Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[CannonStreak]

Yeah, Sakurai's said that Subspace Emissary was basically like developing an entire second game concurrently with Brawl. As cool as it is to have a story mode where the characters interact, it would definitely take a big chunk out of development.

Yes, of course.

That big chunk could include new modes for a Smash Bros. game, or even time for development. Even with something like Everyone is Here, Sakurai had only so much time. So to lose any potential things in favor of Everyone is Here or a Subspace like Adventure Mode, I am sure we don't want that.

 

[BritishGuy54]

I do wonder what would have happened if Shulk didn’t get into Smash 4. Would he have gotten into Ultimate’s base roster?

I’d think Aegis would have gotten into Ultimate’s DLC anyway, creating a bit of a Ness situation for Xenoblade in Smash.

 

[Nabbitfan730]

Yeah, Sakurai's said that Subspace Emissary was basically like developing an entire second game concurrently with Brawl. As cool as it is to have a story mode where the characters interact, it would definitely take a big chunk out of development.

Well, those beg the question, which direction does you guys prefer?

No EiH, Fewer characters like 26-38 characters for a robust single player similar to Brawl's with SE or a whole 64-84+ glutton of characters, every veterans and news releases but with not much do with them with sparse single-player like Smash 4 or even Ult in some ways?

 

[CannonStreak]

Well, those beg the question, which directions does you guys prefer?

No EiH, Fewer characters like 26-38 characters for a robust single player similar to Brawl's with SE or a whole glutton of characters and releases but with not much do with them with sparse single-player like Smash 4 or even Ult in some ways?

As much as I'd hate to say it, no EiH for me, as I want the development team and Sakurai to have as much time to take as they can and add all the content they might want to add and have to waste time on certain things. I also want the multiplayer to be done very well, but I would like a fun Adventure mode with a good story if possible, though it just has to be like Melee's at a minimum, and not necessarily like World of Light and Subspace.

 

[Idon]

Here's a fun thought experiment;
with Smash Ult having a ton of characters, a lot of newer ones have gotten character-specific mechanics that haven't been used elsewhere.

If any of those mechanics were to be re-used, which new or old character do you think could also use them and how would it be different from how it's used by the originator?

I've compiled a list of the more notable examples here:

Cloud: Limit Gauge
Hero: MP and/or Menu
Ice Climbers: Duo character
Rosalina and Luma: Puppet character
Inkling: Ink management
Robin: Special Move management
Steve: General Move management
Joker: Persona buff
Sephiroth: Wing buff
Lucario: Rage (Passive over time)
Kazuya: Rage (Active at a specific point)
Terry: Unlocked Moves
Little Mac: KO Punch
Kirby: Mimicry
PT: Tag-team

For a more comprehensive list

For example, I was thinking of how Joker's Persona mechanic functioned more similar to how it does in Astral Chain than it does in its base game, ie "Summoning a figure to fight beside and simultaneously to the player character". If Officer Howard were to get into Smash, I'd imagine they would use that mechanic, but with a more active management to it rather than it being a switch on/off once they suffer enough punishment.

Perhaps if they were ambitious, they could also implement a way for it to detatch and fight separately ala Rosalina and Luma.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

Here's a fun thought experiment;
with Smash Ult having a ton of characters, a lot of newer ones have gotten character-specific mechanics that haven't been used elsewhere.

If any of those mechanics were to be re-used, which new or old character do you think could also use them and how would it be different from how it's used by the originator?

I've compiled a list of the more notable examples here:

For a more comprehensive list

For example, I was thinking of how Joker's Persona mechanic functioned more similar to how it does in Astral Chain than it does in its base game, ie "Summoning a figure to fight beside and simultaneously to the player character". If Officer Howard were to get into Smash, I'd imagine they would use that mechanic, but with a more active management to it rather than it being a switch on/off once they suffer enough punishment.

Perhaps if they were ambitious, they could also implement a way for it to detatch and fight separately ala Rosalina and Luma.

I always thought Alear with a Marth Emblem could make good use of something similar to the Persona-mechanic

 

[SharkLord]

Here's a fun thought experiment;
with Smash Ult having a ton of characters, a lot of newer ones have gotten character-specific mechanics that haven't been used elsewhere.

If any of those mechanics were to be re-used, which new or old character do you think could also use them and how would it be different from how it's used by the originator?

I've compiled a list of the more notable examples here:

For a more comprehensive list

For example, I was thinking of how Joker's Persona mechanic functioned more similar to how it does in Astral Chain than it does in its base game, ie "Summoning a figure to fight beside and simultaneously to the player character". If Officer Howard were to get into Smash, I'd imagine they would use that mechanic, but with a more active management to it rather than it being a switch on/off once they suffer enough punishment.

Perhaps if they were ambitious, they could also implement a way for it to detatch and fight separately ala Rosalina and Luma.

More a unique move than a mechanic, but in Ys, the Flash Guard acts much the same as Incineroar's Revenge; It parries incoming attacks, but instead of a big burst of damage, it gives you a temporary power boost. When it was first introduced the move acted more-or-less like Revenge, only buffing your next couple of attacks, but Ys VIII and IX extended the duration a lot, so we could differentiate Adol's Flash Guard by making it more of a minor power boost instead of pouring all the damage into his next attack.

In general a lot of unique properties in DLC boil down to either A: Fill the gauge to get a super move/form, or B: Keep the gauge filled so you can use your attacks. It might overcomplicate things a bit, but I've been thinking next Smash could expand the Final Smash meter a bit; Firstly, we could add some "Super Smashes" that aren't as strong as Final Smashes but cost less meter, but I was also thinking a lot of resource management or power-up gimmicks could be merged with the meter. For some examples, Cloud's Limit Breaks would fit that perfectly. Hero's MP could also be reworked into drawing from the meter, which would also turn his "Super" and Final Smashes into simply really strong spells. Steve's inventory could replace the meter, still requiring him to mine to gain meter instead of just hitting people, but with the unique perk of allowing him to fill his "meter" on command.

Though, again, this would likely run the risk of overcomplicating things. There's probably someone with a metered gimmick that just wouldn't fit with a universal meter and I'm just blanking on them. But it's a thought, at least

 

[NotGenerico]

A Nier Automata collaboration with Stellar Blade just got announced and I've got to say that I get convinced more and more that Nier Automata is getting something in the next Smash Bros every time 2B pops up in another game.

2B will be in the next Smash in some form, be it as a character, Mii Costume or Spirit. Yoko Taro will make sure of it, lol

 

[Dukefire]

A Nier Automata collaboration with Stellar Blade just got announced and I've got to say that I get convinced more and more that Nier Automata is getting something in the next Smash Bros every time 2B pops up in another game.

2B will be in the next Smash in some form, be it as a character, Mii Costume or Spirit. Yoko Taro will make sure of it, lol

Safe to say that she is the next potential candidate to join if Bayonetta cannot return.

If I have to guess her fighting style, she is more close combat with some options for range. Being a robot that's disposable for missions if necessary, mid to heavyweight. Stuggles against zoners and have a high skill ceiling. Of course, outfit may require adjustments to maintain balance on rating like how Bayonetta, Pyra and Mythra were done.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Here's a fun thought experiment;
with Smash Ult having a ton of characters, a lot of newer ones have gotten character-specific mechanics that haven't been used elsewhere.

If any of those mechanics were to be re-used, which new or old character do you think could also use them and how would it be different from how it's used by the originator?

I've compiled a list of the more notable examples here:

For a more comprehensive list

For example, I was thinking of how Joker's Persona mechanic functioned more similar to how it does in Astral Chain than it does in its base game, ie "Summoning a figure to fight beside and simultaneously to the player character". If Officer Howard were to get into Smash, I'd imagine they would use that mechanic, but with a more active management to it rather than it being a switch on/off once they suffer enough punishment.

Perhaps if they were ambitious, they could also implement a way for it to detatch and fight separately ala Rosalina and Luma.

I think Isaac could have a form of Robin's management for special moves. Except instead of durability, it would be centered around Djinn. Have a Djinn? Use a special move. Have more? Have a more powerful version of it. If you want to get really spicy, you could even mix and match Djinns for different special moves.

Of course, I think a down special would be used for "setting" Djinn. So maybe it would be a hybrid of Olimar's ammo system and Robin's special move management.

 

[Chuderz]

Personally I don't think it's fair to expect Tifa, a character that has earned her potential place in a video game hall of game (of sorts) on her own merits as a character, should have to step aside for a less popular character (at least as it pertains to mainstream pop culture) just because SOME people online will attempt to make a molehill out of it. I feel Barret and Aerith both also meet this mark on pop culture with the rest of party being debatable. The game was a lot of people's first RPG ever and obviously its story has stood the test of time.

It doesn't matter how many FF7 characters get into Smash because each party member has their fans, their merits and thus are worth the celebration they'd receive for getting into the game. You can feel however way you want to as a general FF fan but acting like it's they'd somehow rob other characters of the chance or they don't deserve it somehow is just you talking crap and is not some blemish on either of the games; Smash or FF7.

 

[RodNutTakin]

Personally I don't think it's fair to expect Tifa, a character that has earned her potential place in a video game hall of game (of sorts) on her own merits as a character, should have to step aside for a less popular character (at least as it pertains to mainstream pop culture) just because SOME people online will attempt to make a molehill out of it. I feel Barret and Aerith both also meet this mark on pop culture with the rest of party being debatable. The game was a lot of people's first RPG ever and obviously its story has stood the test of time.

It doesn't matter how many FF7 characters get into Smash because each party member has their fans, their merits and thus are worth the celebration they'd receive for getting into the game. You can feel however way you want to as a general FF fan but acting like it's they'd somehow rob other characters of the chance or they don't deserve it somehow is just you talking crap and is not some blemish on either of the games; Smash or FF7.

would you say the same thing about the other SF2 world warriors

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

Yes, they chose to include more veterans instead of more new stuff. That's exactly what I've been saying, and exactly what I mean when I say they made sacrifices in other areas to do EiH. There are upsides and downsides to each option, and EiH isn't automatically superior in all facets.

That's not a "sacrifice in other areas" though.
Cutting the Ice Climbers to keep parity between versions is a sacrifice, or cutting Jungle Hijinx Returns because it wouldn't work with Stage Morph is a sacrifice.
It's content that you would have otherwise included but that doesn't work with a certain feature.
Choosing to include character X over character Y is not a sacrifice, it's just plain old roster selection.
Otherwise I can say that by including let's say Ridley they "sacrificed" the inclusion of let's say Krystal, and that's just silly, it's not how it works. It never ends if you put it in these terms.

 

[RouffWestie]

Well, those beg the question, which direction does you guys prefer?

No EiH, Fewer characters like 26-38 characters for a robust single player similar to Brawl's with SE or a whole 64-84+ glutton of characters, every veterans and news releases but with not much do with them with sparse single-player like Smash 4 or even Ult in some ways?

EiH would be worth doing again only if Ultimate's philosophy is taken to it's absolute extreme
Make every stage a King of Fighter's Arena reskin so they don't have to waste time on stage design. If every stage has no death pit, they can also drop recovery moves. That already guarantees Heihachi would join, along with any other fighter's Sakurai would have had trouble coming up with recovery moves for.
And don't stop at Recoveries, go further and drop movesets in general to 10-12 attacks, drop all the current extra mechanics like dodging, shielding, grabs, and get rid of items; then reuse all of that for abilities and moves specific to several newcomers. It would be a reverse-MvC Infinite; the functions are just characters.
Spirts being tied to specific battles isn't as efficient as simply generating randomized modifiers like Master and Crazy Orders in Sm4sh. Just Bring those modes back and treat Spirits like a basic reward for completing a fight. Then they can put in every PNG from all video games ever since there's no need to come up with any context behind their inclusion.
And if the game's too hard to balance with such a huge roster, here's an obvious solution: DON'T. Balance like 1/8 of the roster and bring back For Glory, limit the For Glory roster to the balanced ones, and let the fanbase tear each other apart over everyone else. In-person tournaments already ban characters anyway, so what's the point of the devs putting that much time and effort into something the fans turn around and ignore? Realistically, none of this will happen, but it'd definitely be the biggest roster in Smash's history and I doubt there'd be any way to top it.

 

[SPEN18]

That's not a "sacrifice in other areas" though.
Cutting the Ice Climbers to keep parity between versions is a sacrifice, or cutting Jungle Hijinx Returns because it wouldn't work with Stage Morph is a sacrifice.
It's content that you would have otherwise included but that doesn't work with a certain feature.
Choosing to include character X over character Y is not a sacrifice, it's just plain old roster selection.
Otherwise I can say that by including let's say Ridley they "sacrificed" the inclusion of let's say Krystal, and that's just silly, it's not how it works. It never ends if you put it in these terms.

At this point, this is just quibbling with my terminology. But "sacrifice" just means you give up something in order to get something. They chose one option over the other, so we missed out on whatever the other options would have entailed.

 

[Guynamednelson]

In-person tournaments already ban characters anyway

Barely. I can count how many Smash characters have actually had bans on one hand.

 

[SharkLord]

At this point, this is just quibbling with my terminology. But "sacrifice" just means you give up something in order to get something. They chose one option over the other, so we missed out on whatever the other options would have entailed.

I'm going to concur with this mindset. Realistically, Sakurai and his team won't have infinite time, money, or manpower. They're going to have to budget out their resources, meaning everything has to be given a limit, fighters included. Say there's, let's say, 70 fighters you want to add, but only enough resources for 60 fighters on the roster. Ten of those choices are going to have to go, at least for the base game. In the same way, if you bring back every single fighter, that's going to take up a crapload of resources. In turn, that's going to leave little room for newcomers; Many potential choices will more or less be sacrificed to free up resources for preserving veterans.

Barely. I can count how many Smash characters have actually had bans on one hand.

Off the top of my head, Brawl Meta Knight, 4 Bayonetta, Hero in Australia specifically because of RNG, and Steve. I think? Correct me if I'm wrong

 

[Guynamednelson]

Off the top of my head, Brawl Meta Knight, 4 Bayonetta, Hero in Australia specifically because of RNG

Yep, that's all of them. And they've all been lifted: Brawl MK due to players boycotting tournaments and the disbanding of the committee who banned him, 4 Bayonetta due to balance patches, and Hero due to the fact that the rest of the world decided not to ban him.

 

[Idon]

Safe to say that she is the next potential candidate to join if Bayonetta cannot return.

If I have to guess her fighting style, she is more close combat with some options for range. Being a robot that's disposable for missions if necessary, mid to heavyweight. Stuggles against zoners and have a high skill ceiling. Of course, outfit may require adjustments to maintain balance on rating like how Bayonetta, Pyra and Mythra were done.

I'd disagree on some fundamentals of her moveset. If we assume she's coming with her pod, which every other collab currently has so far, she has a pretty rich set of projectiles to pull from with that lil guy alone.

 

[Dukefire]

I'd disagree on some fundamentals of her moveset. If we assume she's coming with her pod, which every other collab currently has so far, she has a pretty rich set of projectiles to pull from with that lil guy alone.

What type of weapons does that drone have? I didn't play the game, so I don't have knowledge on her gear.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

At this point, this is just quibbling with my terminology. But "sacrifice" just means you give up something in order to get something. They chose one option over the other, so we missed out on whatever the other options would have entailed.

Of course, and I feel like "choice" is a much better fitting term in this case.
Sorry about me getting so nitpicky, but by insisting on the "sacrifices in other areas" terminology I thought you were essentially implying that the Smash team actively gimped their own game in order to realize Everyone is Here.
You often see this kind of discourse about Ultimate, and to me it's always been ????? because that's clearly not the case. The game is as uncompromised as it could be.

If anything, whatever happens with the next game I hope they keep Ultimate's approach. No gigantic story mode, no double version, no hundreds of trophies eating up a ton of resources, just the Smash team firing on all cylinders to provide the biggest best Smash experience possible.

 

[Shinuto]

What type of weapons does that drone have? I didn't play the game, so I don't have knowledge on her gear.

lasers, rapid machine gun fire

 

[Idon]

What type of weapons does that drone have? I didn't play the game, so I don't have knowledge on her gear.

beyond just bullets and lasers, there's gravity wells, spears, shockwaves, even a big ole mallet.

 

[SPEN18]

Sorry about me getting so nitpicky, but by insisting on the "sacrifices in other areas" terminology I thought you were essentially implying that the Smash team actively gimped their own game in order to realize Everyone is Here.

It's okay. Clearly they weren't actively trying to make a worse game. They thought EiH was the best move. I disagree, but they were doing what they thought best.

No gigantic story mode, no double version, no hundreds of trophies eating up a ton of resources, just the Smash team firing on all cylinders to provide the biggest best Smash experience possible.

I gotta admit I'd be a sucker for an expansive story mode, but I prefer a big 50+ roster, too, so I'm okay if it can't happen. Trophies are actually my preferred collectible, but also I understand the resource suck associated; maybe there is some middle ground where we can get like a limited number of them and then have another secondary collectible that represents more characters (I mean Brawl already had Stickers alongside Trophies, with the former being essentially the precursor to Ult's collectibles). Two separate versions, though, yeah let's ditch that as long as the Switch-style hybrid model is a thing.

 

[RykZyk]

Debate: Do you guys think that the skin count limit of 8 should be removed, so the characters could have more skins and even DLC skins just like the Mii Costumes?

 

[DarthEnderX]

Well, those beg the question, which direction does you guys prefer?

Ultimate Deluxe.

Do you guys think that the skin count limit of 8 should be removed, so the characters could have more skins and even DLC skins just like the Mii Costumes?

Yes.

 

[Ivander]

Debate: Do you guys think that the skin count limit of 8 should be removed, so the characters could have more skins and even DLC skins just like the Mii Costumes?

I think there was something regarding a datamine that characters had spaces for up to 16 costumes/skins, so I don't think characters are necessarily being limited to 8 skins. Though I'm not sure why they don't go more than 8, aside from the time Little Mac had a set of skins for both his normal form and wireframe form in Smash Wii U/3DS compared to the other characters and I remember people complaining about that.

Anyway, besides more varied skins, I do hope we get a color editor at some point.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Yes, of course.

That big chunk could include new modes for a Smash Bros. game, or even time for development. Even with something like Everyone is Here, Sakurai had only so much time. So to lose any potential things in favor of Everyone is Here or a Subspace like Adventure Mode, I am sure we don't want that.

Everyone Is Here and Subspace 2.5 could serve as great DLC deals however. Just saying.

 

[SharkLord]

It's okay. Clearly they weren't actively trying to make a worse game. They thought EiH was the best move. I disagree, but they were doing what they thought best.


I gotta admit I'd be a sucker for an expansive story mode, but I prefer a big 50+ roster, too, so I'm okay if it can't happen. Trophies are actually my preferred collectible, but also I understand the resource suck associated; maybe there is some middle ground where we can get like a limited number of them and then have another secondary collectible that represents more characters (I mean Brawl already had Stickers alongside Trophies, with the former being essentially the precursor to Ult's collectibles). Two separate versions, though, yeah let's ditch that as long as the Switch-style hybrid model is a thing.

If trophies are too labor-intensive, I was thinking it'd be cool if there was like, I dunno, a set of collectable cards with custom Smash-original artwork or portraits on them, made by a collection of different artists. A way to have something new and creative without needing an entire model for them. Perhaps for "rare" collectables, we can have big pictures of crossover interactions, kinda like how Kirby: Star Allies has it's big puzzle pictures you can assemble

https://wikirby.com/wiki/Celebration_Picture

 

[AreJay25]

Debate: Do you guys think that the skin count limit of 8 should be removed, so the characters could have more skins and even DLC skins just like the Mii Costumes?

Yes.

Never forget what we lost.

 

[Al-kīmiyā']

Well, those beg the question, which direction does you guys prefer?

No EiH, Fewer characters like 26-38 characters for a robust single player similar to Brawl's with SE or a whole 64-84+ glutton of characters, every veterans and news releases but with not much do with them with sparse single-player like Smash 4 or even Ult in some ways?

If the story mode doesn't have characters speaking to each other, I don't want it. I also don't want all characters to return, regardless.
(Please use something like 'invites the question' in the future.)

Debate: Do you guys think that the skin count limit of 8 should be removed, so the characters could have more skins and even DLC skins just like the Mii Costumes?

Yes, of course.

so what's going on here now? are people ready to talk about cuts and smash without sakurai?

Not looking good for this. Might leave again.

 

[SPEN18]

If trophies are too labor-intensive, I was thinking it'd be cool if there was like, I dunno, a set of collectable cards with custom Smash-original artwork or portraits on them, made by a collection of different artists. A way to have something new and creative without needing an entire model for them. Perhaps for "rare" collectables, we can have big pictures of crossover interactions, kinda like how Kirby: Star Allies has it's big puzzle pictures you can assemble

https://wikirby.com/wiki/Celebration_Picture

Yeah I had almost the same idea, i.e. hiring artists to make original artwork for the collectibles rather than just ripping PNGs. Would be cool, although I wonder if it would prove to be too expensive to pay all the artists. Although, again, they could just do as many as they could budget out.

 

[RodNutTakin]

If trophies are too labor-intensive, I was thinking it'd be cool if there was like, I dunno, a set of collectable cards with custom Smash-original artwork or portraits on them, made by a collection of different artists. A way to have something new and creative without needing an entire model for them. Perhaps for "rare" collectables, we can have big pictures of crossover interactions, kinda like how Kirby: Star Allies has it's big puzzle pictures you can assemble

https://wikirby.com/wiki/Celebration_Picture

I think this would be a good way to replace Spirits. I'd imagine a lot of the cards would just be the Spirit PNGs, however.
Overall it'd be a way to avoid things being labor-intensive on both fronts (no modelling needed like Trophies, and no need to have to modify and mess with the Spirit Battle system, especially if character/stage cuts would affect certain battles).
It could be as easy as taking most of the spirit PNGs, slapping them onto fancy cards, and giving them actual descriptions. I think original artwork could be saved for fighters, assists (Assist Cards?), and other certain NPCs including bosses.

 

[Kirbeh]

accidental incomplete double post plz igore/delete

 

[Kirbeh]

Re: 2B or Not 2B

If we get Nier content, I honestly think we'll just get Mii costumes for 2B, 9S and an Emil mask. I think 2B is plenty iconic, but I could still see SE prioritizing more FF/DQ content or potentially a popular legacy franchise like Chrono or Mana.

Her design is another aspect I still think is worth mentioning. I know it's generally agreed that they'd just easily cover her up, but I'm still less certain of that. To my knowledge, (so please correct me if I'm wrong,) 2B has made plenty of collab appearances, but has yet to make an appearance where her design is censored. The self-destruct move and skirtless appearance are pretty iconic to her as well, often being its own costume option in games where she's playable.

As a dev/artist, Yoko Taro seems pretty particular and potentially inflexible in some cases (he did threaten to quit SE if he couldn't make Automata iirc). I could see a scenario where Yoko butts heads with SE in regard to preserving or changing her design. He either loses that fight and she gets in with an SE/Ninty/CERO approved redesign or they settle on other types of content like Mii costumes and music.

I could see the Nier franchise being a smaller feature like all the Spirit Event series ala Resident Evil, 13 Sentinels, etc.

Perhaps I'm just overthinking things though. Overall, I do hope she gets in, she's still one of my most wanted.

If trophies are too labor-intensive, I was thinking it'd be cool if there was like, I dunno, a set of collectable cards with custom Smash-original artwork or portraits on them, made by a collection of different artists. A way to have something new and creative without needing an entire model for them. Perhaps for "rare" collectables, we can have big pictures of crossover interactions, kinda like how Kirby: Star Allies has it's big puzzle pictures you can assemble

https://wikirby.com/wiki/Celebration_Picture

Please this. Give us Smash Bros. Triple Triad and/or other card game.

Cards would make for great collectibles regardless of whether they use new or existing art. Aside from collecting them, if they added an actual mini game based around them, they'd immediately be the best collectibles in the series by far.

Ditto for the puzzles. A Smash version of the 3DS Puzzle Swap or Star Allies like you said would be great.

They'd both be a great way of giving more use for the in-game gold you collect too. Add an in-game shop run by some actual shopkeeper characters running different parts. Someone sells card packs, another sells CDs to unlock more music, the capsule machine can make a comeback, but it gives puzzle pieces instead of trophies, etc.

This kinda goes into a sort of unrelated topic, but I really want more fun/involved menus. I know that probably sounds weird, but aside from having Anna or the Nooks actually run the shop, I think it'd be cool to have characters from Rhythm Heaven or Jam with the Band appear for the Sounds/My Music menus, you could have Doc Louis appear for training mode, a new history/museum mode hosted by Blathers, etc.

Well, those beg the question, which direction does you guys prefer?

No EiH, Fewer characters like 26-38 characters for a robust single player similar to Brawl's with SE or a whole 64-84+ glutton of characters, every veterans and news releases but with not much do with them with sparse single-player like Smash 4 or even Ult in some ways?

No in between option?

If I had to pick one, I guess I'd go with EiH 2: Manectric Boogaloo, not because I don't value single player content, but ultimately, the multiplayer is the more important of the two for a game like Smash. It'd be weird seeing Smash go the way of the 2010s fighting game by only having Arcade (Classic,) Local/Online Versus, Training and a small handful of other Smash specific stuff but I'd be content so long as the roster has a lot of cool/well designed characters to mess around with.

The competitive crowd still gets their 1v1s. Casuals still get their "up to 8-player" free-for-all matches. Plus, while they wouldn't be the focus, we'd surely still get one or two smaller modes on the side. If anything, this was already what both Smash 4 and Ultimate did.

World of Light was really long, but I still don't acknowledge it as being substantial single player content. I'd much rather have the old style of Event Match return. WoL just felt bloated and dragged on.

Smash Run was fun if limited by being locked to 3DS. I think having a similar new mode or an updated/reworked version of it would be a worthy addition as an online mode with maybe an offline version against CPU opponents. There's honestly a lot you could do there by having a few different maps with different enemies and hazards.

I'll even bat for Smash Tour. The execution was awful, but a board game style mini game isn't a bad idea itself. If they wanted to take another crack at it, I think there's some potential there too.

And again, there's always the option of a Melee style Adventure mode. Its small enough in scale to be feasible even with a large roster.

As much fondness as people have for the SSE, (me included,) a lot of the levels weren't all that great and the way characters control didn't translate super well. Like the above modes, I do think a revisit would be nice if they can improve upon it. Though that leads into the elephant in the room, being the cutscenes. While they were cool for the time (and still nostalgic to me now,) I'd much rather that budget go elsewhere.

If they go with a big, bombastic, story mode, it really needs to deliver for it to be worth it imo. Never say never and all that, but the track record doesn't leave a lot of confidence in that department. Especially now with so many third parties in tow.

Here's a fun thought experiment;
with Smash Ult having a ton of characters, a lot of newer ones have gotten character-specific mechanics that haven't been used elsewhere.

If any of those mechanics were to be re-used, which new or old character do you think could also use them and how would it be different from how it's used by the originator?

I've compiled a list of the more notable examples here:

Aside from the obvious ones like giving the Limit Gauge to other FF characters or ink on additional Splatoon characters, a lot of these do tend to boil down to "Rage with a different coat of paint and altered conditions. " or "traditional fighting game mechanic but locked to one character. " So, rather than reuse them, I'd honestly like to get rid of a few of them.

I'd personally ditch Cloud and Terry's Limit and Go! Meters in exchange for a universal ex/super meter. I get why we don't have that, given the amount of work it'd be to be give ex and super moves to every character on the roster, but still, I feel like they'd go a long way in making characters feel fresh in the absence of major move set updates. Having a few more tools to play with would give characters more options and add more potential for player expression and the sorts of hype/wacky shenanigans that come with the territory.

To better answer the actual question though, I kind of like the idea of adding the SFV version of Seth as a second Kirby. I just think it'd be cool to see Seth copy moves from all these other characters. Bonus points if they're all different from the ones Kirby copies, though I'd imagine there'd have to be some overlap here and there. Copying Hadoken off Ryu is a must for example.

Debate: Do you guys think that the skin count limit of 8 should be removed, so the characters could have more skins and even DLC skins just like the Mii Costumes?

Is that even much of a debate? I don't think I've ever seen anyone go "Yeah, the hard limit of 8 costumes is great actually."

I think there was something regarding a datamine that characters had spaces for up to 16 costumes/skins, so I don't think characters are necessarily being limited to 8 skins. Though I'm not sure why they don't go more than 8, aside from the time Little Mac had a set of skins for both his normal form and wireframe form in Smash Wii U/3DS compared to the other characters and I remember people complaining about that.

Anyway, besides more varied skins, I do hope we get a color editor at some point.

With everything else that they have to work on, and with such a large roster, I can only assume extra costumes just weren't a priority.

As for the color editor., as cool as that would be, knowing that some characters would likely have to be excluded due to mandates probably means it wouldn't happen. If Sakurai and his team already can't make red, they're definitely not putting a color editor in the hands of players.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

Debate: Do you guys think that the skin count limit of 8 should be removed, so the characters could have more skins and even DLC skins just like the Mii Costumes?

Some characters are good with only eight skins, but characters with more outfit potential should have more than that.

 

[Idon]

As a dev/artist, Yoko Taro seems pretty particular and potentially inflexible in some cases (he did threaten to quit SE if he couldn't make Automata iirc). I could see a scenario where Yoko butts heads with SE in regard to preserving or changing her design. He either loses that fight and she gets in with an SE/Ninty/CERO approved redesign or they settle on other types of content like Mii costumes and music.

Dude, I think you have a totally wrong impression on what kind of auteur Taro is.

Like this is the dude that said thumbs up to this:

And I also will correct you that across her numerous collabs, she has been censored once: for her PUBG appearance

 

[Kirbeh]

Dude, I think you have a totally wrong impression on what kind of auteur Taro is.

View attachment 394641

Like this is the dude that said thumbs up to this:


And I also will correct you that across her numerous collabs, she has been censored once: for her PUBG appearance

That's good to know then, means she fares much better than I thought she did.

If you don't mind sharing, what interview is this from? I was going off an interview I read a while back, but now I'm starting to get the feeling it might be two parts of the same one and I just forgot the second half.

 

[pitchfulprocessing]

Yoko Taro kind of plays a character in a lot of interviews or deliberately gets drunk to say wild ****, he talks about that a bit in his more serious blogs. Especially since he and Sakurai are friends, I don't think there would be much clashing over how specifically to handle 2B beyond being particular.

 

[fogbadge]

Dude, I think you have a totally wrong impression on what kind of auteur Taro is.

View attachment 394641

that explains a lot