A new fight for platform fighter supremacy has begun with Super Smash Bros Ultimate still going strong and MultiVersus arriving on the scene, but fans are beginning to believe that Smash has finally met its match.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate’s development ended last year with the release of its final DLC fighter in Kingdom Hearts’ Sora. Since then, the game has remained the top platform fighter and one of the biggest crossover titles of all time with the likes of Mario, Cloud, Solid Snake, Pikachu and more.
Despite challengers like Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl launching with features that made Smash players envious, Nintendo’s flagship fighter held strong and survived the threat.
Now, however, MultiVersus has stepped up with a roster and gameplay that has some fans believing that it could finally surpass Smash as the top platform fighting game.
Smash Ultimate fans praise MultiVersus
Amid MultiVersus’s launch, many fans have praised the game as a Smash-killer, but there doesn’t seem to be any one primary reason why this is. Instead, the game has received support in many different areas – especially ones where Ultimate lacked.
For instance, Twitter user jinjin listed several reasons why they feel the game has surpassed Smash citing crossplay, netcode, free-to-play and the competitive scene.
Even little things such as character dialogue have proven to be impressive for some fighting game fans.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“I like how MultiVersus actually takes advantage of the fact that it’s a crossover game, by having the characters talk to each other, with unique voice lines for certain matchups,” they said, adding that MultiVersus is what they wanted Smash to be.
Others noted how Smash has a higher barrier of entry with players needing a Switch, the game, DLC, and proper controller peripherals.
Cost to get into Smash Ultimate:Switch – $300Game – $60NSO – $20 a yearPro controller or Gamecube controller + adapter – $70Overall – $450Cost to get into #MultiVersus:Ps4 – $200Or Xbox – $100That's it
— Maor (@NycMaor) July 27, 2022
The developers have also received a lot of praise for how they respect the competitive scene – something Nintendo has been criticized for extensively over the years.
Notably, MultiVersus announced a $100k EVO prize pool after Nintendo pulled Ultimate from the 2022 event.
It’s still early days for MultiVersus and anything can change, but for now, Player First Games have shown they can step up to the plate. Sadly, with no new Smash game announced or additional DLC planned, it may be a while before the two franchises go head-to-head with new content.