How much of Smash Bros is copyrighted?

[-AtlaS-]

And by that I mean the core mechanics and fundamentals of the game. I know the whole game itself is copyrighted, but I wonder what aspects aren't 100% Nintendo stamped and owned. Say some dev team decides to make a 2d Platforming Fighter for themselves and just make a Melee clone by reusing the concept of aerials, tilts, smashes and whatnot but just slapping on a different name. What's stopping some dude from calling Smashes "Bashes" or Tilts "Strikes" or something. The concept of hp% going up seems so unique, but is it untouchable? I know lots of games out there have tried to clone smash but nearly all of them have failed horridly. Just a curious thought that I've been sitting on for a bit.

 

[Claire Diviner]

There's "TMNT Smash Up" and "Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion", so I don't believe the game's aspect of % or gameplay is copyrighted. That said, nothing can hold a candle to the type of fighting game style Smash Bros. has become. Even "Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale" failed to deliver in the substance department.

 

[-AtlaS-]

There's "TMNT Smash Up" and "Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion", so I don't believe the game's aspect of % or gameplay is copyrighted. That said, nothing can hold a candle to the type of fighting game style Smash Bros. has become. Even "Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale" failed to deliver in the substance department.

So in a sense, there's no reason anybody cant just copy the smash engine by hand, keep the gameplay the exact same, fudge the numbers and relabel everything and get away with it?

 

[Claire Diviner]

So in a sense, there's no reason anybody cant just copy the smash engine by hand, keep the gameplay the exact same, fudge the numbers and relabel everything and get away with it?

Google "TMNT Smash Up" and "Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion". You'll see that's exactly what they did.

 

[Twewy]

Stealing the game's source code would infringe on a couple of laws, yeah, but making a similar engine of your own design wouldn't hurt you in the long run.

Okay, it'll make you look a little unoriginal, but it's not like Cave Story was the first indie game to have platforming or DOOM to be the first FPS.