While there was some delay, the next generation of fighting games is approaching. The latest generation of consoles are about to hit their second anniversary, and a wave of next-gen fighting games will follow soon. With a few exceptions like Nintendo, who has concluded work onSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, the most prominent fighting game developers have announced their next big projects. ATekkengame is coming from Bandai Namco,Street Fighter 6is on its way from Capcom, SNK is finally revisiting itsFatal Furyseries with a sequel toGarou: Mark of the Wolves, and the full launch of WB Games’MultiVersusis fast approaching.
It’s a great time to be a fighting game fan, and a pretty good time to try them out as well. The free-to-playMultiVersusand all the fighters published by Arc System Works in the past few years are friendly towards newcomers, at least in terms of input complexity. The value of immediately fun pick-up-and-play titles likeDNF Dueland the average platform fighter cannot be understated. The power vacuum left bySuper Smash Bros. Ultimatein the wake of its final DLC character’s release also prompted the development of a wide variety of excellent platform fighters. However, the impact and casual appeal ofSuper Smash Bros.itself can still be felt, and the fighting game series that crossed into it may benefit from sharing its limelight.
RELATED:10 Undeniable Ways Super Smash Bros. Changed Fighting Games Forever
Super Smash Bros. Has Always Highlighted Other Games
Right from the very beginning,Super Smash Bros.series director Masahiro Sakurai conceptualizedSmashas a fighting game designed for people who didn’t normally play the genre. The series was built in the image of a platformer, giving rise to the platform fighter name. Specifically, it resembled the action thatKirbytitles afterKirby Super Starwould evolve into. The goals of both franchises even ended up the same: providing casuals and younger fans a fun action-filled romp through visually inspiring lands filled with familiar characters. All the while, they would sprinkle in deeper elements, and greater challenges for veteran players who sought them out.
This formula worked to dramatic effect, andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatehas risen to be one of the best-selling individual fighting games ever. Even with its so-so single player modes compared to past entries and poor netcode, the sheer star power it represents propelled it to success. The fact thatSuper Smash Bros. Melee, the two-decade old second game in the series, still has a large active player base speaks to the reach of theSmash Bros.name. Games that feature in it feel like they have hope of revivals, with Pit ofKid Icarusbeing a particular success story and the more recent Banjo and Kazooie inspiring hope in fans.
Fighting Games Play a Major Role In and Around Smash Bros.
Of course, a series built on an affectionate reinterpretation of fighting games wouldn’t leave its parent genre behind. Masahiro Sakurai’s love for the old arcade days began shining through with the DLC addition ofStreet Fighter’s Ryu inSuper Smash Bros. 4. This oldschool fighting game icon brought his traditional special move motion inputs to the table as well as multiple attack strengths. While his one-on-one auto-targeting has seen a lot of criticism, thisshotoclone poster boy is still aSmashsymbolfor how far the franchise is willing to go to be faithful. The same was later seen inStreet Fighter’s Ken,Tekken’s Kazuya, andFatal Fury’s Terry Bogard inSmash Ultimate.
These four fighting game characters being added toSuper Smash Bros.drew a lot of attention from the regular fighting game community. Platform fighters and traditional fighters don’t have as much community overlap as 2D and 3D fighters likeStreet FighterandTekkendo, so it was a surprising crossover of not just properties, but also fandoms. In the same way, a lot of people whogravitate towardsSmashfor Nintendo or other gaming mascotswere introduced to some names to know in fighting games bySmash 4andSmash Ultimate. AsSuper Smash Bros.is a pipeline for obscure characters like Mr. Game and Watch to gain recognition in modern times, it stands to reason that the fighting games represented in it will gain the same benefits.
RELATED:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Has Almost all of Fighting Game Royalty After Kazuya
Smash’s Success Can Only Benefit Street Fighter and Tekken
Measuring the positives of aSuper Smash Bros.cameo is difficult, but with tens of millions of eyes upon the franchise, there must be some. Simply having Ryu, Ken, and Kazuya be present should benefit their home games with more casual awareness. Both of Terry’s home series are having a renaissance now, and while there are many reasons for that,The King of Fighters' signal boostinSmash Ultimatedefinitely helped. People who don’t normally pay attention to these games will now have figures and names to latch onto in discussions surrounding them.
Because their gameplay is largely intact inSuper Smash Bros., players who don’t normally engage with the distinct traditional fighting game interface will now have a safe environment to practice using one. More streamlined input methods that are becoming commonplace in the fighting genre will be welcoming to these players, especially considering that they tend to resembleSmash’s own directional special moves.
Super Smash Bros.doing what it does and then stepping out of the way has paved a road for the next generation of fighting games to expand their audience.Street Fighter 6is renewing its intentions to be casual friendly with a new adventure mode and the addition of a simplified control scheme. There’s no tellingwhat’s in store for the nextTekkentitle, but it will likely continue its trajectory of ensuring the experience appeals to casuals with streamlined mechanics while the typical pile of tools remains. Now that these games’ protagonists have been seen by wider crowds than ever before, their home titles should be able to share a pool ofSuper Smash Bros.fans and extra hype for their upcoming releases.
