So, a little-known game came out recently. Let’s see if the newest entry of the Super Smash Bros. franchise lives up to the hype.

EvilBob: Good God, this game is just sooo amazing! It has everything I want in it. It’s the best game eve-

Ry: I’m gonna stop you right there.

EvilBob: Bro? Since when did you start writing for us?

Ry: When I read your last game review… It was haphazard at best.

EvilBob: What?

Ry: Sit down and shut up. I’m gonna show you how it’s done.

EvilBob: Yes sir? Wait, you’re not my boss. That’s-

Ry: Now that that’s settled… Hello everyone, I’m Bob’s …

EvilBob: He’s my younger brother.

Ry: He means twin brother. Three minutes isn’t long enough to be counted as older.

Bob: Says the younger brother.

Ry: To quote Voyager… Shut up.

EvilBob: Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be. Alright, challenge accepted.

Ry: Okay, back to the topic at hand. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is finally here. To celebrate its release I’m going to rip it apart through the principles of game design.

EvilBob: Nerd!

Ry: That’s it. You’re muted.

EvilBob: —–

Ry: I’ll be grading each part on a one-to-ten scale. One meaning it needs a lot of work and ten being perfect or close to it. With that out of the way, let’s continue.

Controls

Ry: First up let’s talk about the controls. They’ve pretty much remained the same for the entire series with minor changes that improve how each new game handles. You can use a variety of controllers so no one should feel left out.

EvilBob: —–

Ry: If you’re gonna cry about it. Fine, you’re unmuted.

EvilBob: Thank you. Don’t worry I won’t tell Voyager that you’re bullying me.

Ry: Fool! Who do you think gave me the mute button?

EvilBob: …That does sound like something he’d do… Anyway, there are five officially compatible control schemes. The handheld mode which plays a lot smoother than the 3DS version ever did. Single Joycons are also an option but we have big hands so we haven’t tried that one yet. And my favorite – dual Joycons.

Ry: There’s also my favorite, the Pro controller – and, of course, the classic Gamecube controller that Voyager may or may not prefer. It’s still considered to be the best way to play the game by a majority of the community.

EvilBob: I’d say it’s about as Evil as–

Ry: Stop right there, boy! This isn’t one of your lousy recaps. This is a game review.

EvilBob: Oh yeah? Well… you’re mean!

Ry: …Reminder. He’s the “older” brother. Anyway, the simplicity of the controls makes it approachable by fans new and old, giving the controls a perfect score of 10.

Art and Music

EvilBob: So, how are you going to rate this? Nintendo always has great music.

Ry: Mute button.

EvilBob: I hate you.

Ry: Anyway, with its gorgeous HD graphics and music library consisting of something past 1,000 songs from various series, the art and music also it get a perfect 10.

EvilBob: Wow, shocker.

Ry: Muted.

EvilBob: —–

Ry: Huh? What’s that? I can’t read your muted text.

Classic & Multiplayer

EvilBob: —–

Ry: So you’ve had two strikes so far. I’ll unmute you this one last time but if you interrupt me again, it’s over for you.

EvilBob: You’re mad with power, aren’t you?

Ry: Careful Bob, the urge to mute you again is growing.

EvilBob: Remind me again who actually owns the Switch?

Ry: …Back on topic, Classic mode and multiplayer both start with a roster of 8 characters. The same 8 that were the starting roster for the first Smash Bros. game, way back on the N64.

EvilBob: Kirby all the way! He’s back with all the pink squishiness that he’s known for. And he’s still sooo adorable, I can’t stop playing as him! I’ll beat this entire game with Kirby. He shall rule over all things!

Ry: …Okaaay.

Difficulty

Ry: The difficulty in Classic mode is decided at the start by the player. It should be noted, however, that it will automatically get harder or easier depending on how good the player does in battle and on how many times the player chooses to continue with gold. This can be averted with the use of Smash Tickets.

EvilBob: Also there’s a nice mural that gets revealed the higher your intensity level is. It’s a thing carried over from the newer iterations but it’s a nice touch for those looking for a challenge.

Ry: Meanwhile, in Smash mode, the only real challenge I had was unlocking the challengers.

EvilBob: Wait, I was your opponent in Smash mode.

Ry: Exactly.

EvilBob: …

Ry: Anyway, the difficulty gets a 9. And that’s simply because some of those fighters are very annoying to unlock.

Rewards

Ry: The rewards for playing both of these modes are primarily the same as unlocking of the rest of the 74 fighters with some spirits from classic mode. The rewards get a 10.

World of Light

EvilBob: We finally got another story mode! I’m so happy right now!

Ry: Yes we did. But does it live up to Subspace Emissary?

EvilBob: I mean… it’s bigger. There are a lot more things to do in it. And they took out the platforming element. Although I liked that part from the last one, there are some that thought it wasn’t all that great.

Ry: So, the story is about some invading force coming into the world of smash…

EvilBob: To be fair it doesn’t have to be original to be good. While the premise might seem similar to Brawl’s, it is drastically different.

Ry: Galeem – the villain at this point – basically one-shots all but one hero on his entry to the world.

EvilBob: And the survivor is none other than the master of the universe himself-

Ry: He-Man’s in this?

EvilBob: …Kirby. After the intro, you’re tasked with freeing all the fighters and spirits Galeem has drafted into his army. Well… kinda. He actually preserved and cloned them and… y’know what? It’s weird. Nevermind.

Ry: Most of these battles have special conditions like – quite literally – “the floor is lava.” Some of which get really annoying, like the one in the picture below.

EvilBob: Oh yeah, I remember this one. It took him over 20 tries to defeat it. He even rage quit! It was awesome. Don’t worry bro it could be much worse, it could be RNG.

Ry: How far into the World of Light are you, again?

EvilBob: …Shut up, Ry.

Ry: Overall I’d give it an 8.

Story Rewards

Ry: The Rewards for this mode are as follows; a New Game+ that lets you get sweet revenge on so many battles, unlocking all the fighters and a crap load of spirits.

EvilBob: And while we’re on the subject of the fighters, this is the easiest way to get them so far. It’s the slowest method, but the spirits make the battles sooo much easier. Oh and there’s a level-up system for the player too.

Ry: I’d give the rewards a 10.

Final Overview

Ry: So, in all, this game averages out at a score of 9.25 out of ten. It’s an excellent example of a game truly designed for its fans.

EvilBob: So, do you think it lives up to the hype?

Ry: On a personal note, yes. I believe it does.

EvilBob: Well it looks like that’s all we have for you today. Thanks for letting us waste your time.

Ry: Keep It Classy.

EvilBob: Hey, that’s my line.