Super Smash Bros. was destined to be a good game, the latest iteration of one of Nintendo’s most universally accessible franchises.
But somehow, on the Nintendo 3DS, it winds up being even better than that. Really, Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 3DS is the quintessential portable title for the gamer, deftly marrying console-level depth with the easy, bite-sized gameplay that’s made tablet gaming so popular in 2014. It’s an easy game to pick up and play for a few minutes while at the doctor’s office, yet a deep enough game that you can keep finding new things and keep uncovering new ways to play.
The initial lure of Smash Bros. has always been its all-star, fighting-game style, with a large of helping of details and quirks that only Nintendo could deliver. The chance to match Link against, say, Sonic in not-so-mortal combat has always had appeal, and that doesn’t change here. The cast of characters you choose from is extensive, as large as anything you’d find in a Tekken or the umpteenth release of a Street Fighter.
It’s as diverse as anything, too. Stalwarts such as Mario and Luigi are joined by some intriguing newcomers such as Mega Man, who fires off the same abilities he once showcased in those old 8-bit games and Charizard, a Bowser clone of sorts. There’s the Wii Fit Trainer, too, a sort of uber-athletic 2D Ninja Gaiden type, with a viciously balletic, incredibly fun moveset.
The versatility in the roster is impressive, and it’s augmented further by the ability for you to take your Mii, build a moveset around it and push that character into action as well.
Level design, as you’d expect from Nintendo, is superb. Simply put, no company is quite as clever as the folks who gave us Super Mario, and the stages in which you battle are a constant reminder of that, constantly reminding of the classics while still feeling splendidly modern. My personal favorite area is a side-scrolling area that harkens back to the original Super Mario Bros., and keeps you moving and collecting coins and battling as you go.
These splendid fundamentals are enhanced by a series of extra modes and plenty of customization. Play and collect coins and you’ll gradually be able to add various power-ups to your characters. Sure, there are POW blocks an Mushrooms and other iconic power-ups available in each battle, but the ability to gradually personalize your characters is the long-term lure of this Smash Bros., even if these customizations cannot be taken online.
It all makes for a terrific game, and it’s also the kind of title that’s perfect for small windows of playtime. The reason true portable gaming machines have slipped behind tablets in recent years is that too many titles — albeit even the finest ones — require a deep time and attention commitment that you can’t devote while waiting for lunch at the mall. These games are tremendous and they have their place, but the 3DS and the Vita need a mix of options to compete with those tabs, a selection of quick-play games that are as easy and mindless as Flappy Bird.
For the 3DS, Super Smash Bros. is that game. Battles are over in about two minutes, and then it’s onto another battle.
And you can easily just keep going and going. The lone weakness of the 3DS version of Smash Bros. is the limitation of the 3DS (and even the XL) screen during battling. While the menus and portraits of characters look beautiful, the action can feel just a little cramped, even on the XL. At times, you’ll wish the character models could be just a little bit larger, so you can appreciate all the intricacies of the animation in the fast-paced action.
But the action will still draw you in. So if you want to pit Mario and Link on the go, get ready, because it will be just as much fun as you expected.
Reviewed on Nintendo 3DS XL
