“Super Smash Bros” brings endless, silly fun

By Ian Rapoport
Executive Arts Editor

Sometimes life can be too serious and difficult, and it is because of this that video games like “Super Smash Bros,” which feature Pokemon and chivalric knights hurling crates at one another while balancing atop spaceships, are a godsend.

Under the guidance of series director Masahiro Sakurai, “Super Smash Bros for the Wii U” contains everything that has come to be expected of the series: ridiculous gameplay with considerable respect toward the many games that are incorporated within it. The plethora of new ways to play a game that is, at its core, so much fun, makes the newest “Smash” a mastery of everything that has made the series one of the best in the industry.

“Super Smash Bros for the Wii U” is the fifth entry in publisher Nintendo’s fighting game franchise. What makes the series unique is that the game’s roster is comprised of characters from various different video games, ranging from popular characters like Mario and Pac Man, to more niche favorites like Marth and Lucina from the “Fire Emblem” series.

The game plays out as an over-the-top sumo wrestling match, with the goal of dealing damage to other players and eventually knocking them off of the screen.

The newest entry has everything expected of a sequel: new characters, stages and game modes. The most notable additions are the option to include up to eight players in multiplayer instead of the four player limit set in previous games and the ability to customize characters, changing the moveset of each character has and even altering their in-game statistics.

At its foundation, “Smash” is solid, as its fun and silly gameplay is easy to lose hour upon hour playing. The game’s gigantic roster of 49 characters gives the gameplay a sense of constant variation, with nearly every fighter having nuanced moves that alter the way each fight plays out. This, coupled with diversity of custom fighters, makes it so that each fight feels fresh.
Even better, the game works as well as a serious, skill-based fighter as it does as an outlandish party game. Barely landing a heavy attack that sends another player soaring across the screen is always satisfying, but hurling bombs at opponents while leaping across a biplane is so ludicrous it is hard not to smile.

The game’s absurdity is at its best in the new eight-player smash mode. While having eight video game characters fight it out on screen is too chaotic to be competitive, it lends itself perfectly to the game’s silly side. The only thing funnier than four yoga instructors fighting in a crumbling castle is having eight awkwardly crammed together, rocketing back and forth between the walls and each other.

However, the thing that makes “Smash” truly special is the love it has for all kinds of video games. The many different characters from modern day big budget hits and early classics make it so that nearly anyone can pick up the game and find a character that he has some sort of connection with.

Furthermore, the game’s collectible trophies, which are small figurines with descriptions from the many different games represented in “Smash,” pleasantly supply the game with a comprehensive and witty video game history book.

“Smash” is a love letter to video games that succeeds in being a rare gem by succeeding in both quantity and quality. It is as nail-bitingly competitive as it is plain, dumb fun, making it the perfect way to spend an evening with a good group of friends.

“Super Smash Bros for the Wii U” is rated E10 and is available on the Wii U for $59.99.