Chapter 873: The Depth of Super Smash Bros.

"Why is this so hard!" Zhang Yi wore a look of pure frustration.

"Yeah! So difficult!" Song Ren sighed as well.

When watching, it didn't seem that tough. Every single move was something he understood and could perform with ease. Yet, when actually attempting it himself, everything became chaotic and overwhelming.

"Don't lose heart, don't give up. After all, this isn't the first time for either of you," Wang Han remarked, delivering a perfectly timed jab at the two while observing.

Having known each other for so long, how could she not understand their personalities?

Every time they saw impressive plays or highlight reels, they always wanted to show off in front of others—transforming themselves into the 'Kings' of the game.

The only pity was that they were playing the VR version of Super Smash Bros. Otherwise, she'd be comfortably holding popcorn in one hand and a soda in the other.

"It's just a matter of lack of practice. With a bit more training, I'll definitely pull off flawless operations!" Zhang Yi declared confidently.

In all his past games, hadn't he eventually mastered them through practice?

"You're absolutely right!" Song Ren nodded in agreement.

Back in the day, he had dared to clear Resident Evil, Outlast, and Silent Hill—how could a combo technique from a fighting game possibly be beyond him?

With enough determination, even an iron rod can be ground into a needle!

In truth, Zhang Yi and Song Ren weren't the only ones.

A large number of Super Smash Bros. players, after watching the video showcasing Linke's gameplay, immediately jumped into online matchmaking, eager to personally replicate those dazzling moves and achieve success through mental training.

Yet for most players, these actions proved far too difficult—falling into the classic trap of "understand by watching, fail when trying."

As a result, in online matches, many players who simply played for fun and were unaware of Linke's video began noticing something strange.

A sudden surge of Linke players appeared in matchmaking—players who, during battle, would accidentally explode themselves, or after being knocked into the air, instead of returning to the stage normally, would throw a Bob-omb mid-air, turning a recoverable situation into a hopeless defeat.

But while such actions were merely amusing spectacles for ordinary players—something that made them want to imitate but ultimately fail—these same videos sent dedicated, hardcore players into absolute ecstasy.

Sometimes, all players needed was a direction and a spark of inspiration.

After all, Super Smash Bros. had only launched a week ago.

For many players, they'd only scratched the surface of the game, with no clear understanding of its deeper systems.

Now, with Chen Xu's video release, a clear path had been laid out for those passionate, in-depth players who loved to analyze and explore.

Suddenly, they saw what made Super Smash Bros. truly distinct from other fighting games.

The knockback mechanic created a unique game mechanism—follow-up attacks.

This offered a completely different experience compared to traditional fighting games.

In conventional fighting games, battles mostly occurred on solid ground with attacks, and there was no concept of Environmental Kill.

Additionally, defensive moves could block any skill, with the only cost being a reduction in health.

But in Super Smash Bros., these methods no longer worked. Aside from perfect blocking, regular blocking reduced the thickness of the shield. Each enemy attack caused the Parry Value circle to shrink.

Once Parry Value hit zero, the character would enter a stunned, stun lock state—completely vulnerable.

This shifted the game's pace heavily toward offense rather than counterattack or defense.

Adding to this was the grab mechanic.

Pure defense alone was a path to defeat.

Then came the impact of special moves.

Take Linke as an example: after knocking an opponent into the air and leaving them in a stunned state, a player could execute a flawless combo attack using their character's skills.

This was the most visually spectacular phase in Super Smash Bros.

Combined with the game's knockback mechanics, veteran players increasingly favored intense duels along the edge of the stage.

Unlike traditional fighting games, where victory was determined by depleting the opponent's health bar, Super Smash Bros. was full of uncertainty.

Take the legendary moment from Street Fighter's前世, when Daigo Umehara perfectly parried Wang Pang's Chun-Li 17-hit combo with Ken at the last second, surviving with a sliver of health and turning defeat into victory. Scenes of such last-second comebacks were rare in traditional fighting games.

Yet in high-level Super Smash Bros. matches, these kinds of dramatic reversals happened frequently. Even if you knocked your opponent up to 100% damage, they could still turn the tables and eliminate you.

In Super Smash Bros., as long as a character hadn't been knocked off the stage, you only had an advantage—not a guaranteed victory.

This led to a fascinating outcome: veteran players constantly pushed the battle to the very edge of the stage, engaging in fierce clashes.

Ordinary players, lacking the psychological strength and technical skill of experts, still found themselves gripped by a sense of anticipation for how the match might unfold.

Because, at any moment, a comeback remained possible.

The video Chen Xu had posted on the official Weibo account clearly pointed every Super Smash Bros. player toward a new direction.

It showcased the infinite possibilities within this game.

Many had assumed it was just a casual brawler where players mindlessly fought across maps.

But after watching Chen Xu's video, players realized that Super Smash Bros., while appearing to have an extremely low threshold for entry, actually possessed a remarkably high skill ceiling.

The unique characteristics of each Fighter and the intricacies of the game mechanism contributed to its depth.

Upon realizing this, many fans of fighting and action games felt as if they'd been injected with a powerful stimulant.

Previously, some players had criticized the game, claiming it lacked depth and challenge.

But clearly, that perception stemmed purely from insufficient exploration of Super Smash Bros.

Countless techniques still awaited discovery.

Until now, everyone had been judging this game through the lens of past fighting game experiences.

They assumed that by simplifying or even removing certain elements from traditional fighters, the game would inevitably lack depth.

But now, it was evident that Super Smash Bros.' Combat System was not simple at all—in fact, it was highly hardcore.

It encompassed psychology, reaction speed, and real-time operations—nearly everything a competitive game could demand.

If a game like this could still be called shallow in its battle system, then what did that make other fighting games?

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