Super Smash Bros is one of the most unique and fun fighting games. It has had a bit of a rough patch with the absence of real-life tournaments, but this week has seen some major news develop for the game. The title has had its next DLC fighter announced, reinvigorating interest in the title. These latest additions join an already packed roster. In addition to Smash Bros Pyra DLC, we’ve got details on the stages, music, and even the in-game tournaments that are going to be showing up.
Yesterday’s Nintendo Direct saw quite a few announcements, including a port of Skyward Sword and a teaser for a Splatoon sequel. One of the biggest pieces of news though is the latest DLC fighter to join the roster. Pyra and Mythra are coming to the game next month. These two characters are taken from Xenoblade chronicles 2, a popular RPG for the Switch. They join Shulk, the protagonist from the first Xenoblade Chronicles game to fill out the roster. This time around they’ve chosen to skip the main protagonist of the game though.
The two additions to the game with the Smash Bros Pyra DLC are going to be delved into in more detail closer to their release. Typically Smash Bros debut a character through a cinematic of them receiving the physical invitation, followed by a deep dive into mechanics. These secondary videos are more informal, usually just being Sakuri sat in front of a copy of the game, sometimes showboating his ability to play multiple characters with each hand. It is these videos that give the technical details, and usually have the most relevance for competitive players of the game.
Pyra and Mythra are going to be a single addition to the game. Smash Ultimate contains a number of characters who have completely different versions as alternatives looks, and even echo characters that just have a slight difference. This includes the Dragon Quest ‘Hero’, who came with 5 different games’ protagonists as different skins.
The two latest additions to Smash Bros ultimate could be said to be controversial. Essentially, you could boil them down to two more anime swordfighters. Or at least a running joke/criticism of Smash’s roster likes to reduce additions to that.
It is true that these characters from the Smash Bros Pyra DLC are two more JRPG sword wielders. This is hardly a play style unique to Smash Bros. Even among the existing roster, the Xenoblade rep has a lot of crossover with the new characters. However, it would be difficult to say that Ultimate’s huge roster isn’t varied enough. Even among DLC characters, for each swordsman there’s been a Banjo Kazooie, or a Steve from Mineraft. Joker might fit the ‘anime’ part of the joke, but with a gun as his neutral special and a Persona to activate the gameplay style is completely different. While the too many swordies thing has a bit of merit, with a roster this size it is hard to complain about lack of options.
Smash Bros’ roster has expanded to a baffling size. It is frankly so big that a game of the year edition with the DLC included is going to be a must-buy for a lot of players. There’s bound to be some crossover in representation. The two new additions to the roster look like a fun add-on for an already huge game.
Smash Ultimate is getting a new character, but other content has been announced too. This includes a new stage based around Gramps, a giant creature from the same game. There is also plenty of music coming to the game’s library with the Smash Bros Pyra Ultimate.
New tournaments have also been announced with the latest batch of news. The Smash Bros Ultimate Grand Slam is the first of these, it is an event where only body blows are going to be allowed. These events aren’t full competitive tournaments though. They are in-game events that are active for a limited time in online play, rather than serious competitions.
The “Grand Slam” is set to begin on Feb. 19 and run for three days. You will need to be subscribed to Nintendo Switch to participate.
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