One of the biggest new features in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is its exclusive mode: Smash
Run.
While we've seen hints of it before thanks to Sakurai's Miiverse posts, we never knew
exactly what we were looking at.
It turns that the new mode is like a fighting version of Kirby Air Ride's City Trial.
But knowing Sakurai, there's more to it than that.
So it's time to use the Old Analysis Machine and see what secrets and hidden details Smash
Run could be hiding!
Of course, be sure to watch our previous analyses on the Smash Bros. Direct since this will
only be covering Smash Run specifically.
Now let's get to it.
As Sakurai described it, Smash Run is a four player mode that puts each person in a massive
arena.
They will all be affected by the same conditions whether it's having their speed maxed out,
being affected by strong winds, or getting swarmed by hordes of Bullet Bills.
Events similar to these also happened in City Trial.
There were fifteen of them in that game so we could possibly see a similar amount here.
And we'll probably only see one or two events at most during a match since that's how it
worked in City Trial.
It's designed to keep the gameplay fresh since all of the scenes shown off in the demonstration
match up with the overview map.
This means that there likely won't be multiple maps to choose from, once again like City
Trial.
However, just because the layout will always be the same, it doesn't mean everything else
will be too.
Looking closely, it's possible to spot healing food items popping in randomly while playing.
Just the same as the random enemies.
In the Direct, Sakurai stated that the enemies that appear each time will be random so the
exact same set could be incredibly rare depending on just how many enemies are set to be in
the mode.
And based on what we've seen from the released screenshots and the trailer, there's going
to be a ton of enemies.
But we'll get to those guys later.
It seems like Smash Run will start out with players picking their characters.
They can choose their favorite or even go random for some more challenge.
Once that's done, players can equip their character.
So far it's unknown whether these items carry over from past play sessions or if it's the
same choices for every player.
We believe that the first option is more likely though thanks to several of the released screen
shots.
In this screen we can see a question mark bag next to Luigi.
But we've never seen this item before either in Smash Bros. or another Nintendo game, which
means that it's a new item.
We believe that these bags will hold random items that can aid the player as they play
Smash Run.
The question is whether they'll automatically be equipped or if they can be saved until
next time.
We already see with these items that several of them have a different number of uses.
Maybe if you don't use them, you can stack them up for the next session?
The items themselves are very interesting.
At first we thought that each one was just a random move, but then we saw Pikachu drop
a Power Bomb from Super Metroid to clear a room.
And look there, it's the Power Bomb on the item list.
Which means the other four items could be pulled from games as well.
While we do see each of them in action, we were unable to determine exactly which game
they could be from.
The Dual Cyclone and Horizon Beam sound like they could be from Kid Icarus: Uprising while
the Super Armor and Warp seem like they're straight out of Mega Man.
The problem is, they don't match up at all.
Either we don't know the game or they're original concepts.
The items, which are selected from the touch screen, also look to be color coded as well.
The red items are offensively used, the blue items are for defense, the green ones are
for movement, and the gray ones denote physical items like the Ray Gun.
This could mean that many of the other items in matches could be used in Smash Run, just
like they were in the Subspace Emissary.
When we showed off the question mark bag, you likely noticed the other question mark
item on the right side.
This actually looks similar to a trophy by looking at the base.
In the Subspace Emissary, trophies could be collected while playing though you could immediately
see what each one was.
This time, they could be a mystery until the session of Smash Run is over.
Another similar looking item can be seen during gameplay as well, a kind of trophy that seems
to have the Smash Bros. insignia on it.
They actually appear when defeating enemies in both bronze and silver varieties while
a gold one pops in when the Wii Fit Trainer finishes hitting all the targets.
This is intriguing for two reasons.
One: it's obviously a reward for doing well that doesn't seem to be random.
Each enemy or challenge may be marked with a set difficulty.
Easy enemies give bronze trophies while harder ones could give silver.
In the case of Link, he's given a silver trophy for jumping on two Goombas in a row.
Two: the fact that the Wii Fit Trainer is hitting targets means that not everything
in Smash Run is reliant on just beating down enemies.
Since she's awarded with a chest, which is actually the same Treasure Box from Kid Icarus:
Uprising, and a gold trophy, it could mean that she beat the quickest time of the challenge.
We do see her entering a door beforehand and leaving through another one meaning this could
be a separate area.
But what do these trophies do?
Well, we think they're how coins are rewarded in Smash Run.
The more you collect, the more you'll get at the end of a session.
And if this is the case, the lottery is probably back as a way to get Trophies.
And that's not the only thing back as that door the Wii Fit Trainer uses should be awfully
familiar to Brawl players.
Those are the exact same doors from the Subspace Emissary.
It's a nice little visual reference along with the black barrels from there as well.
While collecting all of these extra items is certainly fun, the real meat of the mode
is collecting the power-ups scattered through the world.
They can be found by defeating enemies, finding chests, and potentially completing challenges
as we said before.
In City Trial Mode, they were called Patches, but we think the official name will be changed
for Smash Run.
It looks like which ones appear are random though there's only six to choose from: Speed,
Jump, Attack, Special, Arms, and Defense.
They're all pretty self-explanatory, but it seems the max amount a player can reach for
each stat is a thousand points, 500 for each bar.
We wonder though if the negative power-ups from Kirby Air Ride will also return.
We didn't spot any evidence of them in the footage but considering all of the other similarities,
it's a definite possibility.
Another clue to Smash Run in City Trial could be that in Kirby, you could adjust the time
allowed for gathering power-ups from three to seven minutes.
And because Smash Run also has a default time limit of five minutes like City Trial, perhaps
you can adjust the time here as well.
Finally, City Trial could give us a clue to how death works in Smash Run.
In that game, if you ran out of health, you would lose your vehicle as well as all of
your power-ups, leaving them for other players to collect.
You would respawn just fine, but you had to get a new ride and start over in the collection
of Patches.
There are already signs that this is exactly how it works in Smash Run, minus the rides.
There looks to be plenty of places for players to fall into the abyss or even just get taken
out by an enemy.
If that happens, then they'll probably drop a portion of their power-ups and respawn.
But where would they respawn?
Perhaps that's what this mysterious stone slab is for.
It kind of looks like a tombstone with the Smash logo on it, but could it actually act
as a respawn point?
And speaking of those enemies, there's a horde of them to see in Smash Run.
Just from Super Mario Bros. alone there's Goombas, Hammer Bros., Red, Blue, and Yellow
Shy Guys, Fire Chomps, Magikoopas, Lakitus and potentially Spinies, Bullet Bills, and
Big Goombas.
Each looks to work exactly as they did in their games though we're not sure if the red,
blue, and yellow Shy Guys will act differently.
There is a conspicuous absence though.
Even though they appeared in Brawl's Subspace Emissary, there's no sign of Koopa Troopas
or Koopa Paratroopas in Smash Run.
And with all the enemies that are here, it'd be a shock if they didn't make an appearance.
Of course, it's not just Mario enemies getting in on the action.
Tiki Buzzes and Kritters from Donkey Kong Country both make an appearance with the Kritters
even coming in Green and Blue varieties.
In the SNES original, the Green Kritters would only walk forward while the blue ones would
jump around.
While they don't exactly jump, the Blue Kritters can be seen performing a spinning leap which
is somewhat similar to their behavior in the original games.
Admittedly, the spinning seems like a more effective maneuver.
Kirby has a lot of enemies making an appearance too with Plasma Wisps, Shotzos, Waddle Dees,
Umbrella Dees, Gordos, and Tacs.
The Tacs can even steal power-ups from players.
Sakurai continues the love for his past work by adding Skuttlers, Monoeyes, Reapers, and
Mimicuties from Kid Icarus.
And considering that the chests used in Smash Run look just like they did in Kid Icarus:
Uprising, there's a good chance that Mimicutie's will replace a few Treasure Boxes just to
trick you.
The Subspace Emissary has returning enemies too like the Poppants, Roturrets, and Mites.
We only see the Yellow Mites, but it's a good bet that the Red and Green ones are back too.
The rest of the enemies include Mets from Mega Man, Polar Bears from Ice Climbers, Bulborbs
from Pikmin, Ki-hunters from Metroid, Stalfos from The Legend of Zelda, and Chandelures
from Pokémon.
But even with all of these enemies, we don't think that's all of them.
For one thing, there's already variations appearing in the line-up with multiple-colored
Shy Guys and Kritters, both Goombas and Giant Goombas, and Waddle Dees and Umbrella Dees.
Perhaps other variations will show up as well like Scuttler Cannoneers and Mages from Kid
Icarus: Uprising?
With Nintendo, there's a huge amount of potential enemies especially since there are some that
appeared in Melee's Adventure Mode that could very well return here like the ReDeads, Like-Likes,
and Octoroks from Zelda, or the Topis from Ice Climbers.
There will definitely be more to see.
Once the five minutes have run their course, it will finally be time for the players to
fight it out.
Their power-ups will be tallied and a random match will be selected.
So far we know of five different kinds of matches.
There's the Free-for-All Smash which probably works with normal rules.
Reflect Smash that appears to have projectiles uselessly bouncing off the fighters.
Flower Smash which puts Lip's Stick's flower on every player's head meaning that their
percentage is constantly rising.
Easy Launch Smash which makes everyone susceptible to being quickly launched off the stage.
And finally Climb which looks to be a continuously scrolling stage.
While all of the other matches are shown being played on normal stages, Climb looks to take
place on a completely original one.
There aren't any obvious allusions to Nintendo franchises which could mean that it only appears
in Smash Run.
If that's the case, then maybe there won't be any scrolling stages like Icicle Mountain
from Melee or Rumble Falls in Brawl during normal play?
If there were, then it would have been used for a Climb match.
But with so many different matches, how do you know which stats to increase?
Well, in City Trial, small hints would appear that could clue in players on what kind of
battle it would be.
These same hints could return for Smash Run.
It's also worth noting that each of the matches have a timer of less than a minute meaning
the actual fights will be quite short.
Smash Run looks like it could potentially be one of the best extra modes that Smash
Bros. has ever had.
City Trial was always a popular feature in Kirby Air Ride, and Smash Bros. for 3DS is
borrowing more than a few elements for its own use.
But with a huge variety of enemies, tons of characters to choose from, and the ability
to play online, it also looks to be a natural evolution of the mode.
Of course, players can play with their friends in Smash Run offline, but everyone will need
their own copy of the game.
It'll be exciting to see what other details are revealed in the coming months.
But as always, make sure to let us know if we missed anything in the comments.
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Thanks for watching and stay tuned as we cover even more details on Smash Bros. for Wii U
and 3Ds and other things gaming too.