Smash Direct: Ultimate online features are totally reworked
If you missed last night’s Super Smash Bros Ultimate Direct, there was a lot going on. We saw just about everything the game has to offer, and one of the big changes compared to previous iterations — online.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate features an all new, totally revamped online system. Gone are the For Fun and For Glory modes, replaced with just one unified online matchmaking system. The new matchmaking system will take three things into account:
- Preferred Rules, which allows you to match with players that prefer the same game modes, rule sets, and preferences as you;
- Global Smash Power, a global leaderboard that pits you against players with a similar score; and
- Proximity, which prioritises matching you against players.
You’ll also need to create a unique Smash Tag, an online ID card of sorts. When you win against other players, you’ll earn their Smash Tag, which can be cashed in for tokens that can be spent on music tracks, spirits, and Mii Fighter outfits.
In addition to all this, there’s also a special type of online battle called Elite Smash, which are special, invite-only battles for the best of the best, a spectator mode, background matchmaking, which lets you play other modes while you wait for an online match to load, custom battle arenas, and so much more.
In case that wasn’t enough, the Nintendo Switch Online app will have unique features for Super Smash Bros Ultimate, in a new applet called Smash World. Smash World is a sort of Miiverse-lite, specifically for Smash, and lets you post videos, pictures, and more to the service for viewing by other players. Details on this are a little bit scarce at the moment, but Nintendo says that more details about the service will be revealed in the future.
There’s honestly so much on offer here, it can be a bit hard to wrap your head around it all. But If you haven’t checked it out yet, make sure you watch the full Direct, which we’ve embedded below for your convenience.
