In a recent Nintendo Direct it was casually confirmed that there will be a Super Smash Bros. game released for the Switch later this year. Other than the newcomer Inklings, and a few no-brainer veterans returning, we know basically nothing about the title. We honestly have no reason to expect more than an enhanced port (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe) or a sequel that is built on the groundwork and assets from the previous game (Splatoon 2).
Having said all that, the best thing about a new Smash game is the wild speculating we can do before it releases! What new challengers will approach? What stages will return? Will it have competent online?
Well, we're not immune to Super Smash Bros. speculation hype so here's a list of things we'd LOVE to see!
The character roster for the Wii U/3DS game is fantastic and honestly, the best playable cast one could realistically hope for.
Because of that, it'd be tough to see any of the characters get cut (OK, maybe the clones). If that happened, the new game would feel a bit like a step-down.
Now we understand the legal challenges in keeping some of the characters Nintendo doesn't own, so we can see the likes of Cloud and Mega Man not returning. But even without them, that last roster would be an AMAZING cast to start with.
It's well known that there were certain constraints placed on the developers of Smash Wii U/3DS because of the hardware limitations of the 3DS. This caused characters who formerly had transformations to be separated and the complete loss of the Ice Climbers.
Well, developing a singular title for more powerful hardware should remove these limitations, allowing for the Ice Climbers and transforming characters to return! While we think the climbers are shoe-ins for a comeback, returning transforming characters are a bit of a toss-up. Now that they are separated, you have to admit they are stronger this way. Zelda and Shiek, for example, are now balanced as full characters, instead of complementary parts of a single fighter. They may not be able to put this genie back in its bottle, and it could be argued that they shouldn't.
Now that Charizard is his own 'mon, instead of a trainer's, he'll probably stay that way. However, that doesn't mean we can't have a new Pokemon Trainer! We might see one who uses the starter Pokemon from Sun/Moon or even from the new Switch entry in the Pokemon series!
Who knows what other kinds of characters we can have now without the 3DS holding Smash back!
Did anyone play Smash Tour? No? Well, in it you collected playable characters in a board game-like experience and then each fighter you collected would be used as a stock in a fight. After you lost as one character you would respawn as the next.
It was a really cool idea attached to a really boring mode. We'd love to see it as it's own game type we could just select. Who wouldn't want to take a team of five characters into battle?
While it'd be AMAZING to get a new full-fledged "story" mode like Subspace Emissary again, we'd be happy with something akin to Melee's Adventure Mode.
Having a small stage evocative of the franchises represented is a great idea! It brings the flavors of all your favorite games to one experience! Kinda like putting all your favorite toppings on a pizza. And who doesn't love pizza?
Smash Run from 3DS was a great idea, executed poorly. The idea of players running through a large map, filled with enemies from Nintendo games, collecting power-ups to beef up their character's stats, and then using these broken new characters to fight each other is fantastic on paper. The trouble is, it was a lonely, unfulfilling experience. There was no way players could interact with one another on the map. Then you'd have a random, sometimes INCREDIBLY short, challenge at the end.
Being able to have each player use their own Switch screen while playing together on the map would go a long way to improving this mode. Also, having some say in the challenge at the end, or at least knowing what it will be from the beginning. This could be a great party mode and a fun, new way to play the game.
As fun as stage hazards and bosses can be, sometimes you just don't want the Yellow Devil to take over the stage.
We can customize so many elements of a Smash Bros. match, it seems silly that we can't toggle these on and off as well. Smash for Wii U would even remove them if you had more than four players at once anyway. Why not just give us that power too?
There's no reason to think a lot of stages from Smash Wii U won't return, but it would be amazing to see some of the 3DS stages in HD! Pac-Maze, Magicant, and Mute City immediately spring to mind.
But there are plenty of stages from other games that would be awesome to see return.
Saffron City, Mushroom Kingdom, Great Bay, Fountain of Dreams, and even Poke Floats would be cool to see return! Also a lot of stages from Brawl seem to have been carried forward, and that's great! There have been a ton of fun and memorable stages in the series! It'd be a shame not to see them return.
While old stages are great, new ones are even better!
Surely we will see something from Breath of the Wild. Maybe the Great Plateau, Ganon's Castle, or maybe we battle on, or in, one of the Divine Beasts. Likewise, we will probably see something from Super Mario Odyssey. Either a traveling stage where the Odyssey brings you to multiple kingdoms or at the very least a New Donk City stage. Inkopolis Square would be fun to smash in. It'd be even more fun if we got performances by Callie and Marie during Splatfests!
They don't have have to have a playable character either! The mysterous island setting from StarTropics would be a great backdrop. A Rhythm Heaven stage that has some rhythmic timing gimmick would be awesome. A shifting maze from Devil World would really keep players on their toes. So the door is really wide open to having fun stages.
Now for what really matters in a Smash game: The Characters! These characters are a part of Nintendo series. They serve both as credible predictions, along with being personal favorites!
Dixie Kong/King K. Rool: We're due for another Donkey Kong Country fighter and both of these characters fill different roles we're lacking in the Smash roster. Big, powerful villains with K. Rool and fast, floaty females with Dixie.
Takamaru: From Zelda's sister title in Japan, Mysterious Castle Masamune, he would serve as this games random old-school representative.
New Zelda Character: This one can be a bit of a toss-up. One of the Champions from Breath of the Wild, Midna, Skull Kid, Impa, or someone a little more obscure like Malon. Hyrule Warriors proved that just about any character from the franchise could work. Personally, we'd like to see Ganon in his classic pig wizard form return.
Spring Man/Ribbon GIrl: Let's face it, since the Inklings from Splatoon are in this game, the next obvious new Nintendo characters to add would be one of the two main combatants from ARMS. Not sure how you balance a character that can punch across the entire stage, but that's Sakurai's team's problem, not ours.
Ridley: Metroid needs another representative and Smash in general needs more villains. Ridley is the iconic thorn in Samus' side and deserves his place on the roster. There's no such thing as being "too big". If the characters were to scale no one would even see Olimar. The fans want him, and there's no feasible reason to keep Ridley out anymore.
Issac: Golden Sun is such a criminally under-appreciated series. These RPGs were unique! Mixing Zelda's dungeons, battles from Final Fantasy, and collectible elemental creatures ala Pokemon. Issac could have some fun and unique earth based abilities making him more than just another swordsman.
Another Fire Emblem Character: Look, we know there are so many characters from the Fire Emblem series already, but hear us out! This is a long-running franchise that's important to Nintendo and they actually have a massive, diverse cast. It's not all blue haired swordsmen! There are people that use axes, lances, ride Pegasus, ride dragons, or cast powerful spells. All we're saying is that Fire Emblem deserves more, different kinds of characters. Some quick suggestions would be: Tiki, Hector, Tharja, Camilla, Lyssa.
Waluigi: Come on, you know you want to see him in Smash!
As great as Nintendo characters are, nothing matches the level of hype generated as a new third party character. We know you all screamed when Sonic and Mega Man were revealed.
Simon Belmont: Yeah, given how Konami has been lately so we're not holding our breaths, but how great would it be to have Castlevania represented in Smash? Simon could whip in all directions and use his sub-weapons for moves. Dracula could be an assist trophy, or even better: a boss on a Castlevania stage. Could you imagine all the sweet tunes from that series in Smash Bros.?
Bomberman: Speaking of Konami, Super Bomberman R was an early hit on Nintendo Switch and the character has a long history of games on Nintendo consoles. He could use bombs for all kinds of creative moves, and his alternate colors could reflect the various Bombermen found in his series.
Shovel Knight: Shovel Knight is an amazing love letter to Nintendo games of yesteryear and developer Yacht Club Games has a strong relationship to Nintendo! First releasing Shovel Knight on their consoles and having their own line of amiibo as well. This is an addition we can dig!
Shantae: The Shantae games are in a similar boat to Shovel Knight. They have a long history with Nintendo consoles. In fact, the original GBC Shantae is one of the most sought-after games for the system. With her various transformations and special weapons, Shantae has a lot of potential for a fun and unique moveset.
Chrono: Cloud is cool and all, but Chrono from Chrono Trigger, is the Square represntative we need. You could differentiate him from the other swordsmen with his elemental abilities and maybe even incorporate his party members in his special moves! That was a huge part of the Chrono Trigger experience.
Dragon Quest Character: Like Final Fantasy, the Dragon Quest series has a long and storied history with Nintendo. Maybe instead of using a specific character, like they did with Cloud and Final Fantasy, we could have a character that represents the series as a whole. Surely, they could come up with a fun, wacky moveset for a slime!
This is the most important feature in the entire Smash franchise. Why was it removed from Wii U, Sakurai!
The ability to shake around the menus and mess up our friends is something that's sorely missed.
We hope you enjoyed our Super Smash Bros. wish list! Just remember, this is all fun speculation and everything outside of that trailer is completely unconfirmed.
What modes, characters, stages do you hope we see in the installment of the Super Smash Bros. series?
