The latest Super Smash Bros. title, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, has become one of Nintendo’s biggest go-to titles on the Nintendo Switch. Combining everything that’s made the Super Smash Bros. series successful over the years, Ultimate has brought the vast majority of the franchise’s past content to the forefront with the franchise’s largest roster of characters and stages to date. Combined with great refinements to the fighting mechanics, this title has turned itself into the definitive entry in Nintendo’s long-running fighting franchise.
One area that it can see some improvements in, however, is in the online play of Smash Ultimate. The Super Smash Bros. series has always had some issues with online play in one form or another, but in Ultimate’s case, it feels like the online mode could’ve used a few more options. With Nintendo likely preparing the next Super Smash Bros. game for its upcoming console, the publisher may want to look to a feature from Super Smash Bros. for. Wii U when making the next game.
Related
Why the Switch 2’s Backward Compatibility is a Big Deal for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate might have a brighter future with the confirmation of the Nintendo Switch 2 having backward compatibility.
Super Smash Bros.’ Next Game Could Use Smash 4’s Help
The Next Smash Game Should Bring Back For Fun And For Glory
If the next Super Smash Bros. game wants to improve on the online features from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it should bring back the multiplayer queues that Super Smash Bros. for Wii U offered. That game offered two separate online modes, one being For Fun and the other being For Glory. As the names allude to, the former allowed players to play casual games with items on any possible stage, while the latter offered more competitive play by removing items and only allowing non-hazardous forms of stages.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, on the other hand, only has one form of quickplay that doesn’t offer the same type of rulesets. While players can set a “preferred” ruleset before a match begins, there are no guarantees that they will match with someone who has the same rules. Even though For Fun and For Glory might limit the ruleset options a bit, it would help players have a better understanding of what kind of match they will play before it begins.
Smash’s Next Game Would Help The Potential Competitive Disparity
Beyond only having this one form of Quickplay, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s one multiplayer option is technically a “ranked” option. As players play, they earn Global Smash Points and, as their point totals grow, they become grouped in with players of similar point counts. This can create a bit of an imbalance, as a casual player who happens to win enough to gain a lot of points can get paired with a more competitive player who grinds for longer times. Likewise, competitive players trying to practice might run into rulesets with items that prove distracting.
Having modes akin to For Fun and For Glory can give those players an easier opportunity to pair up with players of similar playstyles. It eliminates the potential disparity between gamers of radically different styles and allows them to enjoy the game at their own pace. Casual players will not have to worry about ranking up their Global Smash Points, while competitive players have a greater motivation to grind online.
Even though For Fun and For Glory might limit the ruleset options a bit, it would help players have a better understanding of what kind of match they will play before it begins.
Smash Bros. Online Could Use More Modes In General
If Nintendo wants to improve the online in the next Super Smash Bros. title, it may also be worth it to add a few extra modes. In its current form, Ultimate only offers three different options, with limited customization options between them. The next Super Smash Bros. game could be the definitive online experience if it offers more options and modes, perhaps even going as far as to bring back something like Smash Run from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
While Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is an all-around excellent experience on the Switch, it could absolutely use some help in the online department. The limited options and disparity between playstyles make it hard to get into no matter one’s level of experience with the series. As Nintendo likely prepares for Super Smash Bros. to move forward on the next platform, an improvement to the online gameplay would go a long way to making the next game the new definitive title in the franchise.
Leave a Reply