Note: Do not repost the full translation. Please use the first two paragraphs, link to this translation, and credit Source Gaming. The following is a selection from Famitsu. This translation is for fan use only, and may not accurately reflect the opinions of Masahiro Sakurai. If you enjoyed this article, I would strongly encourage you to support Sakurai by buying his books.

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It’ll make our day!

NOTE: We decided to revamp one of the paragraphs.

NEW: We had a choice between completely overhauling the game systems and feel, or working off of what we had established in the last game. We ended up going with the latter. If we went with the former, we might have ended up with only a third of the fighters we have now. Had we gone down that route, surely some fans would have complained and said, “I preferred the way it was last time.” We’ll have to face that decision again someday, but I decided that now was not that time.

OLD:First, I was faced with a decision: create a completely new game system, or build off of pre-existing ones. I went with the latter; had I not, we might have ended up with only a third of the fighters we have now. Some people might still end up preferring an earlier title, but I decided to put that thought aside for later and focus on the more important tasks at hand.

We felt the new version better reflected what Sakurai actually said. Thank you.

Smash is Special – Part 1, Vol. 557

Originally published in Famitsu on June 21, 2018

On June 13th, we unveiled a ton of information about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I often doubt myself while working on the game, questioning whether we can really release it within the year. The first proposal was completed in December 2015, back while we were still working on DLC for the previous title. It wasn’t until later that I assembled a team and began development on this new title in earnest.

Many of you are likely already aware, but the concept for this entry is total inclusion: “Everyone is here!”

Every single fighter that has ever appeared in the series is back and better than ever, ready for you to take into the fray. Talk about a deal!

Being able to include every fighter is a real luxury, and–knowing that opportunity doesn’t knock twice–I seized the moment and twisted some arms to make this dream a reality. Thankfully, the folks at Nintendo agreed to help, despite the risks involved.

I’ll delve deeper into that topic in Part 2 of this article. This time, I’d like to discuss the overall concept of the project, as well as a few of its key elements.

We had a choice between completely overhauling the game systems and feel, or working off of what we had established in the last game. We ended up going with the latter. If we went with the former, we might have ended up with only a third of the fighters we have now. Had we gone down that route, surely some fans would have complained and said, “I preferred the way it was last time.” We’ll have to face that decision again someday, but I decided that now was not that time.

That said, I still increased the overall speed of the game, but only by an amount that wouldn’t be alienating to people unfamiliar with Smash. After all, we haven’t seen a huge influx of brand-new gamers like we did when the Wii was released, and the on-screen movement is much easier to follow on the Switch than it is on the Nintendo 3DS.

For example, the knockback speed has been increased. Even when launched a short distance, a character will fly off very quickly then suddenly slow down. Reducing the time while incapacitated has helped improve the flow of gameplay. I wanted to include this change in previous entries, but I gave up because it was so easy to lose track of your position, especially on the 3DS. I’ve also increased fighters’ initial jump speed, reduced aerial landing lag, and made a slew of other changes that will accelerate gameplay without making the game itself too “hardcore.”



I’ve also increased the amount of damage dealt in one-on-one matches because there are fewer opportunities to strike your opponent in comparison with free-for-alls. I think this should help improve the pace of two-player matches.

I’ve decided to limit the number of fighters initially available to the original Nintendo 64 roster. This will keep the process of unlocking new challengers fun and exciting, but I suppose it’s a bit of a hassle in comparison with other fighting games that allow all players to fight under the same conditions from the get-go.

Personally speaking, I find that, when I pick up a fighting game, I often put it down before I get around to playing all of the different characters. The more characters there are, the more that go untouched, and the less strategic things become, so it’s hard to say that simply adding more characters is a flawless idea. However, Smash is a character-based fighting game, and there are plenty of players out there eagerly awaiting the opportunity to play as their favorite character. I wrestled with this problem quite a bit while deciding whether to include everyone.

Take racing games, for example. Rather than allow players to use any car from the very beginning, I feel it’s more enjoyable from a gaming perspective to have players earn winnings from races and purchase new models that way. This type of game enables players to develop a strong attachment to the cars they acquire. I’ve included a similar process in Smash by which each unlockable fighter is obtained. Collecting every model in driving games is merely a dream for most players, but rest assured: I won’t be doing anything quite that difficult. I’ve come up with several methods for unlocking fighters, so it should be comparatively simple.

A few other remarks:

Players now select the stage before selecting their characters. This allows them to consider a fighter’s compatibility with the field of battle. If you set the rules so that the loser picks the next stage, this makes for a fairer competition.

All of the stages feature both Omega and Battlefield versions. Their respective size and shape are exactly the same for each stage, so players are free to duke it out to their favorite tunes in the environments they love.

The amount of stages, music, and items included is greater than ever before–but I suppose that goes without saying. All the stages and items have been remade from scratch and vastly improved.

I could go on, but it might be easier for you to simply watch the Smash presentation from E3. See you next time!