Sakurai talks about his approach to Smash Bros. Ultimate, choosing/creating items, working on taunts, and more

Nintendo has shared an interview with Smash Bros. Ultimate creator Masahiro Sakurai, in which they talk about all things Smash. Check out some snippets from the interview below concerning Sakurai's approach to Ultimate, how items are chosen/created, and working on taunts.

Nintendo: How was your approach to this game different than your approach to the past Super Smash Bros. games? What did you want to achieve with this game specifically?

MS: The difference between this game and the past is that all the characters are in it. We really tried our best to make the impossible possible, to prevent situations where someone misses a certain character because they’ve been cut.

And another comparison I can make between past titles and this one, is that in retrospect, I do feel that [Super Smash Bros.] Melee may have been geared a bit too much towards a core audience. We made [Super Smash Bros.] Brawl when the Wii came out. At that time, games like Wii Fit became popular, attracting a lot of casual players that have never really touched a video game before, so we lowered the speed a bit so that those players can enjoy the game as well.

For [Super Smash Bros. for] Wii U and 3DS versions, it was on a portable device, so there were parts of it we had made specifically to increase playability on a portable device. This time, the screen is easier to see than the 3DS version, and it’s not just people who are not used to playing games, so we focused on bringing up the tempo of the game. I think that sort of covers the characteristics of the series.

Nintendo: Items have always been a big part of Super Smash Bros. What goes into designing new items and what do you think items add to the franchise?

MS: The fact that in a fighting game, it’s usually a given that the more skilled player wins. There’s just the two players, no random elements, and it works. But when you have things like items, players who would normally lose, can sometimes win. In order to summon up this shuffling nature or this sense of randomness, I think items become necessary. Some people may never use them, but I believe it’s an important essence when we’re talking about people just gathering and playing together. So I’d like to continue to include them in the future.

Nintendo: The Smash characters are known for having unique taunt animations. I’ve always wondered, how are these decided upon. Do you have a favorite one?

MS: Well… it’s sort of whatever I feel like. [Laughs] It’s just that without these appeals, it’s nothing but fighting. Since this is a game about characters, I feel it a bit limiting to only be thinking about attacking. Things like adding unique movements in idle animations or adding taunts is a subtle way to showcase the character’s personalities, so I do put a bit of thought into it.

As for a favourite taunt, I like all of them, so I can’t really say, but I do like Ridley’s down taunt. When you use it, Ridley, for some reason, stands up straight, so you can actually see how tall he really is. He’s pretty big. He’s about four metres tall.