http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/03/creating-super-smash-bros-for-wii-u-and-3ds
Creating Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS
From character customization to single-player philosophy, Masahiro Sakurai updates us on Nintendo’s blockbuster.
by Richard George
July 3, 2013
Masahiro Sakurai is Nintendo’s rock star. An outsider to the publisher’s internal “Entertainment Analysis & Development” team, Sakurai has a bit more freedom, which is clear from the moment you meet him. Calm, collected and quiet, the first thing you notice about Sakurai is how he dresses. Whereas most Nintendo producers are relatively conservative with their clothing, wearing game-related t-shirts complemented by dark blazers and slacks, Sakurai wears something that might seem more suited for a night out on the town: a purple and black camouflage dress shirt, flared jeans and shoes a bit more ornate than anything that typically accompanies a business suit. Much like his outfit, Sakurai is a unique entity within Nintendo – and controls one of the publisher’s most unique core franchises, Super Smash Bros.
Though many details about
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS have yet to emerge, the biggest change to the franchise comes from the fact that this generation’s iteration of the flashy, chaotic fighter will co-exist on two platforms. No doubt focusing on one platform would be easier – why go for both at the same time? Sakurai detailed the origins of his twin projects.
“Back when I was working on Kid Icarus Uprising, I was already getting a feel for the 3DS performance and the features in that hardware,” Sakurai told me. “Mr. Iwata came to me and asked which platform I would want to put the next Smash Bros. on. Looking at those two platforms and seeing their individual styles and uniquenesses – I saw with the 3DS that it would be good for one flavor of the game, but there was also the other end, getting the grand scale what was possible with the Wii U. So with that in mind, we decided to go ahead and put the game on two platforms.”
It’s already clear that differences will exist between the two versions, despite the fact that they will share the same roster. Sakurai pointed out to me what trailers and footage have already revealed – the 3DS game will feature stages from portable levels and the Wii U version will contain stages from home console software. With locations differing, I asked Sakurai how he planned to have the two games interact, as that was effectively the only feature mentioned by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata when he revealed the games were in development in 2011.
“We’re currently going through a lot of trial and error, seeing what fits best for the game,” Sakurai told me. “Eventually that will come to fruition in some form or another, but right now it’s a little bit early to say exactly what that will be.”
With the precise nature of connectivity still to be determined, I pressed Sakurai on how he planned to shake up the Smash Bros. formula. When I interviewed Sakurai about Kid Icarus Uprising over a year ago, he mentioned that simply adding characters and stages wouldn’t be enough. I wanted to know what gameplay features would actually set this new entry apart from its predecessors.
“What’s unique about the 3DS is that you have your own screen,” Sakurai offered. “There are things we can do that are unique to having a personalized experience for yourself. Also, having your own data that you can carry around in your own personal device creates a lot of neat opportunities. That’s something we want to take advantage of – without going into too much detail.”
That’s not a ton of detail, but considering the 3DS and Wii U versions are both a ways away, there’s no telling what experiments Sakurai and his all-star Namco Bandai team are conducting. Despite the fact that Smash Bros. was given a live demonstration during an early morning E3 event at Nintendo’s booth, the more I chatted with Sakurai, the more I was convinced things were in flux. In fact, on the topic of balancing and roster alterations, Sakurai stressed that he wasn’t even at that point in development.
“We’re not at a stage in development where we’re going through those fine sorts of adjustments,” Sakurai said, when I asked about balancing the roster and the possibility of software patches. “When we get towards the end of development, we will have what we call monitor playtests, where we watch people play the games. We perform thorough analysis based on those observations. There have been cases in the past, admittedly, where we didn’t gather sufficient data for certain characters, and that resulted in certain game imbalances. Patches are something we’d definitely like to be able to do, if possible.”
On the topic of the roster, Sakurai noted that the 3DS version of the game, with its hardware’s technical limitations, would likely keep the volume of the roster in check, though no characters had been cut so far, and any determination to that effect is a ways away. Which characters ultimately are included will be the result of careful consideration, ranging from which fighters have unique characteristics, equally representing franchises and how signature traits carry over well from previous games like Brawl. Sakurai did tell me that “multiple character” combatants like the Ice Climbers were proving a technical challenge on the 3DS.
Customization played a role in Super Smash Bros. Brawl – but only during the game’s story-driven, single-player “Subspace Emissary” mode. I asked Sakurai if customization, particularly given its prevalence in many major, multiplayer-driven games, would play a role within the 3DS and Wii U games.
“We’re planning for a level of customization to some degree and in some form,” Sakurai acknowledged. “It’s not completely decided at this point. But it’s very important to point out that we do this in a careful way that doesn’t affect the strength and balance of the characters. One thing we’d like to do is to be able to customize the direction of attacks. But not give characters a stronger jump or a stronger or weaker attack. You can consider customizations like that possible.”
Sakurai also elaborated on single-player plans this time around. Would something like Subspace Emissary return? “At the very least, we’re thinking of maybe not implementing that sort of single-player experience like Subspace Emissary, where you play through to a conclusion and you’re rewarded with something like a movie,” Sakurai said. “We found that if you wanted to see those movies, you could just go to the internet. That sort of thing loses its appeal as a reward for the player. I can’t say concretely, but we’re thinking about removing that sort of element and coming up with a way to provide a more rewarding single-player experience in which players will be rewarded in different ways.”
That feeling about the Smash Bros. games still being very early in development seeped into every aspect of my conversation. Sakurai addressed every topic only with theoretical ideas, and few specifics. In the case of improving and adjusting the game’s online functionality, Sakurai noted that Nintendo had “significantly updated” its network, forming a “good base for what we’re going to do.” Still, the creative director couldn’t get into specific implementation details, though he did note his team has no plans for any sort of world ranking system. “We don’t want to have a type of situation where you have a ranking pyramid, and only the people at the very top can enjoy it. I think there are other unique ways to be able to implement a system where people can get satisfaction out of performing at a skill level relative to their peer group.”
Though at a glance Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Melee are similar games, they couldn’t be more different in their overall feel and design, with Melee being the preference of the hardcore franchise fans and Brawl being favored because of its deep roster and options. Many fans have wondered about that discrepancy – turns out it was deliberate.
“Quite simply Melee was something that was targeted more towards hardcore, advanced players,” Sakurai told me, when I asked him to characterize his new games. “With Wii, on a platform where you were getting experiences like Wii Fit and there was an audience that tilted slightly more towards beginning players, we slowed down the gameplay. This time around, we don’t see a situation where we’ll be encountering as many beginning players, and so as far as the speed and the feel of the game, I think you could say confidently that we’re targeting something right in between those two versions.”
My conversation with Sakurai was methodical, moving through the many, many details that make up a massive piece of software like Super Smash Bros. And while it was clear that many of these finer points have yet to be decided, which is probably why Nintendo didn’t have the game playable during E3 2013, Sakurai still talks about his projects with a decisiveness and conviction that indicates he has a larger vision that has yet to complete mature. Despite that clarity, Sakurai still takes the time to ask me questions of his own. Which Namco Bandai character would I want to include? (My reply: old school Pac-Man.) What would that character's Final Smash be? (The enemies turn into ghosts, and you pursue them around the stage to eat them.) What Nintendo character would I want added? (A mob of seven Bowser's Koopalings, which prompted Sakurai to caution the 3DS's limits with fighters like the Ice Climbers.)
Regardless of all the unknowns, much of what I’ve seen about Super Smash Bros. is incredibly reassuring. The philosophy behind the game’s design feels right. Tripping is being removed. The team is cautious with its character additions and removals. Though both games might not arrive on the 3DS and Wii U until 2014, it seems as though Nintendo fans around the globe are likely to have their considerable patience rewarded. Here’s hoping Sakurai’s meticulous attention to detail results in a crowning achievement for the franchise.
Rich is an Executive Editor with IGN, and watches over all news, features and Nintendo-related content. He kind of wishes his 3DS was region-free - there are so many amazing games coming out in Japan that he wants! Follow his non-stop discussions of Jurassic Park, Nintendo and comic books by
following Rich on Twitter @RichIGN.