What we can't take away from Masahiro Sakurai (the creator of the series) is having put his guts into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with the main campaign "The Light of the World" being the perfect example. Since the Subspace Emissary on Wii, the solo had been neglected by the developers who considered that a Smash Bros. could only be appreciated among friends. It's not totally false, but the "Classic" mode and the ability to adjust the difficulty level Kid Icarus way on Wii U and 3DS did not fully satisfy the completists. This time, they will be able to have fun with all the Spirits to collect by fighting the troops of Kilaire who, contrary to what we could believe until now, is not the only major antagonist of the game. We leave you the pleasure of discovery, but know that in the history of Smash Bros., the solo has never been so successful. It's armored with licenses, references, and it's not limited to Mario and his acolytes. Indeed, "The Light of the World" reviews the entire Nintendo catalog, from Wave Race to 1080° Snowboarding, including Hajimari no Mori, F-Zero and Project Zero. In short, everything that is directly or indirectly related to the Japanese manufacturer. Better, by exploring hidden areas of the map, we realize that it is actually more or less vast universes dedicated to prestigious collaborators. Konami (Metal Gear Solid) is one of those who have been entitled to this preferential treatment, Capcom (Monster Hunter) too. To tell you the truth, we had two big favorites: The Legend of Zelda and Street Fighter. The world of Link is all the more exhilarating as it arrives at a time when we thought the case was closed. We do not know if Eiji Aonuma (the producer of the series) supervised the work, but the fact remains that we find different elements that characterize the brand: the puzzles, the Lost Woods, the Triforce, the owl statues; fans are going to have a blast. As for Street Fighter, we go to face the four corners of the globe Spirits based on the characters of the saga, all on board a plane like in the good old days.
SPIRIT, ARE YOU THERE?
It's not just coating, huh? The Spirits really serve the gameplay in addition to opening passages, provided you have the right ones. Let's start first with the Primal Spirits which are divided into four categories (Defense, Seizure, Attack and Neutral) and have a direct impact on the power and robustness of our character. Depending on their level, they have slots allowing them to combine up to three Support Spirits. If the latter have no influence on the main stats, they are however valuable for accessing temporary boosts (XXL status at the start of the fight, invincibility for a few seconds if you land the first blow) or permanent (immunity against burning floors, increased ranged weapon power, standard special attacks deal more damage, wind resistance). Naturally, the rarer the Support Spirit, the greater the bonus granted, and the more slots it will consume. And then, we must not forget the balance of power that governs the Primary Spirits, namely Defense > Attack > Seizure > Defense. It doesn't really matter when the gap between the two characters is much too high; on the other hand, when we have to face an opponent of an equivalent level, it is a parameter to take into account since it affects both the damage we inflict and our ability to withstand the strokes. Taken together, these finesses offer depth to the mechanics, with Prime Spirits able to gain additional XP during our journey – with, for a few, a metamorphosis at level 99. The easiest way is to give them snacks that we harvest over the fights, but we can very well squat the dojo or the gym in order to improve them in certain areas. In short, we do not hide from you that we spend a good part of our time in the menus to compose the best team possible.
Indeed, "The Light of the World" reviews the entire Nintendo catalog, from Wave Race to 1080° Snowboarding, including Hajimari no Mori, F-Zero and Project Zero. In short, everything that is directly or indirectly related to the Japanese manufacturer.
Fortunately, for those who don't want to bother with all these parameters, a simple press of Y lets the AI compose the team for us. Also note that after thinking for hours, we can save our teams and move from one to another without stuffing the menus for the umpteenth time. With Spirits being at the heart of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the developers have implemented the Board of Spirits where they are renewed every 5 minutes. The advantage is that you don't have to go through the solo mode to get new ones, but the random draw means that you are likely to come across models that you already have. A concept that is reminiscent of that of the lootbox, except that here, Nintendo does not ask to heat the credit card and that there are items to circumvent the rules. For example, when picking up the Spirit, the rotation of its protective barrier can be slowed down. You also have the option of replacing all the Spirits in the table, changing them into Primary or Support Spirits, or filling in the empty spaces immediately. And then as we only have the right to one try and that a Spirit disappears definitively if we lose the fight, we are happy to learn that an object offers a chance to catch up. We almost forgot to point it out: in "The World of Light", there is a talent tree where special abilities can be unlocked against spheres. Some of them correspond to boosts already granted by Spirits, which frees up slots and adds another string to our bow; unless we decide to insist on a particular point (a character mainly focused on attack, for example) if it fits our style of play.
TELL ME A STORY. OR NOT...
Despite all this praise, let's point out that the single-player campaign doesn't even bother to offer a storyline worthy of the name. At a time when fighting games are increasing their efforts to take care of their script, Nintendo is content with a nursery rhyme that is hard to accept for a game that will be released at the end of 2018. What is the point of drawing a cutscene that is in the grandiose to, just after, give the arm of honor to the narration? This lack of relief means that "The Light of the World" becomes a succession of fights where fan service acts as a lifeline. The other criticism that we could make when playing the game solo is that there are a lot of duplicates in the Spirits. Immediately, we think of Korogu nuts from Breath of the Wild (or stars from Super Mario Oydyssey): an artificial way to inflate the content of the game. gameplay that revives the frenzy of Melee while remaining accessible. We had ended up forgetting that the percentage of damage could panic at this point, hence the atmosphere which quickly becomes unbreathable when you get caught in the ratings with two or three attacks charged at the max. Even in the air, the combos can be violent: aggressive players are immediately rewarded by locking their prey in a vortex from which it is difficult to extricate themselves. Camping while waiting for the storm to pass is now risky, especially since it feels like the landing lag has been scaled back. To have. What we also noticed is that the powershield no longer runs the same way. From now on, you have to release the button with the right timing to counter the opponent, knowing that the hitlag is proportional to the power of the hit countered. With such a weapon in your hands, defending becomes an art, the developers having even included the tech throw well known to fighting purists. Well, speaking of classic fighting games, Ultimate imitates them a little more with the gauge of Final Smash. which remains optional. Basically, the more you bite, the more it fills up until you can unleash a less devastating fury than that started with the Smash Ball. No worries for those who blame Smash Bros. to be a messy series: a priori, it is not possible to swing several Final Smash at the same time. Everyone must wait for the end of the storm before swinging the sauce in turn. Of course, we haven't spent enough time on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to understand all the subtleties, but those who enjoyed the Wii U/3DS episode will be able to cling to a few benchmarks.
GAMEPLAY MELEE
For example, curbs are still off-limits to squatters, and the Rage Effect harkens back to Nintendo's love of unlikely twists and turns. According to the fights that we were able to investigate for a week, we feel that the main objective of the developers was to offer a large margin of progress without making Ultimate an opus as technical as Melee. Masahiro Sakurai never hid it, even if it meant getting angry with those who built the reputation of the GameCube episode. Anyway, we confirm that it goes in all directions, each trail of smoke testifying to a knockback flirting with the skies. Moreover, a radar is displayed when our fighter has not been ejected but has disappeared from the screen, just to give us an additional chance to return to the arena. Practice. The other big chunk of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is its huge cast of 74 characters on launch day. As announced, only historical heads present since the very first Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64 are automatically unlocked; for the other protagonists, we will have to roll up their sleeves. We reassure you, it's less hassle than in the past: at the time of writing, our selection screen has around fifty characters, without forcing. And for total transparency, the "Pretenders" section (to be unlocked) allows you to get revenge against the famous silhouettes that have come out of nowhere. Instead of trying to dissect the adjustments made to recurring warriors, we preferred to focus on those new to Smash Bros. Inkling, for example, whose ink increases the damage inflicted. Be careful to fill the tank when it is empty, otherwise you will not be able to use certain attacks. Like in Splatoon, fresh paint slows down opponents when they step on it, making them vulnerable to enemy hits. Too bad Inkling remains vulnerable when he/she transforms into a squid, presumably for the sake of balance.
We could talk for hours and hours about the gameplay of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, proof that behind his child's face hides a whole host of properties to master so as not to be mistreated like a common punching bag.
For his part, Simon Belmont is particularly powerful with his whip and his ax capable of breaking jaws at mid-range. And for the traitors who are a little further, the Cross is there to call them to order, without forgetting its terrible uppercut which we can use to surprise an unwary located above our head. But what struck us most with the hero of Castlevania was his ability to recover from a devastating knockback when other characters would have exploded. It remains all the same less impressive than King K. Rool whose extreme slowness is not to be put in all hands. Counter enthusiasts will nevertheless have fun with its belly which, as a bonus, returns the projectiles with a certain comfort. As for Marie, we will admit that we didn't really take the time to study her, but the few fights in her company showed some similarities with the Villager. Yeah, there is much more exciting elsewhere. Given the delays, you will understand that we have not been able to access all of the new arrivals. Ken is still missing, as are Richter Belmont, Ridley and other echo characters. But even without them, we regret that the developers did not take advantage of Ultimate to get rid of fighters who are useless. Seriously, who plays with the Wii Fit trainer, Dr Mario or Pac-Man? Person. It would probably have been wiser to bet on a drastic selection of fighters, in order to benefit from a cast containing only characters that matter. Now that that's said, let's point out that new Help Trophies have been added, and when they all decide to land in the arena, it's a panty party with points that can be lost for free if the 'we don't keep an eye on our protege. We could talk for hours and hours about the gameplay of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, proof that behind his child's face hides a whole host of properties to master so as not to be mistreated like a common punching bag.
LE GOTY... 2014 !
Unassailable since the series debuts in the early 2000s, the arena design was already excellent on Wii U and 3DS. We are therefore not surprised to see that the game continues on this momentum, knowing that all the courses are automatically available and in all their forms. Obviously, we have a weakness for the “Final Destination” format which puts the players in front of their skill: zero items, no “weird” mechanism to ruin the game. Meanwhile, the developers have injected new locations such as the New Donk City Town Hall and its dynamic music, the Prelude Tower with its destructible top, or Dracula's Castle and its iconic scrolling bosses. background. All that would have been for nothing if the realization did not follow, we can say that the contract is highly fulfilled at this level despite notable framerate drops. Well, the gap with the Wii U version is minimal; moreover, it is above all on the visual effects that the difference is made, the developers having applied themselves to treating the textures, the lighting and some animations. We may love this slow motion and this venerable zoom that punctuate each attack supposed to be fatal, we may love all the work in terms of sound design which reveals an inexhaustible repertoire, nevertheless Ultimate has a sacred taste of portage . The term may seem harsh, but when you examine the interface, it has not really evolved although it is effective. Same thing for the eternal “Classic”, “Mass Smash” and “Mii Fighters” modes: it's seen and reviewed. OK, a few variants have been added to organize tournaments (“Tournament”), 3v3 or 5v5 team matches (“Squad smash”), or super sudden deaths (“Special smash”), but that’s it new game… Suddenly, we take the opportunity to point out the absence of the mythical “Home Run” mode, unless you have to unlock it too. Finally, we weren't able to try the game online, but given that it's now paying, we suspect that Nintendo has done things right. Locally, it's hardcore to play with Joy-Con, yet the #1 selling point of the Switch. Ultimate therefore requires playing with a GameCube or Pro controller, which obviously involves a significant additional cost.
THE OPINION OF LAURELY BIRBA
What is practical with the holiday season is that it allows you to breathe while squatting certain games that you would have missed during the year. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was right at the top of my list, despite the huge "portage" badge that has come with it since it was announced. It is true that technically, we are very close to what was done on Wii U in 2014, with some additional visual effects and greater finesse overall. I was especially surprised by the framerate drops when Nintendo had promised stable 60fps in all circumstances. In fact, when there are 8 characters on the screen, the arena morph is activated and the trophies help get involved, the console starts coughing up its lungs. It doesn't always happen, don't worry, but in tight fights where timing and precision are a must, it can get in the way. Despite everything, Masahiro Sakurai (the creator of the series) heard the prayers of the fans and returned to a more technical, more nervous, more enjoyable formula. It's simple: since the venerable Super Smash Bros. Melee, the game has never shown such an extreme requirement to hurt the opponent. Besides that, the grip remains accessible, and the arrival of the Final Smash gauge shows that neophytes have not been forgotten.
I'm not going to go back over the various changes made by the developers in terms of gameplay – Raymond explained it very well in his test, by the way – and I prefer to draw your attention to the uniqueness of the fighters, an oh so important factor. in a fighting game. Believe it or not, with its impressive roster, the game is not plagued by duplicates; even the Echos fighters feature variations that are noticeable enough to stand out from the original designs. So yes, one might be tempted to say that among the 74 characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there are necessarily some that are useless; that would be a terrible mistake. For example, I've already been dismantled by a Little Mac which, however, vegetates at the bottom of the tier list. I also remember the Captain Falcon running over me, as well as the Ganondorf cruising late at night. In short, I took dearly from supposed victims. Naturally, Ultimate's rich content commands respect, with the game having put fan service above all else. More than 28 hours of music in the ears, it's just mind-blowing, not to mention the 1 or so Spirits to recover, the hundred stages, the hyper-complete "Training" mode and, of course, the solo mode "The Glow of the World” with which I feasted. I could discuss hours and hours of the game, if only to make it clear to my dear colleagues that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is anything but a kid fighting game that lacks depth. Nintendo's know-how has struck once again.
