In typical Nintendo fashion, a 15-minute trailer introducing the next big Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update dropped with no warning last night introducing Persona 5’s Joker as a new playable character and new features being introduced through update 3.0. Oh, and it all launches later today.
Leave it to Nintendo to basically stealth launch a highly anticipated update for one of the Switch’s biggest titles, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Nobody even knew they were going to launch a lengthy update reveal video last night, much less that the content being outlined would launch today. But here we are, once again baffled by Nintendo’s Nintendo-ass way of handling things.
If you don’t have 15 minutes to spare for a full watch, I’ll be running through the key points from the Update 3.0 reveal. For starters, the first DLC character from the Fighter Pass is included and that’s the masked Persona 5 crook, Joker. Joker’s basic attacks rely on a knife and gun combo, and he can also cast a mid-range spell to dish out some damage over time if he manages to connect with an opponent. The real hook of his arsenal is a gauge that fills up as Joker takes damage, or he can perform a special guard to fill it faster. Once it tops out, Joker can call on his Persona to beef up his attacks, making every move more powerful. Along with Joker, you’ll gain access to the new fighting stage, Mementos, which has a color-changing aesthetic dependent on which song happens to be playing in the background.
Joker launches later today for $5.99, or you can get the full Fighter Pass including five characters (eventually) for $24.99.
The rest of the Update 3.0 content will be available for everyone free of charge. This includes the previously semi-accidentally revealed Stage Builder, which will now let you freely draw shapes for your levels on the Switch’s touchscreen. A new video editor is also included in this update, with players able to share and view creations online. The Smash World app is also being updated to let you check out new maps and video’s on the go, and you can even add content to a queue so it automatically downloads the next time you turn on the console.
