The Collect-A-Thon Is On, Discussing Collectibles for Smash

[Captain Shades]

Weird topic, I know, but hear me out. With some of the leaks comnig out I thought it’d be fun to talk about what collectibles you want to see in Ultimate, as some leaks have foretold of the absence of trophies, instead in having spirits as a main collectible, which work as a hybrid of trophies and Brawl’s stickers.

Other collectibles to take note of are the stat boosts from Wii U and 3DS most likely not returning as a result of the death of customs, which of course means customs are not back. We may even need to worry about the lack of Mii support from Nintendo recently, which might limit the possibility of Mii costumes returning in a big way

Before Discussing I mine as well post the list of every collectible in Smash History

1) Fighters [Now known to be unlocked through Amiibo, but in game is a mystery still]

2) Stages [Will not be an unlockable this time around, all are there from the start]

3) Trophies [Has been in Every Smash since Melee, but is rumored to not return]

4) Music

5) Customs [Was in Wii U and 3DS, but seems to be cut in Ultimate]

6) Mii Fighter Costumes

7) Stage Builder Parts [Hasn’t been seen since Brawl]

8) Stickers [Cut after Brawl, rumored to have a spiritual successor]

9) Coins

10) Modes; All-Star [Usually unlocked when every fighter is unlocked, though Wii U breaks the trend] and Boss Battles [Unlocked after Subspace in Brawl]

11) Event Matches

12) Master Pieces [Retro Titles]

13) Ending Artwork [Exclusive to beating Classic in N64]

14) Assists; Pokémon and Assist Trophies

15) Online Icons [Apparently both Brawl and Wii U had these, unlocked with characters]

16 Chronicle Entries [Exclusive to Brawl]




I guess the question is which collectibles would you like to see return or are there better collectibles that you can think up for this game. Should some of these collectibles just be unlocked automatically, or played through. I just thought this would be an interesting topic as I feel most forget that collectibles exist or don’t really put a spotlight on them even though they are a huge part of the Smash experience.




As a side question, how would you want to unlock these collectibles. Most have had very random ways to collect them that can lead to hours of searching, while some are very easy to do. Just like the collectibles, I mine as well leave a list of all the possibles ways to collect them throughout the years.

Trophies
Classic Mode [Fighter trophies in Melee/Brawl, That + more in Wii U/3DS]
All-Star [Fighter/Final Smash Trophies + Others in all games from Melee to 4]
Challenges [Wii U and Brawl had a grid to find them, while Melee was a bit random]
Home-Run Contest [In all games since Melee, but is rare]
Slot-Machine [Melee]
Trophy Events [Melee]
Match Amounts [Melee]
Adventure Mode [Found Randomly in sections, Melee exclusive]
Coin Launcher [Brawl]
Trophy Stand in Subspace [Used specifically for Subspace enemies and bosses in Brawl]
Subspace Emissary [Can find trophies in blue and gold boxes and in random locations]
Boss Battles [Found in resting area, Brawl exclusive]
Smash Run [Found in random areas, 3DS exclusive]
Smash Tour [Wii U exclusive]
Crazy/ Master Orders [Wii U exclusive]
Target Smash [Rare, in Wii U and 3DS exclusively]
Trophy Rush [Wii U and 3DS exclusive]
Trophy Shop [Wii U and 3DS exclusive]

Music
Found Randomly in matches [Brawl/ Wii U]
Random Subspace drops [Brawl]
Challenges [Brawl / Wii U]
Crazy Orders [Wii U]

Customs/ Mii Costumes (Wii U and 3DS Exclusives)
Found with Amiibo
Classic
All-Star
Master/ Crazy Orders
Trophy Rush
Smash Tour
Smash Run

Stickers (Brawl Exclusive)
Randomly found in matches and Subspace
Challenges
Blowing up a few ships in a row in coin launcher

Art Work (N64 Exclusive)
Complete Classic

Stage Builder Parts (Brawl Exclusive)
Challenges

Master Pieces
Challenges [Wii U and Brawl]

Assists
Come with Character Unlocks
Challenges

Online Profile Pics
Come with character and assist unlocks

Chronicle Entries (Brawl Exclusive)
Come with Stickers and trophies




My Stance
To conclude this topic, I want to add how I feel collectibles should be handled and which should return or not.

Not Returning as collectibles according to the development team
Stages - Though I’ll miss collecting stages, I really don’t mind. Stages are a nice thing to just have, and since they’re a major gameplay item, they should be there from the start or easy to unlock.

Customs - Glad to not see these. They were an absolute chore to find, and they barely added anything to the game. Plus the parts were just a more generic version of the stickers from Brawl. Customs have potential, but its clear that they aren’t a focus, so the team shouldn’t waste time on these pretty pointless gimmicks.


To start off I’ll go over what I absolutely don’t want to come back

What I hope doesn’t Return
Trophy Stand Item - this was a super annoying way of getting trophies of Subspace enemies. The item would always drop randomly and left players vulnerable in the worst of times, not to mention that it feels impossible to get certain enemies. This was just an annoying gimmick to hold small collectibles on, so I hope it doesn’t return in what we presume to be the new story mode.

Slot-Machine - It felt to luck based and took minimal input, so leave this for Melee.

Trophy Rush - Did anyone else feel that this mode was pretty boring. It just felt like another randomized mode that tried to help you get trophies, but the randomization at the end killed it, so I hope it gets replaced.



Now what I hope happens is that all of the collectibles, excluding customs make a return this time, so players must collect Trophies, Stickers, Music, Master Pieces, Stage Builder Parts, Chronicle entries, Profile Pics, assists, artwork, and Mii costumes. Most will have multiple ways of unlocking them.

Fighters/ Events - I think fighters should be unlocked through event matches. Events should follow a similar structure to Wii U where you can choose alternate pathways. There should be no locked behind requirements events as characters should be earned through the travel once you complete an event, all it’s corresponding pathways should be open, unlike in Wii U where you need to unlock Falco to get a path to appear. I think it’d also be cool to have pathways lead into a franchise stretch, like if you unlock Luigi, then paths for Peach and Daisy open up, keeping a consistent Mario path. The first event should be a neutral event which leads to 4 pathways going into the Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, and Kirby franchises where you can unlock characters. After that have the main 4 go into new franchises like DK for Mario, Fire Emblem for Zelda, maybe Animal Crossing for Pokémon, and Metroid for Kirby (Space theme). Other than that, keeping the Amiibo functionality would be a good idea.

Trophies - Trophies should be collected in all modes, but you mainly get them from the returning Coin Launcher. Other outlets for trophies would be the challenge board and the returning shop from Wii U and 3DS. The shop will be changed up a bit though, as it should be a last resort for the final trophies by the end, as luck usually isn’t on the players side when it comes to getting all trophies. If you find it difficult to get the last trophies, the store will sell them for high prices. Making trophy grinds easier and more fun overall, as luck isn’t skill, so I feel it wouldn’t take away from the experience.

Master Pieces - They should be unlocked through challenges, and maybe they should be longer and more varied including more generations of consoles such as NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, N64, and maybe even Virtual Boy.

Stickers - They should be randomly dropped in battle no matter what the mode is, allowing for very easy access to them. They can also be unlocked through challenges and by blowing up ships in the returning Coin Launcher game. It’d also be nice to expand the trophy shop to include stickers, as just like the trophies, it helps in creating a more realizable 100% completion. To add more features to the stickers, they should work as stat boosters like in Brawl, but just for the new ‘Spirits Mode’

Music - Same as stickers, dropped in randomly during modes, unlocked through challenges, and given a section of the shop could go a long way in making music more obtainable.

Mii Fighter Costumes - They should be rewards for event as we had 100 events last time, but not enough characters for that, so why not make some Mii specific events to unlock outfits. One could be that the Mii must beat DK with K Rool, earning the Mii’s place as a true kremling, and gaining the K Rool outfit as a reward, thus integrating the Miis more into the cast as that was a big issue in Wii U. Instead of unlocking the Mii as a character, events have you unlock the outfits, that way there’s no random factor, and they are treated like an actual fighter.

Art Work - Unlocked likes in Smash 64, through beating Classic. Smash Ultimate has a lot of drawn artwork, so why not create little ending shots again for Classic, adding more to collect. Just add a little section to the vault.

Stage Builder Parts - I think that this would mainly be a challenges thing, though events could also work as they no longer unlock stages. Maybe the Mii Events could take place in strange new locations, where you find that you’re on a custom stage with Mario parts or Zelda parts that you can unlock after completion. Stage Builder could also include custom backgrounds made by the stickers you collect, adding a bit more customization. Stickers can also be placed on blocks for more fun.

Assists - Unlocked through challenges and unlocking of characters. You need to have Sonic to get the Knuckles assist, and so on.

Profile Pics - Come from unlocking characters and assists

Chronicle entries - Play the game to unlock. To get all eateries you must have a character, assist, trophy, sticker, music, etc. from the specific franchise.

Modes - Boss battles should be locked until the ‘Spirits Mode’ is complete, while All-Star goes back to being locked until all fighters are unlocked.

Theses are just my thoughts, share below how you feel about collectibles in Smash and what you want to see this time around. Do you like my ideas or do you have better ones, I’d love to see the discussion below.

 

[Luigifan18]

You forgot Equipment, Outfits, and Headgear in your list, though that was an odd case, since all of those and Customs were collected from the same bag.

 

[FirestormNeos]

Frankly, I hope the only unlocks we have to worry about this time around are Characters, Trophies and Event Matches (I guess Modes and Assist Trophies would be like this as well, so long as they're tied to character unlocks).

Please, Nintendo! No more running around in CD factories for music! No more wasting away at the Glorified Slot Machines that is the Smash 4 Singleplayer in my fruitless endeavor to collect all the Mii Fighter Costumes! Have those two all available at the start!

Also,

1) Fighters [Now known to be unlocked through Amiibo, but in game is a mystery still]

 

[Captain Shades]

You forgot Equipment, Outfits, and Headgear in your list, though that was an odd case, since all of those and Customs were collected from the same bag.

I put Mii costumes instead of head gear and outfits as it was much easier to just group it together, Same with customs which we know aren’t coming back. I forget that equipment was called that though, but really it doesn’t matter since that seems to be going away.

 

[TheTrueBrawler]

1. Having to unlock them all is good for two reasons. Nostalgic purposes, and assisting new players into the game. Making them try the fighters who are generally easy to utilize like Mario, Kirby, or Pikachu will help them understand the core mechanics of Smash Bros better. This way, they will be a bit more prepared if they decide to try more technical fighters like Pokémon Trainer, Ice Climbers Olimar, Simon, Ruy, and Bayonetta.

2. This is a huge help. People can play on the stages they like most right off the bat. We won't have to unlock anything anymore.

3. I personally don't mind. The core game play isn't affected in any major way, and this gives the player who wants to collect stuff something to collect. The same goes for 8, 12, 13, 15, and 16.

4. Having to grind for CDs was my least favorite part about Smash 4. In Smash Brawl, at least I could AFK and return every hour or two to end the match and save my progress up to that point. I would much rather start the game with every music track unlocked.

5. I would just rather these be cut in Smash Ultimate all together except with Mii Fighters. In their case, they should all be unlocked from the moment you unlock the Mii Fighters.

6. It's not going to make or break anything for me as the Miis aren't fun in my opinion, but I would like them to be unlocked as well.

7. Let's not make the player grind for stage builder parts. Unlocking those was bad enough.

9. Coins could return. I would love for more of them to be distributed at the end of versus matches, but if coin launcher were to return, this would give me more incentive to grind for them. I loved coin launcher.

10. Yeah, it only makes sense. The same goes for 11.

14. Why on earth? I mean if they can all be unlocked simply by getting all the fighters, then I guess I'm fine with it, but I would rather not have to unlock these in any way, shape, or form.

 

[FalconFire93]

Frankly, I hope the only unlocks we have to worry about this time around are Characters, Trophies and Event Matches (I guess Modes and Assist Trophies would be like this as well, so long as they're tied to character unlocks).

Please, Nintendo! No more running around in CD factories for music! No more wasting away at the Glorified Slot Machines that is the Smash 4 Singleplayer in my fruitless endeavor to collect all the Mii Fighter Costumes! Have those two all available at the start!

Also,

This is my exact response as well if the amiibo thing as well, if it’s true, I won’t have to unlock that many more characters, except mostly for newer characters and characters I don’t have amiibo of.

 

[Captain Shades]

1. Having to unlock them all is good for two reasons. Nostalgic purposes, and assisting new players into the game. Making them try the fighters who are generally easy to utilize like Mario, Kirby, or Pikachu will help them understand the core mechanics of Smash Bros better. This way, they will be a bit more prepared if they decide to try more technical fighters like Pokémon Trainer, Ice Climbers Olimar, Simon, Ruy, and Bayonetta.

2. This is a huge help. People can play on the stages they like most right off the bat. We won't have to unlock anything anymore.

3. I personally don't mind. The core game play isn't affected in any major way, and this gives the player who wants to collect stuff something to collect. The same goes for 8, 12, 13, 15, and 16.

4. Having to grind for CDs was my least favorite part about Smash 4. In Smash Brawl, at least I could AFK and return every hour or two to end the match and save my progress up to that point. I would much rather start the game with every music track unlocked.

5. I would just rather these be cut in Smash Ultimate all together except with Mii Fighters. In their case, they should all be unlocked from the moment you unlock the Mii Fighters.

6. It's not going to make or break anything for me as the Miis aren't fun in my opinion, but I would like them to be unlocked as well.

7. Let's not make the player grind for stage builder parts. Unlocking those was bad enough.

9. Coins could return. I would love for more of them to be distributed at the end of versus matches, but if coin launcher were to return, this would give me more incentive to grind for them. I loved coin launcher.

10. Yeah, it only makes sense. The same goes for 11.

14. Why on earth? I mean if they can all be unlocked simply by getting all the fighters, then I guess I'm fine with it, but I would rather not have to unlock these in any way, shape, or form.

Cool list, just so you know, that’s how Smash handles unlocks, and I have my own personal ways that could make unlocks more bearable.

Trophies, Music, and Stickers should all have a shop dedicated to them so you can just buy the things you want if you run out of luck finding them in the game, or, in the case of trophies and stickers, getting them from the returning coin Launcher, that way you still have to work to unlock them as you need enough coins from matches, but they don’t have BS chance tied to them.

Mii Costumes and characters should be tied to events. Events could start with a neutral match then branch off by franchise, say Mario on one side, Zelda on another, Pokémon, and Kirby. You go through a string of events to unlock characters and maybe Mii Fighter costumes and stage Builder parts based on individual franchises, giving players choices on who and what to unlock, while not overwhelming them. Of course the main 4 franchises listed will branch off into other franchises of a similar theme, like Fire Emblem for Zelda as that would be a more mid evil theme, Animal Crossing from Pokémon for a more animal theme, then maybe Star Fox or Metroid for a Space theme to branch off Kirby. Mii Events will also take place assuming there’s 100 events like in Wii U, these will fill in gaps unlocking players new Mii outfits and stage Builder parts based on the various Nintendo franchises as Mii events take place on custom stages.

Also to go over a few more of your points, customs aren’t coming back it seems so no need to worry. As for Assists, they usually don’t have many to unlock and they’re usually very simple too. I personally don’t mind as it made sense in some cases, like Shadow comes once Sonic becomes playable. I can easily see them doing this again.

Frankly, I hope the only unlocks we have to worry about this time around are Characters, Trophies and Event Matches (I guess Modes and Assist Trophies would be like this as well, so long as they're tied to character unlocks).

Please, Nintendo! No more running around in CD factories for music! No more wasting away at the Glorified Slot Machines that is the Smash 4 Singleplayer in my fruitless endeavor to collect all the Mii Fighter Costumes! Have those two all available at the start!

Also,

Check out my suggestions, I think they strike a decent compromise. Also Stickers should come back, they were a fun addition that lead to easy ways to cram the title with references.