This March, Nintendo Games announced that it will be releasing the fifth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series. The game is going to be released this year, although the date has not been finalized. The surprise teaser trailer was released on Nintendo Direct Broadcast on March 8th and generated a lot of hype.

Previous Smash Bros. games include Super Smash Bros (1999) released on the Nintendo 64, Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001) on GameCube, Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) for the Nintendo Wii, and Super Smash Bros. (2014), released on the Wii U and the 3DS, the last also known as Four. It is an understatement to say that some students are only a little excited for the new game.“I’m mostly excited to see where they take the franchise from here, especially considering just how much the game has evolved since the original,” said David Westein (‘18).

Super Smash Bros. is a multiplayer fighting game in which you have the option to play against multiple friends or the AI, which are computer generated enemies. When playing against the computer, players can choose the difficulty. Unlike most other fighting games in which the player has to deplete the enemy’s health, the goal in Smash Bros. is typically to push the opponent off the screen. Usually, each character has a set number of lives, and the more damage a character takes the easier it is for another player to hit that character off of the screen. All the while, the stage is moving and power-ups are being dropped, which can be set up in a menu prior to starting the game. There are alternative game modes to choose from, including coin collection, and game modes that involve reducing the opponent’s health total to zero, as well as other custom modes.

The Smash Bros. games include characters from Nintendo’s own franchises. Past games included classic characters such as Mario, Pikachu, Princess Peach, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Link, Zelda, Samus Aran and so many more. Newer characters include PacMan, Megaman, Cloud, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Teasers have revealed that new characters like those from Splatoon, a recently popular game on the Nintendo Switch, will be included in the new release. The classic characters like Mario and Link will be reappearing; however, Link’s appearance will be updated to how he is portrayed in the new Legend of Zelda game called Breath of the Wild, which is another Nintendo Switch title that won Game of the Year. Westein said that he would like to see a greater variety of characters, along with more ways to play with them. It’s safe to assume that many of the other characters will be updated, but that has yet to be seen or confirmed.

Each Smash Bros. game that has been released has had millions of copies sold, generating millions of dollars in the US and Japan. One can expect that this new release will follow suit. “I think they do a fantastic job of blending all different types of video game series into one cohesive game,” said Westein. “Each version offers an enjoyable gaming experience for whoever picks up the controller, and includes plenty of variety for any player or group to remain entertained.” Westein said it was a classic game that he would definitely recommend to others.

It would not be surprising if this game becomes one of the most highly anticipated titles of the year. “Regardless of how the Nintendo Switch provides a different gaming experience, any Smash Bros. game can be enjoyed by anybody no matter what console it’s compatible with,” said Westein. “While seeing how each game has evolved alongside the continuous growth of modern technology is pretty amazing, the main premise the franchise founded itself on has forever remained just as addictive.” People have many theories as to what can be expected in this new release, but no matter what, it seems that this game will not disappoint.

Here is a link to the teaser trailer.