During today’s Super Smash Bros. Wii U Direct, Nintendo detailed over 50 features for the upcoming game. Many have been rumored and leaked, but we finally have the definitive details on what’s to come when Super Smash Bros. Wii U arrives on November 21. If you missed today’s live stream, we’ve compiled a summary of the major announcements below.
First off, Super Smash Bros. Wii U players will get to enjoy 40 characters right from the start, giving more variety for those that did not unlock any characters on the 3DS version first. Nintendo also confirmed that there will be an eight-player Smash Mode along with larger maps to accompany the greater number of fighters on the screen at the same time. In addition, Super Smash Bros. Wii U will also feature certain maps with dual-plane battling, where players can fight either in the foreground or the background of the maps. One of the examples shown during the Super Smash Bros. Wii U Direct was a Donkey Kong Country stage where fighters could blast from the foreground to the background and vice-versa through barrels. Later on, Nintendo will also add a Miiverse stage where it’ll gather Miiverse posts and drawings for each fighter, displaying it on the stage.
Super Smash Bros. Wii U will also have a plethora of game modes including the return of Coin Battles and Stamina Battles, which uses a more traditional hit points system. There will also be a Special Smash Mode that lets players change the rules around as much as they’d like – best of all, the outcome of the matches won’t affect records. The company also spotlighted the extensive soundtrack that will be in the game and players will be able to collect CDs while playing in order to add songs to their libraries. You’ll also be able to adjust the frequency that those songs are played within the game.
If you’re a fan of co-op play, Super Smash Bros. Wii U has plenty for you. Two players will be able to tackle Classic Mode together as well as Trophy Rush Mode. All Star Mode will also have co-op play available, where players will fight through all the fighters of classic games with limited healing items. Unlike the 3DS version however, players will engage the newer fighters first as they work their way to older fighters.
The Super Smash Bros. Wii U Direct also revealed Smash Tour Mode, a new mode that is similar to a board game and allows four players to play at once. As players advance through the board, they can pick up fighters for battling as well as items and power ups. If two players land on the same spot, a battle will take place. Players can even steal fighters from their lineup in preparation for the final battle. It’s somewhat similar to the Smash Run mode on the 3DS version of the game, but created with multiplayer in mind. The final battle is called a Stock Battle, where players will run through their inventory of fighters to crown a winner.
Other tidbits revealed during the event include a Photo Studio mode and the ability to draw on those photos with the Wii U gamepad. Players will also be able to share those photos online at a later date. Similar to Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. Wii U will also support Tourneys and 64-player Tournaments, though they will come after launch once the community is more established. As for voice chat while playing online, players won’t be able to communicate with one another while inside a match, but will be able to use the Wii U Gamepad’s microphone to speak in the lobby.
Perhaps the biggest announcement made during the event was the reveal of a Stage Designer for players to create their own stages to battle in. Players will be able to choose from five themes and any music they’d like, with the ability to share stages coming at a later date. Lastly, Nintendo revealed that Mewtwo is in the works and will be a free download for those that purchased both the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game. Mewtwo is still in development however and will debut in Spring 2015.
