History SuperSmashBros / TropesAToD

* DarkerAndEdgier: With more detailed and more realistic graphics, a surprisingly dramatic story mode, and more violent attacks, ''Brawl'' is definitely qualified for this trope compared to the other entries in the series. The game after it somewhat reversed this by injecting more color, replacing some moves (e.g. Cook Kirby with a {{BFS}} that makes rainbow trails), and having a lighter theme. ''Ultimate'' is between the two, lighter than ''Brawl'' but darker than ''3DS/Wii U''.

* CommercialSwitcheroo: ''Ultimate'' was revealed with what at first seems to be a repeat of the original ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' trailer.

** The series underwent a notable art style change between the original and ''Melee'', from an exaggerated, cartoony style (even more so than the styles of the source materials) to a very realistic style (see ArtShift), with more realistic coloring and textures in ''Brawl''. Compare [[http://www.ssbwiki.com/File:Link_SSB.png Link's artwork in 64]] with [[http://www.ssbwiki.com/images/b/b8/Link_SSBB.jpg his artwork in ''Brawl'']].

* CompetitiveBalance: At a competitive level, ''Smash'' games tend to be [[CharacterTiers fairly imbalanced]], with only [[GameBreaker/SuperSmashBros a handful of characters]] [[TierInducedScrappy/SuperSmashBros considered viable]] in high-level play.

** amiibo fighters will pick up how you handle stage hazards and the like and will attempt to mimic those as well. This is useful to, for example, train it so that it will attempt to get Ridley on their side on the [[VideoGame/{{Metroid}} Pyrosphere]] stage, be on the most optimal place on the screen (in your point of view) within scrolling stages like [[VideoGame/PacMan Pac-Land]], avoid the gaze of 5-Volt on the [[VideoGame/WarioWare Gamer]] stage, play ''VideoGame/DuckHunt'' while fighting opponents, etc.

** In every installment, the [=CPUs=] are incredibly good at perfect shielding attacks. ''Smash 4'' takes this up to [[UpToEleven another level]] where the [=CPUs=] have become notorious for being ridiculously good at perfect shielding near every attack.

* {{Crossover}}: The series' entire concept. As of ''3DS/Wii U'', there has been roughly 20+ different franchises represented throughout the 15 years, and that's just the ''playable'' roster. Assist trophies, trophies, and cameos push the limits of this trope. ''Ultimate'' takes this UpToEleven, with roughly 30 different franchises represented by 80 playable characters [[note]]counting all of the Pokemon Trainer's Pokemon as one and the six [[=DLC=]] characters[[/note]], and at least 130 more game franchises represented by the assist trophies, stages, music, and spirits from over 40 years worth of gaming history.

** From ''Melee'', the Ice Climbers. The sheer power of Popo and Nana relies on their tandem attacks, which can ''easily'' rack up damage and [=KOs=] if done right, and this is without getting into the "separation attack" stuff.[[note]]It is possible to separate the Climbers with some fast fingerwork, allowing the player to attack from two places at once, which is a [[UpToEleven whole other level]] of the trope.[[/note]] So naturally, this is balanced out by having the NPC Climber able to be KO'd; a solo Ice Climber isn't anywhere near as effective, and his/her usually amazing recovery becomes useless. Ice Climbers players have to take great care to keep both Popo and Nana in play.

** Also, when a series has its art evolve, then the related ''Smash'' designs will often follow suit to match. This can be best seen with characters from ''Zelda'' (who went from ''Ocarina of Time'' to more detailed ''Twilight Princess'' designs), characters from ''Star Fox'' (who evolved from ''Star Fox 64'' to ''Command'' and then to ''Zero''), Marth (whose design in the fourth game matches his appearance in [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia the DS remakes of his games]], which were released after ''Brawl''), and Little Mac (whose ''Brawl'' Assist Trophy was based on his NES version, while his ''3DS/Wii U''/''Ultimate'' appearance is based on the Wii game).

** Marth's DistaffCounterpart Lucina speaks English in the fourth game, yet Marth himself still speaks Japanese. This is despite [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Marth's game]] getting an international release, bringing him outside of Japan. After ''3DS/Wii U'', Marth's appearance in ''VideoGame/CodeNameSTEAM'' finally gave him an English voice actor, who provides his English voice in ''Ultimate''.

** ''Pokémon'' isn't alone in drawing from its AnimatedAdaptation and not just its games, though it does so to a greater extent than any other franchise. The ''Kirby'' elements also draw from [[Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa their respective anime]]. Meta Knight has his Japanese voice actor from the anime, his sword is named Galaxia just like in the show (as opposed to Master, the name given in ''Amazing Mirror''), and Dedede's design in ''3DS/Wii U'' and ''Ultimate'' is also inspired by the series; apart from that, Meta Knight is dubbed in English by Eric Newsome rather than Eric Stuart (albeit with a similar accent), and Dedede produces unintelligible penguin-like noises provided by Sakurai himself rather than speaking in his anime voice. Likewise, [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Marth]] is voiced in Japanese by Hikaru Midorikawa, who originally voiced him in the ''Fire Emblem'' OVA.

** In general, ''Smash Bros.'' is this for Nintendo; not only a love letter to existing fans, but a way to make people interested in the games involved in the franchise. Characters like Roy and Greninja were included to promote ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade]]'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' specifically. Similarly, Masterpieces in ''Brawl'' and ''Wii U'' offer playable demos of some of the most iconic games featured in ''Smash'' with a direct link to the eShop to buy the full version for Virtual Console.

** Those who don't know the localization differences between the Japanese version of ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'' and the US version won't know that the Octopus statues from the Magicant stage are supposed to be the Japanese equivalent to the Pencil statues.

* AntiTrollingFeatures: Games which use online play can stop people from going online if they engage in trolling behavior. This includes targeting the same player over and over, idling after getting into a match, repeatedly disconnecting one's connection during online play. ''Ultimate'' expanded this to include repeatedly self-destructing during matches. Players are banned for a minimum of ten minutes, though this can go higher if the trolling was especially egregious.

* AntiTrollingFreatures: Games which use online play can stop people from going online if they engage in trolling behavior. This includes targeting the same player over and over, idling after getting into a match, repeatedly disconnecting one's connection during online play. ''Ultimate'' expanded this to include repeatedly self-destructing during matches. Players are banned for a minimum of ten minutes, though this can go higher if the trolling was especially egregious.

* ColorCodedMultiplayer: Player 1 is red, Player 2 is blue, Player 3 is yellow, and Player 4 is green. Computer Players are gray. Team battles use red, blue, and green. 8-Player Smash in the fourth installment added Player 5 as orange, Player 6 as cyan, Player 7 as purple, and Player 8 as black, as well as adding in yellow for team battles.

** ''Super Smash Bros. Special'' is the original Japanese title for the more grandiose ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.

** With ''Ultimate'', since All-Star Mode is no longer its own mode and now part of the Mob Smash mode, you fight everyone on a Battlefield-form stage in order of their first appearance, similar to ''3DS''. In order, you go through the 1980 characters (Mr. Game & Watch, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Mario, Luigi, Little Mac, Duck Hunt, Ice Climbers, R.O.B., Peach, Bowser, Link, Zelda, Samus, Ridley, Simon, Pit, Palutena, Snake, Ryu, Ken, Mega Man and Daisy), the 1990 characters (Marth, Dr. Mario, Captain Falcon, Yoshi, Sonic, Kirby, King Dedede, Wario, Fox, Falco, Meta Knight, Richter, Ness, Diddy Kong, King K. Rool, Pokemon Trainer with Charizard/Ivysaur/Squirtle, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo, Cloud, Wolf, Young Link, Sheik, Ganondorf and Pichu), the 2000 characters (Villager, Olimar, Roy, Bowser Jr., Toon Link, Zero Suit Samus, Ike, Dark Samus, Lucas, Lucario, Rosalina and Luma, Wii Fit Trainer and Bayonetta) and the 2010 characters (Shulk, Dark Pit, Robin, Chrom, Lucina, Isabelle, Greninja, Inkling, Corrin and Incineroar). Similar to ''3DS/Wii U'', the DLC characters are added in order of their first appearance as well (Piranha Plant and Hero[[note]]Hero was originally placed with the 2010 characters based on [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/DragonQuestXI the Luminary's debut game]]. However, in a later update, they were moved to the 1980 characters to be in line with [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/DragonQuestIII Erdrick's debut game]][[/note]] with the 1980 characters, Terry, Kazuya, Sephiroth, and Banjo & Kazooie with the 1990 characters, Sora with the 2000 characters, and Steve, Joker, Min Min, Pyra & Mythra, and Byleth with the 2010 characters).

** With ''Ultimate'', since All-Star Mode is no longer its own mode and now part of the Mob Smash mode, you fight everyone on a Battlefield-form stage in order of their first appearance, similar to ''3DS''. In order, you go through the 1980 characters (Mr. Game & Watch, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Mario, Luigi, Little Mac, Duck Hunt, Ice Climbers, R.O.B., Peach, Bowser, Link, Zelda, Samus, Ridley, Simon, Pit, Palutena, Snake, Ryu, Ken, Mega Man and Daisy), the 1990 characters (Marth, Dr. Mario, Captain Falcon, Yoshi, Sonic, Kirby, King Dedede, Wario, Fox, Falco, Meta Knight, Richter, Ness, Diddy Kong, King K. Rool, Pokemon Trainer with Charizard/Ivysaur/Squirtle, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo, Cloud, Wolf, Young Link, Sheik, Ganondorf and Pichu), the 2000 characters (Villager, Olimar, Roy, Bowser Jr., Toon Link, Zero Suit Samus, Ike, Dark Samus, Lucas, Lucario, Rosalina and Luma, Wii Fit Trainer and Bayonetta) and the 2010 characters (Shulk, Dark Pit, Robin, Chrom, Lucina, Isabelle, Greninja, Inkling, Corrin and Incineroar). Similar to ''3DS/Wii U'', the DLC characters are added in order of their first appearance as well (Piranha Plant with the 1980 characters, Terry and Banjo & Kazooie with the 1990 characters, Joker, Hero, Byleth and Min Min with the 2010 characters).

** Most every character that appears in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'' has a level of detail miles higher than in their native series. This is most perceptible with ''Mario'' characters. Mario and Luigi's overalls have highly detailed and realistic denim textures on their overalls, instead of the solid, brighter blue typically seen in their home games), and compare Peach's more [[http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130625131451/nintendo/en/images/d/de/Princess_Peach_%28Fortune_Street%29.png traditional design]] to her ''[[https://www.ssbwiki.com/images/b/b5/Peach_Trophy_%28Smash%29.png Melee]]'', ''[[http://www.ssbwiki.com/images/d/d4/Peach_SSBB.jpg Brawl]]'', and ''[[http://www.mariowiki.com/images/7/7b/Wii_U_Peach_artwork.png for 3DS/Wii U]]'' designs. Another easy comparison is Captain Falcon's designs in ''[[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/fzero/images/6/66/005.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20071107001519 F-Zero GX]]'' and ''[[https://ssb.wiki.gallery/images/d/da/Captain_Falcon_SSBU.png Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''.

** In ''Ultimate'', Ryu, Ken, Terry, and Kazuya always face their opponent in a 1-on-1 match like they would in ''Street Fighter,'' ''Fatal Fury,'', and ''Tekken,'' making it much easier to use Input Specials.

** In ''Ultimate'', Ryu, Ken, and Terry always face their opponent in a 1-on-1 match like they would in ''Street Fighter'' and ''Fatal Fury'', making it much easier to use Input Specials.

* ActionCommands: The "Smooth Landing"[=/=][[FanNickname "L-Canceling"]] mechanic in the first two installments qualifies as this, albeit with an unusual reward. By hitting the shield button in the middle of an aerial normal before hitting the ground, your landing lag will be reduced.

** Daisy appears as Peach's echo fighter and she's just as spunky and adorable as she is in the spin-off ''Mario'' titles; like Peach, she can bring the pain with rainbows and hearts.

** In general, the ''Pokémon'' universe depicted in ''Smash'' is a hybrid of the games and the anime. Misty's ''Melee'' trophy uses her original anime outfit instead of the game's swimsuit, Pokémon use PokemonSpeak instead of their in-game cries, Lucario acts like Sir Aaron's Lucario from ''Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew'', Mewtwo has the personality it had in the Japanese ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'', etc.[[labelnote:Explanation]]This is most likely [[TheArtifact because the anime was the only fully animated and voiced incarnation of the franchise when Smash 64 was released]], and [[Anime/PokemonOrigins alternate interpretations]] [[Anime/PokemonGenerations were only made]] long after the release of ''Brawl''.[[/labelnote]] Pokémon Trainer was the first character not from the anime to be depicted in the series; in the same game, the playable Charizard was given an original, more realistic animal voice performed by its usual anime voice actor (similar to Bowser). The ''Pokémon'' elements in ''3DS/Wii U'' are more faithful to the games than ever before (although the newer ''Pokémon'' games themselves draw elements of the anime), but ''Smash Bros.'' mentions the anime and movies directly for the first time in several trophy descriptions, which all but confirms the "hybrid universe" nature of the ''Pokémon'' elements.

** Most every character that appears in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'' has a level of detail miles higher than in their native series. This is most perceptible with ''Mario'' characters. Mario and Luigi's overalls have highly detailed and realistic denim textures on their overalls, instead of the solid, brighter blue typically seen in their home games), and compare Peach's more [[http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130625131451/nintendo/en/images/d/de/Princess_Peach_%28Fortune_Street%29.png traditional design]] to her ''[[https://www.ssbwiki.com/images/b/b5/Peach_Trophy_%28Smash%29.png Melee]]'', ''[[http://www.ssbwiki.com/images/d/d4/Peach_SSBB.jpg Brawl]]'', and ''[[http://www.mariowiki.com/images/7/7b/Wii_U_Peach_artwork.png for 3DS/Wii U]]'' designs.

** So, you've played throughout the extensive Subspace Emissary, unlocked all the secret characters… or have you? Did you remember to backtrack to that hidden room to fight ([[DefeatMeansPlayable and defeat]]) Wolf? Or [[LethalJokeCharacter Jigglypuff?]] How about [[BadassAdorable Toon Link]]? After that, there's 544 trophies to find, and after that, 700 stickers to collect! What's worse, one of the trophies can only be found by collecting all 700 stickers! What's even worse is that they all [[RandomDrop randomly drop]]!! Completionists will be foaming at the mouth before long…
** For ''Melee'', ''Brawl'', ''[=SSB4=]'' and ''Ultimate'', true 100% completion would involve getting all the possible Notices/Milestones. In the games before ''Ultimate'', one of these is only obtained by '''''playing a million matches.''''' If you treat both versions of ''[=SSB4=]'' as one game and try to get 100% completion on both, that's two million matches you'll have to play. You'd better have a ''lot'' of spare time. ''Ultimate'' toned it down to fifty thousand matches, but it's still quite a while until you get the Milestone.

** Assisting items that block the screen, such as the Nintendog and Togepi, have no effect on the AI. They are also unphased by {{Interface Screw}}s that get thrown at you. This was supposed to be averted in ''3DS/Wii U''[[note]]in his description of the [[VideoGame/KirbysAdventure Nightmare]] assist trophy, which blacks out the stage, Sakurai notes that "Blinding and reversal effects even make the computer players mess up."[[/note]], but in the final game, the AI remains unhindered by these interface screws.

* AndTheRest: ''Mega Man 1'', ''2'', & ''3'' have individual Medleys in ''Wii U's'' soundtrack, but ''Mega Man 4'' through ''6'' share one. ''Mega Man 7'' and beyond are completely skipped. In ''Ultimate'', ''4'' gets its own medley while still sharing the old one with ''5'' and ''6''.

* BossBanter: [[VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}} Metal Face]] sprouts out commentary while he fights the players on the Gaur Plain stage in ''Wii U'' and ''Ultimate''.

*** [[VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}} Metal Face]]: Defeating him causes him to burst into flame and fall down through the center of the stage, counting as an extremely high-powered attack from whoever dealt the finishing blow.

** [[VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}} Shulk]]'s Monado Arts are designed around this concept:

** ''Ultimate'' not only brings Nana back, but adds female alts for Pikachu and Pokémon Trainer and adds one for Pichu. Similar to Villager, the Inklings can also come in male and female variants. And albeit she's sharing her spot with Banjo, Kazooie can count as well. And as with Kazooie, DownloadableContent also adds female Byleth, Min Min, Pyra and Mythra to the list.