaller-scale adjustments for competitive players, including a modified perfect shield mechanic, but even at beginner level the game just feels responsive and precise, no matter which character you pick. Couch multiplayer remains the most raucous and often hilarious of modes – shouts of “what just happened?” are not uncommon – but even when playing alone, the loop of split-second analysis followed by instantaneous action keeps you enthralled. Spacing and positioning are paramount, as is the ability to predict an opponent’s next moves and movements. A match of Smash is the kind of thrilling, barely controlled chaos that feels like you’re dancing on quicksand. Smash’s fairly basic goal – build up damage on opponents to launch them off the stage – belies the depth and complexity underneath.
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A palpable love of video games infuses everything, and tributes and references to their colourful history are omnipresent, from iconic and world-famous series to esoteric games that you thought nobody else even remembered. In the 70-odd-strong fighter roster, Nintendo heroes such as Mario, Splatoon’s Inklings and Pikachu stand alongside outsiders such as Castlevania’s Simon Belmont and Final Fantasy’s Cloud. But Smash Bros Ultimate takes things to a maximalist extreme. T here’s magic to the concept of the crossover, when strange worlds collide and wildly disparate characters meet, which Nintendo has often leveraged by bringing its various mascots together to engage in mortal combat (or occasionally go-karting).