For those who follow competitive game, Smash Brothers Melee broke out a few years ago. As wave dashing and canceling became major components of the game, Melee went from casual party game to hardcore competitive fighter. Smash Brother’s eloquent design has always been about fun first, competition second. Something designer Sukarai has stated repeatedly.
Now that Brawl has been out for a while in Japan and a month in America, there is a bit of backlash against Brawls newfound balance. People cite Sukarai’s comments as evidence that Brawl has devolved into a more casual party game and lacks the competitive edge. I couldn’t disagree more.
I followed the competitive Smash Brothers world since the very first one. My times in break the target and platform are all tied or just barely below world record times. I easily beat 3 level 9’s teamed up against me with barely losing a life. I don’t say this to brag (honestly, how can one brag about 1/2 of your time in middle school was spent to sucking Pikachu into Kirby’s infinite stomach instead of chasing girls) but only because most people who will take issue with my opinion will be those who have truly played Smash competitively. I have, so yes, I am one of you… for better or worse.
Melee was truly a step up from SSB64, and the gameplay was refined, ideas expanded, while keeping the same innovative design. However, once you got to the top tier it was not as “deep” as some will say. Yes, it was deeper than it appeared, but at truly top levels it came down to speed – and the 4 fastest characters. Sure, you have the few people out there who can rock out with Samus, or even Link, but in then end it became a battle of left and right tilts, and up and side ariels with a lot of dancing in between. Dancing of course being the beautiful art of dodges rolls, L canceling and wave dashing.
Technical Skill vs. Complexity
What Brawl did was take out this “dance”. And this is where the outcry is. People mistaken that dumbing down some of the technical skill as being less competitive. It is true that Brawl is a slower game in many ways. Players on average are slower, and the amount of damage it takes to make a kill has increased to probably around 150% compared to 100%. This slowing down of the game, and the removing of most of the “dancing” has removed much of the technical skill. But technical skill, quick reflexes is not necessarily deep.
The fastest characters in Melee, and the ones who won most of the tournaments, became mostly about dodging moves universal to almost all the characters (pretty much only the A attacks were used), and getting quick ariel combos. Falco, Marth, Shiek all play nearly the same in Melee. Yes, there are subtle differences, and again you have people like Peach and Link who can fight well. But it was fast sprints to tilt up to ariel combo, wash repeat. Even peach was only different in that you wanted to spam your down smash as much as you could.Brawl became rather simplistic in the top tier matches, and more about quick timing.
As a major Shiek user I will attest my strategy – which worked so well I was banned from using her in friendly matches… losers – was nearly identical no matter my opponent. And a series of 3 types of combos was all I needed. When I watch the top players, I see no difference in their play style, they are simply better at the actual execution. I could also jump into Falco or Marth with out any problem.
I learned how to play Shiek in that way in a matter of a week or so. It never changed over the course of 3 years. Only a slight hitch when I found out about wave dashing, which merely made dodging more effective.
Brawl’s Complexity Lies in Strategy
Brawl’s top tier characters consist of Olimar, Snake, Toon Link, Pit, Marth, Diddy Kong, Wolf and perhaps even Dedede. That is a top tier that reflects balance and complexity. Where as melee was all about the 4 fastest characters who all had similar moves, Brawl is less about pure speed and combos and more about effectively using special moves. Of which there is a massive amount of difference.
Now you have placing mines, using a variety of pikmin, learning where the invincible frames for moves are, the subtle differences between the tilts and the smashes are more necessary now as projecticle characters are more useful than before. Take Zero Suit Samus. The difference between her tilts and her smashes are massive – practically making her either a weaker Ike or a shiek type character. These differences instantly call into practice the new ability to modify your c-stick. Already people are figuring out personal combinations of using your C-stick differently, or whether or not to keep up as a jump.
Mentioning the mines and Pikmin, Olimar and Snake are two incredibly difficult characters to play as, and require changes in strategy on scales never seen in Melee. Olimar plays differently with any stage with a slope that mimics the angle of his UP B causes a normally difficult move to be very effective. Which Pikmin one needs up front changes – if grabbing his going to be your key, keep the yellow pikmin up front. Snake’s indirect combat mixed with powerful and fast tilts make him a character that can be played many different ways. Depending on the level his mines may be nearly useless.
Brawl rewards more intelligent use of special moves. The reason higher percentages are required before death is to reinforce the usefulness of a slower, difficult move that can deal heavy damage. Melee was about getting up to 60% quickly and then hitting off the stage. Edge guarding was king – another thing lightened in Brawl.
There is simply too much to talk in Brawl. I am merely tapping into the well of complexity in the deceptively simple mechanics. But the real key is that even though I say edge guarding is dumbed down, as is the speed, or the dancing aspects, or say the uselessness of throwing, Brawl has characters that are still dependent on edge guarding, are still Shiek fast, still work best with hit and run attacks, and still even have exploits like wave dashing. The “wave bounce” now found for Lucas has possibilities that have been barely tapped.
The difference is that each of these play styles are rewarded more equally. It means the normal strategy of winning Melee is not necessarily always going to work. But its not gone either – Marth still must have grown up in the toughest part of the ghetto. Its just that Marth won’t always win against Snake. Snake’s indirect attacks, long range fighting, and slow combos work just as well.
That is truly what deep gameplay is about. Quick reflexes and technical skill does not equal complex. A straightforward FPS like Black requires those as well, but no one would mistaken Black for complex
Neutral Stages vs. Active Stages
One final aspect of the game is the stage design. Many seem to prefer the “neutral” stages like Final Destination and Battleground. There are people who claim Brawl lacks enough neutral stages but 40 stages, no pokefloats or Ice Climber AND a level editor for neutral stages are enough evidence to close the courthouse.
And neutral stages being the most competitive in a game like Smash Brothers seems against its game design. Yes, I find myself playing Final Destination a lot, but its not “better” for competition. That may be the case with a tradional fighter where the entire conflict is dependent between moves and combos, but so much of Smash’s technique and skill comes from owning the environment. The lack of moves in Smash Brothers as compared to a game like Tekken is balanced by the near infinite combinations between various moves on differing heights, slopes, obstacles, ground type, etc.
Controlling the best spots in a map, using height and obstacles against you is key to the design of Smash Brothers. The maps where the level fights you more than the players are examples of the design going overboard. The level should never be FIGHTING the player, but should present obstacles that the more skilled player will be able to use to his advantage. Dreamworld in Melee is a perfect level example. The blocks, apples and bombs, as well as the wind can kill a unsuspecting character – but almost never a skilled one. The wind and bombs present various strategies to use to one’s advantage. Keep a person in his shield, he may be blown back just far enough that the bomb behind him can be blown up. Split second strategies like this create a massive decision tree, with no clear “best” strategy. The increased health for players only reinforces the need to understand the levels as various walls, angles and environmental obstacles can be used to get quicker kills, or keep someone held as to allow combos for massive damage.
Brawl is King
I cannot help but feel those complaining about Brawl are merely upset that their elite skills require a massive rethinking in Brawl. That their simple exploits no longer guarantee victory over lesser players. The more I play the more I understand that Brawl is a much more sophisticated, complex fighter.
Now tripping, that I could do with out. Unpreventable randomness should not punish a player for no reason like that, but its a small nitpick and always funny when it happens to someone else.
Matthew Arnold's Blog 