Nintendo is bringing more movement and attack options to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate than the previous installment in the series. It is clear they are interested in providing a game that appeals to all competitive Smash players, Melee players included. Players are now able to choose any attack by canceling the run-brake animation at the end of a run, and directional airdodges have returned for the first time since Melee. Since the release of the SSBU demo at E3 and Nintendo NYC, employees have been seeking out gameplay feedback. The purpose of this article is to list exactly what changes I think SSBU needs in order to be the most widely appealing and competitively viable version of itself.

First, let me mention the changes that make me very hopeful for Smash Ultimate as a competitive game:

More stages that are competitively viable (and adding a stage hazard toggle)

Run-cancelled moves

Easier fox-trotting and “dash-dancing” (canceling run-brake with a dash in either direction)

Diminishing returns on defensive options

New mechanics that are heading in the right direction

Brawl and Smash for Wii U are distinctly different games. The former had a looser feel, but with very limited hitstun and overly defensive characters. Smash for Wii U was a step in the right direction overall but lacks some of the freedom that movement in Melee allows for. Smash Ultimate has the potential to bring together strengths from many Smash games. I sincerely hope that it does and am extremely eager to compete in the game.

I got to play the demo a few times at Nintendo NYC and was very heartened by the fact that Nintendo employees were seeking feedback. I’ve compiled a summary of some of the key changes I think would significantly help Smash Ultimate.

This list is based off my experiences playing the game itself at Nintendo NYC, as well as what I have observed.



Tweaking Knockback and Hitstun

When hitting an opponent in the current version of Smash Ultimate, the opponent goes flying at high speeds, then stops abruptly. It has commonly been compared to “punching a balloon.” This is a very common piece of feedback and I expect it to be changed. I would like to see the following specific changes made:

Lower base knockback on moves

Increased relative hitstun (about the level of hitstun there is right now, but with less knockback)

More natural knockback growth and decay

I like that they have started with an extreme - high base knockback and a fair amount of hitstun - because it’s easier to pull back than push forward. The changes I proposed would essentially create a knockback system that is more conducive to landing combos. If the base knockback on every move is very high, then you will constantly hit the opponent away over and over. It seems that Nintendo wants to speed up the game’s pace, but this actually slows the game down overall because every opening essentially leads to a neutral reset.

Apparently, Sakurai’s intention with this was to minimize the amount of time that the player is not in control of his or her character. I think this is a great idea - getting chaingrabbed or tech-chased or 0-death combo’d a la 64 is not usually fun. But one of Smash’s great joys is the ability to interact from the defender’s perspective, which cannot be done in traditional fighting games. Tweaking the knockback and hitstun, and perhaps increasing the impact of SDI, would be closer to Sakurai’s vision and also allow for smoother, more consistent gameplay.

The combo system in Smash for Wii U felt a bit clunky and largely consists of auto-combos and 50/50s. In Brawl, there was hardly any hitstun to speak of. In general, Melee had the best combo system, largely thanks to its high speed, moderate levels of hitstun, and variety of movement options. Smash Ultimate is heading in this direction - there are more movement options (e.g. run-canceled attacks), but the knockback and hitstun need to be tweaked a bit to allow for the creative combo potential that Smash is known for.

I want to note that I think these knockback and hitstun changes should apply to throws as well, but maybe to a lesser extent.





Increasing Shieldstun, Allowing for Cross-ups, and Shield Pushback

In the current build, you cannot run past an opponent whether or not they’re shielding. This is most likely a bug. If it isn’t, it must be fixed - just about every Smash player will tell you this.

Shield is currently very powerful with the addition of two new tools: shield parries and grab techs. You can now parry by releasing shield at the moment that your opponent attacks - there is a visual cue in the form of a hitlag freeze in which both the parry-er and attacker are frozen, after which the attacker completes the attack animation while the parry-er is actionable and can punish. Grab techs work like traditional fighting games: if both players grab, then there is a “clank” and nothing happens.

If a player shields, he or she can hold shield or parry attacks or react to close run-ups by throwing out grab for a grab tech. Players cannot run past shield right now, which greatly reduces the anti-shield options. I expect this to be fixed, but shielding is still quite strong. Here are the specific changes I’d like to see:

Increase the amount of stun on shield when landing a move

Fix the cross-up bug so that you can run past your opponent

Allow characters to be pushed off of platforms or the stage when their shield is attacked

Increasing shieldstun will slightly balance the reward for spacing attacks on shield and could create the potential for genuine shield pressure and blockstrings like we see in traditional fighting games and Melee.

The last point is a new mechanic added into Smash for Wii U: when you shield at the ledge, you cannot be pushed offstage. As a side note, being able to airdodge-slide (waveland) off platforms would also be a significant quality-of-life improvement. I believe the code would be related to the shield-pushback issue. Currently, if you airdodge into the ground toward the edge of the stage or a platform, you halt before sliding off. Adding the ability to slide off would be a nice addition to the set of movement options.



Skill-Based Ledge Mechanic

Credit goes to Michael “Nintendude” Brancato for this idea. Recovering to the stage was made significantly easier in Brawl then Melee, and easier in Wii U than Brawl. In order to safely access the invincible frames of grabbing the ledge, one no longer had to space recovery options. Instead, you can just aim toward ledge and you will auto-grab it.

This mechanic doesn’t need to go but offering a reward for “sweetspotting” the ledge in the form of increased invulnerable frames would add some depth to the ledge game. Here is my specific suggestion:

Auto-grabbing ledge makes it so that you cannot buffer a ledge option before getting ledge-trumped

In Smash for Wii U, you are always able to buffer an option from the ledge that lets you bypass getting ledge-trumped (when the opponent grabs ledge and shoves you off). If auto-grabbing the ledge forced you to be subject to your opponent’s ledge-trump, players would be more encouraged to try and aim their recoveries perfectly. This would create a much more interesting ledge-game, and reward players who are skilled at utilizing the recovery tools of their character.

In case the way I have described it is confusing, just picture this scenario. Snake is on stage and Marth is recovering. In Scenario A, Marth UpBs and grabs ledge halfway through his UpB. He did not sweetspot the ledge, so Snake performs a ledge-trump and hits Marth with a Back-Air after Marth pops off the ledge. In Scenario B, Marth waits an additional moment and grabs ledge at the very end of his UpB. Snake attempts to perform the ledge-trump, but Marth is able to buffer a roll onto the stage, and safely recover.

There are additional levels of mixups here for high level play. Snake could time a grenade or C4 in such a way that he discourages Marth from attempting to sweetspot the ledge. The possibilities go on, but only if there is a way to reward players for thinking carefully about recovery.

Removing the auto-grab on ledges would actually accomplish a similar result. If the only way to grab ledge was by properly spacing your recovery, then ledge-trump functionality could remain unchanged and ledge grabs would be accomplished by strategic recoveries anyways.



Conclusion

The game is honestly not missing too much. We all know it’s still a work in progress, so the game is bound to change - both Melee and Wii U were altered from the time we first saw gameplay to release. I, for one, will certainly be giving this game a chance. I’m hoping it provides the rare avenue through which competitive players from across titles can come together and compete. It’s always exciting when this happens, and if you don’t believe me, check out the Summit of Power when Beyond the Summit collected top players from multiple fighting games (including Melee!) to compete in Dragonball FighterZ.

That’s all from me for now. Let me know your thoughts on my proposed changes and be sure to share this article if you want Nintendo to notice!