Welcome Time Wasters!
As many of you have probably already noticed, I reviewed Super Smash Bros. for Wii U this week. I could go on and on about how great it is, but I’ve done that already. Instead I wanted to shine a light on a smaller project that pulls inspiration from Super Smash Bros. That project is Super Smash Flash 2!
Super Smash Flash 2 is basically everything from Super Smash Bros. contained in a Flash game. The version I’m looking at today is a demo for Super Smash Flash 2. I played the original Super Smash Flash back in high school and I even remember our Interactive Media class going over the design and physics in the game. Honestly, it was a cool idea, but it wasn’t very refined. Super Smash Flash 2 is working to change that.
The controls in Super Smash Flash 2 can be a bit overwhelming. Moving characters is tied to the W, A, S, D keys and smash attacks, special attacks, shield and grab are tied to the P, O, I, U keys respectively. It’s a bit clunky to control and extended play is sure to cramp the hands. I tried plugging an Xbox 360 controller in to use it, but the game doesn’t support controllers in its current form.
The gameplay in Super Smash Flash 2 is really solid. In fact, it feels almost exactly like I’m playing an official Super Smash Bros. game. Combat is fast and there are a slew of items, such as Pokeballs and Assist Trophies, in the game that work just like their console counter parts. There are even new items to the game not found in any Smash Bros. game. One disapointment is that there was no Classic mode or anything like it in the demo.
The characters in Super Smash Flash 2 are one of its best features. The game basically plays up to everyone’s likes by including extra characters not seen in a Smash Bros. game. This includes Goku, Naruto, Ichigo, Sora, Bomberman, Lloyd Irving, Tails, Black Mage and Chibi Robo. Each of the characters have their own unique play style, Final Smashes taunts and more. There are also characters that typically appear in Smash games, such as Captain Falcon, Fox, Mario and more.
Another cool feature of Super Smash Flash 2 is the stages included in the game. It does feature several stages from Super Smash Bros. games, but there are also several new ones. What’s even more surprising out of this Flash game is that many of these stages have their own unique hazards and events that change the stage. A perfect example of this is the Galaxy Tour stage. This stage puts players with Rosalina as she changes the stage to several different areas found in Super Mario Galaxy.
Super Smash Flash 2 is a game made up of sprites. I myself love sprite art, but I can see how it would be a turn off for some that are used to the 3D graphics found in Super Smash Bros. games. A lot of the character sprites in the game come from others games, but there are some where sprites had to be created for characters from 3D games. I also enjoyed a lot of the small details that were added into the game. A fine example of this is Ness’ over smash. It has him swining his baseball bat and if the player gets a full charge in when they hit an opponent a “SMAAAASH” will appear above Ness’ head. For those who don’t know, this was what popped up when a character got a critical hit in Earthbound. One issue I do have is the camera. Sometimes, especially during Final Smashes, it will zoom in too close and make it hard to see what’s going on.
Audio in Super Smash Flash 2 is awesome! All of the characters have voices directly from their respective games/TV shows and whoever took over the announcer’s job in this game did good. The game also features a heavy amount of music from other games and remixed tracks.
I really enjoyed my time with the Super Smash Flash 2 demo. Of course the game isn’t done yet and there are a few hiccups to work out, but it isn’t bad either. It’s a labor of love and that really shines through with all of the small details added into the game. I think it’s safe to say I can treat a demo just like I would an alpha or beta, and that means I won’t be giving the Super Smash Flash 2 demo a score.