Super Smash Bros Ultimate | Review

Note: I have not played any online mode. I myself can not determine the quality of the mode, but others online have demonstrated that it's not very good. I will not be talking about the online mode during the review.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate is the fifth installment in the Super Smash Bros series. Its objective is to be the best game in the series, and with the insane soundtrack, great visuals, and more characters than ever before, it's safe to say it accomplishes its task.

PROS:

-The controls are very responsive. Whether you're using a GameCube controller or two Joy-Con controllers, you will have a great time controlling the game. Everyone moves like they should, and I never felt like my character was out of my control.

-The music is spectacular. There are plenty of songs I don't care for, but with a soundtrack as big as this one that's bound to happen. Most of the songs here work perfectly. The soundtrack in this game has a nice range of cheerful and utterly horrifying.

-The graphics are great. While the artstyle's quality is debatable compared to the previous game, every character and stage looks great. Each stage was designed with this game in mind and it shows. By far my favorite stage in terms of graphical design is Smashville simply due to the way the lighting changes. There aren't really any bad stages graphically, and in my opinion the same goes for the characters.

-The character roster is huge. Every character that has ever been playable in a Smash Bros game is playable here, as well as a few newcomers, and if you can't find one who fits your playstyle then you haven't looked hard enough. Everyone is at least slightly different, and yet everyone is viable competitively. Everyone moves like they should, not only in terms of their source material but also in the context of Smash Bros. No one feels out of place, and with a roster this big, that's very impressive.

-There's tons of content. Classic mode is great whether you're playing alone or with a friend. World of Light (adventure mode) is fun for me in short bursts. The music player allows you to take any song you want and create playlists for them. And clearing the Spirit Board is insanely addictive. And that's ignoring regular Smash battles, which can be done with up to 8 players on any stage, whether you're playing on one console or more using local or online multiplayer.

CONS:

-Some modes are missing or feel unfinished. Home Run Contest has been a staple of Smash Bros for many years, but is absent here. World of Light is fun, but the lack of multiplayer and it essentially being regular spirit battles with a world map make it dull after a while. Masterpieces are nowhere to be found, likely because there's no Virtual Console to promote. There's plenty of content, but there's also some that's missing.

-Spirits are confusing. Remember stickers from Brawl? No, no one does. Spirits act like those, and essentially give you a boost of defense, offense, and... grabbing? Some can also give you benefits like starting with an item, resisting certain types of attacks, or having higher jump. The execution of the feature is incredibly confusing. You can level up your spirits, send them away, make teams, and unlock them in either adventure mode or with the Spirit Board where you have to fight them and hit them at the right time. Spirits have more going on then they should and...

-Spirits are a lousy replacement for trophies. I get that making a model for every character is time consuming, but what I miss is the description of each character. There's nothing to learn about the characters unless you look them up yourself. It also doesn't tell you what specific game a character is from, instead giving you a vague answer like the "Yoshi series."

CONTROLLER REPORT

This game works with anything you can connect to the Switch. I'm not being sarcastic, and there are no issues you need to work around. If you want to use that controller and it works on the Switch, it will work for this game.

OVERALL OPINION:
Smash Bros Ultimate is without a doubt the biggest game in the series. It has tons of content, and is actually very polished. It's not only an excellent game, but it's one of very few these days deserving of its price. I really can't recommend this game enough.

You can buy Super Smash Bros Ultimate through the following links:

Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop | eShop (digital only)