Super Smash Bros. has never been short on modes, and every entry has given us something new. In this post, we’ll cover some of our favorite modes that we’d like to see back as well as some brand new modes we’ve love to see included for Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch.

New Game Modes We’d Like To See

Retro Mode

Pat: It’s hard to come up with a ton of “new” modes to add to Smash, because it’s already so jam packed with content that it’s practically bursting at the seams. I’ve never played any other fighter/party game (let’s not even get into that debate) that has had so much value tucked into every corner. However, I think since Smash functions as a love letter to Nintendo’s history, a new “Retro Mode” would be a perfect addition. At first I was convinced that I wanted a new character that was styled as an 8-bit character, (think “Pixe/2D Mario” as a fighter) but the more I thought about it, the more I think a Retro Mode that allows you to fight against over versions of 8 or even 16-bit characters would be preferable.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Now, I do consider myself to be somewhat realistic. I know it’s not feasible to have all 50+ characters reworked into pixels, so I think Nintendo should start small with this mode and either expand on it in the future, or just keep it as a fun novelty. I would imagine that only the 12 original fighters from the first Smash Bros. would be playable to give the original and most veteran fighters something special. Either that, or just release it as a eShop spin off title for download.

Online Focused Multiplayer Modes

With this version of smash presumably launching alongside Nintendo’s new and (hopefully) more robust online services, I’d like to see them lean even further into online modes. I’d love it if we had a whole suite of online options, modes, and customization. Okay, so I know this is a bit of a cop out since I’m not really inventing a new mode, but rather pushing for online versions of pretty much every game mode, but how great would it be to tackle the single-player or adventure mode online? I would love to party up with 3 of my friends and join random online tournaments or do play some team Smash Run. Compete on the leaderboards for co-op break the target speed runs. The opportunities are endless, but for me it’s really important that they allow as many multiplayer and co-operative options as possible.

Multiple Characters Mode

Chandler: Often times in Smash Bros. when I’m playing locally with friends, I will pair my character to who I’m playing against so I can have the best tier advantage. If I’m going to be fighting fast characters like Fox and Sonic, then I’m going to pick a character with speed, counters, or large sweeping attacks. But instead, what if I was able to bring a stable of characters to the match? Project M introduced something like this where each player selects multiple characters and has to beat all of their opponents characters to win the match – one stock for each character. But I think this mode would be more effective if it were something like a Pokemon battle or Marvel vs. Capcom where you could rotate your characters in and out of the match whenever you please. Do you find yourself playing as Marth and getting annihilated by Cloud? In this mode, here’s your chance to change him out mid-match and bring in a more favorable character against him such as Little Mac. A timed match would generally remain the same in terms of victory standards, but for stock mode you could select the total amount stocks for the game that would have to be equally dispersed amongst your selected characters. When a character in your lineup loses their stocks, then they are simply eliminated from the fight. The mode would create some variety for the core gameplay and potentially be a popular way to determine who the better Smash player is overall in just one match.

Side note: Imagine the insanity if you could do this with 8-player mode? That’s 24 characters or more appearing in one versus match.



More Amiibo Modes

Ok, I spent a lot of time training the Amiibos I bought to be insanely competitive and crush my friends in matches only to be disappointed by their limited gameplay options in Smash Wii U. What made Amiibos a fun addition to Smash was being able to teach them fighting styles and upgrading their equipment so they far surpass the 9-difficulty rating of the standard computer characters. Unfortunately Amiibos were only available to use in local play for Normal Smash, 8-Player Smash, and Special Smash. It’s 2018 and online gaming is requirement now, not a nice-to-have to have anymore so Nintendo needs to adapt to the marketplace. For Switch, I would like to see more pro-Amiibo modes included in the game. For starters, make Amiibos available for players to add in during online gameplay (core modes included). There should also be options to have Amiibo custom abilities turned on and off for more flexibility. If Nintendo brings back something similar to an Adventure mode, then it would be cool to have your Amiibo’s as a co-op companion character to help you along the way. Lastly, more customization options and unlockables should be included as a way to incentivize using Amiibos in the game. This could include an option to fully customize or create costumes and movesets.

Returning Modes We’d Like to See



Adventure Mode

Pat: I know The Subspace Emissary left a bad taste in a lot of peoples mouths, and sure it wasn’t perfect, but man, overall I thought it was pretty awesome. I would love to see something of that caliber again. Anything that puts all of our Nintendo favorites together into a super star crossover that could put Marvel to shame. I think there is a ton you could do for a story here and I really, really, want to see a return of those awesome high quality cut scenes. Let’s make Super Smash Bros. into Nintendo’s version of Kingdom Hearts when it comes to crossover potential (with a less complicated story of course). Worst case scenario would be the return of Melee’s Adventure Mode, and even that would be fantastic.

Admit it. You know you want more of this.

Smash Run

I had a LOT of fun with Smash Run. My biggest gripe was having to use the 3DS to play it. It’s a much better mode than WiiU’s Smash Tour and deserves new life on the big screen. If Smash Switch is more than just a combination of Smash for WiiU/3DS then I’d really love to see this mode make a return even more fleshed out. Maybe there is a way they can combine the sticker concept introduced in Subspace Emissary with the buffs in Smash Run? I think they had a good thing going and I would love to see this mode return, be playable online, and be carried forward for all future installments.

Event Mode

I love Event Mode and I really want to see it expanded even further. I want a LOT of events. I mean a massive amount. I’m talking about a team inside of Nintendo that is dedicated to creating weekly events. I seriously can’t ever get enough of these. I like to seem them just keep coming forever. In addition, lets have all of these to be playable co-op, and even better – online co-op. In addition to developer created events, I think it would be an awesome addition to add some tools to the game which would allow users the ability to create their own events. This doesn’t have to be anything intensely built out, after all, some of the most creative user generated content is spawned from limitations. Maybe Smash can have it’s own “Smash Studio” type mode in which you can play with your photo and video recordings, create and edit your own stages and events, and maybe play around with custom moves and move sets for characters. I’d love to see Smash continue to develop in this way and allow the community to create content for themselves throughout the lifespan of the game.

Smash (Versus) Mode

Chandler: You love Smash Mode. I love Smash Mode. Obviously we can’t have a new Smash Bros. game without it. This mode has been the ‘bread and butter’ of Smash Bros. since the beginning, allowing players a variety of options to set the rules for the battle including the amount of time, the amount of stock, teams, the items that can be used, handicaps, and the stage. I’m not going to suggest anything to drastically change Smash mode, but a great enhancement would be to include some more variations. Melee had a lot and I know this could technically be considered ‘separate modes’ but my favorite pick would Turbo Mode which originated in Project M. Simply put, there is no move lag and you can cancel your moves at any time. Why does this matter? Well the end result is a fight that feels more like a traditional fighting game and the insane flurry of combinations you can pull off within seconds looks more like something out of Dragonball Z.

8-Player Mode

8-Player Mode is something that sounds great in theory but falls short when it’s fully realized. Basically the problems are: 1.) You’re either too cramped on a short stage which leads to random chaos rather than being competitive. 2.) You are dumped into a giant stage that fits all of the characters but the screen is too far zoomed out to concentrate on how your character is fighting. However, while there are some clear issues here, I don’t feel it should be cut in the next Smash. It has potential and improvements can be made. Locally, individual screens probably wouldn’t be the answer but for online gameplay, this will certainly help so that’s where this mode will best succeed. Assuming Nintendo figures out having online matches without lag, the Smash fight could consist of 8 players or more on a large stage that isn’t zoomed out. Instead, the individual screen focuses on your character and the area around you like in normal Smash. To give you an overall sense of where the other characters are, the screen could zoom out slightly as you’re moving across the stage or provide some sort of minimap in the corner.

Break the Targets

I really do miss the original Break the Targets from 64, Melee, and even Brawl. It’s something that needs to come back but with more features. Namely an online leader board or a way to challenge your friends and keep track of your progress. Similar to Mario Kart, it would be cool to have the option to play the mode with a shadow character (maybe yourself, your friend, or an online leader) replaying the stage so you can try and keep up with the best time. The greatest addition though would be if Nintendo included a Break the Targets stage builder in the same vein as Mario Maker. Share your stages online or download your friend’s creations, the possibilities are endless.

Last week in our second post in this series, we looked at what Smash Bros stages we want to see back, and well as some we want to see for the first time. Our next and final post in this series will focus on the most hype-inducing element of Smash Bros. – the characters. We talk about our top five picks for new Nintendo characters, and then dip into dreamland for a bit and pitch our top three third party guest characters.

Artwork for Retro Mode credited to: DYA Games, pxlcobit, miralupa, and other unknown origins in Google image search.