[dropcap size=small]S[/dropcap]uper Smash Brothers has long been one of my favorite and most beloved franchises. No shock there, I’m sure the same goes for many of you. This morning I was lucky enough to grab a code to download the Super Smash Bros demo for the 3DS (the demo will be a available for everyone next week). After charging my 3DS up (I haven’t played it since I beat Pokemon X) and a short download, I found myself on the menu screen and a huge grin on my face.
The Demo is a stripped-down version of the game, offering five playable characters: Mario, Link, Pikachu, and new comers Mega Man and The Villager. There is one playable level and matches are only available in the 2 minute variety— so sadly no, stock option is not available.
I was pleasantly surprised with how slick and smooth the gameplay was. I was worried that the 3DS wouldn’t be able to handle the fast fight sequences. There wasn’t any lag or drop in frame rate, even when switching to 3D.
There’s no real change to the old characters, though Link felt a little slower than his Brawl counterpart. I think Mega Man is going to be a great addition, with a large array of strong smash attacks. I didn’t care much for The Villager, Nintendo didn’t seem to put a lot of effort into his move set, probably just piggy-backing on the success of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Players seemed to fly off the map with slightly less damage than Brawl, and much less than Melee. For some reason, there’s no shield in the demo—I can’t imagine they would leave it out of the full game. It’s great to see so many characters. I’m excited to sample all of them when the full version of the game releases.
I thought the graphics could have been a tad better, but after playing it you can see why they opted to go with cell-shaded graphics, it just seems to make sense on the handheld.
Final Thoughts
After all these years and countless hours of playing Super Smash, it felt great holding it in my hands and left me excited knowing I’ll be able to take it anywhere I want. My biggest (and only) concern is online play. The idea of fighting with other players from around the world is so awesome, but if Nintendo doesn’t execute it well, it could be its downfall.
Super Smash Bros for the 3DS will be available on October 3.
