By: Daniel Kendle

Hey gang, it’s me, Mr. Whatshisname, back again with another spine-strokin’ issue of JOYSTiCK Reviews. I’m ALSO back again in a, uh, cage.

Like the sound of clanging metal in a zebra enclosure, I’ve never been…oh, what’s the point? Ever since I was kidnapped in the last part of this review, I haven’t been able to string a metaphor together. It’s miserable! Writing this serial’s never been harder with these conditions; the wind’s cold, long nights, and all I can hear outside are… animals, frankly.

But what can I do? These hellish conditions are nothing short of permanent, I’m afraid. Even after around 2 months trapped in here, no amount of probing my cell’s given way to finding some kind of exit. Without any viable alternatives for escape, I suppose I’ll be staying here for the rest of my life.

Well, dear readers, this is it. With my paper supply running on fumes, I guess this is goodbye. Thank you for reading, and please keep me in your thoughts…

…is what I’d be saying if I didn’t have an escape plan! You shallow sheeple oughta know that, like clockwork, I’d already have formulated a masterful guide on how to ditch my concrete corral. Fret not: in the next 48 hours, I’ll have transformed from an innate inmate into a free spirit, wandering amongst the living once again.

Unfortunately, my plan requires a mailed device that’ll take another good half hour to arrive here. Until then, I might as well finish some junk on my to-do list – which is a perfect segue into today’s topic: ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.’ Specifically, the “World of Light” campaign. It’s here I mention that if you haven’t read my previous article on this game, it’s advised you do so before reading this. Not only will it give context words to my current entanglement, but there’s a bunch of stuff I’ll mention here that was explained there.

World of Light functions as the game’s main campaign, a common part of many fighting games, let alone ‘Smash’ titles. In this game, the campaign revolves around a new addition to the series: Spirits!

Spirits are basically customizable upgrades for your fighters. Coming in the form of a video game character, each Spirit can be equipped, giving players special abilities and defenses in matches. Some are rarer than others, and with over 1,600 of them to obtain, this leads to a vast variety in potential team setups and builds.

Spirits are obtained through Spirit Battles, where you fight a CPU-controlled fighter that’s chosen to “embody” the character – really, this amounts to the fighter being picked if they look, act, or have moves reminiscent of the Spirit. Each battle has different effects that modify how the fight will play out. Lava floors, random debuffs, gravity-switching… Once again, there’s a wide array of different effects that Spirit Battles can have, making each unique to their own character.

This is what World of Light is all about: fighting in these battles to free Spirits, then using them to free more Spirits. This cycle has you free around 600 Spirits for a 100% save file, with the other thousand or so being obtainable through other side content in ‘Ultimate.’

You also go around freeing characters. These fights don’t have any special attributes, instead being simple brawls against the respective fighter. Once freed, they can be used in single player and multiplayer fights. These aren’t the only way to obtain characters, though – you can also occasionally have the chance to fight a character after exiting the campaign menu, after fulfilling certain requirements.

Honestly, I’m very mixed on Spirits overall. This was a very brief overview of the system, but I find the hardcore focus on these battles to become tepid after a while. In World of Light, you’re basically only doing these battles, only occasionally being interrupted by boss battles, mini-games, or Spirit training buildings. These brawls are fun, but become so monotonous that they eventually mix in with one-another, becoming amorphous memories. There weren’t many super memorable fights, with the whole of them being largely forgettable. Obviously, you can’t expect 1,600 fights to each be recognizable instantly, but my point still stands: this gameplay facet of ‘Ultimate’ largely remains forgettable in the long run.

I also think Spirit fights are flawed in a major way: their special attributes. See, when each Spirit Battle has unique conditions you must fight in, when you claim Spirits that basically negate these variables, it makes many fights somewhat dull and uninteresting. Furthermore, what was once a unique fight now becomes leveled, and pretty lame. This issue is definitely subjective, and I understand why it’d be hard to completely rethink the gameplay completely, but it’s such a large factor in my lukewarm reception of the campaign that I can’t ignore it. It’s definitely my least favorite piece of ‘Ultimate,’ for what it’s worth.

I still think World of Light is fun, however. Limiting the amount of fights to around a third of the total Spirit count was a smart move, in my opinion. While the fights are still somewhat-forgettable, the lowered total amount for completion is still an upside. Also, it’s very important to note that fighting opponents is still really fun, even if using your own Spirits negates a lot of the difficulty. I’m less annoyed at Spirits, but instead a bit disappointed, really.

Other than that, the story’s alright. Nothing crazy; basically, Galeem, a god of light, has taken over the universe, swallowing each ‘Smash’ fighter and creating duplicates of them that encompass miscellaneous video game characters, turning them into Spirits. These puppet fighters take up the mantles of the sea of characters, explaining why you’re ‘freeing’ each Spirit: you’re essentially liberating them from Galeem’s control.

Eventually Dharkon, a god of darkness, defeats Galeem himself and overtakes the world. These gods fight, with you caught in the middle. I won’t spoil the ending, but it’s a very fun time, and while nothing amazing, it’s a good time all-around. And that’s a good way to summarize World of Light: nothing spectacular, but certainly not a major detriment to ‘Ultimate.’ Instead, it’s, simply-put, good.

. . .

Hey guys, it’s me, Mr. Whatshisname, back again. You may be wondering what happened after I finished explaining the World of Light experience, and why I’m now sitting in a cozy living room, in front of a roaring fire.

(Sips cocoa)

I hope you’ve been enjoying these visual aids; my therapist recommended casual photography to me a while back. (Chuckles) Not yet sure how a Polaroid camera was supposed to aid my vehicular manslaughter PTSD, but hey, I eventually decided that yeah, it was time for a new hobby. And a new therapist.

Oh, right, my escape! Yeah, it wasn’t that complicated, honestly. I ordered this weird door I saw on Craigslist the other day with a glowing green eye on top. Once I walked through it, I was transported into this weird antimatter dimension, until being dropped back home again. How convenient! I currently have 13 different felony warrants for my arrest.

Anyways, I think that about sums up my thoughts on ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.’ A fantastic game overall, with tons of fun to be had by all. With tight gameplay, fun side content, and an enjoyable, albeit disappointing story mode, I’ll be giving this game a 9/10.

And with that out of the way, that’s all the time I have with y’all today! Thanks for tuning into this episode of JOYSTiCK Reviews, and have a great week.