Game Review and Overview
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch is the ultimate (pun very much intended) love letter to gaming fans. Released in 2018, this monumental crossover brawler is the largest and most ambitious entry in the Smash Bros. series, bringing together characters, stages, and music from across decades of gaming history. It’s chaotic, celebratory, and, above all, ridiculously fun—a game that lives up to its tagline: “Everyone is here!”
The roster is the biggest draw, featuring over 80 fighters at launch (and more through DLC) spanning franchises from Nintendo classics like Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon to third-party icons like Sonic, Pac-Man, and even Final Fantasy’s Sephiroth. Where else can you see Link squaring off against Cloud, while Kirby puffs away in the background? Each character is lovingly crafted with unique moves and personality, making it easy to find a favorite… or twenty. 🙂
Gameplay is the same chaotic blend of accessibility and depth that’s defined the series. Whether you’re mashing buttons in four-player free-for-alls or meticulously perfecting your combos in competitive 1v1 matches, Ultimate caters to all skill levels. The mechanics strike a perfect balance: simple enough for newcomers to pick up and play, but deep enough to keep pros theorizing tier lists and frame data for years.
The single-player World of Light campaign is an expansive adventure where you’ll unlock fighters, take on creative challenges, and battle hundreds of “Spirits” (characters from gaming history). It’s a clever way to explore the vastness of the game’s roster and offers a lot of variety, even if the map navigation can feel a bit tedious. For those less interested in story, classic modes and custom rulesets provide endless ways to play.
Visually, Ultimate is stunning, with vibrant stages that range from simple battle platforms to detailed tributes to iconic games. The attention to detail is staggering – whether it’s Pikachu’s expressive animations or the lovingly recreated music tracks, everything feels like a celebration of gaming culture. The sound design is top-notch, with remixes and original tracks from hundreds of franchises that’ll have fans humming along while landing that perfect Smash attack.
Online play has seen improvements over past iterations but still isn’t flawless. Lag can rear its ugly head in matches, and the matchmaking isn’t always perfect. That said, when the connection is smooth, the thrill of battling opponents from around the world is hard to beat.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate serves as a glorious celebration of gaming; a party with infinite ways to play, and a competitive masterpiece all rolled into one. Whether you’re here for the nostalgia, the competition, or just the chance to see Donkey Kong punch Ridley into orbit, this is a game that truly lives up to its name. If you own a Nintendo Switch, this is a must-have. Let the Smashing begin!
Nintendo Switch Cheats and Unlockables
Change Main Menu Music
Once you’ve completed the single-player World of Light mission, it will unlock the ability for you to change the menu music.
Open New Game+ in World of Light
As with the cheat above, completing the World of Light single-player mission and reaching the True Ending will unlock a cool new feature. In this case, it’s the New Game+ option. This will allow you to enter New Game+ on your save file, which will cause all spirits and bosses to return. This makes it a great way to earn extra points, and extra copies of desirable spirits.
Unlock Spirits Early
If you’re keen to unlock a target spirit earlier than usual, that can be done by scanning the Amiibos of non-Smash Bros characters. Here’s a list of the spirits that can be unlocked by scanning the corresponding Amiibo:
| Unlockable | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Able Sisters Spirit | Mabel Amiibo |
| Alm and Celica (Young) Spirit | Alm Amiibo |
| Alm and Celica (Young) Spirit | Celica Amiibo |
| Blathers Spirit | Blathers Amiibo |
| Blue/Red/Yellow/Winged/Rock Pikmin Spirits | Pikmin Amiibo |
| Bokoblin Spirit | Bokoblin Amiibo |
| Boo Spirit | Boo Amiibo |
| Bowser (Wedding) Spirit | Wedding Bowser Amiibo |
| Celeste Spirit | Celeste Amiibo |
| Chibi-Robo Spirit | Chibi-Robo Amiibo |
| Cyrus and Reese Spirit | Cyrus Amiibo |
| Cyrus and Reese Spirit | Reese Amiibo |
| Daruk Spirit | Daruk Amiibo |
| Detective Pikachu Spirit | Detective Pikachu Amiibo |
| Digby Spirit | Digby Amiibo |
| DJ K.K. Spirit | K.K. Slider Amiibo |
| Goomba Spirit | Goomba Amiibo |
| Guardian Spirit | Guardian Amiibo |
| Kapp’n Spirit | Kapp’n Amiibo |
| Kicks Spirit | Kicks Amiibo |
| Koopa Troopa Spirit | Koopa Troopa Amiibo |
| Lottie Spirit | Lottie Amiibo |
| Mario (Wedding) Fighter Spirit | Wedding Mario Amiibo |
| Metroid Spirit | Metroid Amiibo |
| Midna Spirit | Wolf Link Amiibo |
| Mipha Spirit | Mipha Amiibo |
| Octoling Boy and Octoling Girl Spirit | Octoling Boy Amiibo |
| Octoling Boy and Octoling Girl Spirit | Octoling Girl Amiibo |
| Octoling Octopus Spirit | Octoling Octopus Amiibo |
| Off the Hook Spirit | Marina Amiibo |
| Off the Hook Spirit | Pearl Amiibo |
| Peach (Wedding) Spirit | Wedding Peach Amiibo |
| Qbby Spirit | Qbby Amiibo |
| Resetti Spirit | Resetti Amiibo |
| Revali Spirit | Revali Amiibo |
| Rover Spirit | Rover Amiibo |
| Shovel Knight Spirit | Shovel Knight Amiibo |
| Squid Sisters Spirit | Callie Amiibo |
| Squid Sisters Spirit | Marie Amiibo |
| Tiki Spirit | Tiki Amiibo |
| Timmy and Tommy’s Shop | Timmy and Tommy Amiibo |
| Toad Spirit | Toad Amiibo |
| Tom Nook Spirit | Tom Nook Amiibo |
| Urbosa Spirit | Urbosa Amiibo |
| Waddle Dee Spirit | Waddle Dee Amiibo |
| Waluigi Spirit | Waluigi Amiibo |
| Yarn Poochy Spirit | Yarn Poochy Amiibo |