Super Smash Bros: Gaming’s Hall of Fame

Why Super Smash Bros. Is Such a Cultural Phenomenon

We love crossovers, and it isn’t hard to see why. Have you ever wondered who would win a fight between Samus from the Metroid series and Link from the Legend of Zelda? Or Cloud from Final Fantasy versus Ryu from the Street Fighter series?

Iconic characters getting to interact with each other has always been a dream come true for many gamers, and with the inception of Super Smash Bros., those dreams became a reality. But what makes Super Smash Bros. such a cultural phenomenon, and why does the inclusion of a new character invoke so much emotion in the hearts of players?

Ever since it’s inception in 1999, the Super Smash Bros. series has grown exponentially in popularity, and this is due to the new lineup of iconic characters added with each game in the series. However, this popularity reached a fever pitch when one iconic character was introduced in the series' third installment, Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008).

This character was the Blue Blur himself, Sonic the Hedgehog. Up to this point, the Super Smash Bros. series was considered just a Nintendo crossover. Both Super Smash Bros. (1999), as well as its sequel Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001), both solely featured iconic Nintendo characters, and never featured characters from third-party developers or companies.

This isn’t to say that the Smash series as a whole wasn’t already incredibly popular until this point, but the inclusion of such an icon as Sonic warranted heavy speculation, theories, as well as debates over who would be the next third-party character to join the fight.

If Sonic could join the fight, who else could? When Sonic was introduced into Super Smash Bros., the floodgates were finally opened. This idea was further encouraged when Metal Gear Solid’s Snake was announced for the game as well.

This was a huge deal even for Nintendo. For a company that didn’t really like to cooperate or work with other companies, this was a huge step. Not to mention that Nintendo and SEGA (the company that owns Sonic), were sworn enemies at one point during the console wars.

This partnership meant that both companies were willing to put aside their differences and allow their characters to participate. This was something unheard of at the time, and this would encourage other companies and publishers to do the same. This meant that any character, regardless of which developer they belonged to, could potentially be invited.

In addition to third-party characters joining the series, it’s the notion of invitation that makes each character’s inclusion special. The notion that the character means something in the grander scope of gaming, and is being recognized through Smash.

This is the reason why many gamers are overjoyed when their favorite video game character joins the fight. They are being immortalized alongside countless other icons and being recognized for their importance in gaming. Additionally, since the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii and 3DS in 2014, animated cutscenes accompanied every new fighter before the release of the game, increasing the level of anticipation and hype surrounding the game and giving newcomers the proper welcoming they deserve, with plenty of callbacks from their home series as well.

But crossovers happen all the time, right? What makes this crossover fighter so special to gamers? Sure the vast amount of representation of different characters in the game is incredible, but I believe it is how these characters are represented that makes all the difference.

Each new fighter in the series has unique move-sets, animations, and fighting styles that both match the way they play in their home series, and preserve what players love most about these characters. The amount of attention to detail and love put into each individual character in the series is astounding, and the team behind the game deserves all the praise.

The creator of the series, Masahiro Sakurai as well as his development team understand how important these characters are to gamers, and they want to represent them as best as they can, and this is reflected in every aspect of the characters.

When a new fighter is introduced in the series, not only is the character added, but stages from the character’s home series are added, as well as a plethora of music, and tons of secrets and callbacks to the games they originate from.

Not only is some of the music directly imported from the character’s home games, but some are also remixed to fit better into Smash. The Smash Bros. development team is incredibly passionate about the characters they work on and they know exactly what the fans truly want to see.

Super Smash Bros. also introduces players to completely new characters, worlds, histories, and franchises. Retro characters like Pac-Man, Mega-Man, ROB, and Duck Hunt make appearances as well as newer players in the industry, such as Persona 5’s Joker, Min Min from ARMS, and even Minecraft’s Steve!

Even indie titles have been represented in Smash as well through Mii Costumes, music tracks, and trophies (now replaced with Spirits in Smash Ultimate). Every character in the game feels unique and important to gaming. All of the characters featured in Super Smash Bros. tell their own unique stories, have their own unique histories, and they have all contributed to the gaming industry in their own way. Super Smash Bros aims to celebrate gaming in a way that is unique, and fun for everyone.

Super Smash Bros. is a series that celebrates gaming. That’s what I believe separates the Super Smash Bros. series from any other crossover out there, and why many consider this game to be gaming’s hall of fame. The team behind it truly understand the significance of every character included in this game and aim to deliver an experience that satisfies both long-term fans, as well as offer new worlds and franchises to newer players. As a gamer, as well as a huge Nintendo fanboy, I’m excited to see where the series goes next, as well as which new characters will be revealed!