Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Critic Reviews

Gigantic, monumental, colossal. Fresh and easy for newcomers, deep and challenging for seasoned players. After Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it's really hard to imagine how this series is going to improve in the next entries.

There are no two ways about it: this is one of the most impressive games on the Nintendo Switch, and represents some of the best value for money we’ve seen in video games in years, whether you’re into single player or multiplayer. Buy this game, you will not regret it.

By combining familiar gameplay with some new ideas, there's something in here for everyone. Smash Bros. is back and has never been better.

So how does it all stack up? Vocal concerns about past games have been actively addressed, every single fighter from the series is present (even Pichu), the customisability is overwhelmingly vast and it’s all topped off with super-solid single-player modes to boot. We’re not sure how you could make a more robust or pleasing Smash game. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate truly is the ultimate instalment in the series, and it makes you wonder where Sakurai can possibly take this franchise next.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is ultimate in every sense of the word. World of Light is fantastic, Challenge Mode is satisfying and there's so much love and detail in absolutely everything in the game... Whilst having 60+ characters and 100+ stages sounds overwhelming, it's the perfect celebration of everything Nintendo and will be hard to top going forward.

Smash Bros. has often felt a bit like it was trying to do too much and while it has always been a fun series, the disparity between the fighting game and the party game didn't always mesh well. Ultimate is the perfect fusion of the two styles. There are countless additions to it as a fighting game to keep the competitive players happy, but the new items and features make the party game the most exciting it could be. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate feels like one of the best written love letters to gaming that there has ever been, the care and attention given to each of the games represented is incredible. This is quite simply a must-play game, one that will keep you going for hundreds of hours with its single player alone, and with multiplayer that will keep you going for thousands.

Ultimate is one of the best and most complete fighting games ever made, and an incredible homage to video games. This is a fantastic game where every player can find their way to enjoy it. It is an absolute must-have if you own a Switch, and a reason to buy it if you don’t.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate is a celebration of Nintendo’s long history, of the video game medium, and of the people who have poured their own spirits into crafting these characters, worlds and experiences we are all fortunate enough to have enjoyed over the years. It's a meticulously-crafted joy to play that I will surely be returning to for years to come.

Every aspect of the game feels fine-tuned and thought out, and the sheer amount of changes and diversity of content is simply staggering. This is the most ambitious and all-inclusive Super Smash Bros entry, and one of the very best games Nintendo's little system has gotten yet.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate delivers the fight of a lifetime and an unfaltering experience that is ‘ultimate’ in every way imaginable. It really is something quite special, a celebration that’s rich in gaming history and, polished to perfection, the next must-have game on Nintendo Switch that you won’t want to miss.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate manages to meet every single expectation that was placed upon it. The addition of the marvelous adventure mode, the immense amount of playable characters as well as spirits and to top all of that, magnificent visuals, audio and gameplay. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is not only one of the best games to be found on Nintendo Switch, but it is also one of the greatest games ever made.

Don't ask me how Nintendo managed to put more than 35 years of experience and love into one product, but they succeeded. Smash Ultimate is not only the ultimate Smash game, the ultimate fighting game, the ultimate party game, and the ultimate collection of videogame nostalgia: it's the ultimate video game. I will continue to play this forever. At least, until Nintendo delivers another sequel.

I’ve been playing for hours and still don’t have all the characters, and I still feel like there are menu options I haven’t even touched yet. But at the same time, I feel like I’m deeply satisfied, as what I have chosen to do has scratched gaming itches for me I didn’t even know a Super Smash Bros. game was capable of. This is a massive game in both scale and cultural weight, one that wears its far-reaching subtitles as badges of pride.

It’s an absolute joy to play and to experience, stuffed full of content, and – woeful online notwithstanding – comes highly recommended.

In an age where instant gratification is an essential feature in nearly all art, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate might seem almost miserly in its slow drip and patient reveals of its staggering depth. After more than 20 hours with the game, I’d still only unlocked two-thirds of the main cast and explored half of the World of Light’s map. Rather than feel irritated or cheated by its patience, I instead found Ultimate a luxurious experience, every bit as meditative in practice as its fights were bombastic. This is a game to be enjoyed over time, to be savored with a refreshed palate after you’ve spent some time away.

Perfecting the mechanics the franchise established way back in 1999, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a crazy, chaotic joy. With a gargantuan roster of fighters, an amazing adventure mode and more unlockables than would ever have seemed possible, this is a game that packs one heck of a punch.

The bottom line is this is a fully-featured, portable Super Smash Bros. game that looks fantastic, has a ridiculous amount of content and plays exactly like you want it to. This is the perfect place for newcomers to jump into the series and a fantastic title that veterans will absolutely devour.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the game where everything gets bigger and better. With the addition of the biggest roster of fighters to ever appear in a Super Smash Bros. game, a huge variety of fighting stages and an abundance of playable modes that cater to every gaming taste and style, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of the best games to grace a Nintendo console so far.

This is what a multidimensional megahit video game should look like.

This truly is the ultimate fighting game, megalomaniac in scope. A huge story campaign together with cooperative and competitive multiplayer combine to form an unbelievable experience that will delight even those unfamiliar with the fighting game genre.