As if Super Smash Bros Ultimate weren’t already packed to the brim with characters and features, Nintendo hit the web on Thursday morning to reveal a brand new feature for the latest entry in its beloved fighting franchise. New to the Smash world is the notion of spirits, which you can collect throughout your gaming experience to boost your abilities in the ring. Spirits take the form of familiar supporting characters from your favorite video games—for instance, the likes of Lakitu from the Mario games and Gordo from the Kirby series—and, once acquired, can boost the stats of your fighter, or introduce new abilities to their repertoire. On top of this, they’ll be connected to and will be able to power up Amiibos.
Spirits are acquired in specialized battles against their counterparts. Nintendo’s latest Direct video specifically identified the following spirit characters and the characters you’ll need to defeat to acquire them:Lakitu, acquired by defeating Iggy Koopa (both from the Mario games)Gordo, acquired by defeating King Dedede (both from the Kirby games)Guts Man, acquired by defeating Giant Mega Man (both from the Mega Man games)Owain, acquired by defeating Chrom (both from the Fire Emblem games)The Imprisoned (from the Zelda games), acquired by defeating King K. Rool (from the Donkey Kong games)Lip (from the Puzzle League games), acquired by defeating Mii Swordfighter (from Nintendo’s soulless void)The Able Sisters (from the Animal Crossing games), acquired by defeating Sonic (from the Sonic games, of course)Hal Emmerich (from the Metal Gear games), acquired by defeating Dr. Mario (pretty much just Mario with a phony MD)Bullet Bill (from the Mario games), acquired by defeating Captain Falcon (from the F-Zero games)
That said, the video suggested there will be plenty more where that came from. Spirits will come in one of four classes (novice, advanced, ace, and legend) and will have one of three fighting orientations (attack, shield, and grab). Spirits will eventually be “freed” from the world of battle (as the mythology holds, they’re “trapped” in the “non-real” world until liberated by the good graces of, presumably, you), but you will still be able to benefit from their connection thereafter.The Direct video also introduced two fighters, in addition to one Echo fighter. The first fighter, immediately available upon the game’s release, will be the Pokémon Sun and Moon character Incineroar, who will be armed with an assortment of wrestling-style moves. Moves included are called Darkest Lariat, Cross Chop, and Max Malicious Moonsault.
The next fighter, who is still in development, is the Mario games’ famous Piranha Plant, with moves reminiscent of its abilities from Nintendo canon. Finally, the video also introduced the Echo fighter Ken, familiar to fans of the Street Fighter series. His moves include Hell Wheel, Focus Attack, Shinryuken, and some of his famous kicks.The video specified that you’ll begin the game with only Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu, but that all 74 characters will be unlockable along the way… and that more may be added post-launch. Finally, the video gave viewers a quick, grim look at the story behind the game, which involves all our playable characters facing off against dozens of giant disembodied white gloves. Freaky stuff.Which of these new elements are you most excited for? Let us know!
Images: The Pokémon Company, Nintendo
