Well I figured I'd come back and post one last time before they close up shop on these threads and it inevitably splinters a community. I've admittedly been too busy to really speculate and had just found myself spending time with other things and hobbies, but I was always on the lookout for the next announcement. And well, I was actually afraid I was going to miss this announcement. For reference, I have seen every Smash announcement live except for Joker (because I was you know, driving to pick up Ultimate when TGAs 2018 were going on) since Villager first popped up in 2013. Smash has been with me for so long and I was really afraid I was going to miss this final announcement because I was traveling to another country on a long flight and that was just going to be the most disappointing reality and end to all of this to have to go online and just see who it was as a basic image and text. It just felt so anti-climactic to what has been an incredible 8 years of my life centered on Smash.
As I was worried about this, I realized I had the time zone changes on my side and that it might just work out for me to see it live. So while I was handling a million things, trying to get my bags, a taxi to my hotel, etc. I was keeping Smash in my mind. And I managed to make it just in time to check in and hop on to Wi-Fi only to realize I had the announcement off by an hour and I was actually early to it.
But I waited, and then Sakurai came on and I was reminded how much I hoped he'd go all out with a bonus character or some crazy announcement of more than just one final challenger pack. I didn't want this to be the end of the journey I'd put so much of my life into, both 100s of hours playing and 100s speculating and talking with communities. I didn't know how to say goodbye at all to this game and I always wanted a Fighter's Pass 3 so seeing Sakurai's confirmation this was it always stung. This series, and Ultimate in particular had been a source of light and joy in my life. At one point I think Ultimate coming out later in the year might have genuinely kept me going when I was in a really bad depression. It just meant so much to me and always has.
And then the trailer started and I was ready for disappointment. Not that Bayonetta was disappointing 6 years ago (far far from it for me), but I was just ready to see Smash end on a more lowkey note that couldn't satisfy my increasing wild expectations of the crossover doing impossible stuff. A diminishing return that had to run out eventually and probably would after the crazy inclusions of Steve, Sephiroth, and Kazuya already in the pass. And then...I genuinely freaked out when I saw the Keyblade followed by the Mickey Mouse ear key chain. In my hotel room in another country, I'm sure the "holy ****, no way" must have sounded absurd to these strangers, but I couldn't contain myself. Kingdom Hearts I enjoyed what I played in the past, but it wasn't for me I was freaking out, it was for everyone else that had wanted him and how impossible it was to get him in. Sora represented the bridge too far that I didn't fully think even Sakurai could pull off and while I think I was perhaps more optimistic about it than most people, I still didn't think it was going to happen. Sephiroth felt like the nail in the coffin, the consolation prize for negotiations that didn't work out. Was that based on any sort of reality other than an incorrect gut feeling? Absolutely not. But it just didn't feel like it was going to happen and beyond my wildest dreams for this franchise and for the dreams of so many, it did, and I loved it. It was the part of Smash I loved through and through. The one that could surprise and delight me, the one that pushed the boundaries of what was possible and who could suddenly be crossing over. It made me so damn happy to see Sora included.
And for all that, Sakurai did the impossible one last time for me personally. He taught me to say goodbye to all of this by going this route. He gave me an end that I will always remember and adore no matter what the future holds. Bringing in the true ballot winner brought everything full circle and Sora was an absolutely hell of a get to end this almost decade long commitment with. I went from being terrified and disappointed at saying goodbye, to absolutely able to because of how he handled this ending. It felt right and it felt amazing.
Now do I indeed still want to see Crash and Master Chief be hype bombs, do I want to see Astral Chain get a chance as a first party, and is all of this incredibly overblown and cheesy? Yes, yes, and OH absolutely. But it meant a lot to me and made me feel an acceptance at the end of this journey and I loved it. I loved playing Smash and speculating, and I loved all the wonderful and interesting people I met along the way. I may not be the most common poster here these days, but thanks for everything and being such a valuable part of that journey too.