The recent announcement of the New Smash Bros Switch title was done in typical Nintendo style, that is to say, it raised more questions than answers. The only things that we know for certain are that the Inklings, Mario, and BotW Link will be playable characters. I realize that there are easily recognizable silhouettes of such as Donkey Kong and Bowser towards the end of the trailer, and while I take that as confirmation, it’s not an official one, so I hesitate to say we ” know that”. The trailer ends by promising a 2018 release date, which I believe will be in September, but we’ll get to that later. The first big debate sparked by this trailer was whether this game is a deluxe port like Mario Kart and Pokken, or a new entry in the series. I believe the latter. Primarily for two reasons, the first being a slightly different logo is displayed in the trailer, and the second, which I consider to be the most damning is Link’s new look. The Link featured in the trailer is very clearly sporting his design from Breath of the Wild. With that in mind, it’s a fair assumption that this will be Link’s default skin as it was the one announced with the game. This means one of a few things. Either, in this port, Link was given an extensive makeover to keep current, or this is an updated Link for an updated entry into the series. Given these pieces, I’d say its fair to assume that this Smash Bros is no port. Obviously the most exciting piece of a new Smash Bros is going to be the new roster. While there are many video game icons, I’d like to see make the cut (Shovel Knight, Goron, Banjo) I’d say that the safest “new” addition is the Ice Climbers. I’m not sure its fair to say new though as the Climbers have been around before, they were noticeably absent in Smash 4, despite the fact that they were fully designed. Unfortunately the 3DS was incapable of running the Climbers stably so they were cut entirely due to Sakurai’s wishes to keep their respective rosters consistent. While we’re on roster, It’s with a heavy heart that I predict that Pac-Man will more than likely be cut in this entry as Bandai Namco is noticeably absent from the list of partners in the trailer. Now the final piece of the puzzle is release date. Which I’ve wagered $10 worth of beer to Red Lanyard that it would be in September. In a previous Direct, Nintendo announced that their online service for the Switch would launch in September, and given that Smash Bros is easily Nintendo’s biggest online title, I’m almost certain that the two will launch together. Since we only have the one trailer, any more speculation would be premature, but the second we have more info, you know where to look.
Smash Switch: What I know, What I Want, and What I Expect
