Super Smash Bros. 3DS Review

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Smash Bros. 3DS Review

If, for some insane reason, you find yourself lacking in extremely addictive, highly playable games for your 3DS, here’s some good news: Super Smash Bros. 3DS is officially on the market.

After an agonizing 6-year gap, Nintendo has finally gifted us with the next entry in the Super Smash Bros. series and it is glorious. Everything from the roster, to the game modes, to the mass of customization has succeeded in making Smash Bros. 3DS a crowning achievement for the system. Only a few things stand in the way of this title being a monument to gaming perfection.

Players both old and new should have no problem finding a favorite character with over 50 to pick from. A majority of older stars return, but some familiar faces have been cut from the list. Solid Snake and Ice Climbers are two examples of fighters that don’t return. However, there are more than enough newcomers to make up for that loss.
The new characters are definitely a breath of fresh air. Characters like Little Mac from Punch Out!! and Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy join the list and both add unique fighting styles to the mix. For example, Little Mac is borderline overpowered when on flat terrain, but has little to no aerial recovery or attack potential.
In terms of new content, several prominent game modes have been added. While there is no “storyline” mode, Nintendo has added a series of new modes for us to experience. A couple of new mini-games and one major game mode patch the void that was left by the absence of a story mode.

New mini-games include Target Blast and Trophy Smash. Target Blast is a mix between the classic Home-Run Contest and Angry Birds. Players fight a bomb with the character of their choice and then smash it towards a collection of targets and blocks to cause the most destruction and gain a high score. Trophy Smash is the new trophy collection mini-game, tasking players with breaking a series of blocks with a chosen character until trophies, custom options, and money rain down upon their heads.

Finally, the new competitive mode, Smash Run, is the most addictive mode added to the game. Four players are given five minutes to travel around a side-scrolling adventure area beating up enemies from various Nintendo titles. One corner may hold a horde of goombas, while another may hide a Metroid. Each KO awards a fighter with stat upgrades tracked at the bottom of the screen.

At the end of the adventure, players are thrown into a random final event. This can range from a foot race along an obstacle course to a four-player battle with special rules. This randomness creates a lot of replayability in this mode. Four players in the same room can play together with any non-player spots being filled by A.I. players.

Finally, customization returns with a complete overhaul from Smash Bros. Brawl. The old sticker system has been replaced with a three-slot equipment screen for each character. You can create multiple profiles for your characters with different stats and special abilities depending on how you equip them. Also, special moves now have different variations that can be equipped, such as Mario having a larger or faster fireball that may deal less damage. This allows you to fine-tune a character to your play style and is completely optional in both basic modes and Smash Run.

The game isn’t totally without its downfalls, though. For example, stage selection is a little limited and the 3DS utilizes only smaller stages due to screen-size limitations. Default controls force players to use the Circle Pad for all of their movement, aiming, and smash attacks, which can lead to some unresponsive input detection. This can lead to some amount of frustration, especially on higher difficulties where precision is key. There is no option to change directional controls over to the D-Pad, but all other inputs can be freely changed.

Despite these shortcomings, Smash Bros. 3DS is an exceptional game. A huge roster, hilariously fun modes, and, of course, the ability to duke it out with friends both locally and online for bragging rights, all come together to bring a portable experience unlike any I’ve seen before. If you have a 3DS, make it happy by buying this game.
Super Smash Bros. 3DS smashes its way to a 9/10.

About author

Logan Barnes

Logan Barnes has been gaming since he could use a DOS computer. In addition to his numerous PSN trophies, he holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism. He enjoys a good Piña Colada and Hawaiian shirts.

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