Masahiro Sakurai is the lead man behind the Super Smash Bros franchise and most fans love him because of his dedication to the franchise, his child-like demeanor when he talks about new characters (with his next presentation for Kazuya coming tomorrow!) and just his love of video games as a whole. But, at times, he does have unique views that might surprise people. And he expresses these in his Famitsu columns that he does.
A recent one has been translated and it revealed that his personal musings on fighting game controls and the online competitive market, especially for Super Smash Bros, is very different than you’d think:
When compared to other fighting games, the Smash series has simple controls. Outcomes of matches are made unpredictable with items and stage gimmicks constantly interrupting the flow of a match. In competitive and online settings, players tend to prefer playing 1-on-1 on simple stages with no items, defeating the point I just made.
Of course, I think that’s a good thing. Players should be free to enjoy the game no matter what rules they choose. But I also feel that it would be unfortunate if it gave the impression that Smash is too hard to play.
Online was something we introduced to Smash out of necessity due to the times. Smash is better off played together at each other’s houses, determining who the king of the hill is. So I personally don’t think that Smash is suited to play that shows off on a global scale. But in Smash’s case, the players wanted it, so I abandoned my uncertainties.
He went on to give examples about what he meant by all of this, but he made sure to end it with, “I hope everyone finds a playstyle they enjoy.”
A very honest statement to end an honest opinion, wouldn’t you say?
