Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Review

The roster alone is a logistical achievement that will probably never be repeated. Every character from every previous game returns, joined by guests from companies that do not normally share a screen, and each one is animated, voiced, balanced and given a stage and a music selection. That it exists at all is remarkable. That it plays this well is the actual point. The engine sits between the speed of the second game and the control of the fourth, air dodging has a cost again, short hop attacks are accessible, and the result is a fighting game that works at a party and at a tournament without either audience feeling cheated.

Years of balance patches kept it healthy. The complaints are around the edges. Online play was built on a poor netcode that never fully improved, the spirit system replaced trophies with a menu of stat boosts, and World of Light is a long board game that outstays its welcome. As a preservation project and a fighting game, it is a landmark.