In this episode of P Myth Gaming, Phil takes a look at whether or not Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch is a port of the Wii U game or a brand new title, as well as discussing the possible release window, and the characters we might see.
Script
C1: Hi guys, welcome to P Myth Gaming. Now that Nintendo have officially announced Smash Bros for Nintendo Switch, speculation has been rife as to what form the game is going to take.
The main point of contention is whether or not this Switch iteration of the game is a port of the Wii U one, or a brand new title. Personally, I think it’s going to be a little bit of both.
C2: Allow me to explain.
VO: First of all, it would be incredibly bizarre for Nintendo to drop such a massive teaser for a port. A lot of work went into this trailer, and it was shown on at the end of the Direct in the ‘oh one more thing’ slot traditionally reserved for bigger announcements. As big a deal as Smash is, I don’t think a simple port would warrant such treatment.
C1: That’s all well and good, but hardly what you’d call definitive proof.
VO: Much has been made about the copyright notice at the end of the trailer which neglects to mention Bandai Namco, who worked on the Wii U and 3DS titles.
C2: Many are taking this as a sign that this means it’s a new game, potentially with a new developer at the helm.
VO: However it’s worth noting that the same copyright notice popped up at the end of the reveal trailer for Smash 4.
C1: The reason for this is the copyright notice is for the Smash brand, and the characters therein, not the actual game itself.
VO: That said, the notice on the new trailer does say ‘original game’
C1: What’s also worth taking into consideration is that Masahiro Sakurai, the genius behind the Smash series, has confirmed via Twitter that he is indeed working on the new game.
VO: Tweeting out the trailer after it aired, he said “While we haven’t gotten to the point where we can announce the game’s title, I’ve been working on the title in silence day after day. Please look forward to new information and when the title goes on sale!!”
C1: This is interesting because once he’d finished Smash 4, Sakurai was expressing an interest in working on different projects. And, as far back as January 2016, he confirmed in an interview that he was working on something new. As it turns out, it looks like that new game is Smash for Switch.
Now Smash games take a lot of work, and as the roster has gotten bigger and bigger, it’s needed to be ever more finely tuned in order to get that ever-crucial balancing right, something Sakurai has traditionally done all by himself. Smash 4 took a lot out of Sakurai, as he mentioned multiple times in his column for Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, and he’s said after Melee, Brawl, and Wii U that they would be his final Smash games.
But he also told Game Informer that he couldn’t picture anyone else at the helm of the franchise.
C2: It’s very much his baby
C1: And in an interview in Famitsu earlier this year he speculated about taking a step back from being the director and taking on more of a consulting role.
I don’t think, in light of his tweet and the timing, that that’s what he’s done this time around.
Despite the heavy workload, Sakurai turned Smash 4 around in a little over 2 years, so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that that project he said he was working on in January 2016 was Smash Switch.
C2: And that it’s an entirely new game built from the ground up.
C1: I’m going to hedge my bets somewhat though and guess that whilst it is indeed a brand new game, it will nevertheless reuse the engine and some assets from the Wii U version. That game was brilliantly balanced, and struck the right medium between the accessibility of Brawl and the pace of Melee loved by hardcore Smash fans.
So, in much the same way that Splatoon 2 feels very much like the first game, but with some new content and a slightly glossier finish, I’ve got a feeling Smash Switch could take a similar approach.
VO: As for the characters it’s also fairly obvious from the trailer that the inklings from Splatoon are making an appearance, but what’s more interesting is that THAT is clearly Breath of the Wild Link.
C1: Now this poses an interesting question because that incarnation of Link has some fundamental differences to the way Link has played in the past. For example, bombs work entirely differently, being detonated by remote, and there’s also the lack of hookshot in that game.
Because of that, I don’t think this is just going to be a simple reskin. I think we could be looking at yet another iteration of Link in Smash. One that perhaps utilises the Sheikah Slate in interesting ways, could have the potential for cooking up some grub to heal damage, or even use the glider for increased recovery.
The other thing that’s got me pondering about this trailer
C2: And this is a bit of a walk, but stay with me,
C1: Is that the three biggest focuses of the video are, the Inklings, Link, and Mario.
VO: Now it’s easy to write off this lingering shot of the portly plumber as simply being down to the fact he’s Nintendo’s mascot. But what if the three characters pulled out for this trailer are all new?
C1: Could the reason be for that moody focus on Mario be because he’s got a completely revamped moveset that makes use of Cappy? It could make for some interesting grab and recovery meoves, and maybe there’s even some way of implementing the capture mechanic similar to Kirby’s copy ability?
Regardless, we’ll find out soon enough, with the game being slated for release later this year.
C2: As for when, well I’ve got a theory on that as well
C1: In September of this year Nintendo are finally releasing their online service for Switch, and what better game to launch alongside it than their biggest eSports title. It makes a tonne of sense for them to promote their online alongside Smash, and use the game to drive subscriptions.
As a result, I’ve got a feeling E3 is going to be where we not only learn more about Smash, but will finally get a look at just what form that online subscription service is going to take, with it being bundled right alongside it.
It’s possible that the online could launch in September with Smash arriving the following month, giving them a few weeks to iron out any gremlins that might crop up, but I genuinely believe we’ll be playing Smash on the toilet before the end of October.
What do you guys think? Port or new game? Brand new Link or just a blue tunic-ed reskin, and when do you reckon we’ll be playing it? Let me know down in the comments.
Cheers for watching…
Phil Myth 