Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

 Switch
Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 99 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 98 out of 99
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 99
  3. Negative: 0 out of 99
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Attack of the Fanboy
    Dec 10, 2018
    70
    Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is equal parts greatness and lacking. The sheer wealth of content and great gameplay is commended but there are big holes in what could be a great game.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

?
  1. Ars Technica
    Dec 6, 2018
    Smash Ultimate earns its name not by piling on the content, but by understanding what an adjective like "ultimate" means in the context of a fighting game. Gamers want an essential, badass combat experience no matter which characters square off. Even this early, it's settled: Smash Ultimate nails this expectation. Thus, it is the best fighting-game package to ever land on a Nintendo console.
  2. Eurogamer
    Dec 7, 2018
    A chaos of details and features come together for one of the Switch's most generous - and exhilarating - games. [Eurogamer Essential]
  3. Giant Bomb
    Dec 6, 2018
    Quick look.
  5. Kotaku
    Dec 6, 2018
    It’s difficult to imagine the type of gamer for whom Smash Ultimate has no appeal. This is a big game, and with the fat skimmed off, a remarkable one. Its core attraction—fighting on a platform—is as polished and brilliant and sharp as ever, its fighters the most unique and deep.
  6. Mashable
    Dec 6, 2018
    From what I've played over a couple dozen hours, the game seems airtight. No bugs. No annoyances. No character that seems wildly overpowered. Of course, I'm not a professional Smash player so I can't look at it from that critical lens, but it feels good to me...In my experience as a casual-yet-passionate player, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is exceptional in every way.
  7. Polygon
    Dec 6, 2018
    Because I can fine-tune the options I want, and pick the characters and stages I love from the franchise’s whole history, I’m almost guaranteed to be able to craft a fun match with whomever I’m playing with. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s gameplay is so snappy and fluid, its characters so rewarding in their variety, that it feels destined to dominate living rooms once again.
  8. The Jimquisition
    Dec 9, 2018
    It’s all good, friends! Except when it hates you.
  9. The Verge
    Dec 6, 2018
    Super Smash Bros. Ultimate won’t change your mind about the series. If Nintendo’s particular brand of chaotic fighting doesn’t appeal to you, Ultimate doesn’t offer much new, unless you happen to be a die-hard Ridley fan. Instead, it takes what people already love about it, and offers more. More characters to explore, more ways to play, and even more story to dig into. It’s a greatest hits collection, one that makes me wonder just what director Masahiro Sakurai could possibly do to top this for the inevitable next Smash game.
  10. Time
    Feb 25, 2019
    The Super Smash Bros. series has long since established itself as a fighting game on par with icons like Street Fighter and Tekken. Ken and Ryu are even playable characters! Super Smash Bros. Ultimate cements that legacy, offering players more choices, customization, portability, and extras than most will ever choose to experience.
  11. VG247
    Dec 6, 2018
    With an everything but the kitchen sink approach, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate lives up to its name - it's the best gaming cross-over experience ever.
  12. Vice
    Dec 7, 2018
    It's impossible to know if Smash Ultimate could ever serve everyone. But with this strategic mix of nostalgia and experimentation, it was able to do something I didn't expect: Bring me home.

Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best Switch Game of 2018
1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
23
#23 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3870 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,334 out of 3870
  2. Mixed: 236 out of 3870
  3. Negative: 300 out of 3870
  1. Robert95
    Dec 7, 2018
    10
    The best smash bros game so far, combines everything for casual and competitive game. Without a doubt this is the best work of Sakurai.
  2. SameOldCJ
    Dec 7, 2018
    0
    Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is really disappointing. When it was first announced, I felt it would be one of the best 2018 games. However, whenSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate is really disappointing. When it was first announced, I felt it would be one of the best 2018 games. However, when I saw it at the E3, it let me down.

    The new fighters, like Daisy, Isabelle and Chrom, are nothing interesting with the exception of King K. Rool, Inkling and Ridley. No new 3rd-party characters neither, which is why there's a huge fandom of this series and, anyway, their requests are not taken in account.

    My most disliked announcement was the new Assist Trophies. People felt disappointed when Waluigi was an AT once again. In my case, I really felt depressed when I saw Bomberman was one too. I mean, really? An Assist Trophy? Since the announcement of Super Bomberman R as a launch title for the Switch, both Smash and Bomberman fans determined it was time to include him as a playable fighter in the next Smash, not something else. Even notable personalities and brands agreed with it. There are a lot of reasons of why he deserves it much more than the current 3rd-party characters such as Wario Blast!, the series in every Nintendo platform, the Mario Party series developed by Hudson Soft, etc. Is this a joke? Even though both Bomberman and Hudson Soft had a long relationship with Nintendo, they just gave him mere respect.

    Going on with the Assist Trophies, this feature really ruined more 3rd-party characters. Later, they announced Ashley, Isaac, Knuckles, Krystal, Shadow, Shovel Knight, Starfy and Zero as AT's as well, despite being requested by fans too. What? Why the overuse of this Assist Trophy thing? I thought Smash accepted relevant characters like those as fighters but no, looks like in a very different way.

    The 3rd-party characters are disappointing too. Bayonetta is not a very notable series as others. So why is she here once again? She doesn't deserve to be in a crossover fighting game like this. Nobody requested her. Hideo Kojima, who I don't think is great, asked Nintendo to include Solid Snake to Brawl. He left Konami and wasn't included in 3DS/Wii U but is here again. And later, they announced the only new 3rd-party character: Simon Belmont. So why did Konami re-add a character whose latest game was hated by the Internet media and fans and one whose series is dead since 2014. Bomberman is the only current notable series owned by Konami thanks to the success of Super Bomberman R. Nonetheless, Bomberman is less important than Metal Gear and Castlevania? Just because they're overrated it doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be playable. Bomberman is a more iconic and original video game character for both casual and hardcore gamers than Snake, Bayonetta, Ryu, Cloud and Simon. He is just like Mario, Sonic, Mega Man and Pac-Man. The problem is that Konami doesn't know how to treat him. He was much better with Hudson Soft instead.

    Even some of the 1st-party characters are disappointing. Daisy is just like Peach and could better fit as a skin for her and not as a separate character. The same with Dr. Mario: you still treat him as a different character apart from Mario even though he is a clone of him. That's absurd. He is just Mario wearing a doctor suit. Why didn't you add him as part of his interchangeable skins? Also, why are there a lot of Fire Emblem characters? Most of them are echo fighters or clones. Even Zelda and Kirby have more legacy and popularity than Fire Emblem and they don't get a new character at least. And Wario still has his boring WarioWare style instead of the more appreciated Wario Land one.

    The game doesn't have so interesting features. The new story mode, World of Light, is repetitive and nothing like the Subspace Emissary, whose removal was due to a pointless reason. How they made all of the Final Smashes automatic and the addition of more Echo Fighters and clones is worthless. All this make this game look like a Deluxe version of the 3DS/Wii U game rather than a new game.

    Moreover, another disappointing thing was the new Spirits thing, which took off the possibility to even more characters like Rayman, Shantae and, once again, Bomberman. This new Spirits feature messed the crossover style of this game up a lot, together with the Assist Trophies.

    To end up, I totally dislike this game. I don't deny I had my hopes to it but I do say this game screwed itself. I learned you don't have to expect anything good about it like requesting your favourite characters to appear in it. If they do, they will most probably end up being and AT or a Spirit, but not playable. I will never play nor have interest in Super Smash Bros. ever again. This game is the major disappointment of 2018 and one of the main reasons why the Switch isn't as cool as it was in 2017. I would rather play with the characters I like in their respective franchises than in a crossover fighting game like this.

    Thank you, Nintendo. Just go and take care of your other IP's and make this entry the last one of its series. Super Mario Odyssey is way better than this.    … Full Review »
  3. dr0nzer
    Dec 7, 2018
    9
    One of the must have games for the switch, amazing amount of content and a vast diverse array of fighters, modes and trophy/collections! It'sOne of the must have games for the switch, amazing amount of content and a vast diverse array of fighters, modes and trophy/collections! It's everything you'd want for a nintendo beat em up, nothing quite more amusing than watching nintendo franchise characters plummet each other!
    I did notice that it can be very overwhelming at the start figuring everything out, bit of a learning curve in finding your feet and once you do it's fantastic.
    online play is hit and miss, can be a bit of a lag fest depending on who hosts..    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »