Now that Nintendo has all of our money for the 3DS version of Smash, the company decided to demonstrate why that money was wasted. In the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Nintendo Direct that aired earlier this evening, we learned over 50 pieces of trivia regarding the upcoming console fighter, all which make this the most comprehensive installment in the Smash franchise yet.
There were a bunch of little things, like the fact that the starting roster on Wii U is larger, notably featuring Ness and Ganondorf out the gate. We also have confirmation that, yes, the game will run at 1080p resolution.
Perhaps the biggest news was confirmation of 8-player Smash battles, which are understandably limited to local play but ought to shake up house parties like never before. To contain all these extra fighters, stage selection is limited to only the biggest arenas, such as Palutena Temple from Kid Icarus: Uprising. There's also a variant of the original Battlefield called Big Battlefield made especially for this mode.
Speaking of levels, there will be tons more compared to the 3DS version, including an adorable Wrecking Crew-inspired stage. Straight out of Kirby Super Star comes the Great Cave Offensive, perhaps the largest level in Smash history. This locale features a new element — "Danger Zones" — which can instantly KO you if your damage ratio exceeds 100%. Then there's Jungle Hijinx from Donkey Kong Country Returns, which allows you to fight in the foreground or background plane.
Just about all of the typical Smash modes arrive with multiplayers options. You can team up with another player for Classic, All-Star, Trophy Rush, and the returning Events modes; meanwhile, Stadium modes like Home-run Contest and Target Blast can handle up to four players.
More stage bosses will make an appearance, like Metal Face on the Wii U version of Xenoblade Chronicles' Guar Plains. Ridley will appear as a boss in Metroid: Other M's Pyrosphere, but extra care was taken to make sure that he stood out. Like the Flying Man on EarthBound's Magicant in the 3DS version, attacking Ridley will recruit him to fight alongside you. Should Ridley get taken out, it will count as a KO point. Also, he is able to transform into Meta Ridley from Metroid Prime.
The big boss from the 3DS' Classic Mode, Master Core and its "Swarm," is here on the Wii U, albeit with one additional transformation. If you play on higher intensity levels, it'll turn into "Master Fortress," and giant level that you have to navigate and destroy from within while avoiding other enemies and obstacles.
Smash Tour is the replacement for Smash Run, and it plays out like a giant board game. You select Miis and go around the board collecting fighters and stat boosting items. When you meet other players on a space, you duke it out, with the winner stealing one of the loser's fighters. At the end, you'll have a big stock Smash battle, with each collected fighter counting as a single stock.
Special Orders is the new mode revealed on Miiverse earlier this week, and it consists of Master Orders and Crazy Orders. In Master Orders, you select a "job" and get rewarded based on the difficulty of that job. In Crazy Orders, the jobs cost gold or passes earned from Master Orders, and you can keep playing and taking on new challenges until you defeat Crazy Hand. You can cash out on rewards at any time, but should you lose, you will lose everything you've earned.
Masterpieces, the short Virtual Console demos from Brawl, return as well, but now there's a button that allows you to purchase that particular game directly from the eShop — this is similar to how NES Remix functions.
Online functions have been beefed up, as you can now bring a second local player with you. You'll also be able to communicate with friends via voice chat, but only during menus and results. You can host your own tourneys, although that capability won't be available at launch.
Anyone worried about having to re-collect all their Mii Fighter clothing again need not fret — you can transfer customized fighters and Miis from 3DS to Wii U, equipment and all!
Though you can use just about any commercially available Nintendo controller to play Smash, using the GamePad will allow you to engage in fun side activities, such as painting on photos snapped in-game. But the biggest feature of the GamePad is how it expands the returning Stage Builder — there will be pre-made objects to place around the arena, yes, but now you can literally draw the terrain using the stylus.
There was one special surprise towards the end: the return of Mewtwo! Nintendo is indeed prepping character DLC for Smash, and Mewtwo will be the first when he arrives in Spring 2015. He will playable on both the 3DS and Wii U versions and will even be free to players who own both builds.
Aside from that, we got to see Bowser Jr.'s official debut trailer, alongside the announcement that all "Join the Battle" movies we've seen on YouTube and in various Directs will be viewable in Smash Wii U's options menu.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U finally arrives November 21. Below, check out another video about amiibo functionality.
