CT ZeRo joins Smashboards again to offer insight on the differences between Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Super Smash Brothers Wii U. ZeRo breaks down the characters, speed, and other noticeable differences between the games. ZeRo recently won the Super Smash Brothers Wii U Invitational at E3 and earlier this year took second place in Super Smash Brothers Brawl at APEX 2014. Come check out what ZeRo has to say from his experience with the two games!
Speed
First off, one of the big differences between both games is that Super Smash Brothers Wii U has a much different feel compared to other Smash games, since the engine is different. It is hard to compare both precisely at this point with my current experience, since they're both different games and have different flows, but I'll try my best with my current knowledge. Basically, some aspects are faster, others are slower, mechanics changed, and timings did, too. Basically, it is a whole new experience, but I can't be as accurate as I'd like to be, right now.
The Characters
ZeRo Suit Samus: Her D-Smash has less hit stun than in Brawl, which is a big deal. You don't have enough time to perform actions, and after an opponent is out of stun, they won't fly as far. Her Side B also has less shield stun and is a bit weaker, but still does a great job at zoning. Her jab, up tilt, d-tilt and f-tilt are all great - ZSS had a great ground game in Brawl which has clearly carried over into Smash Wii U. Her Dash Attack, however, has been reworked. In Brawl, the dash attack had very low knockback and allowed some combos. In Smash Wii U, its' purpose is to get through your opponent. The move crosses over your opponent, even when shielded, so it's a great mix up tool that ZSS didn't have in Brawl.
Her recovery has changed drastically. Her down B is weaker off the stage now: In Brawl, it was one of the most powerful spikes, being able to kill characters at extremely low percents. In Smash Wii U, her side B recovery works similar to Brawl but with a slightly higher range and her new up b that lifts her up can be a combo finisher, anti aerial, or a KO move. Overall, her recovery is still good, just in different ways. Her throw game is similar to Brawl, where she doesn't have that many follow ups, but you can put the positional advantage to good use.
Fox: Mr. McCloud has changed quite a bit. His most noticeable change is to his side B: he doesn't enter free fall animation after using his side B in the air, allowing him to side B into up B. This is a huge deal for his recovery. Fox's laser game is much slower compared to Brawl. In Smash Wii U, he doesn't really have an effective laser game, which will force Fox players to spend more time in close quarters against their opponents. Fox's up smash is also considerably weaker. His down air retains properties similar to its Brawl counterpart. At low percents, down air can be followed by an multiple up tilts for an effective combo. However, I'm not sure if you can up smash, grab or down smash from it, as was possible in Brawl. Overall, Fox has changed quite a bit and will require players to adopt a different playstyle than in previous Smash games to be efficient.
Kirby: Kirby's main mechanics haven't changed much. However, he is quite powerful in this game. His shield pressure is very safe, and his up throw has become a powerful KO move. His smash attacks are all very effective as well. Coupled with a great up close game that mixes in fast tilts, a good grab range, and a strong recovery, Kirby looks to be a powerful character this time around. One of the most important changes was to his down air: because there was no Smash DI present in the demo, the move was very reminiscent of Kirby's down air in Smash 64 and could safely be used as a powerful off stage move. While not as powerful because of the ledge auto snapping, it's still a very good option to successfully edgeguard. This is significant because you can safely grab the ledge and not get down aired as you're recovering.
Marth: Very different from how he is in Brawl. In Brawl, he is a very zoning dependent character that had powerful and strong attacks complemented by a scary grab game. His weakness was how he had to commit with every decision he took, so any type of bait was very effective on him. In Smash Wii U, his F-Air has more landing lag, and he can't do two of them in the air as in previous Smash games. Marth's attacks are still quite powerful, but as a character he is now more ground based. Interestingly, his up throw is now a KO move. Just like Fox, Marth will require a much different playstyle to be efficient with, but the range, speed, and power are all there in his moveset.
Zelda: In Brawl, Zelda wasn't considered a particularly strong character. Unfortunately, I don't think much has changed; she feels a bit weak compared to the other characters. Zelda even appears to have lost some power in the transition to Smash Wii U. Zelda's Smashes are weaker overall and have less shield stun and priority, and her trademark kicks are less punishing than before. She has a new down B that is very unexplored, and her ground game is quite different. With time, experienced players may be able to find new strategies and unlock her hidden potential. But when I used her, I really struggled, and many others did as well.
Pikachu: I had tons of fun using him in Smash Wii U, he was actually my original pick before I tried ZeRo Suit Samus. He's very agile, and his down smash almost always combos into Thunder, which is a spike. Pikachu can even follow up post-Thunder! Because Smash DI has been removed, his moveset is even more effective because opponents cannot escape from multi hit attacks now. Pikachu has really benefited from the new mechanics in Smash 4.
Samus: Mr. Masahiro Sakurai said that during testing she was the most powerful! However, she wasn't picked in the invitational. Hugo 'Hugs' Gonzales actually used her quite a bit, but thought she wasn't that powerful. Her missile game is much slower than in Melee and Brawl, but her ground game, and overall moves are all very fast and effective. And her up b, screw attack, is now a KO move! I think she has great potential, but she doesn't play like in any other Smash game.
Donkey Kong: Another pick that I considered greatly. Not only is Donkey Kong faster than he is Brawl, he's more agile in the air, and has an even more powerful spike to tack on to his already strong attacks. Donkey Kong's major change is basically that he's faster overall. Simple, maybe, but also a huge deal!
Pit: Pit has changed quite a bit. The removal of Smash DI affects multi hit characters quite a bit, and because Pit has several multi hit moves, his attacks are more reliable than ever. He's quite agile, and his side B is extremely powerful. Because of its super armor and strength, he can counter a lot of attacks with it. His arrows are much slower than before as well, making it difficult to play an effective range game. Pit feels like a more rushdown character now. In Brawl, Pit was more of a patient, reactive character with a good projectile and few approach options. Now, his projectile game is weaker and he has a fantastic approach, with more reliable hits overall.
Mario: Mario is a lot faster than in Brawl, even more agile in the air, and feels quite good! Solid moveset overall, both in the air and ground, and difficult to edgeguard at times due to his up b's priority. Mario still lacks a direct approach option, so he's mainly dashing around, catching people in the air, and putting his good aerial game to use. Grabs are also very effective. Mario's smash attacks are a lot more powerful now, and are a bit quicker too, making them more reliable options.
Bowser: In Brawl, Bowser had solid grab release and ground games, but lacked the approach and instant range options to deal with pressure outside of his up b out of shield. While his speed has improved, Bowser still doesn't have that solid approach option or punish game. That's what he really needs. Overall, he's faster in the air and ground compared to Brawl, and I see potential for the character in the hands of a dedicated player.
Olimar: Olimar had a great projectile game in Brawl, coupled with fantastic defensive tools and powerful KO options. However, his metagame took years to develop. I think that Olimar's development in Smash Wii U may follow the same arc: He has tons of potential, but it may take some time. He has a very good recovery this time around that covers great distances quickly. He can even camp underneath the stage with it, as AmSa did to protect himself vs. final smashes during the practice rounds. Olimar's attacks still pack a punch, but his projectile game is noticeably weaker. His aerial game, on the other hand, is much stronger. It's hard to say where he'll end up when Smash Wii U develops, but I do believe that he will be solid.
Sonic: No one really used him at all, and I only had the chance to try him once. From what I tried, his combos don't work like in Brawl, they are not based on his spin, but more aerial/ground based. Other than that, I couldn't figure out much, unfortunately.
Link: In Brawl, his projectile game was solid at times, but still weak. In Smash Wii U, it's even weaker, but in exchange he has a much faster ground and aerial game. Link also has a more reliable recovery due to his hookshot and up B priority. He has become much more of a close-quarters character than his Brawl counterpart.
