Introduction
Basic information
- Developer Name: Nintendo
- Full Name: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Release Date: December 7, 2018
- Released on: Nintendo Switch
- Cross Play: No
Initial thoughts
We both enjoy Super Smash Bros., but somehow, this game sat in our backlog for about five years. We initially waited for all the DLC passes, but then, as time went on, we kind of forgot we even had the game. When we finally picked it up, we were excited to dive into the massive roster and chaotic fun. But one glaring issue overshadowed everything: Waluigi is still not a playable character. How could they add literally everyone else, including characters nobody asked for (cough Piranha Plant cough), but not Waluigi?!
Story and setting
Plot overview
The game features World of Light, an adventure mode where spirits have taken over fighters, and you must rescue them by battling across different maps. While the idea is cool, the execution leaves something to be desired. Battles often feel repetitive, and worst of all, there’s no co-op mode, which is a massive letdown for a game that thrives on multiplayer chaos.
World building and immersion
For a game that is all about crossover madness, the world itself feels a bit underwhelming. Sure, you travel across different areas inspired by various franchises, but it lacks the depth or personality seen in something like Subspace Emissary from Brawl.
Character development
There’s no real character development here, unless you count my increasing frustration over the lack of Waluigi as a playable fighter.
Emotional impact
The game provides some nostalgic excitement with its enormous roster and callbacks to classic franchises, but it also delivers heartbreak. Not seeing Waluigi among the roster is a tragedy, and each time I played, I was reminded of the injustice.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with an 6.5
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
The core mechanics are still fantastic. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of the smoothest and most polished entries in the series, with precise controls, fluid movement, and an incredible amount of content. Every character feels unique, and the battles are as chaotic and exciting as ever. But you know what would have made it even better? If Waluigi were in the game.
Difficulty and balance
The difficulty is adjustable, but some AI fighters feel ridiculously overpowered, especially in World of Light. Certain fights are just frustrating rather than fun. Meanwhile, some characters feel way stronger than others (cough Steve and Kazuya cough), making online play a mixed experience.
Pacing of the game
The pacing is solid in terms of combat, but the adventure mode drags on for too long. Some fights feel like filler rather than actual meaningful encounters. Also, the lack of co-op in Adventure Mode makes the experience far less enjoyable than it could have been.
Innovation and uniqueness
The game’s biggest innovation is the sheer size of its roster, which is admittedly impressive. However, they added Sephiroth, Kazuya, Sora, and even a random plant, but NOT Waluigi.
Controls and user interface
Controls are tight and responsive, but the UI feels clunky at times, especially when navigating menus or trying to play with multiple people.
Microtransactions
The game has paid DLC, which adds some fantastic characters (except Waluigi, of course). While the DLC fighters are mostly well-designed, the fact that I had to pay extra for characters like Banjo-Kazooie while Waluigi remains unplayable is an insult.
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with an 7.5.
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
The visuals are fantastic. Every character looks sharp, the animations are fluid, and the stages are beautifully designed.
Technical performances
The game runs smoothly, even with eight players on-screen. Online mode, however, can sometimes be a laggy mess.
Environment and design uniqueness
The stage variety is excellent, with over 100 stages that bring different franchises to life. However, there’s no dedicated Waluigi stage, which is yet another oversight.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 9.0.
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The music is one of the best parts of the game. With over 1,000 tracks from various franchises, it’s an absolute treat for gaming music fans.
Sound effects quality
The sound effects are crisp and satisfying, making every hit, smash, and KO feel impactful.
Voice Acting
The characters that do have voices sound great, but I can’t fully appreciate them knowing that Waluigi doesn’t have a fighter slot, so his voice is missing from the action.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with a 9.
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
The amount of content is staggering. With so many characters, modes, and unlockables, the game could theoretically last forever.
Extra Content
There are plenty of modes, customizations, and DLC fighters to extend the experience. But not a single one of them is Waluigi.
Replay value
The game is highly replayable, but the lack of meaningful co-op rewards made our experience feel unrewarding at times.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Super Smash Bros Ultimate with a 7.5
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
- Add Waluigi as a playable character. I cannot stress this enough.
- Introduce co-op for World of Light.
- Add meaningful rewards for co-op Classic Mode.
Comparisons
Compared to previous entries, Ultimate has the biggest roster and best mechanics, but Brawl still had the better adventure mode. Also, Waluigi was an assist trophy in both, so what’s the excuse?
Personal experiences and anecdotes
We played every classic level in co-op and got not a single reward, which was extremely disappointing. What’s the point of playing together if we don’t even get a proper incentive? This made us question how much effort we wanted to put into unlocking things. Next game, we’ve decided we won’t even check the roster beforehand—we’ll just play and hope for the best. That way, maybe the heartbreak of not seeing Waluigi won’t hit as hard, or we might get surprised with Waluigi after all!
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Super Smash Bros Ultimate, I give it a personal rating of 6,5
Where is Waluigi? Is he on vacation?
Last words
Pros
- Huge character roster (even if it lacks Waluigi)
- Smooth and polished combat
- Tons of music from various franchises
- Beautiful graphics and well-designed stages
- Local multiplayer is chaotic fun
- Massive amount of content to explore
- Tight and responsive controls
- Stage variety is excellent
- Every past Smash character returns
Cons
- Waluigi is not a playable character
- Waluigi is STILL not a playable character.
- World of Light is too long and repetitive.
- No co-op in adventure mode.
- Online play can be frustrating due to lag
- Co-op Classic Mode gives no rewards
- Some characters feel unbalanced
- Menu navigation is a bit clunky
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a fantastic game with an incredible amount of content, but it has some glaring flaws. The missing co-op features, lack of rewards for playing together, and most importantly, the complete absence of Waluigi as a playable fighter hold it back from true greatness. It’s a fun game, but it could have been perfect if Nintendo had just given the people what they truly wanted.
FINAL RATING
7
Please let me know what you think of Super Smash Brosh Ultimate in the comments!
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The banner/cover is GLORIOUS. WAH!
Interesting review, I think it’s the first time I see screenshots of Super Smash Bros Ultimate that aren’t just the main combat screens or character “title” splash screens, lol. Really not my type of game.
Great review pointing out the strengths of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, especially its huge roster and fun gameplay. I agree that it’s a bit disappointing that Waluigi isn’t a playable character, and the lack of co-op options seems like a missed opportunity to make the game even better. Overall though, it sounds like a solid game despite a few flaws.
If no Waluigi, then I don’t want it!
Seems they did another good Super Smash Bros, I only played the Nintendo 64 and Wii ones
Hard to say more before seeing in gameplay video action first so thanks for sharing it. I did watch it before comment, fights seems very cool and bosses/enemies are especially interesting and cool 🙂
Thanks for the interesting review! I feel your pain about Waluigi, it’s truly a crime he’s still not playable. The lack of co-op in World of Light and the repetitive nature of the mode are also quite valid criticisms. Still though, i think the massive roster and polished gameplay make it a blast to play, even with its flaws. Here’s hoping Nintendo listens to the WAH-luigi fans in the next installment! 😀
Man, you must really like Waluigi, don’t you? XD
I agree with your entire review, the combat could be improved in some aspects and especially if it had a cooperative mode with rewards it would encourage more people to play it with others.
The online mode has been in need of improvement since the game was released xD.
P.S. Kazuya is too OP and I think you forgot to mention Waluigi😂
i haven’t heard before Waluigi word.
I’m gonna have to play it one day, one way or the other. Think an evil emulator might work for this? :3
Oh, and the reverse Luigi would dominate this with his long legs and super moustache!
It was a good game as a competitive tool.
I do think cooperative play was indeed necessary.🐑
A really good one at most
i have played this before haha… its fun! nice review.
one could think you like Waluigi 😉
btw… why is there no fight with waluigi in there, ist this even a game? or is ist scam?
I didn’t play a smash bros before :thinking:
But did try a alternative, similar game though…
Waluigi is too powerful to be added 😉
I have it and we have a lot of fun with it as a family. Even if it’s true that the characters aren’t all equal.
I must admit, that this is not my kind of game at all… But at least I know who Waluigi is XD
The review was hilarious! Haven’t been into it much before but I’m totally a fan of Waluigi after reading this XD
Is there really no way to mod Waluigi into the game? He is needed!
Honestly this seems like not my favourite type of game. And I don’t who is Waluigi, only heard about Luigi.
7* is an overestimation. No Waluigi makes it deserving of 4* at best
This review is amazing! And I don’t know about Walugi,but I guess he is unique character.
How did you not have a review till 13th feb 2025 on this? I swear I felt you always had one. Damn, Mandela effect or whatever.