As a top 100 ranked Super Smash Bros player for the past 5 years, I have an intimate understanding of the franchise‘s ever-evolving competitive meta. And while each new series entry introduces exciting gameplay innovations, there remains one area where the developers continue to play it safe at the expense of strategic depth: Character movesets.
Even the most recent release, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, largely recycles the familiar attacks fans have seen for beloved mascots since the Nintendo 64 era. Sure, Sakurai and team will throw in an extra kick here or projectile variant there. But by and large, the core special moves remain firmly rooted in the past, resulting in veterans that feel disappointingly stale after 20+ years of battles.
Don‘t just take my word for it. Let‘s examine some cold hard frame data:
Image source: https://ultimateframedata.com/
As you can see comparing Mario‘s move properties across four Smash generations, the plumbers fiery standard special Projectile Frame data differs little between entries.
While his generic punch, kick and throw combos have tightened up, Mario‘s signature flair attacks like the Fireball, Cape and Fludd barely change. Even the all-important damage percentages and knockback apply almost identical effects. This holds true for veterans like Donkey Kong, Kirby, Fox and more over decades worth of sequels.
But given the constantly evolving complexity of top tier competitive Smash play, can characters really afford to keep rehashing the same tricks? I argue relying on stale decades old movesets severely limits the series‘ competitive growth going forward.
The Need For New Strategic Dimensions
Think about the lifeblood of any healthy esport: ever-shifting meta tactics as players devise creative counters and combinations. By comparison, veterans with largely fixed abilities lead to more linear, repetitive matchups.
Let‘s examine a common competitive scenario. Say your rival goes with Link. Experienced players immediately recognize and prepare to evade his predictable repertoire of chained throws, Up-B recovery Spin Attacks, arrow snipes, and downward swordplant finishers. They are ingrained after years of muscle memory at this point.
But what if Link powered up a completely unfamiliar Down Special hurricane spin sending sliced gusts across the entire stage? Or a Standard Arrow Projectile that splits and ricochets? These exotic mechanics would force players to urgently restrategize, once again fearing Link‘s impressive Hylian arsenal.
The bottom line is recycled moves promote stale engagements, reducing innovative chances for pros to gain an edge. Limited options stifle complex decision making trees that separate elite talents.
This is why evolutions to core movesets cannot be treated as an optional extra. Refreshing abilities must be a vital pillar to foster tournaments packed with shocking upsets and electric moments destined for highlight reels!
Revamped Special Moves Inspired By History
So how can the developers tap into richer moveset potential for veterans? By fully embracing the diverse 30-year history of creativity and possibilities displayed throughout each character‘s entire franchise.
Let‘s envision just a taste of special move transformations I‘d love to see modernized for the next Smash landscape:
Mario
- Ice Flower Standard Projectile – Temporarily freezes enemies with crystal shots
- Wing Cap Up Recovery – Soar into the air before helplessly gliding
- Tanooki Suit Down Evade – Transforms into coveted power-up to avoid attacks
- Boo Mushroom Side Attack – Phase through opponents for stealthy collision
Donkey Kong
- Strong Kong Pound: Slams fist with triple the shockwave range
- Barrel Cannon Recovery: Blasts skyward before helplessly descending
- Mine Cart Down Smash: Spins out of control before crashing
- Tropical Freeze: Creates icy ground temporarily immobilizing foes
Yoshi
- Egg Roll Standard: Encases self in egg shooting forward
- Flutter Boost Up Recovery: Rapidly flaps wings like in Island games
- Egg Toss Side Projectile: Tosses egg arc before falling vertically
- Ground Pound Down: Radial shockwave stuns nearby opponents
And that‘s just the start when considering the wealth of lore and mechanic history developers could mine from established Nintendo mascots, third party invitees, and DLC candidates!
But wait – wouldn‘t overhauling movesets make beloved fighters completely foreign to loyal mains? What happens if the new directions undermine what makes characters iconic rather than enhancing them?
Change Can Be Scary, But Veteran Moves Must Evolve For Smash to Thrive
I fully acknowledge some hardcore Smash traditionalists recoil at the idea of altering signature moves they have spent years mastering across past entries. Tweaking even minor hitboxes risks messing with deeply ingrained muscle memory and competitive balance.
However, consider that truly innovative game franchises recognize when clinging too tightly to "what works" becomes inertia, gradually making gameplay stale and predictable. If creators remain overly reverential to the past without evolving core mechanics, sudden player churn often follows when frustrated fans flock to more stimulating experiences.
That means veterans having their abilities refreshed is not just an option – it is an imperative for prolonging Smash Bros competitive and mainstream relevancy against hungry rival platform fighters.
Still, Nintendo‘s hallmark talent has always been evolving classic games in clever ways, rather than starting completely from scratch. There are responsible, exciting methods to renovate fighters that respect player investments while delivering thoughtful change.
Some best practices that come to mind:
- Telegraphing moveset overhauls early in previews, allowing adjustment time
- Initially restricting refreshed fighters to side modes to test impacts
- Keeping certain signature effects, just dramatically expanding properties
- Offering in-game framdata + training tools to rapidly acclimate
Regardless of exact tactics, preserving Special Moves in complete stasis risks stagnation when competitors crave more diverse options and counters to hone skill.
Again, the goal here is absolutely not change solely for its own sake, nor disrupting finely tuned character balance recklessly. This is about thoughtfully evolving the toolkits of veterans in ways that open up gameplay possibilities without betraying their history.
My Vision: An Ever-Changing Virtual Moveset Museum
Instead ofrarely renovating Special Moves each sequel, I envision Sakurai‘s team establishing a tradition of constant moveset expansion. Picture updates overhauling abilities not just between Smash series entries, but even on an ongoing basis!
Veteran fighters could possess multi-slot Special Move pools, with only 4 attacks selectable per match. But the total pool constantly grows as Nintendo introduces new variants inspired by classic and modern franchise lore alike – imagine pulls from forgotten Game Boy Kirby adventures or the Wii U Yoshi reboot!
Sure, managing an exponentially increasing movelist presents balance complications. But in the internet era, patches allow:
- Seasonal testing of a few fresh abilities rather than all at once.
- Observing initial competitive impact before adjustments.
Gradually cycling revamped special moves would keep engagement high for both casual party players and hardcore tournament organizers alike. Think of the strategy discussions on Smash forums as pros debate optimal "loadouts" with a rotating buffet of attacks to counter popular regional or national level picks!
And remembered moves fully removed from the selectable pool could be enshrined in an in-game "Moveset Museum"- letting you admire artifacts of Smash history thoughtfully retired when necessary for balance.
At the end of the day, preserving rigid movesets restricts a platform fighter series where unpredictability, creativity and discovery must drive lifelong dedication. That means Sawkarui and co having the courage to dethrone stale abilities of veterans, reviving their competitive spirits with an ever-flowing movestream designed to shock and delight.
The existing special abilities of signature mascots need not be lost. But they should evolve into parts of a greater living history documented in-game, with new chapters still unwritten.
