Super Smash Bros. for 3DS: The biggest changes from Brawl

Above: Now, characters will only trip because you can kick their legs out from under them ... or banana peels.

Image Credit: Dual Shockers

Some of the biggest additions in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS are actually subtractions.

Specifically, the newest entry in Ninendo’s crossover fighting game series fixes a lot of annoying gameplay quirks and mechanics from Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s, the franchise’s Wii outing.

We’ve listed some of the most notable changes below so that you can prepare for Smash Bros.’s launch on the 3DS tomorrow. Of course, the Wii U version, which comes out later this year, will be mechanically identical, so this all applies for that one, too.

No more ledge-guarding

Most stages in Smash Bros. feature two ledges on the sides of the level. Players knocked off of the ground could grab on to one of these ledges as they made their way back to the level. However, in previous Smash Bros. games, opponents could preemptively grab on to the ledge themselves, preventing the other player from doing the same and sending them falling to their death.

Above: Of course, hitting someone’s hand with a giant hammer is another good to stop them from grabbing a ledge.

Image Credit: Eggplante

However, the ledge mechanics work differently in the 3DS version. Now, if you come close to a ledge that someone else is already grabbing, you simply take their place. The other player can then easily jump back on to the stage.

Of course, you still have other ways to stop a player from reaching the stage after you knock them off it. You can time a ranged attack or Smash Attack that will hit them right before they grab the ledge, or you can jump off the stage yourself and attempt to knock them further away (or to their deaths above or below) with an aerial attack.

No more tripping

Thank. God. Tripping was a bizarre mechanic in Super Smash Bros. Brawl that would cause your character to trip at random points during a battle. Once tripped, you were vulnerable to attacks. You couldn’t do anything about it but pray it wouldn’t happen to you.

Tripping was originally included to help randomize the action. Nintendo clearly didn’t like that Melee fans (those who preferred the GameCube entry in the series) were treating it like a serious fighter instead of a party-style game. Well, Nintendo’s attempt kind of worked. Tournament players largely ignored Brawl and kept playing Melee.

This time around, with stuff like Final Destination modes for every level (which turns each stage into a gimmick-less flat arena), Nintendo seems to finally be embracing the competitive potential of Smash Bros.

Above: These guys can now run safely.

Image Credit: Nintendo

No more gliding

Certain characters in Brawl, like Charizard and Meta Knight, could glide through the air when the jump button was held down. Along with their normal aerial recoveries, this pretty much guaranteed that they would make it back from any knockout hit that didn’t shoot them into oblivion.

Thankfully, gliding is gone in the 3DS version, which goes a long way toward making it feel like a much more balanced game than Brawl.

No more transforming characters

Starting in Melee with Sheik and Zelda, certain characters in Smash Bros. could transform into others with a special attack. While this gave certain roster members some impressive versatility, it also had some drawbacks. Including a transformation as a special move meant that those characters would have less attacks than others. Also, most people tended to focus on one of the transformations. You had Sheik and Zelda players, but few would regularly change between them during a battle.

Above: Sheik is solo and fabulous.

Image Credit: Nintendo

In the 3DS version, every character is a separate roster member. This is partially due to the limitations of the portable’s hardware, but it’s actually a big plus. Former transformation characters Zelda, Shiek, Samus, Zero Suit Samus, and Charizard now have complete move-sets, and they each feel like better characters than they did in Brawl.

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