When Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was announced on June 12th, a blog on the official Smash Bros. website began posting updates, much like those done for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. While so far nothing has been shown on this blog that wasn’t in the E3 demo, Smashboards intends to begin weekly recaps for those who might not see it otherwise. Before that however, let’s catch up on everything posted so far and discuss some of the highlights from the first four weeks of updates.
6/12
- Announcement of site launch
- Challenger Approaching trailer
- Ridley reveal trailer
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentation
- Nintendo Treehouse Live segment
- Announcement of amiibo compatibility and newcomer amiibo
- Gamecube controller announcement
- Inkling character trailer
- Squid Sisters assist trophy
- Three pieces of music added to the music section
While there were a lot of posts on this first day, it was mostly reiterating what was discussed during the Nintendo Direct presentation. We did however get some new music added to the website, which had not previously been highlighted. On top of the three tracks added to the music section, you can also hear a rearrangement of the Splatoon battle theme in Inkling’s character trailer.
6/13
- Pictures of Nintendo E3 booth
- Ridley character trailer
- Launch star item
We got to see pictures of some items that Nintendo brought to life for their E3 booth this year, such as Sandbag, the Monado, and Bayonetta’s guns.
6/14
- Daisy character trailer
- Congratulations to ZeRo and thanks to all the participants
- Alolan Vulpix
More gameplay of Daisy was shown, but it is still difficult to tell exactly how her attacks’ properties differ compared to Peach’s.
6/18
- Mario character trailer
- Battlefield
- Black hole item
There were actually two stages apart from Battlefield that showed up in the blog on the 18th. The first is a New Donk City stage that appears briefly during Mario’s character trailer. The second is harder to discern, but it appears in two of the pictures featuring the black hole item. The background scenery in the pictures where Fox is using the item doesn’t appear to line up with any known stages, which, along with the flat surface, has led many to believe that this is the game’s Final Destination.
6/19
- Bomb Rush Blush added to music section
- Bomberman assist trophy
The Smash Bros. team had a blast posting for the blog this day, as we not only got the Splatoon track “Bomb Rush Blush” added to the website, but also a reminder that Bomberman joins Smash not as a fighter, but as an assist trophy.
6/20
- Link character trailer
Link has changed quite a bit compared to Smash 4, which is highlighted in his character trailer. Some of the major changes include his appearance and his ability to remote detonate bombs.
6/21
- Ice Climbers character trailer
The most notable takeaway from the Ice Climbers’ trailer is that Nana appears to have her own animations that she goes into now whenever Popo grabs an opponent or when he is grabbed. This eliminates several options that were previously available to the Ice Climbers, but only time will tell what exactly this means for them.
6/24
- Corrin character trailer
After a few days with no updates, we got Corrin’s trailer. While the trailer itself didn’t shed much light on what has changed about the character, fans must certainly still be glad to see them return.
6/25
- Snake character trailer
Snake was probably the least expected veteran to return, which is precisely why Sakurai must have chosen him to highlight the fact that everyone is here this time. His trailer shows that his unique long range fighting style is largely intact, but we do also see some changes. For example, his down smash is now two quick kicks to either side of his body. No more claymore.
6/26
- Noisy Notebook added to music section
- Sukapon assist trophy
It’s interesting to see something as recent and relatively small scale as Snipperclips get represented in Smash Bros. While it might “just” be a music track, it’s fun to wonder what other unexpected representations fans will see in the final game. Even the assist trophy Sukapon might seem to come from nowhere. His game of origin, Joy Mecha Fight released exclusively in Japan back in 1993.
6/27
- Solgaleo
- Lunala
The inclusion of Solgaleo and Lunala shows that the seventh generation Pokémon games will definitely be represented in a big way, at least in terms of the Poké ball item. What that means for a potential newcomer, however, is anybody’s guess at this point.
6/28
- Donkey Kong character trailer
While Donkey Kong’s changes appear to mostly be cosmetic, or at least irrelevant to competitive play, there are still some to point out in his character trailer. Most notably, his Final Smash is now a flurry of punches instead of the kongo based transformation attack it has been since Brawl. Also, he now carries opponents in a manner more consistent with his original appearance in Donkey Kong.
7/1
- Sonic character trailer
- Knuckles assist trophy
The blue blur returns and remains largely unchanged. His Final Smash, like all transformation-based Final Smashes, is now a sudden quick hit on all characters on the stage. Also representing the Sonic franchise is Knuckles the Echidna. Whether he is replacing or joining Shadow as an assist trophy remains to be seen.
7/2
- Falco character trailer
Apart from one of the best visual gags in the blog so far, we do also see some moveset changes for Falco. The trailer opens on his new, air-based Final Smash, which of course means no more Landmaster. His blaster also appears to be just a bit faster, which will hopefully improve its utility.
7/3
- City Trial added to music section
- Kongo Falls
This day’s highlight was definitely the announcement of the fan-favorite Kongo Falls' return. While not particularly balanced for competitive play thanks to a certain rock, it is still great to see this classic stage return with a fresh coat of paint.
7/4
- Young Link character trailer
- Krystal assist trophy
Young Link returns from Melee. While some may have hoped to see him return with more Majora’s Mask elements, fans of Link’s original design might find themselves choosing him now that adult Link has seen some major changes.
The announcement of Krystal’s assist trophy might also be bittersweet. Though fans must be happy to see her in Smash at all, there must be many who would have preferred to see her join as a playable character.
7/5
- Pokémon Trainer character trailer
The three-in-one character Pokémon Trainer returns from Brawl. While it’s been confirmed that players can now choose to play as one Pokémon without penalty, the trailer shows that the act of switching Pokémon is much faster, which may give an upper hand to players who master all three.
While the updates so far may seem somewhat redundant, it’s worth remembering that Sakurai’s Miiverse posts after the announcement of Smash 4 started out similarly but eventually revealed new information on a consistent basis. With just 21 weeks until the launch of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it’s only a matter of time before the updates become more substantial.
Author’s Note: Join us later this week for the first proper weekly recap of the blog posts. With fewer days to cover, we expect to be able to get into more detail with each individual post. In the meantime, what was the most significant blog update in your opinion? Which musical piece have you enjoyed the most?
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