It’s been years since the last Smash Bros. Game, and even more since the announcement for this latest entry, but now it’s out. Well, at least half of it for now. And while the game is packed with a bevy of features, there are still a few things missing.

Despite its name, this title is actually the fourth entry in the Smash Bros. Series, following Brawl on the Wii. What does seem unnecessary is the ‘For 3DS’. While seeming redundant, there are few things that are version exclusive to the platform. The game has many different modes, most of which will also be available on the Wii U version. But there are a few modes that are exclusive to the 3ds, like Smash Run. Since the 3ds game is crammed packed with a lot of content and also a technical achievement.

There unfortunately wasn’t enough room to make it a 1:1 with the Wii U version. So things like the adventure mode needed to be axed, Smash Run is somewhat it’s replacement, and it’s meant for a quick little diverse spread among the other diversions in the game. In Smash Run, the goal is to work your way through a maze and fight off random enemies much like Brawl’s Sub-Space Emissary in order to collect power-ups. These power-ups will boost your stats, so that once the timer ends, you will engage in a battle royale smash match, only now with the twist of boosting. This stat increasing also extends to making custom fighters with certain stat builds and custom special move sets. You can even make your Mii characters into fighters.

As for the game itself, Smash mode is basically just a quick match mode for local play, but there are online play options as well. You can of course do free-for-all or team battle matches up to four players like in previous games. Classic Mode is also present for single-player activities, as well as Home Run Derby modes. As for the gameplay, the game is much more a competitive fighting game than Brawl was, even though the game still largely plays similarly to Brawl. Smash die-hards may either love or hate this decision. The new characters are great, but many of the unlockable characters are either veterans or are just hard to get used too. Some are even kind of clone characters to others despite having slightly different specials. Although because of hardware limitations, there were some sacrifices which actually ended up being good decisions. There are no longer transforming characters, but this opened up the possibility to make these characters have their own slot. Now they have full move sets to accommodate the fact that there are no longer transformation specials. This makes them fresher and more enjoyable to use.

The game looks fantastic and it’s quite a feat that the team has pulled off. The game always is running at a constant 60 frames, all while being played in 3D, looking as good as it gets on the console. Online play enjoyment may vary though, as your internet connection and distance between players may cause some buffering issues. The soundtrack is equally fantastic, but the tracks and sound effects sound a bit weak coming out of those tiny speakers. Use of headphones is recommended to fully enjoy the music selection. The controls do take some getting used to, but there are some issues. While Brawl was known for accommodating players with having multiple control schemes, this iteration sadly lacks such amenities, being a handheld. This real issue stems from not being able to remap button functions on the game. Movement with the Circle Pad and jumping will always feel weird no matter how much player adjust to it, and not being able to at least switch the D-Pad and Circle Pad functions is a design oversight that still has me scratching my head. Also, despite the many different challenges or diversions one can tackle, the lack of a real adventure mode or character specific tutorials is a thing sorely missed. The sizes of the levels also become an issue. Too many levels feel like they weren’t designed well. Many are arena based and have shifted geography, exposing pits below. This of course can lead too many an accidental death. Even the CPU opponents can fall victim to them on a regular basis. The camera also can also zoom out so much that it’s hard to keep track of your characters. Super Smash Brothers is still very much an enjoyable game on the 3DS, but it feels as though it’s just an appetizer for the main course on the Wii U next month. Regardless, it’s a solid recommend for newcomers and old vets.

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