Sora from Kingdom Hearts announced as a new DLC fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

[Launchpad]

I for one saw this incredibly good and emotional reveal and subsequent content as the perfect Launchpad to once again discuss how KH3 was bad. It was horrible! So bad. it wasn't any better or worse than the other numbered titles

 

[Zetta slow]

Just wait... they're gonna use this as an explanation for why his stats are back at level 0 in KH4.
"Unfortunately, your battle with Bowser left you too drained... go to more Disney Worlds, thank you and goodbye."

 

[Barrett]

I love that even though Sora's KH1 design was chosen as the base, the Smash team acknowledged that his other main designs were also iconic to the point that they had to give each of his main outfits their own renders. Even better that they basically view Dream Drop Distance as important as KH1, KH2, and KH3 through this.

Sakurai giving DDD a lot of love and attention in general gave me so much vindication, you have no idea, like with this tweet:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1446309374637477892

EDIT:

Look at this!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1447034156257452036

 

[rawpower]

It's been a while, but I just thought I'd come in and celebrate and say my piece...

I was so happy seeing the reveal it brought a tear to my eye. This game will never be topped by another fighting game in terms of roster or care given to guest characters.

I don't have a problem with the Disney characters and content being omitted from the game, but I do take issue with the music tracks that were brought in. Kingdom Hearts has some of the best music in all of video games.

I wish Square/Disney would have for one, allowed more tracks, and for two, allowed a better variety, or if Sakurai was allowed to choose any of the non-Disney tracks I wish he would have picked some of the better ones, such as Darkness of the Unknown and Vector to the Heavens. It's annoying that they stuck to only KH1 tracks.

Still, Sakurai always shows a tremendous amount of respect for the guest characters and Sora looks great. Just wish Square/Disney would have allowed a bit more to go with him, even thought it was a monumental achievement to even get him in.

 

[the red monster]

I still don't understand why they didn't at least pick KH1 final boss theme. the music choices are really weird to say the least.

 

[Sign]

I still don't understand why they didn't at least pick KH1 final boss theme. the music choices are really weird to say the least.

I just wish they didn't waste a slot by having both Destati and Fragments of Sorrow, which are practically the same song lol

 

[Absent]

I like the selection but I would’ve added Sora’s theme before adding the Gummi theme.

 

[MATGSY]

I like the selection but I would’ve added Sora’s theme before adding the Gummi theme.

Didn't exist in KH1.

 

[Barrett]

I like the selection but I would’ve added Sora’s theme before adding the Gummi theme.

Didn't exist in KH1.

I think it makes sense that they chose one of the Gummi Ship themes for the soundtrack since they wanted to focus on KH1 a lot and the Gummi Ship was a lot more relevant back when it started out and was arguably at its most integral for figuring out how the KH universe worked at the time.

 

[Squood!]

I sadly don't care about this anymore...

 

[breadslime]

I love how happy everyone is. Rn everyone is just

I really do like how good all the Soras look in Ultimate. His smile gives me life.

 

[AegisXIII]

Can anyone tell me why this is such a great news? I never cared about smash. All I see is a game where characters fight on platforms. Can someone help me to see the beauty behind it?

 

[breadslime]

Can anyone tell me why this is such a great news? I never cared about smash. All I see is a game where characters fight on platforms. Can someone help me to see the beauty behind it?

Smash is meant to be a celebration of video games, so video game characters from all eras of video game history getting in is a big deal. Stickers, Costumes, a piece of music. It's also a big deal because it shows Sakurai being able to convince Disney to let Nintendo work with them. Disney acts just like Nintendo when it comes to IPs and things they own. And they both own a lot of things.

 

[AegisXIII]

Smash is meant to be a celebration of video games, so video game characters from all eras of video game history getting in is a big deal. Stickers, Costumes, a piece of music. It's also a big deal because it shows Sakurai being able to convince Disney to let Nintendo work with them. Disney acts just like Nintendo when it comes to IPs and things they own. And they both own a lot of things.

Oh yes, on the legal side, this is a masterpiece. Convincing disney is an insane achievement.

 

[MATGSY]

Can anyone tell me why this is such a great news? I never cared about smash. All I see is a game where characters fight on platforms. Can someone help me to see the beauty behind it?

It's one of the most popular games ever with over $20 million copies sold. A new character in Smash is as big a deal as entire game announcements. & unlike say, new character skins in Fortnite, the character actually plays like themselves.

Plus the game rolls out the red carpet whenever there's a new third party character, giving them incredible reverence. With each one, we get:
-The character himself
-A moveset modeled after the series' history
-A stage from the series
-Multiple music tracks for the stage (when most other fighting games would just have 1)
-Spirit battles where you can collect the spirits of other characters from the franchise (basically a form of collectables)
-A lavish cg trailer celebrating the character

 

[Max]

Can anyone tell me why this is such a great news? I never cared about smash. All I see is a game where characters fight on platforms. Can someone help me to see the beauty behind it?

I think this question could be asked about any game genre if it's the kind of genre that doesn't interest you, but I'll try to explain for Smash anyway.

I think first and foremost, the character roster is a huge draw for people. You like Mario? Zelda? Fire Emblem? Persona? Fire Emblem? Unless you're strictly into sports games or first person shooters, there's a good chance somebody from some game you like is represented here.

Where this representation really gets amplified is if you're a fan of multiple game series' that are represented in Smash. I love Zelda, and I love Metal Gear. At no point in my life would I ever have imagined I would get to play a game with both Link and Snake in it though, to me that's awesome.

This also allows for a lot of dream battles. Wow, what if Mario was sucked into Hyrule and had to fight Ganon? For a fan of Mario and Zelda, this crazy "what-if?" becomes a reality.

This doesn't only cover dream characters though, but there are stages pulled straight from these games as well. You could literally make these battles take place in Hyrule, or you could have Cloud fight Sephiroth across dimensions while a Metal Gear is wreaking havoc in the background. On top of that I can pick some of my favorite music tracks from across any of these games as well and mix and match all of this as I please? That's badass.

It becomes even more epic when you're playing with friends. Once I've had my 40 or 50 hour fill of a new Smash, I don't play it as often unless A) A new character comes out or B) My buddies come over or I go to their house. Then we all have a blast picking each of our favorite characters and trying to destroy each other with them, or working together on a high difficulty level on Classic to try and combine our skills to take out the toughest of enemies.

I think this segues great into gameplay. The gameplay for Smash is some of the most incredibly complex, oh my gosh Sakurai is the only man I think could really pull this off and pull it off this well. Anyone can jump into Smash, pick a character they like, and have a good time jumping around the stage fighting and easily figure out A and B provide different attacks. It's incredibly welcoming to newcomers and casual players. On the other hand, if you're someone who wants to dig deep, there are so many layers behind the characters and the way the can maneuver and link attacks together and I can't possibly describe the amount of depth that can be found in this combat system, but it's incredible to me how perfectly this game can cater to someone who just wants to pick up and play and someone who wants to really challenge themselves and master a complex system. You aren't punished for playing one way or the other, there really isn't a "right" way.

To go more in depth on the stages, it's easy to say it just looks like characters fighting on platforms, but a lot of care really goes into the stages as much as they do the characters. Stages are built differently with different environmental hazards and events that happen within them, all harkening back again to the game they originate from. Some of the stages feel like they're full of life around you as you fight and compete and are forced to jump out of the way of lava or avoid being taken away by the rush of a river. You have to pay attention to these things all the while keeping an eye on your opponent.

There is also so much game history to be found and appreciated across the series, with collectible trophies and spirits providing background info and art and all kind of information about the games and characters they originate from. This is something you can ignore if you don't care, or relish in if you want to learn more about the games you love or even learn about games you didn't know anything about. It also adds a collectible aspect to the game, trying to gain every trophy or spirit.

Speaking of spirits, in Ultimate spirits can be used to alter the stats of your characters as well to take on tougher battles with an added layer of strategy. You equip them similar to how you might equip weapons and armor, and they can help you to buff yourself against an opponent in a rock paper scissors fashion or to give you a speed boost or a laser sword, there is an incredible amount of customizability here if you decide to fight spirit battles or play Ultimate's campaign mode.

Honestly, I could go on and on. You may not have even wanted or read this book I wrote. I wouldn't even call myself a Smash expert by any means, but as someone who has played every entry in the series, I think it's safe to say there is a lot to love about these games and there are different reasons for different people. Even if someone doesn't like Smash though, I think it would be hard for them to argue that the game hasn't had a lot of love and passion put into it resulting in an incredibly well-made game aimed at fans of video games in general.

 

[AegisXIII]

I think this question could be asked about any game genre if it's the kind of genre that doesn't interest you, but I'll try to explain for Smash anyway.

I think first and foremost, the character roster is a huge draw for people. You like Mario? Zelda? Fire Emblem? Persona? Fire Emblem? Unless you're strictly into sports games or first person shooters, there's a good chance somebody from some game you like is represented here.

Where this representation really gets amplified is if you're a fan of multiple game series' that are represented in Smash. I love Zelda, and I love Metal Gear. At no point in my life would I ever have imagined I would get to play a game with both Link and Snake in it though, to me that's awesome.

This also allows for a lot of dream battles. Wow, what if Mario was sucked into Hyrule and had to fight Ganon? For a fan of Mario and Zelda, this crazy "what-if?" becomes a reality.

This doesn't only cover dream characters though, but there are stages pulled straight from these games as well. You could literally make these battles take place in Hyrule, or you could have Cloud fight Sephiroth across dimensions while a Metal Gear is wreaking havoc in the background. On top of that I can pick some of my favorite music tracks from across any of these games as well and mix and match all of this as I please? That's badass.

It becomes even more epic when you're playing with friends. Once I've had my 40 or 50 hour fill of a new Smash, I don't play it as often unless A) A new character comes out or B) My buddies come over or I go to their house. Then we all have a blast picking each of our favorite characters and trying to destroy each other with them, or working together on a high difficulty level on Classic to try and combine our skills to take out the toughest of enemies.

I think this segues great into gameplay. The gameplay for Smash is some of the most incredibly complex, oh my gosh Sakurai is the only man I think could really pull this off and pull it off this well. Anyone can jump into Smash, pick a character they like, and have a good time jumping around the stage fighting and easily figure out A and B provide different attacks. It's incredibly welcoming to newcomers and casual players. On the other hand, if you're someone who wants to dig deep, there are so many layers behind the characters and the way the can maneuver and link attacks together and I can't possibly describe the amount of depth that can be found in this combat system, but it's incredible to me how perfectly this game can cater to someone who just wants to pick up and play and someone who wants to really challenge themselves and master a complex system. You aren't punished for playing one way or the other, there really isn't a "right" way.

To go more in depth on the stages, it's easy to say it just looks like characters fighting on platforms, but a lot of care really goes into the stages as much as they do the characters. Stages are built differently with different environmental hazards and events that happen within them, all harkening back again to the game they originate from. Some of the stages feel like they're full of life around you as you fight and compete and are forced to jump out of the way of lava or avoid being taken away by the rush of a river. You have to pay attention to these things all the while keeping an eye on your opponent.

There is also so much game history to be found and appreciated across the series, with collectible trophies and spirits providing background info and art and all kind of information about the games and characters they originate from. This is something you can ignore if you don't care, or relish in if you want to learn more about the games you love or even learn about games you didn't know anything about. It also adds a collectible aspect to the game, trying to gain every trophy or spirit.

Speaking of spirits, in Ultimate spirits can be used to alter the stats of your characters as well to take on tougher battles with an added layer of strategy. You equip them similar to how you might equip weapons and armor, and they can help you to buff yourself against an opponent in a rock paper scissors fashion or to give you a speed boost or a laser sword, there is an incredible amount of customizability here if you decide to fight spirit battles or play Ultimate's campaign mode.

Honestly, I could go on and on. You may not have even wanted or read this book I wrote. I wouldn't even call myself a Smash expert by any means, but as someone who has played every entry in the series, I think it's safe to say there is a lot to love about these games and there are different reasons for different people. Even if someone doesn't like Smash though, I think it would be hard for them to argue that the game hasn't had a lot of love and passion put into it resulting in an incredibly well-made game aimed at fans of video games in general.

Thanks for your detailed thesis on the game. XD

I can see the appeal, but as you mentioned it is a what-if scenario and for me, the non-canonicity of it is what always kept me away. There is no story justification as to why they are meeting and fighting (am I mistaken? is there a story? I genuinely do not know).

i would totally be on board if characters would talk to each other and there would be some basic plot that could explain the reasons for their presence in each universe.

I am sure I would have a lot of fun for like 8 hours, but then, it would become super repetitive. I can hardly see a scenario where I would play this game for 50 hours without blinking.

I don't think this sort of games are for me, but I can clearly see the appeal and I am happy that Sora got in it.

 

[Max]

Thanks for your detailed thesis on the game. XD

I can see the appeal, but as you mentioned it is a what-if scenario and for me, the non-canonicity of it is what always kept me away. There is no story justification as to why they are meeting and fighting (am I mistaken? is there a story? I genuinely do not know).

i would totally be on board if characters would talk to each other and there would be some basic plot that could explain the reasons for their presence in each universe.

I am sure I would have a lot of fun for like 8 hours, but then, it would become super repetitive. I can hardly see a scenario where I would play this game for 50 hours without blinking.

I don't think this sort of games are for me, but I can clearly see the appeal and I am happy that Sora got in it.

So there is kind of a story in some of the games, but it isn't anything deep or crazy and it doesn't explain why all of these characters have crossed over.

In my opinion the third game, Smash Brothers Brawl, had the best story mode. A lot of it was akin to playing a sidescroller but with the combat of the main game implemented, and you would take out the grunt enemies along the way like in Mega Man or Mario, but then got to experience the combat with it's real potential during bigger or boss battles. And this story mode implemented all of the fighters into the campaign except for 2. You would jump between viewpoints as different characters teamed up and traveled together at different parts of the world, all ultimately heading the same direction. So one minute you were playing as Pit from Kid Icarus descending from the heavens when stuff is going awry down below, and another minute you're playing as Lucas and Pokemon Trainer after something horrible befell Ness and Wario shows up. This is accompanied by a lot of really fun cutscenes all throughout the story mode too. There isn't much in the way of dialogue unfortunately, but the game does a good enough job without it showing rather than telling when the cutscenes come around.

The only other one with any kind of real "story" mode is the newest one, Ultimate. It doesn't go nearly as in depth as Brawl and only has a handful of cutscenes altogether, but it at least provided a challenge that slowly ramped up as you made your way through. It kept from getting stale to me because you actually felt a kind of growth as you played and had to level up and equip new spirits, and the different battles came with different rulesets and almost puzzles as to how to complete them. I genuinely got stumped on a handful of those fights for a while haha.

I get it if it's not the game for you though, not everything can appeal to everybody.

 

[Xblade13]

Thanks for your detailed thesis on the game. XD

I can see the appeal, but as you mentioned it is a what-if scenario and for me, the non-canonicity of it is what always kept me away. There is no story justification as to why they are meeting and fighting (am I mistaken? is there a story? I genuinely do not know).

i would totally be on board if characters would talk to each other and there would be some basic plot that could explain the reasons for their presence in each universe.

I am sure I would have a lot of fun for like 8 hours, but then, it would become super repetitive. I can hardly see a scenario where I would play this game for 50 hours without blinking.

I don't think this sort of games are for me, but I can clearly see the appeal and I am happy that Sora got in it.

Story wise Smash isn't super intense (usually). Brawl attempted to craft a story mode that involved all the dimensions being raided by an evil entity trying to destroy everything.

But the major thing I've seen in every game is this theme that the fighters aren't the literal actual characters themselves. In the original game on the N64, Mario and such were toys pulled from a toy box that these "hands" played with, like a child exacting their fantasies. This continues as a sort of metaphor throughout the series, as fighters seem to revert to Trophies (think Amiibo), either at the hands of an enemy or due to the "flame' going out in Ultimate's Sora trailer. One could argue that each game represents a stage in the life of someone who owns a bunch of toys of their favorite characters, and how they come up with new scenarios and fantasies with those throughout their life, eventually moving on but having given said toys a bit of soul on the process. It's hard to describe, bit there's a sort of beauty in it.

It isn't for everyone. I can say that if you don't play games with friends, it wouldn't be as appealing. But it is pretty much the perfect couch coop game. I spent a very long time playing through Brawl with my brother and two stepsiblings. We'd fight each other to settle disputes, see who had to do chores, etc. We'd cooperate to unlock all the fighters and collectibles, a d we'd imagine who else they could possibly add to the game in a later installment. Smash is a party fighting game first and foremost.

 

[AegisXIII]

So there is kind of a story in some of the games, but it isn't anything deep or crazy and it doesn't explain why all of these characters have crossed over.

In my opinion the third game, Smash Brothers Brawl, had the best story mode. A lot of it was akin to playing a sidescroller but with the combat of the main game implemented, and you would take out the grunt enemies along the way like in Mega Man or Mario, but then got to experience the combat with it's real potential during bigger or boss battles. And this story mode implemented all of the fighters into the campaign except for 2. You would jump between viewpoints as different characters teamed up and traveled together at different parts of the world, all ultimately heading the same direction. So one minute you were playing as Pit from Kid Icarus descending from the heavens when stuff is going awry down below, and another minute you're playing as Lucas and Pokemon Trainer after something horrible befell Ness and Wario shows up. This is accompanied by a lot of really fun cutscenes all throughout the story mode too. There isn't much in the way of dialogue unfortunately, but the game does a good enough job without it showing rather than telling when the cutscenes come around.

The only other one with any kind of real "story" mode is the newest one, Ultimate. It doesn't go nearly as in depth as Brawl and only has a handful of cutscenes altogether, but it at least provided a challenge that slowly ramped up as you made your way through. It kept from getting stale to me because you actually felt a kind of growth as you played and had to level up and equip new spirits, and the different battles came with different rulesets and almost puzzles as to how to complete them. I genuinely got stumped on a handful of those fights for a while haha.

I get it if it's not the game for you though, not everything can appeal to everybody.

And now I am tempted to try. Your passion transcended my close minded spirit, haha.
My wallet doesn't thank you.