Review: ‘Super Smash Bros. for Wii U’ Is a Beautiful Beatdown
Expert dinosaur dodger Jeff Goldblum might have some compelling theories about chaos, but fire up Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and his spiel about unpredictability and water droplets and butterflies sounds positively quaint.
If you want to watch chaos in action, try an eight-player Smash Bros. brawl. Mascot limbs everywhere! Is that a hat? Punch it! Look out, fireball! Duck that Donkey Kong uppercut, open a Pokeball, kick Kirby in his fat face, grab a laser gun, carom off the Wii Fit Trainer, roundhouse for the win. No butterflies were harmed in the making of this chaotic masterpiece.
Nintendo pinned a lot of hope — and hype — on the big brother to its successful 3DS Super Smash Bros., and for good reason: This is a system-selling, laugh-out-loud riot of a fighting game, and one that anyone can enjoy.
(Note: The following gameplay review has been adapted from our Super Smash Bros. for 3DS review.)
Super Smash Bros. got its start 15 years ago on the N64, and while it’s evolved a bit over the years, the basics remain unchanged: Famous video-game characters duke it out on hilarious, game-themed levels using their fists, feet, and all sorts of crazy weapons. But where most fighting games require complicated inputs and ridiculous reflexes, Super Smash Bros. boils it all down to a couple of buttons and a few directions. The result is a manic, fast-paced slugfest that doesn’t require an advanced degree in Street Fighter II to get into.
Like its kid brother on the 3DS, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U stars a whopping 49 playable characters, the largest roster in franchise history. It’s a who’s who of famous faces, from Nintendo icons like Mario, Link, and Donkey Kong to Pac-Man, Mega Man, and even longtime Mario rival Sonic the Hedgehog. Heck, the dog from Duck Hunt is in here. The character list is staggeringly cool, particularly if you’re a fan of Nintendo’s past.
Just like the 3DS version, you can also create your own fighter using a Wii U “Mii” avatar. You’ll choose one of three archetypes (brawler, swordsman, or gunner), but that’s just the start. Over the course of playing through the game’s many modes, you’ll earn items and abilities that will turn your bobble-headed familiar into a lethal kung-fu madman. It’s a role-playing game crammed into a fighter.
The Wii U version’s biggest calling card — that gloriously insane eight-player mode — takes a little extra oomph to get running. You’ll need a ton of controllers, obviously, but Nintendo actually gives you plenty of options here. Pile that many players together in one room (heck, even five or six will do) and it’s just one of the most deliriously fun multiplayer experiences available right now.
Even if you aren’t planning that sort of party, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U delivers. It’s overflowing with modes, from the main Smash Mode to the Wii U-exclusive Smash Tour, a board game for up to four players. As you move around the board, your Mii collects characters and power-ups in an effort to amass a potent enough roster to win one final battle. It’s clever, bizarre, and just random enough to keep everyone on his toes.
Regardless of how you choose to play, you’ll be gobsmacked by the river of nostalgia running through Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. You and your buddy will bash each other while standing on the fuselage of Starfox’s Arwing ship, riding on a train from The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and sitting in the living room from Nintendogs. A level based on Nintendo’s artsy chat program PictoChat actually draws itself in while you play. You’ll wield a sword made of Super Mario fireballs and capture enemies with the help of a Galaga alien. Smash director Masahiro Sakurai and his team clearly had fun making this game. Their fondness for the subject matter is infectious.
And their skill at building a gorgeous video game is unmatched. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is a beautifully polished game bursting with vivid colors and flashy effects. All that sizzle can make it tough to keep an eye on your character (particularly in that zany eight-player mode), but the game doesn’t chug under duress. It’s smooth all the way through.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is also the first game to be compatible with Nintendo’s amiibo action figures. These unlock computer-controlled “partner” versions of in-game characters; a Mario amiibo unlocks a special Mario, a Link unlocks Link, and so on. Unlike similar systems in Skylanders and Disney Infinity, you don’t directly control amiibo characters, though you can level them up by including them in matches as either partners or enemies. That data is saved to the action figure, essentially letting players build up an army of high-powered Super Smash characters.
It’s a bit of an odd fit, to be honest, and I reckon the real value of amiibos will be uncovered as more and more games find interesting ways to support them. At any rate, you can play Super Smash Bros. for Wii U just fine without them.
Making it all sing is that gloriously simplified control scheme, though this is also where the game loses some of its steam. Take away its many bells and whistles, and you’re left with a core that hasn’t changed much in the past decade. Like Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U doesn’t deliver a terribly new experience so much as a lovingly crafted one.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is a sensory assault, a grab bag of Nintendo lore, and a flat-out fun fighting game. It’s a must-have for Wii U owners of any age. Chaos rules.
What’s Hot: Tons of characters; nostalgia galore; eight-player insanity; looks and plays great
What’s Not: Amiibo integration isn’t great; less reinvention than refinement
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