"This is a completely different fighting game. It has an extremely high skill ceiling, yet at the same time, an extremely low barrier to entry. Even players unfamiliar with fighting games can find enjoyment in it."
Chen Xu spoke to the group, addressing everyone present.
Hearing this, Qin Yi and others in the meeting room displayed expressions of surprise.
After all, the statement sounded rather contradictory. An extremely high skill ceiling implied the game was deeply hardcore.
Under such circumstances, how could it simultaneously maintain an extremely low barrier to entry?
"Super Smash Bros.âthis is the subtitle of the new work, and it represents its two core aspects."
Chen Xu said with a smile. On the large screen, pre-prepared Concept Art was already being showcased.
First was the "star" aspect: every character eligible for inclusion either had a massive fanbase or had left a significant mark in gaming history.
Next was "brawl"âthis was where the game's remarkably low entry threshold came into play.
Traditional fighting games generally followed rigid Templates.
Regarding health, they used percentage-based health bars, where victory was achieved when a player's health dropped to zero.
But in Smash Bros., this fundamental fighting game rule was overturned.
Health was still represented as a percentage, but instead of decreasing from maximum to zero, it increased from zero upward. The higher the percentage, the greater the distance and likelihood of being knocked back when hit.
Centered around this mechanic, the objective shifted dramatically from depleting an opponent's health bar, as in traditional fighting games, to knocking opponents off the screen entirely.
As long as a character hadn't flown beyond the boundaries, no matter how much damage they sustained, they wouldn't lose the match.
Additionally, building upon this knockback mechanic, different characters could incorporate attributes such as weight.
Furthermore, another bold decision was completely eliminating the Command input systemâthe most essential aspect of traditional fighting games.
Of course, there were exceptions. Characters like Terry from Fatal Fury retained their traditional command inputs.
However, the only Skills requiring complex input commands were limited to two ultimate abilities that could only be used when health reached a certain threshold.
All normal attacks, special moves, and super special moves for every character required only a single corresponding button. Skills that traditionally required command inputs could now be executed simply by combining the four directional inputs (up, down, left, right) with a dedicated action button.
The entire game's characters adhered to this streamlined button scheme.
When encountering a new character, players no longer needed to memorize a move list as in traditional fighting games. They only needed to understand the characteristics of each Skill.
This effectively eliminated the most daunting aspect beginners feared when entering the world of fighting games.
It drastically reduced the learning curve of fighting games.
Even players with poor coordination could never fail to execute special moves or super special moves in Smash Bros.
Because the entire game relied on just five buttons: Attack, Jump, Special Move, blocking, and Grab button. All operations were highly centralized and simplified.
But this wasn't the only factor behind Smash Bros.' success. In traditional fighting games, characters remained firmly grounded. Jumping often meant exposing oneself to punishment from the opponent.
In Smash Bros., however, the situation was completely different. The core combat mechanic revolved around knocking opponents off-stage, while also giving knocked-back characters opportunities to return.
Thus, aerial combat became a unique and pivotal element.
Used well, you could dominate your opponent; used poorly, you'd be dominated in return.
Moreover, Smash Bros. featured a unique item system. Items ranged from swords and Magic (attack type) to high-tech cannonsâtruly numerous in variety.
If traditional fighting games completely removed elements of luck, Smash Bros. did the opposite, intentionally introducing randomness into its Brawl mode.
Obtaining a powerful itemâsuch as a black hole, Super Star, time-slowing device, or rocket boosterâcould completely turn the tide of battle.
Additionally, the game offered numerous diverse stages. Combined with the Special Edition's signature eight-player free-for-all mode, the entertainment value of the game was pushed to its absolute peak.
Then there was the single-player content in the Special Edition, "World of Light," which reached unprecedented heights for the series.
Many longtime Smash Bros. players who had followed the series since DX and X, even the original title/game, genuinely praised it, stating that perhaps the world would never see another game as miraculous as this.
Because this wasn't simply about borrowing an IP and using it directly. From character actions and intricate details to the order of character appearances,
and the various items, stages, and Spirits within the game, every element brought a knowing smile to fans familiar with these IPs.
As a renowned game developer from Chen Xu's previous life once said: "This is a game that connects players, users, developers, and fans with diverse interests, using Smash Bros. as the conduit, weaving together countless different characters, complex music, and the efforts of numerous employees."
And the reason this game possessed such attraction was closely tied to a legendary game producer from Chen Xu's previous life: Masahiro Sakurai.
Unlike other well-known game producers in the industry, such as Hideo Kojima or Hidetaka Miyazaki,
Masahiro Sakurai wasn't as widely recognized by the general public. Yet, if one were to choose the producer who best understood players and games within the industry, Masahiro Sakurai would undoubtedly be the top choice.
Especially his taking charge of X in a moment of crisisâakin to Liu Bei entrusting his son at Baidi City in the Three Kingdoms era. At that time, the gravely ill Satoru Iwata entrusted Sakurai with the project.
When the release date of Smash Bros. was announced the day after Iwata's birthday at E3, Sakurai's wordsâ"Ah, it's finally been revealed. So, maybe it's okay to cry a little today?"âadded a legendary aura to the game.
"Brawl, items, a fighting game without 100% health and command inputs!" Hearing Chen Xu's words, Qin Yi and the others let out astonished exclamations.
This was utterlyé˘ čŚing their understanding of what a fighting game could be.
Yet soon, another question arose in their minds.
"But Mr. Chen, with these settings, while the skill floor has been lowered, won't the game lose its depth?"
Qin Yi and others expressed their concerns.
It was true that a game needed a simple barrier to entry. Fighting games had lost market share precisely because their entry threshold was too high.
Imagine a game with competitive elements where players lacking technical skill would get thoroughly beaten, receiving no positive feedback.
At the same time, the learning curve was steep: dozens of characters, each with numerous Skills and ultimate abilities requiring memorization of complex input commands.
In earlier days, when game choices were limited, players might still actively learn how to play. But with so many games available now, would they still choose this one?
This was precisely why more and more games were being simplified.
But simplification didn't automatically mean quality. A game without depth would devolve into a casual game.
And as a fighting game, without these traditional systems, wouldn't it lose its depth?
Just like in God of War, where manual combo attacks were removed in favor of an auto-combo function.
What would be left to enjoy in an action-oriented game like God of War? Merely watching the story unfold? Or grinding for high-attribute gear to achieve overwhelming power?
<