Heres All The News From Todays Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct

Nintendo held its final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct on Thursday leading up to the games launch on Dec. 7. It dumped a ton of new details in fans laps, including new fighter reveals, specifics on online features, the existence of a new mobile app, and more. Heres everything we learned during the video presentation:

Nintendo held its final “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” Direct on Thursday leading up to the game’s launch on Dec. 7. It dumped a ton of new details in fans’ laps, including new fighter reveals, specifics on online features, the existence of a new mobile app, and more. Here’s everything we learned during the video presentation:

‘Ultimate’s’ Final Pre-Launch Fighters Are Ken And Incineroar

The “Street Fighter” franchise’s Ken joins “Ultimate” as an echo fighter. His look is mainly based on the 1994 title “Super Street Fighter II Turbo.” Incineroar, meanwhile, is from “Pokémon Sun and Moon” and he mainly uses pro wrestling moves on his opponents.

Piranha Plant Is A Bonus Fighter

Nintendo also revealed it’s bringing “Super Mario Bros.’s” iconic piranha plant to “Ultimate” as a bonus fighter. People who buy and register the game before Jan. 31 get it for free. Everyone else can grab it, plus its new stage and music tracks, as DLC in the future. Piranha Plant is expected to appear in-game around February 2019.

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All New ‘Ultimate’ Fighters Are Getting Amiibos

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Every new “Ultimate” fighter is getting its own Amiibo figure, but fans won’t see them on store shelves right away. The Amiibos will roll out over time because Nintendo is creating them in parallel to the game. Expect to see Inkling, Ridley, and Wolf on Dec. 7. King K. Rool and Ice Climbers come out on Feb. 15, while Isabelle, Pichu, Ken, Young Link, and Daisy will appear sometime in 2019.

New ‘Ultimate’ Online Features Revealed

Nintendo detailed many of the online features coming to “Ultimate” on Thursday. It’s doing away with the “For Fun” or “For Glory” modes. Instead, matchmaking will be based on three main factors: proximity, player preferences, and Global Smash Power score. New additions include Elite Battles, Smash Tags, background matchmaking, and short messages. The old spectator mode returns as well.

‘Ultimate’s’ Backstory Is Confusing As Heck

Nintendo closed Thursday’s Direct with a new “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” trailer that tries to shed some light on the game’s backstory. Apparently, all of the fighters (except Kirby) are disintegrated in rays of golden light and their spirits possess metal replicas of themselves? Game director Masahiro Sakurai said he wants to keep the new adventure mode secret until the game launches. But, the trailer is worth checking out just for the hilarious quick shot of Solid Snake trying to fool the golden rays by hiding under a cardboard box.

‘Ultimate’ Is Getting A Smartphone App Called ‘Smash World’

Nintendo is working on a mobile service called “Smash World” that’s set to debut sometime next year. It lets players voice chat with each other during battles. It will also allow them to post and watch gameplay videos. More features are also expected, and Nintendo will talk about them in the future.

Spirits Are The Next Big ‘Smash’ Mechanic

The characters who lose their forms and become spirits can serve as power-ups for a player’s main fighter, Nintendo said. There’s a massive number of them from a variety of video game franchises like “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Fatal Frame.” Players can equip primary and support spirits or add additional abilities like speed or strength to their fighter during battles, bringing a layer of strategy to the game. Players can gain spirits by winning Spirit Battles, then level them up by using them.

DLC Is Coming, Of Course

Nintendo is planning new fighters, stages, and music for “Ultimate” post-launch. Each set will cost $5.99 individually or people can buy the Fighters Pass for $24.99. The pass includes five upcoming sets, plus a bonus in-game outfit based on Rex from “Xenoblade Chronicles 2.” People who pre-purchase a digital copy of “Ultimate” with the Fighters Pass before Dec. 6 will earn double My Nintendo Gold Points.

Other Miscellaneous ‘Smash’ News

Nintendo revealed a lot of other “Ultimate”-related tidbits during the 40-minute Direct on Thursday. There will be 59 assist trophies in the game. Mii Fighters are getting new outfits and voice customization options. Players can create custom battle arenas when playing online. Plus, there are a wide variety of other modes and settings coming to “Ultimate,” including replay sharing, challenges, battle records, and custom balance tweaking.

Additionally, fans can check out some early hands-on events leading up to Dec. 7. Anyone interested in attending can find more info on the game’s website.

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