Smash Brothers Melee Analysis and Comparison to Traditional Fighting Games

Smash Brothers Melee Analysis and Comparison to Traditional Fighting Games

Summary
          The Smash Brothers series (Melee specifically) is a style of fighting game that has unfairly gotten little recognition as a competitive game compared to its traditional fighting game counterparts.  Even though at first glance the series may seem to have little depth, Smash Brothers (Melee specifically) has a wealth of depth that far surpasses your traditional fighter.  To best compare the two, I will steal an analogy from a friend.  Learning Smash Brothers Melee is like learning a new language.  Every new mechanic you learn, every new tech skill, and every new playstyle you observe or create is a new element for you to weave together and create more new things.  The process never ends and the variations and nuances go on forever.  If Smash Brothers is comparative to a learning language, then your traditional fighter is comparative to memorizing phrases of a language.  Memorization only allows you to repeat, not create.  It limits you to the predetermined actions and while you can weave those actions together, you cannot create completely new actions, styles, combos, and tech skill.  That is why those who play Smash Brothers Melee competitively believe that its skill cap is far higher than your traditional fighter.
            So what are the components of the language of Smash Brothers?  Below I will attempt to break down what makes the gameplay so engaging and competitive and why.  Hopefully, I am able to do it some justice without going insanely in depth.

1. Free Range of Movement
          Unlike traditional fighting games whose stages and characters are, for the most part, stuck on a rail, the Smash Brothers’ series uses open stages that allow the its characters a more open and free range of movement.  Characters are not restricted to moving towards or away from their opponent, nor is the distance between players limited.  Smash Brothers gives players an open stage in which they can move freely about.  The inclusion of platforms in Smash Brothers also opens up new avenues of attack that are not found in traditional fighters.

            What does this add? – By having free range of movement, many more options are opened up for players.  Attacking your opponent is not limited to head on assaults, nor is back stepping away your only option for retreat.  As more area becomes available for a player to move through, more possibilities are created that he must be aware of.  Spacing becomes more important in this type of environment as well, it’s not just how far can the opponents attacks reach, but how fast he can cover the distance and in what ways.  Opening up the field of play to 360 degrees of movement adds more depth than your traditional linear stage.

2. Percentage "Hit points" and Open Kill System
          The second most major change in Smash Brothers from traditional fighters is the removal of a life bar in place of a % “hit points” modifier.  Rather than each successful attack bringing your opponent closet to 0 HP and death, each attack increase the opponents % causing successive hits to deal more knockback and stagger bringing you closer to killing your opponent by knocking them out of the stage.

            What does this add? – By using a % modifier to knockback and stagger and death caused by “falling” out of the stage in any direction, Smash Brothers creates an Open Kill System.  Players can kill their opponents at any time during the match.  While traditional fighters worry more about what is able to deal the most HP damage, Smash Brother’s forces you to decide between building %, which makes kills easier, or going for the actual kill.  Because opponents can be killed at any time, this also allows for players to kill their opponents at very low % numbers if the opportunity arises.  As the % continually modifies the amount of stagger and knockback that your attacks deal to your opponent, your ability to combo your opponent changes throughout the course of the fight, what works at low % may not work at high % and vice versa.

3. Simple Controls
          Aside from pressing one button and a directional, there are no button combinations in Smash Brothers.  A player doesn’t need to memorize a set pattern of button presses and controller movements to execute an attack.

            What does this add? – Some would say that this detracts from the technical skill of Smash Brothers and at first glance it seems to be true, but that is not the case.  By having very simple controls in a fluid combat system, technical skill becomes being able to execute a string of moves in a flowing combination.  Rather than a complex pattern for 1 attack, you have to string to controller a large number of simple combination in order to create combos on the fly.  This actually ends up causing a melding of both technical and intuitive skill, rather than having such a large focus on the former.  Technical skill can be memorized, intuitive skill must be learned.  Aside from this, doing away with complex skill triggers allows anyone to pick up a controller and quickly be able to play and perform the full gambit of moves.

5. Lack of Set Combos
            Nothing works forever in Smash Brothers Melee, and very few things work on every character.  Because of the % modifier causing changes to knockback and stagger, different combos work at a different % of damage.  What works at a 30% might not work at 50%.  On top of this, players are able to directly influence their direction and distance of knockback to a degree.  Because of this, very few combos are guaranteed to work, and those that are still require proper reading and executing by the player to pull off.  On top of this, every character is Smash Brothers is different (Hitboxes, weight, recovery, gravity, etc), causing combos that work on one character to completely fail on another.

            What does this add? – Without set combos and with knockback and stagger that is constantly changing, understanding the combo capabilities of Smash Brothers evolves past something you merely memorize and becomes something you learn.  Adding in Directional influence, the system becomes one you must constantly adapt too.  As a player, you must constantly make instantaneous decisions on what move you are able to do next, or if you even are able to.  Through experience, not through memorization and muscle memory, are competitive players able to intuitively perform and create combos.

6. Fluid  and Continually Changing Combat System
            All the aforementioned parts of the Smash Brothers’ style of game add up to create a fluid system that is constantly changing and forces to the player to adapt and react at all times.  There are so many small nuances within the games mechanics as well that when added together (especially when you add in Directional Influence) becomes impossible to memorize.  But you can learn it.  Through practice and experience, a player begins to learn the game, intuitively processing a host of information and adapting and reacting accordingly.

            What does this add? – This system adds extreme amount of depth to the fighting genre.  Compared to traditional fighters where players marvel at and are excited by the technical prowess and frame-perfect block, completive players in the Smash Brothers’ scene are constantly being surprised by new playstyles, never before seen combos, cunning mind games, and daring plays; and all of this is being performed at speeds that surpass most traditional fighters in an environment that is constantly changing.  There are near infinite possibilities within the Smash Brothers’ system.

7. Mind Games
            An indefinable aspect that is part of any competitive game.  Best summed up as using your technical prowess to juke or fake out your opponent, effectively manipulating their movements and playstyle.

            What does this add? – Mind Games are core to any competitive game or sport and nothing really needs to be said about what they add.  I make mention of them however, because of the vast range of movement and options found in Smash Brothers causes it to have a much higher bar when it comes to the potential and availability of Mind Games.

8. Some Videos

Showing Some Tech Skill - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXgpGBbh5r8&feature=relmfu
Mind Games Compilation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UbQ-gpOMB0

In the next two sections, I will break down a few character properties that are different for every character and most if not all of the games mechanics.  Essentially this is the language of Smash Brothers Melee that must be learned to play the game on a competitive level.  Most, if not all of these mechanics are ones that players will learn intuitively over time through experience.  Every mechanic adds an option to the game and often times every mechanic has a variation or two of it.  In Smash Brothers Melee there are many ways to do a single thing, and maybe options that a single mechanic offers.  A players gameplay must be weaved together eloquently and fluidly on the fly rather than mechanically in a practiced fashion.

9. Breaking Down a Few Character Properties of SSBM

    a. Character Animation - The duration of loss of control of your character as you are executing a move.

    b. Character Recovery - The speed at which a character recovers from Stagger.

    c. Character Weight - Part of what determines the Knockback a character receives when hit.

    d. Character Gravity - The fall speed and ability to maneuver in the air.  Heavily affects the feel of a character when played.

            Because every character is unique in these ways, every matchup is unique.  Attacks and combos that are highly effective against one character can be completely ineffective versus a different character and leave you vulnerable to counterattack.  By having different resistances to stagger, knockback, and fall speed, players must learn and adapt to every fight.

10. Breaking Down the Game Mechanics of SSBM

    a. Knockback - The distance a character travels when hit.  Based on Character Weight, the Attack Power of the move they were hit by, and the current Percentage of your character.  Affected by Directional Influence and Crouch Cancelling. Some moves have set Knockback regardless of Percentage.

    b. Stagger - The duration of the loss of control of your character after hit.  Based upon Character Recovery, Attack Stagger of the move you were hit by, and the current Percentage of your character.  Affected by Crouch Cancelling.

    c. Shield Stagger - The duration of loss of control of your character after hit while shielding.  Same for all characters.

    d. Shield Knockback - The distance a character travels when hit while shielding.  Based on Character Weight and the Attack Power of the move they were hit by.

    e. Attack Damage - The amount of Percentage damage that a move does.

    f. Attack Power - The Knockback power of a move.

    g. Attack Damage/Power Varies Over Time - Over the course of an attack's animation, the Attack's Damage and Power can change.  Sometimes hitting with the weaker portion of an attack allows you to create a combo from it.

    h. Attack Damage/Power Varies Over Area - A single attack can have multiple hit boxes over the Attack's Area.  The Attack's Damage and Power can change based upon what part of the attack hits. Sometimes hitting with the weaker portion of an attack allows you to create a combo from it.

    i. Shield - Blocks attacks, shrinks over time and with damage and is breakable.  Can be focused in any direction, and the player can grab from it or jump out of it.

    j. Light Shield - Larger area of protection.  Lasts longer than the normal Shield and can sustain more damage.  Can be focused in any direction and takes significantly more Knockback.  Cannot jump out of it but can still grab from it.

    k. Power Shield - Shielding at the exact frame an attack hits.  Causes no Shield Stagger or Animation time and reflects projectiles.

    l. Crouch Cancelling - Crouching (holding down when on the ground) when hit by an attack.  Reduces and possibly prevents the Knockback and Stagger of the attack.

    m. Dodging and Rolling - Defensive moves that provide invincibility frames while having set animation times and Rolling also having travel distance.

    n. Air Dodging - Defense move in the air that provides invincibility frames while having set animation times.  Can be performed in place or towards a direction and removes control of character afterwards until hit, or the ground is reached.

    o. Grabs - Grabs your opponent, allowing you to throw them in one of four directions.  Each direction offers different throws.  Can Grab opponents who are Shielding and able to use a weak attack on a grabbed opponent while still holding on to them.  Grab duration affected by Percentage and opponent button mashing.

    p. Running Grab - Longer animation time than a normal grab but covers more distance and is performed when grabbing while running

    q. Running Up-Grab - Advanced grabbing technique that causes a third grab variation.  While running, pressing up as you grab will cause you to perform a sliding normal Grab.  This Grab may take more/less animation time and cover more/less distance, depending on the character.

    r. Running/Walking - Basic forms of ground movement.  Some moves are restricted while running, but allows a character's running attack.

    s. Attack Priority - If two attacks hit at the same time or near the same time, the move with higher priority will be the one that hits.  Affected by the positioning of both characters; attacks that have priority from one direction may not have the same priority from a different direction.

    t. Move "Clinking" - When two attacks with the same priority hit in the same frame, neither attack will hit.

    u. Stocks - A player's lives during a match.  Setting the right number will allow a player to get behind, but still be able to come back from behind.

    v. Multiple Ground Recoveries - When knocked to the ground, player's have several choices of how to get up and when to.

    w. Tech Recovery - Able to be performed the moment you are knocked to the ground or against a wall.  Stops or reduces Stagger/Knockback/Momentum. Quickly brings your character to their feet and back under control.

    x. L-Cancelling - Reduces animation time when hitting the ground during an aerial move.

    y. Wave Dashing - An advanced form of ground movement.  Essentially allows you to slide along the ground while still in walking mode allowing for the use of all moves.

    z. Directional Influence - Ability to influence your character's direction of travel when hit and while staggered.  Probably the most important aspect of Smash Brothers Melee, Directional Influence allows a player to have some control when they are hit.  The right DI can prevent combos, save you from death, and even put you in a good position for counterattack.  It is an aspect that your opponent must read on the fly and one that you must intuitively react with.

    aa. Smash Directional Influence - Ability to greatly influence your character's direction of travel when hit.  Requires precision control and is hard to pull off.

    bb. Fast Falling - Allows a player to increase their falling speed while in the air.  Once used, cannot be undone during the current aerial period.

    cc. Ledge Mechanics - Mechanics pertain to the portion of the game that occurs near, on, or off the ledge of stages.

        i. Ledge Guarding - Attempting to prevent your opponent from grabbing the ledge or making it back onto the stage.

        ii. Ledge Grabbing - Ability to hold on to the ledge of the stage while hanging off of it.  Player is considered in the air for available moves.

        iii. Ledge Recoveries - Available set of defensive and offensive moves that can only be used while Ledge Grabbing.  Designed to help you get back onto the stage.

In Closing
          The Smash Brothers (specifically Melee) series there are a host of options and mechanics that players must understand to play at a competitive level.  Most of these are constantly changing as the game goes on and the same situations rarely happen in the course of a match.  With so much to know and so little of it ever staying the same, Smash Brothers becomes a game that cannot be memorized, but instead must be learned.  Through experience and play, players grasp how to weave the options and mechanics together, much as a linguist would the elements of a language.  Smash Brother’s skill is learned, not memorized, and over time becomes integrated into the player as they intuitively react and adapt instantaneously to an ever changing playing field.