Super Smash Bros. series

Gameplay modification: Difference between revisions

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==Overview==
==Overview==
Specific changes to the game depend on the preferences of the developers, as well as their ultimate goal. There are a few different categories most mods fall into:
Specific changes to the game depend on the preferences of the developers, as well as their ultimate goal. There are a few different categories most mods fall into:
* '''Balance''' mods don't significantly change the core gameplay and apply buffs and nerfs to characters to reduce [[tier list|competitive inequality between characters]].
* '''Balance''' mods usually don't significantly change the core gameplay and apply buffs and nerfs to characters to reduce [[tier list|competitive inequality between characters]].
* '''Overpowered''' mods give every character huge buffs so that they are all equally overpowered.
* '''Overpowered''' mods are a variant of Balanced mods, giving every character absurd buffs so that they are all equally overpowered.
* '''Melee-inspired''' mods change the gameplay and movesets to be more fast-paced and technical like in ''Melee'', sometimes adding mechanics such as [[wavedashing]].
* '''Melee-inspired''' mods change the gameplay and movesets to be more fast-paced and technical like in ''Melee'', sometimes adding mechanics such as [[wavedashing]].
* '''Competitive''' mods don't change anything gameplay-wise, but add features for players to practice their skill and/or improvements for tournament play, such as quality of life changes.
* '''Competitive''' mods don't change anything gameplay-wise, but add features for players to practice their skill and/or improvements for tournament play, such as improved training modes.
* '''New character''' mods that introduce new characters into the game with new 3D models, animations and movesets, either replacing another character or being a new addition.
* '''New character''' mods that introduce new characters into the game with new 3D models, animations and movesets, either replacing another character or being a new addition.
* '''Skin''' mods add new Alternate Costumes to characters using File Replacement.
* '''Skin''' mods add new Alternate Costumes to characters using File Replacement/Addition.
* '''Silly''' mods change characters or game mechanics in certain ways to result in humorous outcomes, like modifying [[Ganondorf]]'s moves to stretch. Silly mods often times have overlap with Overpowered mods.
* '''Silly''' mods change characters or game mechanics in certain ways to result in humorous outcomes, like modifying characters such as [[Ganondorf]] to have their moves stretch to absurd proportions (which was likely inspired from the Gum Gum Fruit from ''One Piece'') or having hitboxes from powerful moves such as [[Rest]] or [[Falcon Punch]] be active at all times, turning a character into a walking hazard. Silly mods often times have overlap with Overpowered mods.


The first attempts at modding involved ''Brawl'', with such projects generally being viewed as novelties, such as [[palette swap]]s for characters and UI changes. Outside of this, forcing the Wii to load such mods was considered difficult, requiring use of the [http://www.wiibrew.org/wiki/Twilight_Hack now-inoperable Twilight hack]. The increasing complexity of game play mods and the discovery of the [[Smash Stack]] exploit, however, caused mods to develop considerably more attention with observers.
The first attempts at modding involved ''Brawl'', with such projects generally being viewed as novelties, such as [[palette swap]]s for characters and UI changes. Outside of this, forcing the Wii to load such mods was considered difficult, requiring use of the [http://www.wiibrew.org/wiki/Twilight_Hack now-inoperable Twilight hack]. The increasing complexity of game play mods and the discovery of the [[Smash Stack]] exploit, however, caused mods to develop considerably more attention with observers.


''Brawl'' remains the most commonly modded game in the series, primarily utilizing the Smash Stack exploit, though alternate methods for loading them are available. Mods for ''Melee'' often require the use of applications available for [http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Homebrew_Channel The Homebrew Channel]. ''19XXTE'', a gameplay mod for ''Smash 64'', requires patching a ROM image of the game. Mods for both versions of ''SSB4'' involve the use of kernel exploit chains on their respective consoles primarily using Layered File System (LayeredFS) patchers to overwrite parts of the game's filesystem. Mods for ''Ultimate'' require a Switch console released before July 2018 to utilize a recovery mode exploit left over from the development phase of the console, enabling the use of code hooking and file replacement via the Skyline executable patch.
''Brawl'' remains the most commonly modded game in the series, primarily utilizing either [http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Homebrew_Channel The Homebrew Channel] or the Smash Stack exploit. Mods for ''Melee'' often also require the use of applications available for the Homebrew Channel. ''19XXTE'', a gameplay mod for ''Smash 64'', requires patching a ROM image of the game. Mods for both versions of ''SSB4'' involve the use of kernel exploit chains on their respective consoles primarily using Layered File System (LayeredFS) patchers to overwrite parts of the game's filesystem. Mods for ''Ultimate'' require a Switch console released before July 2018 to utilize a recovery mode exploit left over from the development phase of the console, enabling the use of code hooking and file replacement via the Skyline executable patch.
 
Given the nature of gameplay modifications, it is possible for them to be used for cheating in tournaments. One notable case is the [[Super Pichu cheating scandal|"Super Pichu"]] scandal in the Ohio ''Melee'' scene, where a [[Smasher]] named Chaos won cash prizes in tournaments using a stealth-modded setup that [[buff]]ed much {{SSBM|Pichu}}'s traits to win against top-tier characters. However, outside of this case, cheating through gameplay modifications in tournaments is extremely rare, mainly because of the difficulty in installing them onto consoles, and the logistics in having to play on the same modded setup in every round, a difficulty Chaos faced in his own tournament runs.
 
Since [[online play]] was introduced in ''Brawl'', gameplay modifications have been used for cheating online as well. Hacking [[Giga Bowser]] to be normally playable is a common method across all online games, using his near-invulnerability to [[knockback]] to trivialise beating even highly skilled players. While ''Brawl'' did not issue bans for such behaviour, as of ''Ultimate'', while possible, bans are issued. For a period of time, Giga Bowser could even be hacked into playable form on [[Project Slippi]] for play in ''Melee'', though this has since been patched. Regardless, cheating does continue to occur on the platform, namely through the use of macros to make [[advanced technique]]s easier.<ref>[https://youtu.be/ddUSIDXsC44 How the Slippi Cheater did it: Ludwig was right]</ref> Thanks to improvements in moderation, though, they typically get banned quickly.


==Stages==
==Stages==
In addition to raw gameplay, other portions of the game may be overhauled by developers to further change gameplay. The changing of '''stages''' is among the more common ways to do this:
In addition to raw gameplay, other portions of the game may be overhauled by developers to further change gameplay. The changing of '''stages''' is among the more common ways to do this:


===In ''Brawl''===
===In ''64''===
[[File:BrawlMinusTemple.jpg|thumb|left|In ''Brawl-'', the stage [[Temple]] has been significantly condensed compared to its vanilla counterpart.]]
''[[19XX]]'' modifies the stage selection screen to contain [[Battlefield]], [[Final Destination]], and [[Meta Crystal]], stages otherwise unplayable in Versus mode. ''[[19XXTE]]'' 's selection screen contains 11 instead of the original 9 slots for stages, and ''[[19XXCE]]'' has 16 slots.
[[File:ProjectM Skyloft.png|thumb|right|In [[Project M]], the same stage layout was used to make the Skyloft stage.]]


''Brawl'' is the most commonly modded game in the series due to Smash Stack exploit, which makes modding the game much easier to the average player. In these mods, it is common to new stages, often replacing others, that have been made by fans. It is also possible to use newly created slots on the stage selection screen or alternative stages that load when holding a specific button when selecting a stage.
In 2018, modders found a way to change stages. At first only [[Hyrule Castle]] could be replaced, but later it became possible to replace all stages. The mod ''[[SSBMSE]]'' replaces most stages in the game with more competitive stages modeled after their appearance in other ''Smash'' games.


''Brawl-'' and ''Project M'', for instance, replace the ordinarily over-sized [[Temple]] with a smaller, more condensed version. Stages with transformations like [[Castle Siege]] or [[Pokémon Stadium]] are often changed to stay at the most competitive form of the stage.
''[[Smash Remix]]'' is the most popular mod for the game, and as of Patch 1.5.0, it includes five pages of stages, including stages from newer ''Smash'' games and brand new custom stages, as well as multiple "Remix" variants for stages.
Outside of this, unpopular stages might be entirely replaced with others, such as how ''Project M'' replaces the highly non-standard [[Mario Bros.]] with a rendition of [[Fountain of Dreams]] from ''Melee''.
<gallery>
 
Smash remix metallic madness occupied.png|A completely original ''Smash Remix'' stage, Metallic Madness from ''Sonic CD''.
''[[#Legacy TE|Legacy TE]]'' added stages with the design of stages used for competitive play for each stage, using their theme in background models and textures and playing the same background music, that load when holding the Start, L, or Z button.
Smash remix omega zebes.png|An [[Ω form]] for [[Planet Zebes]] in ''Smash Remix''
''[[#Legacy XP|Legacy XP]]'' added over 700 new stages into the game using new slots on the selection screen, as well as variants when holding down specific buttons. Button Shortcuts to quickly select popular ''Project M'' stages have also been added.
</gallery>
''[[#Smash 2|Smash 2]]'' added all stages that were in ''Melee' back into the game.
Outside of stage layout changes, some textures and [[Music (SSBB)|tracks]] may be replaced, particularly in the case of original stages.


===In ''Melee''===
===In ''Melee''===
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Adding stages to Melee quickly escalated after the m-ex engine added the possibility to import custom stage models with separate slots, as well as custom high poly models over existing ones.
Adding stages to Melee quickly escalated after the m-ex engine added the possibility to import custom stage models with separate slots, as well as custom high poly models over existing ones.


===In ''64''===
<gallery>
''[[19XX]]'' modifies the stage selection screen to contain otherwise unplayable in versus mode stages [[Battlefield]], [[Final Destination]], and [[Meta Crystal]]. ''[[19XXTE]]'' 's selection screen contains 11 instead of the original 9 slots for stages, and ''[[19XXCE]]'' has 16 slots.
MeleeHappyTreeLayoutMod.png|A mod for ''Melee'' that gives [[Super Happy Tree|Yoshi's Island (64)]] a more neutral layout, with a flat base platform and the disintegrating cloud relocated to a space where it cannot be used for camping.
AnimalForestMeleeMod.png|A backport of [[Smashville]] into ''Melee'' - to play into a "what-if" scenario of if {{uv|Animal Crossing}} actually received major representation in ''Melee'', small aesthetic changes have been made to more closely resemble ''Population: Growing!'' instead of ''Wild World''.
</gallery>
 
===In ''Brawl''===
''Brawl'' is the most commonly modded game in the series due to Smash Stack exploit, which makes modding the game much easier to the average player. In these mods, it is common to new stages, often replacing others, that have been made by fans. It is also possible to use newly created slots on the stage selection screen or alternative stages that load when holding a specific button when selecting a stage.
 
''Brawl-'' and ''Project M'', for instance, replace the ordinarily over-sized [[Temple]] with a smaller, more condensed version. Stages with transformations like [[Castle Siege]] or [[Pokémon Stadium]] are often changed to stay at the most competitive form of the stage. Outside of this, unpopular stages might be entirely replaced with others, such as how ''Project M'' replaces the highly non-standard [[Mario Bros.]] with a rendition of [[Fountain of Dreams]] from ''Melee''.


In 2018, modders found a way to change stages, first only replacing [[Hyrule Castle]], but later it became possible to replace all stages. The mod ''[[SSBMSE]]'' replaces most stages in the game with more competitive stages modeled after their appearance in other ''Smash'' games.
''[[#Legacy TE|Legacy TE]]'' added stages with the design of stages used for competitive play for each stage, using their theme in background models and textures and playing the same background music, that load when holding the Start, L, or Z button.
''[[#Legacy XP|Legacy XP]]'' added over 700 new stages into the game using new slots on the selection screen, as well as variants when holding down specific buttons. Button Shortcuts to quickly select popular ''Project M'' stages have also been added.
''[[#Smash 2|Smash 2]]'' added all stages that were in ''Melee'' back into the game.


''[[Smash Remix]]'' is the most recent mod, and as of Patch 1.1.0, it includes five pages of stages, including stages from newer ''Smash'' games and brand new custom stages.
Outside of stage layout changes, some textures and [[Music (SSBB)|tracks]] may be replaced, particularly in the case of original stages.
 
<gallery>
BrawlMinusTemple.jpg|In ''Brawl-'', the stage [[Temple]] has been significantly condensed compared to its vanilla counterpart.
ProjectM Skyloft.png|In [[Project M]], the same stage layout was used to make the Skyloft stage.
Brawl Delfino Plaza Remake.png|The ''Brawl'' stage [[Delfino Plaza]] remade with BrawlBox, adding many setpieces from ''{{iw|mariowiki|Super Mario Sunshine}}'' usually absent from the stage such as the {{iw|mariowiki|Grand Pianta Statue}}, and the red cannon to {{iw|mariowiki|Pinna Park}}.
Waluigi_PM_WarioLand_Reskin.jpg|"1-to-1" stages, which replace the aesthetics of a competitive stage, but keep all geometry perfectly intact, are very popular in ''Project M'' and ''Project +'' modding - this stage skin changes [[WarioWare, Inc.|Wario Land]] to resemble Waluigi Stadium from ''Mario Kart: Double Dash''
</gallery>


===In ''Smash 4''===
===In ''Smash 4''===
Creating new stages is possible in {{forwiiu}}.
Creating new stages is possible in {{for3ds}}/{{forwiiu}}, but they will need to replace an existing stage or a stage's [[Ω form]].


===In ''Ultimate''===
===In ''Ultimate''===
Creating new stages is possible in ''[[Ultimate]]'', though stage collisions have new properties that cannot currently be edited by the Smash 4 stage collision editor.
Creating new stages is possible in ''[[Ultimate]]'', though stage collisions have new properties that cannot currently be edited by the Smash 4 stage collision editor.


A use of new stages in Ultimate will result in disconnection, or a possible ban.
Any use of new stages in Ultimate will result in disconnection, or a possible ban depending on the user and how often attempts to go online happen.
 
As of 2023 it is now possible to add stage alts to the game, with a recent mod for ''Ultimate'' making a plugin that lets you add stages to the game without having to replace anything.<ref>https://gamebanana.com/mods/460711</ref>
 
<gallery>
Garfield_Stage_SSBU_Mod.png|A mod for ''Ultimate'' that adds the ''Garfield'' lasagna stage from ''Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2''.
Mushroomyrestored.jpg|A texture edit for [[Mushroomy Kingdom]] that removes the oft-criticised "fallen empire" theming.
Tomodachi_competitive_mod.jpg|A layout edit for [[Tomodachi Life]] to make it suited for competitive play.
</gallery>


==Gameplay adjustments==
==Gameplay adjustments==
{{incomplete|much more to say about it, especially PM; split into games; split into core engine - small character move changes for balance or clone chracter creation}}
{{incomplete|As a list of notable mods already exists further below, this section should focus on an overview of the modding landscape for each game (importance of gameplay mods for that game, etc)}}
'''Gameplay adjustments''' for the games are intended to, as their name implies, adjust how the actual gameplay works. Character movesets or even the core engine might be changed, techniques might be removed, altered or newly added.
'''Gameplay adjustments''' are changes to the engine, character movesets, and various other aspects of the game that are intended to be changed to a different vision for the game in question.
 
===In ''64''===
''[[Smash Remix]]'' is one of the few mods for Smash 64 that would count as a gameplay adjustment. The original 12 characters and the mechanics of the game are unchanged, however, it adds 18 new fighters (alongside 10 new boss characters), 63 new stages (with about half of them being original), and many new gamemodes, like [[All Star]], [[Multi-Man Mode]], [[Cruel Mode|Cruel Multi-Man Mode]] and [[Home-Run Contest]]. Additionally, there are optional selections to change the gameplay significantly by adding elements such as footstooling, air dodging, air dashing, tripping, perfect shielding and ledge trumping.
 
===In ''Melee''===
Gameplay adjustments are rare for Melee, and typically take the form of balance changes, improving lower tier characters or nerfing higher tier characters to remedy the game's notoriously large tier gap. ''SD Remix'' was the first balance mod to attempt to balance the entire game as opposed to experimental single-character mods, improving every character lower on the tier list than Peach, though it makes no changes to the base gameplay.
 
''Beyond Melee'' is also one of the few mods for Melee that change the basic gameplay. ''Beyond Melee'' changes mechanics of the game, changes the balancing of characters to try and rebalance them, alongside adding new fighters. Characters like Bowser and Zelda, notable for being nigh unusable in the base game, were given many buffs in order to make them more viable, with some like Zelda and Ness receiving complete overhauls. There are also 7 newcomers to the mod, being Skull Kid, Fay, Wolf, Raichu, Shadow Mewtwo, Sonic, and Meta Knight.
 
===In ''Brawl''===
[[File:Lucario P+ changes.gif|thumb|{{PM|Lucario}} using the updated [[Force Palm]] and [[Double Team]] in ''[[Project+]]''.]]
''[[Project M]]'' is one of the many modifications made to ''Brawl'', due to the Wii's accessibility for modding. It's also the most popular modification for the game, due to it changing ''Brawl''{{'}}s engine to be more like that of ''Melee'', alongside extensive rebalancing of the cast. Many fighters got new moves and overhauls, such as Samus gaining an ice beam and Wario gaining a side special based on the dash attack from the ''Wario Land'' series.
 
===In ''Smash 4''===
[[File:Wii u greninja wavedash mod.gif|thumb|right|[[Greninja]] wavedashing in the ''Melee HD'' mod for ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.'']]
''Super Smash Bros for Wii U'' has had its gameplay modded relatively extensively, but not to the degree that ''Brawl'' and ''Ultimate'' have, with multiple large mods attempting to replicate the appeal of ''Project M'', though none were as successful as said mod or the eventual ''HewDraw Remix'' for ''Ultimate''.
 
The 3DS game has been even less explored - while character and mechanical changes have been made, they have been limited, to the point where not even a Melee mechanics mod is known to exist.
 
===In ''Ultimate''===
[[File:Hew draw remix donkey kong air grab.gif|thumb|left|[[Donkey Kong]] using a new special move - an air-based command grab - in ''Hewdraw Remix''.]]
Gameplay mods for ''Ultimate'' first appeared in 2019, a year after the game's launch, with the cancelled and unreleased ''ProjectNX'', which added techniques from ''Melee''. Since then, ''Melee'' adjacent ''Ultimate'' mods have increased in popularity and accessibility, alongside mods that decrease the game's much-derided offline input lag. Character movesets can also be modified. ''HewDraw Remix'' has an improved netcode toggle, though the team behind the mod refrained from releasing it for vanilla Ultimate as using it against someone without the mod would be considered cheating, which could cause legal issues with Nintendo. [https://twitter.com/willy_crescent/status/1602701257365389312]


==Animations/models==
==Animations/models==
===In ''Brawl''===
{{Main| File replacement}}
{{incomplete|history}}
===In ''64''===
For ''Brawl'', the tool BrawlBox easily allows modders to replace models and animations. Brawl mods usually feature a lot of new custom models and animations.
For ''Smash 64'', editing animations or models was once very limited. In 2019, ''[[Smash Remix]]'' became the first mod with such features: A Ganondorf model replacing Captain Falcon got newly created animations for his smash attacks, where he uses a trident weapon. Since then ''Smash Remix'' has added multiple other characters, some of which are completely original.


===In ''Melee''===
===In ''Melee''===
[[File:Melee DK Mod - Smash 64 Green Team Color.png|thumb|left|A texture hack for ''Melee'' that revives {{SSBM|Donkey Kong}}'s cut green color palette from ''64''.]]
For ''Melee'', editing animations or models was limited and rarely done, although the m-ex engine for Melee did make the process much easier.
For ''Melee'', editing animations or models was limited and rarely done, although the m-ex engine for Melee did make the process much easier.


In 2017, the Smash 4 modding tool Smash Forge became compatible with Melee, making it possible import new models over models over Melee characters [https://www.reddit.com/r/SSBM/comments/6hrrwp/melee_modding_tool_smash_forge/]. Some small mods that replace a costume of a character have been created, for example, a [[Ryu]] model import over [[Captain Falcon]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KikbcDyNx_0].
In 2017, the Smash 4 modding tool Smash Forge became compatible with Melee, making it possible import new models over models over Melee characters [https://www.reddit.com/r/SSBM/comments/6hrrwp/melee_modding_tool_smash_forge/]. Some small mods that replace a costume of a character have been created, for example, a [[Ryu]] model import over [[Captain Falcon]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KikbcDyNx_0].


In ''SD Remix'', a few characters got different animations for some moves, reusing animations from different moves; for example, Pichu used its roll animation for its [[Dash attack]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brEeX54mwsc], and Bowser, his aerial item down-throw for his [[Down aerial]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4fwlo0T7dg]. In March 2019, the first custom animation on a Melee character happened: Falco got his Forward Air imported from Ultimate [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpqWY2kc2Xc]
In March 2019, the first custom animation on a Melee character was released: Falco got his Forward Air imported from Ultimate [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpqWY2kc2Xc]
 
In ''SD Remix'', a few characters got different animations for some moves, though this was done through recycling animations from different moves; for example, Pichu used its roll animation for its [[Dash attack]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brEeX54mwsc], and Bowser used his aerial item down-throw for his [[Down aerial]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4fwlo0T7dg].  


Beyond Melee added new animations not reused replacing moves for some characters, such as giving ''Dr. Mario'' his Down Air from ''Ultimate'', ''Donkey Kong'' gets his dash attack from later Smash Games, and gives Pichu a shine.
''Beyond Melee'' would later add fully original animations for some characters, such as giving Dr. Mario his Down Air from ''Ultimate'', Donkey Kong getting his dash attack from later ''Smash'' games, and Pichu getting a shine.


===In ''64''===
===In ''Brawl''===
For ''Smash 64'', editing animations or models is also very limited. In 2019, ''[[Smash Remix]]'' became the first mod with these features: A Ganondorf model replacing Captain Falcon got newly created animations for his smash attacks, where he uses a trident weapon.
{{incomplete|history}}
For ''Brawl'', the tool BrawlBox easily allows modders to replace models and animations. Brawl mods usually feature a lot of new custom models and animations. A popular form of modding introduced with ''Brawl'' that would only become possible for earlier games much later is "model swaps", which outright replace an alternate costume with a model from another game, such as another character not yet in or outright inellegible for Smash, or an alternate model for the existing character from a game with a different art style, but without making any modifications to a character's animations or attacks.


===In ''Smash 4''===
===In ''Smash 4''===
For ''Smash 4'', there is a tool called Smash Forge for changing models and animations [https://github.com/jam1garner/Smash-Forge/wiki]. Mods replacing Fox with Wolf [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P6xpF6MG-Q] and Dr. Mario with one of the Ice Climbers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1BSz2A1eQ] from their ''Brawl'' appearances have been created.
For ''Smash 4'', there is a tool called Smash Forge for changing models and animations [https://github.com/jam1garner/Smash-Forge/wiki]. Mods that replace Fox with Wolf [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P6xpF6MG-Q] and Dr. Mario with Popo [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1BSz2A1eQ], both using animations and attacks from Brawl, have been created. Additionally, those same two mods also exist for the ''3DS'' game, alongside a port of ''Project +''{{'}}s Knuckles.


===In ''Ultimate''===
===In ''Ultimate''===
For ''Ultimate'', there is a tool called StudioSB, which allows for model imports and animation imports. Add-ons for Blender were also made to edit some animation/model files. Material edits are done via ParamXML or CrossMod, to change properties like how metallic or bright an object appears. Brawlbox is also compatible with Ultimate animations & models.
[[File:Ssbu model swap homer marge.jpg|thumb|right|{{SSBU|Ryu}} and {{SSBU|Kazuya}} fight under the guises of Homer and Marge Simpson respectively using a simple model swap mod for ''Ultimate''.]]For ''Ultimate'', there is a tool called StudioSB, which allows for model imports and animation imports. Add-ons for Blender were also made to edit some animation/model files. Material edits are done via ParamXML or CrossMod, to change properties like how metallic or bright an object appears. Brawlbox is also compatible with Ultimate animations & models.


==Adding new characters==
==Adding new characters==
[[File:ProjectMRoyVsMewtwo.jpg|thumb|left|{{PM|Mewtwo}} and {{PM|Roy}} square off in ''Project M''. The addition of new characters to mods is a new trend.]]
===In ''64''===
[[File:Smash 64 remix - peppy marth and marios.png|thumb|left|[[Marth]], [[Peppy Hare]], and [[List of regional version differences (SSB)|two versions]] of {{SSB|Mario}} (his larger-headed Japanese self and smaller-headed international self) fight in ''Smash Remix''.]]
The first few public versions of [[Smash Remix]] added [[Ganondorf]], [[Young Link]], [[Falco]] and [[Dr. Mario]] to the game, working however as replacements for Captain Falcon, Link, Fox and Mario respectively. In version "0.9" released in October 2019, the dev team of ''Smash Remix'' managed to give those characters their own roster slots, restoring the full original cast.
 
As of version ''1.5.0'' of ''Smash Remix'' several characters have been added in addition to the original 12, with backports from future entries including [[Ganondorf]], [[Young Link]], [[Falco]], [[Dr. Mario]], [[Dark Samus]], [[Wario]], [[Lucas]], [[Bowser]], [[Wolf]], [[Mewtwo]], [[Marth]], [[Sonic]], [[Sheik]], [[King Dedede]], and [[Banjo & Kazooie]], as well as brand new characters like Conker (from ''Conker's Bad Fur Day''), Marina (from ''Mischief Makers'') and [[Goemon]]. Some characters, such as [[Giga Bowser]], Mad Piano, Super Sonic, Peppy, Slippy, Ebisumaru, Dragon King, and Metal Luigi have also been added as playable boss characters, and balance-changed versions of characters from between the different regional versions of ''Smash 64'' are available, as well as [[Fighting Polygon Team]] variants for all new non-boss characters.
 
===In ''Melee''===
[[File:Beyond Melee Meta Knight V Sonic.gif|thumb|right|[[Meta Knight]] using [[Mach Tornado]] against [[Sonic]] in ''Beyond Melee'']]
As of 2021, ''Melee'' also had mods created for it using the m-ex engine. This has been shown off in the ''Akaneia Build'' adding [[Wolf]] on December 25, 2021, followed later by [[Diddy Kong]], [[Charizard]], [[Lucas]], and [[Sonic]].
 
Another mod, ''Beyond Melee'', also added new characters to Melee, including [[Wolf]], Fay, Raichu, Shadow Mewtwo, [[Skull Kid]], Meta Knight and Sonic.
 
===In ''Brawl''===
[[File:ProjectMRoyVsMewtwo.jpg|thumb|left|{{PM|Mewtwo}} and {{PM|Roy}} square off in ''Project M''.]]
In 2013, the '''addition of characters''' has become a possibility for ''Brawl'' mods. ''Project M'' notably added {{PM|Roy}} and {{PM|Mewtwo}} as playable characters in version 3.0 after the absence of the duo in ''Brawl''.
In 2013, the '''addition of characters''' has become a possibility for ''Brawl'' mods. ''Project M'' notably added {{PM|Roy}} and {{PM|Mewtwo}} as playable characters in version 3.0 after the absence of the duo in ''Brawl''.


In 2015, a build called ''Project M Ex'' was created, mainly by hacker PyotrLuzhin/Петр Лужин, that worked as template for builds to easily add new slots for characters. It included all characters present in Project M, as well as [[Ridley]]. All future builds that were based on ''Project M'' (''[[Legacy XP]]'', ''[[Smash 2]]'') and added new characters are based on this template, and mods like ''Brawl-'' switched to this template reimplementing their changes.
In 2015, a build called ''Project M Ex'' was created, mainly by hacker PyotrLuzhin/Петр Лужин, that works as a template for builds to easily add new character slots. It included all characters present in ''Project M'', as well as [[Ridley]]. All future builds that were based on ''Project M'' and added new characters are based on this template, and mods like ''Brawl-'' switched to this template reimplementing their changes.


''Brawl-'' added [[Pichu]], Roy, Mewtwo, and newcomer [[Waluigi]] to the game. Newer mods based on ''Project M'' like ''Legacy XP'' add even more characters, that might have never been playable, into the game with completely original movesets.
''[[Brawl-]]'' added [[Pichu]], Roy, Mewtwo, and newcomers [[Ridley]] and [[Waluigi]] to the game. Newer mods based on ''Project M'' like ''Legacy XP'' add even more characters into the game with new movesets, including backports of characters from later Smash games like [[Cloud]] and [[Banjo & Kazooie]].


As of version ''1.0.0'' of ''Smash Remix'', a ''Smash 64'' mod, 13 characters have been added in addition to the original 12: [[Ganondorf]], [[Young Link]], [[Falco]], [[Dr. Mario]], [[Dark Samus]], [[Wario]] (the first to have a completely original moveset), [[Lucas]], [[Bowser]], Mad Piano, [[Wolf]], Conker, [[Mewtwo]], [[Marth]] and [[Sonic]]. [[Giga Bowser]] has also been added as a somewhat overpowered playable character.
===In ''Smash 4''===
{{incomplete}}
There are currently no known means to add playable characters to either version of ''Smash 4'' without replacing another character. A mod called [[4XM]] added {{SSBU|Chrom}} by giving {{SSB4|Lucina}} extra costumes, but they both share the same slot.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q5cjw_HPPc</ref> Another method is to replace a [[Fighting Mii Team]] slot with an existing character and then replace that character's slot with a modded character, though this method tends to have more limitations and bugs.<ref>https://gamebanana.com/mods/49015</ref>


As of recently, ''Melee'' also had mods created for it using the m-ex engine. This has been shown of in the Akaneia Build adding [[Wolf]], [[Diddy Kong]], and [[Charizard]] to Melee on December 25, 2021. Beyond Melee also added new characters to Melee, including Wolf, Fay, Raichu, Shadow Mewtwo, Skull Kid, Meta Knight and Sonic.
===In ''Ultimate''===
Adding new characters to ''Ultimate'' the same way 64, Brawl and Melee did isn't currently possible. However, the mod ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Championship Edition'' "added" Akuma from the ''Street Fighter'' series in its version 1.00 update released on July 1st 2021, with entirely unique moves and Final Smashes. Despite this, and without file and directory addition being possible during that time, the developer used a method called "model stacking" over Ryu and used various code edits to deal with name checks and mesh visibility toggles.


Adding new characters to ''Ultimate'' recently became possible. The mod ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Championship Edition'' added Akuma from the ''Street Fighter'' series in its version 1.00 update released on July 1st 2021, with entirely unique moves and Final Smashes.
While proper fighter addition still isn't possible as of 2024, functionally close alternatives have been discovered. Due to Arcropolis supporting file and directory addition, it is possible to increase a fighter's costume count past 8 and add more. These added slots can also have their own UI, names, sound effects, voice clips, animations, and even classic mode routes. There is also a Skyline plugin (still in closed beta) that can redirect a fighter's added costumes to have their own new slot on the Character Select Screen. It is also possible to give certain costumes their own frame data within their moveset through various code edits. This method is widely considered to be the closest thing to "fighter addition" in Ultimate; however, it isn't flawless and can still suffer from problems.


==Notable gameplay mods==
==Notable gameplay mods==
===''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''===
===''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''===
====''19XX''====
====''19XX''====
''Main article: [[19XX]]''
{{main|19XX}}
[[File:19xx.png|500px|center]]
[[File:19xx.png|500px|center]]
''[[19XXTE]]'' (''Tournament edition'') is the first and most notable of gameplay mods involving ''Smash 64''. Similar to the concurrently developed ''20XX'', ''19XXTE'' is intended to assist players in training their skills for professional play in ''Smash 64'', as well as adding various improvements for tournament play, such as a ''[[Match timer]]'', and allowing for access to the ordinarily unplayable stages [[Duel Zone]], {{SSB|Final Destination}}, [[Meta Crystal]] and cloudless [[Yoshi's Island]]. The mod has notably seen use in most ''Smash 64'' tournaments since [[Hitstun 3]] in late 2015, including [[GENESIS 3]], the first tournament with over 200 participants.
''[[19XXTE]]'' (''Tournament edition'') is the first and most notable of gameplay mods involving ''Smash 64''. Similar to the concurrently developed ''20XX'', ''19XXTE'' is intended to assist players in training their skills for professional play in ''Smash 64'', as well as adding various improvements for tournament play, such as a [[match timer]], and allowing for access to the ordinarily unplayable stages [[Duel Zone]], {{SSB|Final Destination}}, [[Meta Crystal]] and cloudless [[Yoshi's Island]]. The mod has notably seen use in most ''Smash 64'' tournaments since [[Hitstun 3]] in late 2015, including [[GENESIS 3]], the first tournament with over 200 participants.


''19XXGE'' (''Genesis edition'') is more or less identical to ''19XXTE'' and got its name from being designed for the {{Trn|GENESIS|series}} series.
''19XXGE'' (''Genesis edition'') is more or less identical to ''19XXTE'' and got its name from being designed for the {{Trn|GENESIS|series}} series.
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====''Smash Remix''====
====''Smash Remix''====
''Main article: [[Smash Remix]]''
{{main|Smash Remix}}
[[File:SmashRemixLogo.png|300px|center]]
[[File:SmashRemixLogo.png|300px|center]]
''Smash Remix'' is a mod with the goal to expand Smash 64 with new characters, stages, etc. while staying true to its core gameplay. New mechanics from the other ''Smash'' games, like [[wavedashing]], are not added. The vision involves having tournaments where the new characters are pitched against the old ones, all the clones being viable against the originals.
''Smash Remix'' is a mod with the goal to expand Smash 64 with new characters, stages, etc. while staying true to its core gameplay. New mechanics from the other ''Smash'' games, like [[wavedashing]], are added as optional bonuses. The vision involves having tournaments where the new characters are pitched against the old ones, with most of the newcomers being viable against the originals, alongside a set of more powerful boss characters.
 
In May 2019, the first version, entitled ''0.5'', was released, which replaced [[Captain Falcon]]'s model and moveset with [[Ganondorf]], mostly based on his ''Melee'' appearence. In later versions, he got decloned and received completely new smash attacks based on his ones introduced in ''Ultimate'' where he uses a trident weapon resembling Phantom Ganon's weapon in ''Ocarina of Time'' rather than the sword from the Spaceworld 2000 demo. He also gained a unique series icon, being a cracked and broken Triforce. In versions ''0.7'', ''0.8.1'' & ''0.8.2'', [[Young Link]] replacing [[Link]], [[Falco]] replacing [[Fox]], and [[Dr. Mario]] replacing [[Mario]] were added. Notable differences from their ''Melee'' counterparts, where their cloned moveset was mostly based off, are Young Link using his roll from the ''Zelda'' series as a [[dash attack]], Falco not having [[laser]]s and instead using [[Falco Phantasm]] as his neutral special, and Dr. Mario's [[down aerial]] being a strong [[spike]] like in ''Ultimate'' instead of a [[drill]] attack. He also later gained his own series icon, being a [[Megavitamin]]. All the newcomers received their own victory screen themes as well.
 
In version ''0.8.2'', released in August 2019, it became possible to add new stages instead of replacing old ones like in previous releases. For example, in version ''0.8'', a new stage based on Ganon's castle in Ocarina of Time became the first new stage in this mod, replacing Hyrule Temple. New stages are for example taken from the [[SSBMSE]] mod, which was merged with ''Smash Remix'' in version ''0.8.2''.
 
In version ''0.9'', released in October 2019, the new characters no longer replaced older characters, and it was finally possible to play with each of the original 12 characters and the 4 new characters, expanding the [[character selection screen]] to 16 characters. Version ''0.9.1'', released on Christmas Eve 2019, adds [[Dark Samus]] as a playable character who shares their gameplay from how it is in ''Ultimate'', but also gains some new moves that resemble the ones Dark Samus had as an [[Assist Trophy]] in ''Smash 4''. Eight more stages were added as well. In addition, it also incorporates all features from ''19XXCE'', such as Neutral Spawns and Hazard Toggle. Additionally [[Wario]] was teased for a future update.
 
Version ''0.9.2'', releasing March 15th, 2020, follows through on this with the addition of Wario as the first unique newcomer to the game, and while most of his normals are similar to ''Brawl''{{'}}s take on the character, he has different smash attacks, specials (except [[Corkscrew]]), and a new down air, in addition to having a custom stage entrance in which he crash lands with his plane, the {{iw|mariowiki|Bulldog}}. Overall, Wario more so represents the ''Wario Land'' series in this mod over the main series which focuses more on the ''WarioWare'' series. Originally, he used the ''Mario'' series icon rather than his usual "W" symbol, likely due to ''Wario Land'' not being established as its own "series" at the release of vanilla ''Smash 64'', however this was changed back to the "W" symbol in ''0.9.7''. It also added more stages, support for more stage features like hazards and moving platforms, framerate optimizations for various stages, gameplay variants of the original 12 such as regional variants, polygon team, [[Metal Mario]] and [[Giant DK]], and full 1P mode accessability for the new cast, with new [[Break the Targets]] stages for them to complete. It also added changeable music for stages, with the option to choose a specific song or by random with each track having a different rarity of playing on its stage.
 
On April 1st, 2020, the {{s|mariowiki|Mad Piano}} from ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario 64}}'' was “revealed” under the guise of version ''1.0.0'' as an April Fools’ joke. Because of this, version ''1.0.0'' and the Mad Piano were not released. However it was then officially added in version ''0.9.5'' sharing a slot with Luigi.
 
Version ''0.9.3'' was released on May 12th, 2020; adding [[Lucas]] as a playable character with him mostly retaining his gameplay from the regular series. However, he rides in on the Pork Bean rather than the Coffee Table during his stage intro and he uses Ness's [[up aerial]] from ''Ultimate''. [[PK Fire]] also replaces [[PK Freeze]] as his neutral special, similarly to Ness's situation in this game, due to ''64'' lacking unique side specials, as well as the [[frozen]] status effect. The update also added more regional variants for the original cast, more stages (such as one for Lucas that takes place in [[New Pork City]], and a "Smashketball" stage based on a popular [[Custom Stage]] concept players make, with the goal being to KO fighters by launching them into a [[Barrel Cannon]] that sends them directly downwards), more music for already existing stages, and unique [[Board the Platforms]] stages for most of the mod's newcomers. It also added more miscellaneous options, such as the ability to switch the menu music between ''Smash 64'', ''Melee'', and ''Brawl''{{'}}s versions.
 
Version ''0.9.4'' was released on September 6th, 2020, and saw the addition of [[Bowser]]. His moveset consists of moves he had in ''Melee'', in addition to a few new ones such as a [[sex kick]] [[neutral aerial]], a jab combo ending with a bite, and a new fire-breathing up aerial. His forward throw was changed to be like the [[Flying Slam]]. His running animation, [[back aerial]], and other attributes also more closely resemble how they've been since ''Smash 4''. [[Giga Bowser]] was also added, selectable underneath Bowser's slot in the same fashion as Metal Mario, Giant DK, and the Fighting Polygons under their respective characters. Like [[Bowser (PM)|his ''Project M'' version]] and Dr. Mario in this mod, Bowser also has his own series icon rather than a [[Super Mushroom]], that being the iconic logo of his face, using its design from ''Super Mario 64'', as opposed to the design used since ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' like in ''PM'' (although the modern design is used for his [[damage meter]]). His intro also differs from the main series, being him riding in on his Clown Car. His skeletal form when getting hit by [[electric]] attacks also resembles {{s|mariowiki|Dry Bowser}}. Version ''0.9.4'' also adds new stages such as Bowser's Keep from ''Super Mario RPG'', Goomba's Road from ''Paper Mario'', and World 1-1 from ''Super Mario Bros.'', which is a scrolling stage similar to [[Mushroomy Kingdom]]; as well as {{SSB|Dream Land}} and [[Ω form]]s of the original 9 stages, {{SSB|Race to the Finish}} as a standalone mode akin to Break the Targets and Board the Platforms, [[Multi-Man Smash|Multi-Man Mode]], [[Cruel Mode|Cruel Multi-Man Mode]], and a 12 Character Battle Versus Mode that has a similar idea to [[Squad Strike]] and [[Smashdown]] as new game modes. Newcomers to the mod who still didn't have their own Board the Platforms stage gained one, including a unique one for the Polygon variants of the roster.


Version ''0.9.5'' was released on December 6th, 2020 and was the first major update to not have a newcomer with their own slot; however, the Mad Piano was officially added just like in the April Fools' teaser, selectable under Luigi's slot like the other "boss" characters of the game. The update added transformation items which are brand new to ''Smash 64'', being the [[Super Mushroom]], [[Poison Mushroom]], and [[Cloaking Device]]. It also added Kirby Hats for the mod's newcomers.
Incorporating every feature from ''19XXCE'' and ''SSBMSE'', the mod adds 18 regular characters (returning and newcomers) as well as more than 60 stages. It also add many new game modes, as well as a plethora of customisation options for those modes, making the mod a robust single-player experience and multiplayer competition game alike.
 
Version ''0.9.6'' was never released individually and was cancelled and merged into the next build.
 
Version ''0.9.7'' was released on May 10th, 2021 and added [[Wolf O'Donnell]] as a newcomer, who mostly retains his gameplay from the core series, though his up special is [[Wolf Flash]] rather than [[Fire Wolf]]. He has an unique appearance based off his design in ''Starfox 64'' with some liberties such as wearing short sleeves and no gloves. Wolf also has a unique victory theme that comes from the theme for Star Wolf. [https://conker.fandom.com/wiki/Conker_the_Squirrel Conker the Squirrel] was also added, who is the first non-boss newcomer to the mod who has not appeared in the main series. Conker's personality, appearance, and moveset are based off specifically ''Bad Fur Day''. He uses several weapons from the game such as his frying pan and slingshot, alongside the chainsaw, flamethrower, bat, katana, and grenades. Conker's taunt involves him waving off the opponent and yelling "See ya!" with a grin. His series and stock icons are an extra tail, his intro is him being dropped in by Gregg's hand, and his victory theme is an excerpt from the Windy theme. Additionally, Wario now uses his own series symbol like in the main series rather than using the Mario series symbol and his home stage, Kitchen Island was entirely redesigned. As for stages; [[Venom]] from ''Melee'' was introduced alongside brand new stages from various Nintendo 64 titles being ''Jet Force Gemini'', ''[[Perfect Dark]]'', ''Conker's Bad Fur Day'', and ''Mischief Makers''. A "Remix Modes" selection was also added with the Multi-Man Modes and a new version of [[Classic Mode]] that stars the mod's newcomers and has increased difficulty, randomized bonus stages, and most stages have a random opponent as opposed to the same set every time. Lastly, additional customization options were added for Versus Mode that's comparable to [[Special Smash]] but with having the ability to pick specific settings for each participant. It includes being able to select the fighters' sizes before the match, let them always appear silhouetted, cloaked or as a skeleton, and even being able to set random knockback.
 
Skipping a couple individual builds, Version ''1.0.0'' was released on September 19th, 2021 and added [[Mewtwo]] and [[Marth]] as newcomers, filling out the character select screen. Both very closely replicate their gameplay and animations from the main series with the only notable differences being that Mewtwo has a unique victory theme based on the music that plays in Cerulean Cave and Marth's [[Dancing Blade]] replaces [[Shield Breaker]] as his neutral special. New stages added include "GameBoy Land", a stage that brings the fighters through various titles of the console (comparable to [[Dream Land GB]]); [[Jungle Japes]]; [[Yoshi's Island (SSBB)|Yoshi's Island II]]; and [[Castle Siege]]. [[Delfino Plaza]] received a complete overhaul, and new variations of {{b|Dream Land|SSB}}, [[Duel Zone]], [[Final Destination]], and Cool, Cool Mountain were also included. [[All-Star Mode]] was added as a new 1P Mode. Other features included were the ability to change shield color, adjust frame delay, and a song display that appears onscreen at the start of a match telling what song is currently playing. Lastly, new alternate costumes were given to the cast of the original game.
 
On Feburary 10th, 2022, Version ''1.1.0'' released with the addition of [[Sonic the Hedgehog]], as well as two more unknown slots on the character select screen. Sonic fights similarly to how he does in official ''Smash'' titles, with some notable exceptions being his forward aerial being the Sonic Eagle from ''Sonic Battle'' and his down aerial being a flurry of kicks akin to Yoshi's that is visually similar to his side taunt in the offical series. His intro is changed to be [[Tails]] carrying him onto the stage. In addition, Classic Sonic appears as an alternate costume and [[Super Sonic]] being Sonic's playable boss character similarly to Giga Bowser. More stages have been added with the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' stages being [[Green Hill Zone]], Casino Night Zone, and Metallic Madness. Other new stages include [[Mushroom Kingdom II|Subcon]], Pirate Land from ''Mario Party 2'', [[Mushroom Kingdom (SSBM)|Mushroom Kingdom (Melee)]], and [[Mute City SNES|Mute City]]. New variations of [[Hyrule Castle]] and [[Sector Z]] have also been added. [[Home-Run Contest]] was added as a new 1P Mode, with [[Sandbag]] also appearing in Training and being playable in said mode; and [[Stamina Mode]] was added as a new rule in Versus Mode. Other new features include the ability to spawn items when taunting, displaying player inputs on the top screen, having player shield color match their costume, and the ability to play any Bonus Stage with any character at will.
 
Additionally, the mod has received smaller updates in between the major version changes that typically just fix bugs and are distinguished by placing a lowercase letter after the version number, starting with "a" and moving onwards alphabetically; for example, version ''0.9.3c'' being the third update to ''0.9.3'' and fixing glitches regarding Jigglypuff's jump height, the combo meter not counting certain moves, and warping in the new bonus stages added amongst other issues.


===''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''===
===''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''===
====''Melee: SD Remix''====
====''Melee: SD Remix''====
''Main article: [[Melee: SD Remix]]''
{{main|Melee: SD Remix}}
[[File:Melee SDR.png|500px|center]]
[[File:Melee SDR.png|500px|center]]
''[[Melee: SD Remix]]'' is the first of notable of hacks involving ''Melee''. ''SD Remix'' holds some niche appeal amongst some devoted ''Melee'' players. The concept behind ''Melee: SD Remix'' can be compared to that of ''Balanced Brawl''; both mods avoid making changes to the game's base engine in favour of buffing and nerfing individual attributes of characters to make the game more balanced. Some stages have also been altered as to allow for better competitive gameplay. The development for ''SD Remix'' continues today, but appears to have slowed down, with the last version being from 2015.
''[[Melee: SD Remix]]'' is the first of notable of hacks involving ''Melee''. ''SD Remix'' holds some niche appeal amongst some devoted ''Melee'' players. The concept behind ''Melee: SD Remix'' can be compared to that of ''Balanced Brawl''; both mods avoid making changes to the game's base engine in favour of buffing and nerfing individual attributes of characters to make the game more balanced. Some stages have also been altered as to allow for better competitive gameplay. The development for ''SD Remix'' continues today, but appears to have slowed down, with the last version being from 2015.
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====''20XX''====
====''20XX''====
''Main article: [[20XX]]''
{{main|20XX}}
[[File:20XXTELogo.png|500px|center]]
[[File:20XXTELogo.png|500px|center]]
The ''[[20XX Melee Training Hack Pack]]'' does not feature any true modifications to ''Melee''{{'}}s gameplay; rather, as its name suggests, it modifies ''Melee''{{'}}s overall user interface to allow players to train their skills for professional ''Melee'' tournaments. Hacks, for instance, can allow players to flash differing colours to allow for practising of [[L-cancelling]] or allow for players to view hitbox data for the game's various characters. Other, minor hacks are also available, allowing for players to modify stages, use [[PAL]] versions of characters, or use unique costumes.
The ''[[20XX Melee Training Hack Pack]]'' does not feature any true modifications to ''Melee''{{'}}s gameplay; rather, as its name suggests, it modifies ''Melee''{{'}}s overall user interface to allow players to train their skills for professional ''Melee'' tournaments. Hacks, for instance, can allow players to flash differing colours to allow for practising of [[L-cancelling]] or allow for players to view hitbox data for the game's various characters. Other, minor hacks are also available, allowing for players to modify stages, use [[PAL]] versions of characters, or use unique costumes.
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====''Silly Melee''====
====''Silly Melee''====
[[File:SillyMeleeLogo.png|250px|center]]
[[File:SillyMeleeLogo.png|250px|center]]
''Silly Melee'' [https://smashboards.com/threads/silly-melee-released-today.426631/] is a modification of ''Melee'' with the purpose of making every character overpowered. Made by {{Sm|Alpharad}} and MagicScrumpy with assistance from Casey O'Rourke, it is self-described on its official website as "Very, very silly. Characters do things that they never should have been able to do." Version 1.0 was released in December 2015.
''Silly Melee'' [https://smashboards.com/threads/silly-melee-released-today.426631/] is a modification of ''Melee'' with the purpose of making every character overpowered. Made by {{Sm|Alpharad}} and {{Sm|MagicScrumpy}} with assistance from Casey O'Rourke, it is self-described on its official website as "Very, very silly. Characters do things that they never should have been able to do." Version 1.0 was released in December 2015.


====''The Akaneia Build''====
====''The Akaneia Build''====
[[File:The_Akaneia_Build.png|500px|center]]
[[File:The_Akaneia_Build.png|500px|center]]
First releasing on January 20th, 2021, ''The Akaneia Build'' is a major mod that is comparable to that of ''Smash Remix'' for the first entry in the series, albeit for ''Melee'' instead; as it too takes advantage of being able to add content to the original game without replacing any, which was a brand new discovery for ''Melee'' upon its creation. It also features online play, using an already existing netcode mod. Also like ''Remix,'' the mod focuses heavily on the competitive side of things while also being fully accessible to more casual play.
First released on January 20th, 2021, ''The Akaneia Build'' is a major mod that is comparable to that of ''Smash Remix'' for the first entry in the series, albeit for ''Melee'' instead, as it too takes advantage of being able to add content to the original game without replacing any, which was a brand new discovery for ''Melee'' upon its creation. It also features online play, using an already existing netcode mod. Also like ''Remix'', the mod focuses heavily on the competitive side of things while also being fully accessible to more casual play.


The mod first released with adding back in all stages from ''Smash 64'' that weren't already present in the base game, including [[Metal Cavern]]. A brand new stage added was a volleyball court, which also became a new game mode complete with scoring. It also added various new alt costumes for the roster, many of which were based on color swaps added in later games of the series such as Mario's pink and cyan alt, the white alt for [[Mr. Game & Watch]], and yellow color swaps for Fox and [[Link]]. Some costumes were new such as [[Pichu]] wearing the hat and backpack of the male trainer from ''Pokémon Gold and Silver.'' A small update was shortly released after adding Mario wearing his cape as another new costume. The most notable addition to the base release was [[Wolf O'Donnell]] being added as a newcomer; with his appearance being based on how he looks in ''Star Fox 64'' and the intro to ''Melee,'' and he only has Japanese voice clips. Wolf mostly replicates his gameplay from the regular series, although his connections to Fox and Falco can be more clearly felt here. He especially shares many noticeable assets with Fox, due to Wolf blatantly being a modded version of him. Not just in terms of moveset and attributes, but Wolf's size and proportions are much closer to Fox's than how they normally are; the two even share his idle animation. Wolf's playstyle and strategy is also heavily affected due to ''Melee's'' physics. Wolf comes with his own [[Break the Targets]] stage as well; although currently he lacks victory animations, with a win by him resulting in an immediate cut back to the character select screen. The announcer does not say Wolf's name, but instead says "Bonus character" when selecting him. Wolf also does not have any trophies of his own and receives Mario's when completing a single player mode, he does not appear as an opponent in any of them either. It is currently unknown if these details are planned to or can possibly be fixed in the future.
The mod was first released with adding back in all stages from ''Smash 64'' that weren't already present in the base game except for [[Sector Z]], including [[Metal Cavern]]. A brand new stage added was a volleyball court, which also became a new game mode complete with scoring. It also added various new alternate costumes for the roster, many of which were based on color swaps added in later games of the series, such as Mario's pink and cyan alternate, the white alternate for [[Mr. Game & Watch]], and yellow color swaps for Fox and [[Link]]. Some costumes were new, such as [[Pichu]] wearing the hat and backpack of the male trainer from ''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver''. A small update was released shortly after, adding Mario wearing his cape as another new costume. The most notable addition to the base release was [[Wolf O'Donnell]] being added as a newcomer, with his appearance being based on how he looks in ''Star Fox 64'' and the intro to ''Melee'', and he only has Japanese voice clips, much like Fox and Falco's appearances. Wolf mostly replicates his gameplay from the regular series, although his connections to Fox and Falco can be more clearly felt here. He especially shares many noticeable assets with Fox, due to Wolf blatantly being a modded version of him in terms of moveset and attributes; additionally, Wolf's size and proportions are much closer to Fox's than how they normally are; the two even share his idle animation. Wolf's playstyle and strategy is also heavily affected due to ''Melee''{{'}}s physics. Wolf comes with his own [[Break the Targets]] stage as well; however, he currently he lacks victory animations, with a win by him resulting in an immediate cut back to the character select screen. The announcer does not say Wolf's name, but instead says "Bonus character" when selecting him.


On December 25th, 2021, Version 0.8 released, adding [[Diddy Kong]] and [[Charizard]] as playable characters. Both have their animations identical to the main series. Diddy Kong uses his moveset from ''Brawl'', while Charizard functions as a hybrid of its ''Brawl'' and ''Smash 4'' incarnations, being a solo character like in the latter. A notable difference for Diddy is that his [[Banana Peel]] will cause fighters to fully fall over rather than just trip upon slipping on it due to ''Melee'' lacking tripping mechanics. The character select screen was expanded and adjusted so that the newcomers appear next to other characters in their series rather than occupying an empty random select slot like Wolf originally did. More alternate costumes were added for the base cast such as Fire Mario and Jigglypuff wearing Nurse Joy's hat. It also added Tag, All-Star Versus, and Turbo Modes. In Tag, one player has an arrow above their head and must attack another player to get rid of it. After a short amount of time, the player who has the arrow over their head will self-destruct. All-Star Versus allows players to use multiple characters for each of their stocks, similarly to [[Squad Strike]] in ''Ultimate''. Lastly, Turbo Melee is a mode that allows players to immediately use another move after landing one, allowing for more combos and making an electric noise when doing so.
Version 0.8, released on December 25th, 2021, added [[Diddy Kong]] and [[Charizard]], with the former being based on his appearance in games like ''Diddy Kong Racing'' and ''Donkey Kong 64'', and the latter being based on its appearance as a Poké Ball Pokémon in ''Melee'' itself. Charizard's moveset closely matches [[Charizard (SSB4)|its appearance in ''Smash 4'']], with [[Flare Blitz]] as its side special (though it is labelled in-game as {{iw|bulbapedia|Dragon Rage|move}}), and [[Rock Smash]] as its down special, though it keeps its forward aerial from ''Brawl''.
 
Version 0.9, released on April 7th, 2023, adds [[Lucas]] and [[Sonic the Hedgehog]], with the latter's appearance being based on his design first seen in ''Sonic Adventure'', and his moveset being slightly altered to reflect such by replacing [[Spin Dash]] with the [https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Light_Speed_Dash Light Speed Dash]. Four more stages were added, being [[Luigi's Mansion]], [[Delfino Plaza]], Village ([[Smashville]]), and [[Green Hill Zone]]. Reflecting the release time of ''Melee'', the Village takes its design from the Nintendo 64 ''Animal Crossing'' rather than ''Wild World'', and Amy replaces Silver as a [[background character]] in Green Hill Zone. In addition, all newcomers now have their own [[Trophy|trophies]], as well as a new Kirby Hat 6 trophy featuring Kirbys with Wolf's, Diddy Kong's, and Charizard's [[Copy Abilities]] and a Kirby Hat 7 trophy featuring Kirbys with Lucas' and Sonic's Copy Abilities. Trophies of [[Tails]], [[Knuckles]], Amy, [[Super Sonic]], and [[Shadow]] were also added.


====''Beyond Melee''====
====''Beyond Melee''====
[[File:Beyond_Melee.png|500px|center]]
[[File:Beyond_Melee.png|500px|center]]
''Beyond Melee'' is the next Melee mod after ''The Akaneia Build'' to expand Melee's roster and other content without replacing any; even using the same Wolf and "minigame" stages from ''Akaneia Build''. Unlike ''Akaneia Build'' however which simply adds content to ''Melee'' without changing anything else (much like ''Smash Remix'' for the first game); ''Beyond Melee'' changes original assets in the game. Not just aesthetically in menu design but gameplay wise too remixes a chunk of the original cast and stages. This is done to make the roster more balanced and competitively viable and stages to be more tournament friendly. Said changes are done in accessible ways though and can still be enjoyed casually. There are still stages that exist purely for fun and ones changed competitively are done in self aware and tongue in cheek ways such as having [[Whispy Woods]] burnt down on Dreamland 64 as to not blow on fighters.
''Beyond Melee'' is a ''Melee'' mod made after the release of ''The Akaneia Build'' to further expand Melee's roster and other content without replacing any, even using the same Wolf and "minigame" stages from ''Akaneia Build''. However, unlike ''Akaneia Build'', which simply adds content to ''Melee'' while leaving everything else unchanged (much like ''Smash Remix'' for ''Smash 64''), ''Beyond Melee'' changes original assets in the game. In addition to aesthetic changes to menu design, gameplay-wise, a chunk of the original cast and stages are remixed. This is done to make the roster more balanced and competitively viable and stages to be more tournament-friendly. Said changes are done in accessible ways, though, and can still be enjoyed casually. There are still stages that exist purely for fun, and ones changed competitively are done in self-aware and humorous ways, such as having [[Whispy Woods]] burnt down on Dream Land 64 so as to not blow on fighters.


Most veteran fighters received minimal changes, usually just a couple new moves and fixes in frame data. Lower tier characters such as Bowser and Zelda however received many more changes to buff them. Bowser for example received tremendous buffs in speed and frame data. He also gained an entirely new neutral special and down air. Zelda received similar changes but also has an entirely new warrior princess like attire, resembling her appearance in ''Hyrule Warriors''. In the first public release, Luigi, Yoshi, Ness, [[Ice Climbers]], Kirby, and [[Mr. Game & Watch]] were not yet playable most likely due to also receiving large overhauls. Though their silhouettes can be seen on the character select screen with Luigi having what appears to be a [[Boo]] alongside him, implying his moveset will have many more references to ''Luigi's Mansion''.
Most veteran fighters received minimal changes, usually just a couple of new moves and fixes in frame data. Lower-tier characters, such as Bowser and Zelda, however, received many more changes to buff them. Bowser, for example, received tremendous buffs in speed and frame data. He also gained an entirely new neutral special and down air. Zelda received similar changes, but also has an entirely new warrior princess-like attire, resembling her appearance in ''Hyrule Warriors''. In the first public release, Luigi, Yoshi, Ness, Ice Climbers, Kirby, and Mr. Game & Watch were not yet playable, most likely due to also receiving large overhauls. However, their silhouettes could be seen on the character select screen, with Luigi having what appears to be a [[Boo]] alongside him, implying his moveset would have many more references to ''Luigi's Mansion''.


The mod adds five newcomers to ''Melee'' being [[Skull Kid]], Fay from ''Star Fox 2'', Wolf, [[Raichu]], and Shadow Mewtwo from ''Pokken Tournament''. Skull Kid uses Ness as a base but has an entirely unique moveset featuring magic and dark energy balls that hover around him. Wolf is the same as he is in ''The Akaneia Build'' but with a minor appearance change. Fay, like Wolf in these mods, is also clearly an edited version of Fox though having an even closer resembleance to him than Wolf. Fay gains unique attributes by having the Homing Launcher from ''Star Fox: Assault'' in her moveset. The launcher can ignite powerful close range explosions and also gives her a side special based on the same move [[Snake]] has. Raichu is a heavyweight compliment to its pre-evolutions, moving much slower but having much more powerful electric attacks than the other two. Shadow Mewtwo is of course based off Mewtwo but has many brand new moves and even a unique [[fighter ability]] of building up a power meter.
The mod adds five newcomers to ''Melee'', being [[Skull Kid]], Fay from ''Star Fox 2'', [[Wolf O'Donnell|Wolf]], [[Raichu]], and Shadow Mewtwo from ''Pokkén Tournament''. Skull Kid uses Ness as a base, but has an entirely unique moveset featuring magic and dark energy balls that hover around him. Wolf is the same as he is in ''The Akaneia Build'', but with a minor appearance change. Fay, like Wolf in these mods, is also clearly an edited version of Fox, though has an even closer resemblance to him than Wolf. Fay gains unique attributes by having the Homing Launcher from ''Star Fox: Assault'' in her moveset. The launcher can ignite powerful close range explosions and also gives her a side special similar to [[Snake]]'s [[Remote Missile]]. Raichu is a heavyweight compliment to its pre-evolutions, moving much slower but having much more powerful electric attacks than the other two. Shadow Mewtwo is based on Mewtwo, but has many brand new moves and even a unique gimmick of building up a power meter.


The second publicly released build of ''Beyond Melee'' released on March 15th, 2022, titled "Demo 2" and featuring the revamped return of Ness, a significant revamp for Raichu, and the additions of Sonic the Hedgehog and Meta Knight, as well as even more stages, costumes, and balance changes.
The second publicly released build of ''Beyond Melee'' was released on March 15th, 2022, entitled "Demo 2" and featuring the revamped return of Ness, a significant revamp for Raichu, and the additions of Sonic the Hedgehog and Meta Knight, as well as even more stages, costumes, and balance changes.


====''Super Smash Bros. Melee 64''====
====''Super Smash Bros. Melee 64''====
[[File:supersmashbrosmelee64.png|500px|center]]
[[File:supersmashbrosmelee64.png|500px|center]]
As the name suggests, ''Super Smash Bros. Melee 64'' (often just referred to as "''Melee 64''") is a mod with the goal of making ''Melee'' more like its predecessor, '' Smash 64'' and was first made available in July 2019. A notable feature of the mod is the ability to choose between playing it with ''Melee's'' regular mechanics and techniques, or a unique version that combines the gameplay styles of ''Melee'' and ''64''. It also contains completely remixed stages, alternate costumes, and menus reflecting ''64''.
As the name suggests, ''Super Smash Bros. Melee 64'' (often just referred to as "''Melee 64''") is a mod with the goal of making ''Melee'' more like its predecessor, '' Smash 64'', and was first made available in July 2019. A notable feature of the mod is the ability to choose between playing it with ''Melee''{{'}}s regular mechanics and techniques, or a unique version that combines the gameplay styles of ''Melee'' and ''64''. It also contains completely remixed stages, alternate costumes, and menus reflecting ''64''.
 
====''Turbo DX''====
''Turbo DX'' is a mod of ''The Akaneia Build'' released on September 28th, 2024, comprising of all the content from ''The Akaneia Build'' and the addition of more content. There are currently two new characters added in the mod, those being [[Daisy]] and [[Wario]]. Unlike ''The Akaneia Build'', all characters that weren't in ''Melee'' have unique [[announcer]] calls done by the game's original announcer, Dean Harrington provided by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie6buZduoGU David V. Kimball]. [[Lucas]] had his design changed to match how he would have looked in the cancelled ''{{iw|wikibound|EarthBound 64}}''. Many veterans received new [[alternate costume]]s and more stages have been added such as [[Sector Z]], [[Castle Siege]], {{iw|mariowiki|Mine Cart Madness}}, {{iw|mariowiki|Bowser's Castle}}, {{iw|bulbapedia|Ecruteak City}}, {{iw|wikirby|Celestial Valley}}, a ''Melee'' version of [[Small Battlefield]], and {{iw|mariowiki|Wario's Castle}}.


===''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''===
===''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''===
====''Balanced Brawl''====
====''Balanced Brawl''====
[[File:Balancedbrawllogo.png|500px|center]]
[[File:Balancedbrawllogo.png|500px|center]]
''Balanced Brawl'' is unusual amongst ''Brawl'' mods in that it does not significantly alter the core gameplay physics of ''Brawl''. In its attempts to make the game more balanced, it instead primarily focuses buffing and nerfing all the characters, as well as adding some universal nerfs, such as altering how [[ledge]]s work in order to combat [[planking]]. In addition to its various character tweaks, some of the stages were also changed, though not to an extent seen in other mods; most stage hazards are still present, but instead are either weakened or occur less often. Likely as a result of its lack of immediately visible changes, ''Balanced Brawl'' was unable to find the popularity of other mods for ''Brawl'', though it did attain a small niche composed of those who opposed the changes made by ''Brawl+''.
''[http://www.balancedbrawl.net Balanced Brawl]'' is unusual amongst ''Brawl'' mods in that it does not significantly alter the core gameplay physics of ''Brawl''. In its attempts to make the game more balanced, it instead primarily focuses buffing and nerfing all the characters, as well as adding some universal nerfs, such as altering how [[ledge]]s work in order to combat [[planking]]. In addition to its various character tweaks, some of the stages were also changed, though not to an extent seen in other mods; most stage hazards are still present, but instead are either weakened or occur less often. Likely as a result of its lack of immediately visible changes, ''Balanced Brawl'' was unable to find the popularity of other mods for ''Brawl'', though it did attain a small niche composed of those who opposed the changes made by ''Brawl+''.
 
While not officially abandoned, the last notable update for ''Balanced Brawl'', version 3, was released in 2010, with only a 2011 bugfix patch for [[PAL]] regions being released since then. Because of the effectively ceased development, ''Balanced Brawl'' is generally considered to be antiquated. As its last version was based on the ''Brawl'' [[metagame]] from 2010, some notable developments are not reflected in ''Balanced Brawl'''s changes, such as the emergence of {{SSBB|Olimar}} as a top tier character (who saw no nerfs by the final release of ''Balanced Brawl''), as well as the gradually decreasing dominance of {{SSBB|Snake}} (who saw the most amount of nerfs besides {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}).
 
====''Brawl-''====
''Main article: [[Brawl-]]''
[[File:BrawlMinusLogo.png|500px|center]]
''[[Brawl-]]'', like most other ''Brawl'' mods, attempts to change the cast and physics of ''Brawl'' in order to make the game more balanced. As a farcical jab to the then-concurrent mod of ''Brawl+'' and its careful use of appropriate nerfs and buffs, the changes to the characters and physics in ''Brawl-'' are intended by the developers to be absurd and over-the-top in comparison; ''Brawl-'s'' development has relied on the mantra of "if everyone is broken, no one is". [[Hitstun]], for instance, has been drastically increased as to allow for combos that are much easier to perform than either ''Brawl'' or ''Melee'' and all characters now have the ability to [[wall jump]]. In addition, instead of giving characters a mix of appropriate buffs and nerfs to balance the cast, all the characters have been buffed to ridiculous levels and each given a plethora of new, very powerful options; {{SSBB|Ike}}, for instance, can charge [[Eruption]] and store it, allowing for a powerful kill move. The mod is noteworthy for being the only major ''Brawl'' mod  aimed towards casual players instead of competitive players, though the mod is still intended to have competitive balance, with there being a large amount of various updates that buffed and nerfed characters as deemed necessary to better achieve that balance.


''Brawl-'' enjoyed considerable popularity and attention when first released in 2010, and it became the most popular ''Brawl'' mod among the fanbase in this time, due to its more obvious changes compared to ''Balanced Brawl'' and its less controversial changes compared to ''Brawl+''; the game was even featured as a side-event at some ''Brawl'' tournaments, such as at [[Apex 2010]]. As ''Project M'' got farther into development and started releasing more complete builds, however, ''Brawl-'' would become eclipsed in popularity, though it still has a large, devoted cult following. Despite the diminishing popularity and lack of representation at tournaments, development for ''Brawl-'' continues to this day, with builds being released into 2017.
While not officially abandoned, the last notable update for ''Balanced Brawl'', version 3, was released in 2010, with only a 2011 bugfix patch for [[PAL]] regions being released since then. Because of the effectively ceased development, ''Balanced Brawl'' is generally considered to be antiquated. As its last version was based on the ''Brawl'' [[metagame]] from 2010, some notable developments are not reflected in ''Balanced Brawl''{{'}}s changes, such as the emergence of {{SSBB|Olimar}} as a top tier character (who saw no nerfs by the final release of ''Balanced Brawl''), as well as the gradually decreasing dominance of {{SSBB|Snake}} (who saw the most nerfs besides {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}).


====''Brawl+''====
====''Brawl+''====
''Main article: [[Brawl+]]''
{{main|Brawl+}}
[[File:Brawl+ Logo.png|500px|center]]
[[File:Brawl+ Logo.png|500px|center]]
''[[Brawl+]]'' was the first notable gameplay mod available for ''Brawl'', and it also became the first mod to develop its own tournament scene, with it semi-frequently appearing as a side event at ''Brawl'' tournaments during its heyday in 2009 and early 2010. The mod featured multiple tweaks to gameplay that would later be seen in most future mods; in addition to changing the physics engine, some stages were changed in order to make them fit the guidelines for [[Tournament legal|legality within tournaments]], and individual characters had various attributes nerfed and buffed in an attempt to reduce competitive inequality between characters. Despite popularising the concept of modifying the base gameplay of ''Brawl'' and its presence as a side-event at some ''Brawl'' tournaments, ''Brawl+'' was immediately controversial to some members of the community, due to the fact that most of its changes were seen by many as solely attempting to make ''Brawl'' play exactly like ''Melee'', particularly in regard to changes to individual characters, such as {{SSBB|Fox}} and {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}} having become altered to make them almost identical to their ''Melee'' counterparts. ''Brawl+'s'' own staff became estranged and antagonistic towards each other because of controversies over the development and ultimate goal of the mod.
''[[Brawl+]]'' was the first notable gameplay mod available for ''Brawl'', and it also became the first mod to develop its own tournament scene, with it semi-frequently appearing as a side event at ''Brawl'' tournaments during its heyday in 2009 and early 2010. The mod featured multiple tweaks to gameplay that would later be seen in most future mods; in addition to changing the physics engine, some stages were changed in order to make them fit the guidelines for [[Tournament legal|legality within tournaments]], and individual characters had various attributes nerfed and buffed in an attempt to reduce competitive inequality between characters. Despite popularising the concept of modifying the base gameplay of ''Brawl'' and its presence as a side-event at some ''Brawl'' tournaments, ''Brawl+'' was immediately controversial to some members of the community, due to the fact that most of its changes were seen by many as solely attempting to make ''Brawl'' play exactly like ''Melee'', particularly in regard to changes to individual characters, such as {{SSBB|Fox}} and {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}} having become altered to make them almost identical to their ''Melee'' counterparts. ''Brawl+''{{'}}s own staff became estranged and antagonistic towards each other because of controversies over the development and ultimate goal of the mod.


Development of the mod ceased in 2010, with version 7.0.3. Most of its staff moved onto ''Project M'', a mod with a similar design philosophy to ''Brawl+'', but with a more concentrated and slightly different goal. Today, ''Brawl+'' is mostly viewed as a curiosity amongst Smashers who are interested in seeing how the hacking scene of ''Brawl'' first started.
Development of the mod ceased in 2010, with version 7.0.3. Most of its staff moved onto ''Project M'', a mod with a similar design philosophy to ''Brawl+'', but with a more concentrated and slightly different goal. Today, ''Brawl+'' is mostly viewed as a curiosity amongst Smashers who are interested in seeing how the hacking scene of ''Brawl'' first started.
====''Brawl-''====
{{main|Brawl-}}
[[File:BrawlMinusLogo.png|500px|center]]
''[[Brawl-]]'', like most other ''Brawl'' mods, attempts to change the cast and physics of ''Brawl'' in order to make the game more balanced. In a playful jab at the then-active ''Brawl+'' and its carefully considered balancing philosophy, the changes to the characters and physics in ''Brawl-'' are intended by the developers to be absurd and over-the-top in comparison. ''Brawl-''{{'}}s character design can be boiled down to the mantra "if everyone is broken, no one is". [[Hitstun]], for instance, has been drastically increased as to allow for combos that are much easier to perform than either ''Brawl'' or ''Melee'', and all characters now have the ability to [[wall jump]]. In addition, all characters have been buffed to ridiculous levels and each given a plethora of new, very powerful options; {{SSBB|Ike}}, for instance, can charge [[Eruption]] and store it, allowing for a powerful kill move. The mod is noteworthy for being an early major ''Brawl'' mod aimed towards casual players (although competitive balancing is still of importance to the developers).
''Brawl-'' enjoyed considerable popularity and attention when first released in 2010, and it became the most popular ''Brawl'' mod among the fanbase in this time, due to its more obvious changes compared to ''Balanced Brawl'' and its less controversial changes compared to ''Brawl+''; the game was even featured as a side-event at some ''Brawl'' tournaments, such as at [[Apex 2010]]. As ''Project M'' got farther into development and started releasing more complete builds, however, ''Brawl-'' would become eclipsed in popularity, though it still has a large, devoted cult following. Despite the diminishing popularity and lack of representation at tournaments, development for ''Brawl-'' has received updates as late as February 2023.


====''Project M''====
====''Project M''====
''Main article: [[Project M]]''
{{main|Project M}}
[[File:PMLogo.png|500px|center]]
[[File:PMLogo.png|500px|center]]
''[[Project M]]'' can be seen as a spiritual successor to ''Brawl+'', due to the two mods sharing much of the identical staff. ''Project M'' features many of ''Brawl+'s'' previous physics changes, but was able to distance itself from the previous mod and its related controversies by giving more thorough changes to all characters. Of all ''Brawl'' gameplay mods, ''Project M'' remains the most popular, due to its altered physics engine that makes it play similarly to ''Melee'' and thorough nerfing and buffing of all characters in the game; although aimed primarily at hardcore players as opposed to casual gamers, ''Project M's'' considerable "fanservice", such as the inclusion of [[Roy]] and [[Mewtwo]], new [[palette swap]]s that reference more video games than ''Brawl's'' standard selections, and other such interests have allowed it to reach popularity amongst such players. ''Project M'''s popularity led to it eventually becoming a notable side-event in tournaments, and it later developed its own distinctive tournament scene, with [[Apex 2014]]'s ''Project M'' event attracting even more entrants than ''Brawl's''.
''[[Project M]]'' can be seen as a spiritual successor to ''Brawl+'', especially since many Brawl+ developers moved on to work on ''Project M''. ''Project M'' features many of ''Brawl+''{{'}}s previous physics changes, but was able to distance itself from the previous mod and its related controversies by giving more thorough changes to all characters. Of all ''Brawl'' gameplay mods, ''Project M'' remains the most popular, due to its altered physics engine that makes it play similarly to ''Melee'' and thorough nerfing and buffing of all characters in the game; although aimed primarily at hardcore players as opposed to casual gamers, ''Project M''{{'}}s considerable "fanservice", such as the inclusion of [[Roy]] and [[Mewtwo]], new [[palette swap]]s that reference more video games than ''Brawl''{{'}}s standard selections, and other such interests have allowed it to reach popularity amongst such players. ''Project M''{{'}}s popularity led to it eventually becoming a notable side-event in tournaments, and it later developed its own distinctive tournament scene, with [[Apex 2014]]'s ''Project M'' event attracting even more entrants than ''Brawl''{{'}}s.


Newer revisions of ''Project M'' had other additions to the game, such as added multiplayer modes, new maps, and a new [[announcer]], with the last major revision being 3.6. While intended to include several completely new characters in its next revision, as well as further buffs and nerfs, development on ''Project M'' ceased on 1 December 2015, due to concerns over the legality of the mod. Despite this stoppage, ''Project M'' continues to maintain a devoted following, with tournaments for it still being organised.
Newer revisions of ''Project M'' had other additions to the game, such as added multiplayer modes, new maps, and a new [[announcer]], with the last major revision being 3.6. While intended to include several completely new characters in its next revision, as well as further buffs and nerfs, development on ''Project M'' ceased on 1 December 2015, due to concerns over the legality of the mod. Despite this stoppage, ''Project M'' continues to maintain a devoted following.
 
====''Legacy TE''====
[[File:LegacyTELogo.png|400px|center]]
''Legacy TE'' is a tourney-viable modification of ''Project M 3.6'' that aims to add new content while also keeping core, fundamental gameplay unmodified. It features a variety of tourney-safe alternative stage skins, costumes, and quality of life features. This includes shortcuts to edit a players' controls without leaving the character selection screen, an improvement to character files to reduce crashing likelihood, and an improved menu interface. A debug menu made for the mod allows players to train their skills for professional tournaments. For example, there is an option to show [[DI]] lines that show how directional influence affects where an attack sends an opponent, with a clearly defined end point that either aims to the ground or stops in the air. A variety of tools and resources have also been made for the mod, allowing tournament organizers to easily customize their builds, including changing the stagelist, replacing costumes, or editing brand assets on menus. ''Legacy TE'' has received worldwide adoption and is generally considered the go-to edition of ''Project M'' by tournament players. Version 2.11 was released in January 2019. Version 2.5 was released on August 26, 2019, and features 15 costumes per character, alternate stage toggle options in the code menu, and many other features.
 
Development ceased on March 13, 2020, with an announcement on their website [https://smashbroslegacy.com] and removal of all downloads. Project co-lead David V. Kimball stressed no Nintendo involvement in the shutdown, and directed further questions to Ryan Morrison [https://twitter.com/davidvkimball/status/1238928426716692480?s=20], similar to the Project M shutdown.


====''Project+''====
====''Project+''====
''Main article: [[Project+]]''
{{main|Project+}}
[[File:ProjectPlusLogo.png|500px|center]]
[[File:ProjectPlusLogo.png|500px|center]]
''[[Project+]]'' is a modification of ''[[Project M]] 3.6'' (based on ''Legacy TE'') with the aim to improve the balance among the cast by making small moveset changes to all or most characters. It is intended to become tournament standard. Development started in 2018, and version v1b was released in April 2019.
''[[Project+]]'' is a modification of ''[[Project M]] 3.6'' (based on ''Legacy TE'') with the aim to improve the balance among the cast by making small moveset changes to all or most characters. It is intended to become tournament standard. Development started in 2018, and version v1b was released in April 2019.


On March 17, 2020, ''Project+ 2.0'' was revealed, with additional content, such as new modes, revamps to some characters' movesets such as Bowser getting a new fireball attack and Charizard getting {{iw|bulbapedia|Thunder Punch}}, and the reveal of [[Knuckles the Echidna]] as the only new playable character beyond what Project M had. Future Updates, up to 2.26, included balanced changes, new UI, and more stages.
On March 17, 2020, ''Project+ 2.0'' was revealed, with additional content, such as new modes, revamps to some characters' movesets such as Bowser getting a new fireball attack and Charizard getting {{iw|bulbapedia|Thunder Punch}}, and the reveal of [[Knuckles the Echidna]] as the only new playable character beyond what Project M had. Future Updates, up to 2.3, included balanced changes, new UI, and more stages.


====''Project+ Tournament Addition''====
====''Project+ Tournament Addition''====
[[File:ProjectPlusTournamentAdditionLogo.png|500px|center]]
[[File:ProjectPlusTournamentAdditionLogo.png|500px|center]]
''Project+ Tournament Addition'' is a tourney-viable modification of ''Project+'' that aims to add new content while also keeping core, fundamental gameplay unmodified. It features an expansive variety of tourney-safe alternative stage skins, costumes, and quality of life features. This includes over 1,000 character costumes to choose from with each character having 20 costumes, and 4 team color options. Over 1,000 stages that are all alternate skins of existing competitive layouts, featuring tournament layout makeovers for all existing stages from Project+, Legacy TE, Project M, Brawl, Melee, and 64; as well as many brand new stages designed for this mod. The project also showcases a new code menu made with the mod in mind, that allows players to train their skills for professional tournaments. For example, there is a feature called actionable overlay that allows you to see when you are actionable during or after an attack, as well as a combo trainer tool that allows you to set your opponent's position and practice follow ups. Other new codes made for the project include a Random 1-1 code that allows the player to select a tournament stage of their choice, and be taken to a random variation of that stage. This is often used with the Endless Friendlies code shown in ''LegacyTE'' to allow players to play on many visual takes on the same stage layout for as long as they want. Many new modes that aren't seen in Project+ are featured here which include, Big Head Mode, Random Angle Mode, the return of XP's War Mode, and as well as a beta version of Retro Mode that is featured in the Special Versus Menu.  
''Project+ Tournament Addition'' is a tourney-viable modification of ''Project+'' that aims to add new content while also keeping core, fundamental gameplay unmodified. It features an expansive variety of tourney-safe alternative stage skins, costumes, and quality of life features. This includes over 1,000 character costumes to choose from with each character having 20 costumes, and 4 team color options. Over 1,000 stages that are all alternate skins of existing competitive layouts, featuring tournament layout makeovers for all existing stages from Project+, Legacy TE, Project M, Brawl, Melee, and 64; as well as many brand new stages designed for this mod. The project also showcases a new code menu made with the mod in mind, that allows players to train their skills for professional tournaments. For example, there is a feature called actionable overlay that allows you to see when you are actionable during or after an attack, as well as a combo trainer tool that allows you to set your opponent's position and practice follow ups. Other new codes made for the project include a Random 1-1 code that allows the player to select a tournament stage of their choice, and be taken to a random variation of that stage. This is often used with the Endless Friendlies code shown in ''LegacyTE'' to allow players to play on many visual takes on the same stage layout for as long as they want. Many new modes that aren't seen in Project+ are featured here which include Big Head Mode, Random Angle Mode, Legacy XP's War Mode, and a preliminary version of Retro Mode replacing Clear Mode in the Special Versus menu.


Version 1.0 was released on March 27, 2022 after the tournament Project M Theatre.
Version 1.0 was released on March 27, 2022 after the tournament Project M Theatre.


====''Legacy XP''====
====''Legacy XP''====
[[File:LegacyXPLogo.jpg|400px|center]]
[[File:LegacyXPLogo.png|400px|center]]
''Legacy XP'' is a modification of Project M 3.6 that includes more characters, 700+ additional stages, and new modes. While the characters from Project M were mostly unaltered ([[Yoshi]] and [[Link]] received some non-PM 3.6 moveset-fixing edits, and [[Snake]] gained the ability to walk while using his [[Cardboard box|box taunt]]), 10 more fighters were added: [[Young Link]], [[Pichu]], and [[Dr. Mario]] returned from Melee, and [[Ridley]], [[Waluigi]], [[Geno]], [[Lucina]], and Metal-Sonic were added in the beta build released in September 2016. [[Shadow]] and Mage Ganondorf (inspired by his [[Ocarina of Time]] appearance) followed in version 2.0 Full in May 2018. Version 2.1, featuring some balance changes, was released in March 2019.
''Legacy XP'' is a modification of Project M 3.6 that includes more characters, 700+ additional stages, and new modes. While the characters from Project M were mostly unaltered ([[Yoshi]] and [[Link]] received some non-PM 3.6 moveset-fixing edits, and [[Snake]] gained the ability to walk while using his [[Cardboard box|box taunt]]), 10 more fighters were added: [[Young Link]], [[Pichu]], and [[Dr. Mario]] returned from Melee, and [[Ridley]], [[Waluigi]], [[Geno]], [[Lucina]], and Metal-Sonic were added in the beta build released in September 2016. [[Shadow]] and Mage Ganondorf (inspired by his [[Ocarina of Time]] appearance) followed in version 2.0 Full in May 2018. Version 2.1, featuring some balance changes, was released in March 2019.


Just like the aforementioned ''Legacy TE'', development ceased on March 13, 2020 with an announcement on their website [https://smashbroslegacy.com] and removal of all downloads. Project co-lead David V. Kimball stressed no Nintendo involvement in the shutdown, and directed further questions to Ryan Morrison [https://twitter.com/davidvkimball/status/1238928426716692480?s=20], similar to the Project M shutdown.
Just like the aforementioned ''Legacy TE'', development ceased on March 13, 2020 with an announcement on their website [https://web.archive.org/web/20201130162107/http://www.smashbroslegacy.com/] and removal of all downloads. Project co-lead David V. Kimball stressed no Nintendo involvement in the shutdown, and directed further questions to Ryan Morrison [https://twitter.com/davidvkimball/status/1238928426716692480], similar to the Project M shutdown.


''Legacy XP Lite'' is a combination of ''Legacy XP'' with some of the more competitive-friendly stages from ''Legacy TE'', greatly reducing the number of stages and the mod size from over 5 GB to under 2 GB. Version 2.1 was released in March 2019.
''Legacy XP Lite'' is a combination of ''Legacy XP'' with some of the more competitive-friendly stages from ''Legacy TE'', greatly reducing the number of stages and the mod size from over 5 GB to under 2 GB. Version 2.1 was released in March 2019.
====''Legacy TE''====
[[File:LegacyTELogo.png|400px|center]]
''Legacy TE'' is a tourney-viable modification of ''Project M 3.6'' that aims to add new content while also keeping core, fundamental gameplay unmodified. It features a variety of tourney-safe alternative stage skins, costumes, and quality of life features. This includes shortcuts to edit a players' controls without leaving the character selection screen, an improvement to character files to reduce crashing likelihood, and an improved menu interface. A debug menu made for the mod allows players to train their skills for professional tournaments. For example, there is an option to show [[DI]] lines that show how directional influence affects where an attack sends an opponent, with a clearly defined end point that either aims to the ground or stops in the air. A variety of tools and resources have also been made for the mod, allowing tournament organizers to easily customize their builds, including changing the stagelist, replacing costumes, or editing brand assets on menus. ''Legacy TE'' has received worldwide adoption and is generally considered the go-to edition of ''Project M'' by tournament players. Version 2.11 was released in January 2019. Version 2.5 was released on August 26, 2019, and features 15 costumes per character, alternate stage toggle options in the code menu, and many other features.
Development ceased on March 13, 2020, with an announcement on their website "[https://web.archive.org/web/20191119070843/https://smashbroslegacy.com/ Smash Bros. Legacy]" and removal of all downloads.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20201130162107/http://www.smashbroslegacy.com/</ref> Project co-lead David V. Kimball stressed no Nintendo involvement in the shutdown, and directed further questions to Ryan Morrison,<ref>[https://twitter.com/davidvkimball/status/1238928426716692480]</ref> similar to the Project M shutdown.
====''Legacy MP+''====
''Legacy MP+'' is a modification of ''[[Brawl]]'' that features character rebalancing, a mode inspired by ''[https://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Lethal_League Lethal League]'', and additional costumes such as one for Bowser that references the ending of ''Super Mario Odyssey'' where Mario [[mariowiki:Capture|captures]] him, costumes for the ''Star Fox'' characters inspired by ''[https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Dragon_Ball_Z Dragon Ball Z]'', a set of costumes for Charizard based on the Armor Style [[bulbapedia:Holowear|Holowear]] from ''Pokémon UNITE'', adding [[mariowiki:Peachette|Peachette]] as an alternate costume for Peach, and even adding [https://info.sonicretro.org/Scourge_the_Hedgehog Scourge the Hedgehog] as an alternate costume for Sonic.


====''Smash 2''====
====''Smash 2''====
''Main article: [[Super Smash Bros. 2 (Mod)|Smash 2]]''
[[File:Smash2Logo.png|500px|center]]
[[File:Smash2Logo.png|500px|center]]
''Smash 2'' [https://twitter.com/Smash2Official] is a modification of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' that was designed to be like ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' as if Nintendo had more time to develop it (leading to more characters), making it much more of a direct homage to ''Melee'' than ''[[Project M]]''. In addition to the engine changes from ''Project M'', stage camera and lighting are edited, and the movesets of all Melee veterans have been reverted to function as in ''Melee'', with some rebalancing to adjust for these changes. For the newcomers in ''Brawl'', [[Wolf]] and [[Lucas]] were designed to be more similar to the characters they were partially cloned from, and for other characters, abilities they gained that originated from games released after ''Melee'' got replaced (for example, [[Dedede]]'s [[Jet Hammer]]).
''[https://twitter.com/Smash2Official Smash 2]'' is a modification of ''[[Brawl]]'' that was designed to be like ''[[Melee]]'' as if Nintendo had more time to develop it (leading to more characters), making it much more of a direct homage to ''Melee'' than ''[[Project M]]''. In addition to the engine changes from ''Project M'', stage camera and lighting are edited, and the movesets of all Melee veterans have been reverted to function as in ''Melee'', with some rebalancing to adjust for these changes. For the newcomers in ''Brawl'', [[Wolf]] and [[Lucas]] were designed to be more similar to the characters they were partially cloned from, and for other characters, abilities they gained that originated from games released after ''Melee'' got replaced (for example, [[King Dedede]]'s [[Jet Hammer]]).


====''Smash 2 Plus''====
====''Smash 2 Plus''====
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''Smash 2 Plus'' is seen as the direct successor of ''Smash 2'', making adjustments and changes to the roster by re-adding characters such as [[Wolf]] and [[Lucas]] alongside other roster additions.
''Smash 2 Plus'' is seen as the direct successor of ''Smash 2'', making adjustments and changes to the roster by re-adding characters such as [[Wolf]] and [[Lucas]] alongside other roster additions.


====''Project M EX Remix''====
====''Smash 2 Omega''====
[[File:Smash 2 Omega.png|500px|center]]
''Smash 2 Omega'' is considered the third installment of ''Smash 2'', making further adjustments and also adding characters such as [[Ridley]], [[mariowiki:Toad|Toad]], and [[Daisy]] to the roster. The current build is Version 1.5, which released on February 2nd, 2023.
 
====''REX''====
[[File:ProjectMEXRemix.png|500px|center]]
[[File:ProjectMEXRemix.png|500px|center]]
''Project M EX Remix'' is a massive extension built off of ''Project M'', greatly increasing the roster and stage count, as well as having its own style and aesthetic. Unlike other ''Brawl'' mods that feature gigantic rosters, which tend to focus on quantity over quality and can even choose unfitting or "meme" characters, however, ''EX Remix'' is purely a compilation of only the most quality modded characters and ones that all reasonably can fit in official titles by originating from video games. Additionally, characters added to roster are adjusted to become more clean and balanced; most notably, [[Sephiroth]] receives an entire rework to resemble his ''Ultimate'' gameplay more due to appearing in the mod beforehand and therefore having a different moveset (and being considered one of the less polished characters regardless). Many stages added tend to be very competitive-friendly, and the mod even has a special tournament edition to fully comply with competitive standards. It is for all these reasons that the mod has become one of the most renowned and popular mods for ''Brawl''.
''REX'' is a more casual expansion of ''Project+'', adding many new characters and stages. Like the aforementioned ''Legacy XP'', the goal of this build is to balance quantity with quality. Good character balancing is also a goal of ''REX'', and the developers strive to maintain a meta that isn't completely dominated by just a few characters.


''EX Remix'' contains a massive roster featuring every character who has appeared up until ''Brawl'', fighters introduced in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', and many newcomers who have not appeared in an official game, both from series that are and are not yet in the official series. Even [[Sandbag]] and [[Fighting Alloy Team]] are playable. So far, characters from ''Smash 4'' are [[Pac-Man]], [[Robin]], [[Lucina]], [[Corrin]] (with the female version as the default costume), [[Little Mac]], [[Wii Fit Trainer]], [[Palutena]], [[Dark Pit]], [[Shulk]], [[Ryu]], [[Cloud]], and [[Bayonetta]]. [[Alph]] also appears, but not as a costume for Olimar, and is instead his own separate fighter, and thus can be considered as a full newcomer. Fighters who debuted in ''Ultimate'' are [[Daisy]], [[Dark Samus]], [[Ridley]], [[Chrom]], [[Simon]], [[Richter]], [[Isabelle]], [[Ken]], [[Joker]], [[Hero]] (Arusu from ''Dragon Quest III''), [[Banjo]] & [[Kazooie]], [[Terry]], [[Pyra]], [[Mythra]], [[Sora]], and technically Sephiroth (who, as earlier established, appeared in the mod first, and by coincidence, was revealed for ''Ultimate'' just over a month the mod had gained mass popularity). Newcomers from already existing series include Dr. Luigi, {{s|mariowiki|Dry Bowser}} (who is not an alternate costume for Bowser like in ''Project M'' due to having a different moveset from Bowser himself), [[Toad]], [[Waluigi]], and [[Geno]] from the ''Mario'' series; {{s|zeldawiki|Fierce Deity Link}}, {{s|zeldawiki|Toon Zelda}}, and {{s|zeldawiki|Phantom Ganon}} from the ''Zelda'' series; [[Knuckle Joe]] and {{s|wikirby|Bandana Waddle Dee}} from the ''Kirby'' series; [[bulbapedia:Blaziken (Pokémon)|Blaziken]] and [[bulbapedia:Zeraora (Pokémon)|Zeraora]] from the ''Pokémon'' series; {{iw|fzerowiki|Blood Falcon}}, {{iw|fzerowiki|Black Shadow}}, and {{iw|fzerowiki|Deathborn}} from the ''F-Zero'' series; {{s|wikibound|Ninten}} and the {{s|wikibound|Masked Man}} from the ''Mother'' series; {{s|fireemblem|Navarre}}, [[Lyn]], and [[Black Knight]] from the ''Fire Emblem'' series; {{s|pikipedia|Louie}} from the ''Pikmin'' series; [[Metal Face]] from ''Xenoblade Chronicles''; [https://metalgear.fandom.com/wiki/Big_Boss Big Boss] from the ''Metal Gear Solid'' series (who is not an alternate costume for Snake like in ''Project M'' due to having a moveset from said mod, while Snake himself is more based on ''Ultimate''); [[Tails]], [[Knuckles]], [[Shadow]], [https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Silver_the_Hedgehog Silver], and [https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Metal_Sonic Metal Sonic] from the ''Sonic'' series; {{b|X|Mega Man}} and {{b|Zero|Mega Man}} from the ''Mega Man'' series; [https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Zack_Fair Zack] and [https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Squall_Leonhart Squall] from the ''Final Fantasy'' series; and [[Protagonist (Persona 4)|Yu]] from the ''Persona'' series. Newcomers from series who do not have a playable representative in the official series include [[Isaac]] from ''Golden Sun'', [[Sukapon]] from ''Joy Mech Fight'', [[Bomberman]] from the series of the same name, [https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Elizabeth_Báthory Elizabeth] from the ''Fate'' series, [[Sans]] from ''Undertale'', [https://vgcdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Vectorman Vectorman] from the series of the same name, [https://mortalkombat.fandom.com/wiki/Kuai_Liang Sub-Zero] from ''Mortal Kombat'', and [https://blazblue.fandom.com/wiki/Nu-13 Nu-13] from ''Blazblue''.
''REX''{{'}}s roster covers a wide range of franchises and characters, including characters that were added to later Smash titles (some with redesigned movesets like [[Ridley]] and [[Lucina]], others more faithful backports like [[Wii Fit Trainer]] and [[Sora]]), popular characters that never quite made it to Smash like [[Waluigi]], [[Geno]], and {{iw|wikirby|Bandana Waddle Dee}}, and more obscure picks like {{iw|fzerowiki|Deathborn}}, from ''F-Zero GX'', Vectorman from his namesake game series, and [[Sukapon]] from ''Joy Mech Fight''. The mod has also added hundreds of new stages, both new and backported, as well as various features. ''REX'' enjoys continued development from both the internal dev team and external collaborators, including polishing character movesets and animations, redesigning textures to better fit ''Brawl''{{'}}s art style, and even providing new voice work for some characters.
Additionally, the mod also has bonus characters selectable under slots of their corresponding fighter. All boss and Final Smash based characters from the series based on playable fighters appear. Notable additions who still appear in the tournament edition are Sword Ganon and Suitless Samus. The former is Ganondorf using his sword as part of his moveset, while the latter is a variant of Zero Suit Samus, inspired by her appearances before ''Zero Mission''. Maskless Meta Knight also appears, but is largely identical to Meta Knight aside from the obvious appearance change of not wearing a mask.


==={{forwiiu}}===
Originally, the project began in 2018 as a separate mod pack known as ''Project M EX Remix'' (''REMIX'' for short), but after reaching version 0.95DX, ''REMIX'' ceased development in February 2024 due to the departure of three of the project leaders.<ref>https://twitter.com/Smash_REX/status/1761019671862464579</ref> The remaining project leader and other members of its development team subsequently shifted over to ''REX'', which will feature all of the existing content from ''REMIX'' along with its previous planned content and other new additions.
 
On May 26th, 2024, ''REX''{{'}}s first two newcomers after the transition from ''Project M EX Remix'', [[Incineroar]] and [[bulbapedia:Pikachu Libre (Pokkén)|Pikachu Libre]], were announced, despite the latter being Pikachu's eighth costume in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.<ref>https://x.com/Smash_REX/status/1794748125879665071</ref> The initial teaser trailer also features silhouettes of characters like [[wikirby:Galacta Knight|Galacta Knight]], but all of them beyond Incineroar and Pikachu Libre have yet to be revealed. Currently, the mod has been delayed to early 2025 due to the director's real-life issues.<ref>https://x.com/Smash_REX/status/1866089293262864462</ref>
 
The initial teaser trailer for REX is considered something of a tribute to the first trailer for ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', due to Vectorman's eye reflecting the mod's logo in a similar fashion to [[Inkling]]'s eye reflecting the burning ''Super Smash Bros.'' emblem.
 
====''Project Horizon''====
{{Image}}
''Project Horizon'' follows a similar design philosophy to ''REX'', but distinguishes itself with several characters not in ''REX'' (including non-gaming 3rd parties like [https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Goku Goku] from the ''Dragon Ball'' series and [https://scottpilgrim.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Pilgrim Scott Pilgrim] from ''Scott Pilgrim vs. The World''), other stages that have not made it to ''REX''{{'}}s stage list, and an intentional lack of backported characters from future Super Smash Bros. games.
 
====''Project Meta Plus EX''====
{{Image}}
Project Meta Plus EX is a Project+EX build with a different roster, adding characters who did not debut in a video game such as Goku and Kirito, alongside 2 new original characters, as well as characters who are not in REX such as Roxas, Proto-Man, Mach Rider, Doom Slayer, and Ayumi Tachibana. The modification also includes stages from manga and anime such as My Hero Academia, and stage recreations of Earthbound 64 locations. Finally, the mod features stages from fangames such as Super Smash Land.
 
===''Super Smash Bros. 4''===
{{stub|more details, release history, etc.}}
{{stub|more details, release history, etc.}}
==== 4XM ====
 
====4XM====
[[File:4XMLogo.jpg|300px|center]]
[[File:4XMLogo.jpg|300px|center]]
''4XM'' (previously Melee HD) [https://twitter.com/4xmmod] is a modification of {{forwiiu}} that aims to change the engine to make the game more like ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', and add most mechanics like [[L-Canceling]] and [[Wavedashing]] back. Development started in 2017, and in January 2021, 4xM Beta v1.7 was released.
''[https://twitter.com/4xmmod 4XM]'' (previously Melee HD) is a modification of {{for3ds}}/{{forwiiu}} that aims to change the engine to make the game more like ''Melee'', and add most mechanics like [[L-canceling]] and [[Wavedashing]] back. Development started in 2017, and in December 2022, 4xM Beta v1.8 was released.
 
====Artful Phoenix====
''[https://x.com/artful_phoenix Artful Phoenix]'' (AP) is the product of a joint venture between the former development teams behind popular mods [https://gamebanana.com/wips/46206 Artful Lander] and [https://gamebanana.com/wips/47573 Phoenix], with a combined three years worth of development and original content.
 
====TR4SH====
''[https://gamebanana.com/mods/48602 TR4SH]''
This mod changes up all 58 characters, making them all a lot stronger, and a bit more silly. Don't be fooled though, as it's also quite balanced, so you can always have a lot of fun playing!
 
====Smash Rebuffed====
''[https://gamebanana.com/mods/48794 Smash Rebuffed]'' increases the viability of every single character and transforms their normal moveset into deadly assets. Every fighter is marginally better than they were in vanilla.
 
====CH4OS: Forever Unbalanced====
''[https://gamebanana.com/mods/48810 CH4OS: Forever Unbalanced]'' serves as the official sequel and tribute for the original ''CH4OS: The Unbalance Mod'', made by Bagelboyy. In this mod, characters are much more broken than before (and aims to buff some characters that were somewhat underpowered in CH4OS 1.0 and above).
 
====SSBTrue====
''[https://x.com/Ssb4True Super Smash Bros.True]'' (''SSBTrue'') buffs the entire ''Smash 4'' roster and gives existing fighters new moves while also adding new characters and stages to the game.


''USM-eM'' [https://twitter.com/usm_em] is another modification independent from ''4XM'' with the same goal.
====Eclipse Smash====
''[https://gamebanana.com/mods/49011 Eclipse Smash]'' is one of the very few Smash 3DS mod packs out there this pack adds characters, gives new moves to existing characters, changes costumes, adds new stages, and new music.


===''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''===
===''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''===
====''ProjectNX''====
====''ProjectNX''====
Announced at the beginning of Smash Ultimate's life cycle, with the initial name being ''Project Ultimate''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMqAlEAl4eo Project Ultimate announcement video by CLASH Tournaments], additional text.</ref>, ProjectNX is a Project M-esque mod that was being developed by {{Sm|NyxTheShield}}, though Nyx saw it as his own "personal passion project" that he wasn't going to release for some time into the future. ProjectNX mostly modified the engine and didn't include ACMD moveset changes, though other changes were planned, since Nyx had made comments in the past where he said he would like to fix {{SSBU|Captain Falcon}}'s [[Knee Smash]] as well as other game balance changes. ProjectNX garnered controversy within the ''Smash'' community after its reveal, with many divided over the issue on whether or not modding ''Ultimate'' to act like ''Melee'' would be respectful to the game and its developers. The project was eventually faced with legal pressure by Nintendo and has since ceased all development.
Announced at the beginning of Smash Ultimate's life cycle, with the initial name being ''Project Ultimate'',<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMqAlEAl4eo Project Ultimate announcement video by CLASH Tournaments]</ref> ProjectNX is a Project M-esque mod that was being developed by {{Sm|NyxTheShield}}, though Nyx saw it as his own "personal passion project" that he wasn't going to release for some time into the future. ProjectNX mostly modified the engine and didn't include ACMD moveset changes, though other changes were planned, since Nyx had made comments in the past where he said he would like to fix {{SSBU|Captain Falcon}}'s [[Knee Smash]] as well as other game balance changes. ProjectNX garnered controversy within the ''Smash'' community after its reveal, with many divided over the issue on whether or not modding ''Ultimate'' to act like ''Melee'' would be respectful to the game and its developers. The project was eventually faced with legal pressure by Nintendo and has since ceased all development.


====''Super Smash Bros. Championship Edition''====
====''Super Smash Bros. Championship Edition''====
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====''HewDraw Remix''====
====''HewDraw Remix''====
{{incomplete|Needs more info on the creators and more info in general.}}
{{incomplete|Needs more info on the creators and more info in general.}}
Released on March 9th, 2022, ''HewDraw Remix''[https://gamebanana.com/threads/221339] (also known as ''HDR'') goes for a ''Melee''/''Project M'' approach towards changing the game. Some characters, such as Dark Samus and King Dedede have altered movesets compared to their incarnations in ''Ultimate''.
[[File:HDR Logo.jpg|500px|center]]
Released on March 9th, 2022, ''HewDraw Remix''[https://github.com/HDR-Development/HDR-Releases] (also known as ''HDR'') is a mod that primarily adds ''Melee''/''Project M''-like changes to the game, while also adding other improvements to the game's UI, control options, and online functionalities.
Many global changes have been added to the game, such as wavedashing, ledge hogging, and knockback tweaks. ''HDR'' also adds some advanced techniques from ''Brawl'' and ''Super Smash Bros. 4'',  such as [[dash attack canceled up smash]] and [[Pivoting|perfect pivoting]], as well as some new mechanics of its own, such as upwards wavelanding and wavedropping- by dropping through a platform during a wavedash, a character will keep their momentum. Additionally, ''HDR'' changes how perfect shields function- instead of releasing shield at the right time, a player instead presses the special button while holding shield to activate a parry.
 
Many characters have new mechanics and moveset overhauls. For example, Palutena gained a new meter mechanic inspired by Nine the Phantom from ''BlazBlue'', and characters like Sonic and Banjo & Kazooie received heavy reworks of their moveset. Further changes and reworks are planned for many characters in the cast. A list of changes from all beta releases can be found [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QVRs8wPN8f1kzUJRiJabtrMZaNamRSQsGCKc7ezwXjA here].
 
''HDR'' also adds the ability to strike stages on the Stage Select Screen, with both the CSS and the SSS having redone designs, alongside the Main Menu. ''HDR'' also adds several new control options, such as the addition of a dedicated smash attack and short hop button. The mod also has an in-built option to decrease online latency, at the potential cost of stability and lag.
 
''HDR'' is arguably the most popular ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' mod, having several in-person brackets at majors, such as {{Trn|Frosty Faustings XV 2023}} and  {{Trn|Collision 2023}}. Smaller-scale local tournaments have also started to appear in multiple regions.
 
====''Ultimate S''====
[[File:Ult_S Logo.png|500px|center]]
Initially released on April 13th, 2021, the mod [https://github.com/chrispo-git/ult-s/releases/latest Ultimate S] is a fresh take on Ultimate with a large overhaul including lots of new features, character reworks and balancing. It also re-adds popular mechanics such as edge canceling, DACUS, and wavedashing, as well as decloning echo fighters. Most notably, the majority of the cast has received a variety of brand new moves and even command inputs. As of update 4.0's release on June 29th, 2024, Toad, Rayman, Bomberman, Masked Man, and Sandbag have been added as brand-new fighters.
 
====''TR4SH Rebuffed''====
[https://gamebanana.com/mods/372158 TR4SH Rebuffed] is a collaboration that takes the best from the TR4SH and Smash Rebuffed modpacks, which were both overhaul mods for Super Smash Bros. Wii U. It uses the crazy gimmicks and silliness of TR4SH combined with the fast combo-based gameplay of Smash Rebuffed. Despite being a mod that "buffs" and makes characters stronger than vanilla for the most part, TR4SH Rebuffed also rebalances certain aspects across the cast, aiming to keep gameplay competitive friendly. It is also considered to be the closest mod to resemble Brawl- in terms of feel. In terms of global mechanics, TR4SH Rebuffed has included wavedashing, DACUS, DACDS (Dash Attack Canceled Down Smash), perfect pivoting, increased hitstun, and wall-jumping for the entire cast.
 
The mod notably includes inputted variations on certain moves, where for one eaxmple, holding the A button on Wario's Up-Air will turn it into a slow variation that will instantly kill the opponent upon a successful hit. TR4SH Rebuffed also does have other features such as adding brand new Spirits, Classic Mode Routes, Various Cosmetic Changes, and even better AI for CPU players.
 
====''WuBor Patch''====
The [https://gamebanana.com/mods/38893 WuBor Patch] is seen as half overhaul, half balancing mod. The main aims are to take weaker characters and make them more enjoyable, to balance very strong characters but make them still fun, "declone" echo fighters, and overhaul system mechanics in an effort to better the game's feel. In addition, the WuBor Patch introduces a new fighter in the form of Yu Narukami from Persona 4, who completely replaces Lucina. Yu has a fully unique moveset, animations, parameters, special moves, meters, super moves (like Terry) and more. The WuBor Patch is available to download and still in active development.
 
====''CHAO5: The UN-Balance Mod Returns!''====
 
[https://gamebanana.com/mods/380870 CHAO5: The UN-Balance Mod Returns!] is a mod for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate which makes fighters overpowered. It is also the successor and sequel to CH4OS: The UN-Balance Mod which was a mod for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Unlike most gameplay overhaul mods, CHAO5 is more of a "joke mod" which isn't meant to be taken too seriously, having less resemblance for balance and isn't strictly made for competitive play, similar to Silly Melee. The mod is well-noted for having characters with mostly turbo moves, multiple jumps, boosted mobility and strikingly good recoveries, and containing a number moves that can either deal extremely high amounts of damage or even [[OHKO]] fighters, with Mr. Game and Watch most notably having plenty. CHAO5 has overhauled and included several global mechanics such as much stronger shields, wavedashing and dash-dancing from Melee, chain-grabbing, hitstun canceling from Brawl, unlimited air dodging, DACUS, DACDS, spawning items through taunting, and more. CHAO5 is also well-noted for completely and accurately restoring Brawl's [[Glide|gliding mechanic]], in which Meta Knight, Pit and Charizard regain, and they all reuse their gliding animations from Brawl while also making the glide stronger. In Meta Knight's case, Shuttle Loop puts him into a gliding state exactly like in Brawl, while also having his regular glide. In addition, non-Brawl characters such as Dark Pit, Ridley, Palutena, Banjo & Kazooie, and Sora can also glide, having their own proper animations and unique traits to their movements. CHAO5 also replaces a number of moves of fighters, for example Ryu now has a laser on non-inputted Neutral Special similar to [[Zero Laser]], and more.
 
Despite the non-serious nature of the mod, CHAO5 does aim to be creative in overhauling the entire cast. The mod attempts to differentiate echo fighters, with some even gaining new animations and moves (with Daisy being a notable example). This mod also adds extra costumes to fighters, without replacing any existing ones. In the v1.0.0 update released on November 26th, 2022, CHAO5 has introduced two new fighters; Claus from Mother 3 (being Lucas's echo fighter) and Giga Bowser. Claus is mostly similar to Lucas but has some different moves/animations (taking some from P+ Lucas), voice acting, different coloured PSI effects, and even his own Classic Mode Route. Both Giga Bowser and Claus do not replace any existing fighter and have their own slots on the Character Select Screen.


==References==
==References==
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{{SSBMods}}
{{SSBMods}}
[[Category:Hacking]]
[[Category:Hacking]]
[[Category:Mods]]
[[Category:Mods]]

Latest revision as of 21:00, December 9, 2024

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Gameplay modification, often shorthanded as mod, is a blanket term for unofficial hacks and code alterations that change one or more aspects of the original, or "vanilla" version of a game. The term "vanilla" comes from a common terminology featured in the computing world. Mods range from simple cosmetic changes to total engine and gameplay overhauls that result in the game functioning completely differently.

Overview[edit]

Specific changes to the game depend on the preferences of the developers, as well as their ultimate goal. There are a few different categories most mods fall into:

  • Balance mods usually don't significantly change the core gameplay and apply buffs and nerfs to characters to reduce competitive inequality between characters.
  • Overpowered mods are a variant of Balanced mods, giving every character absurd buffs so that they are all equally overpowered.
  • Melee-inspired mods change the gameplay and movesets to be more fast-paced and technical like in Melee, sometimes adding mechanics such as wavedashing.
  • Competitive mods don't change anything gameplay-wise, but add features for players to practice their skill and/or improvements for tournament play, such as improved training modes.
  • New character mods that introduce new characters into the game with new 3D models, animations and movesets, either replacing another character or being a new addition.
  • Skin mods add new Alternate Costumes to characters using File Replacement/Addition.
  • Silly mods change characters or game mechanics in certain ways to result in humorous outcomes, like modifying characters such as Ganondorf to have their moves stretch to absurd proportions (which was likely inspired from the Gum Gum Fruit from One Piece) or having hitboxes from powerful moves such as Rest or Falcon Punch be active at all times, turning a character into a walking hazard. Silly mods often times have overlap with Overpowered mods.

The first attempts at modding involved Brawl, with such projects generally being viewed as novelties, such as palette swaps for characters and UI changes. Outside of this, forcing the Wii to load such mods was considered difficult, requiring use of the now-inoperable Twilight hack. The increasing complexity of game play mods and the discovery of the Smash Stack exploit, however, caused mods to develop considerably more attention with observers.

Brawl remains the most commonly modded game in the series, primarily utilizing either The Homebrew Channel or the Smash Stack exploit. Mods for Melee often also require the use of applications available for the Homebrew Channel. 19XXTE, a gameplay mod for Smash 64, requires patching a ROM image of the game. Mods for both versions of SSB4 involve the use of kernel exploit chains on their respective consoles primarily using Layered File System (LayeredFS) patchers to overwrite parts of the game's filesystem. Mods for Ultimate require a Switch console released before July 2018 to utilize a recovery mode exploit left over from the development phase of the console, enabling the use of code hooking and file replacement via the Skyline executable patch.

Given the nature of gameplay modifications, it is possible for them to be used for cheating in tournaments. One notable case is the "Super Pichu" scandal in the Ohio Melee scene, where a Smasher named Chaos won cash prizes in tournaments using a stealth-modded setup that buffed much Pichu's traits to win against top-tier characters. However, outside of this case, cheating through gameplay modifications in tournaments is extremely rare, mainly because of the difficulty in installing them onto consoles, and the logistics in having to play on the same modded setup in every round, a difficulty Chaos faced in his own tournament runs.

Since online play was introduced in Brawl, gameplay modifications have been used for cheating online as well. Hacking Giga Bowser to be normally playable is a common method across all online games, using his near-invulnerability to knockback to trivialise beating even highly skilled players. While Brawl did not issue bans for such behaviour, as of Ultimate, while possible, bans are issued. For a period of time, Giga Bowser could even be hacked into playable form on Project Slippi for play in Melee, though this has since been patched. Regardless, cheating does continue to occur on the platform, namely through the use of macros to make advanced techniques easier.[1] Thanks to improvements in moderation, though, they typically get banned quickly.

Stages[edit]

In addition to raw gameplay, other portions of the game may be overhauled by developers to further change gameplay. The changing of stages is among the more common ways to do this:

In 64[edit]

19XX modifies the stage selection screen to contain Battlefield, Final Destination, and Meta Crystal, stages otherwise unplayable in Versus mode. 19XXTE 's selection screen contains 11 instead of the original 9 slots for stages, and 19XXCE has 16 slots.

In 2018, modders found a way to change stages. At first only Hyrule Castle could be replaced, but later it became possible to replace all stages. The mod SSBMSE replaces most stages in the game with more competitive stages modeled after their appearance in other Smash games.

Smash Remix is the most popular mod for the game, and as of Patch 1.5.0, it includes five pages of stages, including stages from newer Smash games and brand new custom stages, as well as multiple "Remix" variants for stages.

In Melee[edit]

While one of the less popular entries in the series for mods, some have been created over the years. SD Remix, released in 2015, features 3 pages of stages: One for the vanilla stages, one with 1-player mode-only stages, and one for newly created stages, with some inspired from other games.

Adding stages to Melee quickly escalated after the m-ex engine added the possibility to import custom stage models with separate slots, as well as custom high poly models over existing ones.

In Brawl[edit]

Brawl is the most commonly modded game in the series due to Smash Stack exploit, which makes modding the game much easier to the average player. In these mods, it is common to new stages, often replacing others, that have been made by fans. It is also possible to use newly created slots on the stage selection screen or alternative stages that load when holding a specific button when selecting a stage.

Brawl- and Project M, for instance, replace the ordinarily over-sized Temple with a smaller, more condensed version. Stages with transformations like Castle Siege or Pokémon Stadium are often changed to stay at the most competitive form of the stage. Outside of this, unpopular stages might be entirely replaced with others, such as how Project M replaces the highly non-standard Mario Bros. with a rendition of Fountain of Dreams from Melee.

Legacy TE added stages with the design of stages used for competitive play for each stage, using their theme in background models and textures and playing the same background music, that load when holding the Start, L, or Z button. Legacy XP added over 700 new stages into the game using new slots on the selection screen, as well as variants when holding down specific buttons. Button Shortcuts to quickly select popular Project M stages have also been added. Smash 2 added all stages that were in Melee back into the game.

Outside of stage layout changes, some textures and tracks may be replaced, particularly in the case of original stages.

In Smash 4[edit]

Creating new stages is possible in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, but they will need to replace an existing stage or a stage's Ω form.

In Ultimate[edit]

Creating new stages is possible in Ultimate, though stage collisions have new properties that cannot currently be edited by the Smash 4 stage collision editor.

Any use of new stages in Ultimate will result in disconnection, or a possible ban depending on the user and how often attempts to go online happen.

As of 2023 it is now possible to add stage alts to the game, with a recent mod for Ultimate making a plugin that lets you add stages to the game without having to replace anything.[2]

Gameplay adjustments[edit]

An icon for denoting incomplete things.

Gameplay adjustments are changes to the engine, character movesets, and various other aspects of the game that are intended to be changed to a different vision for the game in question.

In 64[edit]

Smash Remix is one of the few mods for Smash 64 that would count as a gameplay adjustment. The original 12 characters and the mechanics of the game are unchanged, however, it adds 18 new fighters (alongside 10 new boss characters), 63 new stages (with about half of them being original), and many new gamemodes, like All Star, Multi-Man Mode, Cruel Multi-Man Mode and Home-Run Contest. Additionally, there are optional selections to change the gameplay significantly by adding elements such as footstooling, air dodging, air dashing, tripping, perfect shielding and ledge trumping.

In Melee[edit]

Gameplay adjustments are rare for Melee, and typically take the form of balance changes, improving lower tier characters or nerfing higher tier characters to remedy the game's notoriously large tier gap. SD Remix was the first balance mod to attempt to balance the entire game as opposed to experimental single-character mods, improving every character lower on the tier list than Peach, though it makes no changes to the base gameplay.

Beyond Melee is also one of the few mods for Melee that change the basic gameplay. Beyond Melee changes mechanics of the game, changes the balancing of characters to try and rebalance them, alongside adding new fighters. Characters like Bowser and Zelda, notable for being nigh unusable in the base game, were given many buffs in order to make them more viable, with some like Zelda and Ness receiving complete overhauls. There are also 7 newcomers to the mod, being Skull Kid, Fay, Wolf, Raichu, Shadow Mewtwo, Sonic, and Meta Knight.

In Brawl[edit]

Lucario using the updated Force Palm and Double Team in Project+.

Project M is one of the many modifications made to Brawl, due to the Wii's accessibility for modding. It's also the most popular modification for the game, due to it changing Brawl's engine to be more like that of Melee, alongside extensive rebalancing of the cast. Many fighters got new moves and overhauls, such as Samus gaining an ice beam and Wario gaining a side special based on the dash attack from the Wario Land series.

In Smash 4[edit]

Greninja wavedashing in the Melee HD mod for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Super Smash Bros for Wii U has had its gameplay modded relatively extensively, but not to the degree that Brawl and Ultimate have, with multiple large mods attempting to replicate the appeal of Project M, though none were as successful as said mod or the eventual HewDraw Remix for Ultimate.

The 3DS game has been even less explored - while character and mechanical changes have been made, they have been limited, to the point where not even a Melee mechanics mod is known to exist.

In Ultimate[edit]

Donkey Kong using a new special move - an air-based command grab - in Hewdraw Remix.

Gameplay mods for Ultimate first appeared in 2019, a year after the game's launch, with the cancelled and unreleased ProjectNX, which added techniques from Melee. Since then, Melee adjacent Ultimate mods have increased in popularity and accessibility, alongside mods that decrease the game's much-derided offline input lag. Character movesets can also be modified. HewDraw Remix has an improved netcode toggle, though the team behind the mod refrained from releasing it for vanilla Ultimate as using it against someone without the mod would be considered cheating, which could cause legal issues with Nintendo. [2]

Animations/models[edit]

Main article: File replacement

In 64[edit]

For Smash 64, editing animations or models was once very limited. In 2019, Smash Remix became the first mod with such features: A Ganondorf model replacing Captain Falcon got newly created animations for his smash attacks, where he uses a trident weapon. Since then Smash Remix has added multiple other characters, some of which are completely original.

In Melee[edit]

A texture hack for Melee that revives Donkey Kong's cut green color palette from 64.

For Melee, editing animations or models was limited and rarely done, although the m-ex engine for Melee did make the process much easier.

In 2017, the Smash 4 modding tool Smash Forge became compatible with Melee, making it possible import new models over models over Melee characters [3]. Some small mods that replace a costume of a character have been created, for example, a Ryu model import over Captain Falcon [4].

In March 2019, the first custom animation on a Melee character was released: Falco got his Forward Air imported from Ultimate [5]

In SD Remix, a few characters got different animations for some moves, though this was done through recycling animations from different moves; for example, Pichu used its roll animation for its Dash attack [6], and Bowser used his aerial item down-throw for his Down aerial [7].

Beyond Melee would later add fully original animations for some characters, such as giving Dr. Mario his Down Air from Ultimate, Donkey Kong getting his dash attack from later Smash games, and Pichu getting a shine.

In Brawl[edit]

An icon for denoting incomplete things.

For Brawl, the tool BrawlBox easily allows modders to replace models and animations. Brawl mods usually feature a lot of new custom models and animations. A popular form of modding introduced with Brawl that would only become possible for earlier games much later is "model swaps", which outright replace an alternate costume with a model from another game, such as another character not yet in or outright inellegible for Smash, or an alternate model for the existing character from a game with a different art style, but without making any modifications to a character's animations or attacks.

In Smash 4[edit]

For Smash 4, there is a tool called Smash Forge for changing models and animations [8]. Mods that replace Fox with Wolf [9] and Dr. Mario with Popo [10], both using animations and attacks from Brawl, have been created. Additionally, those same two mods also exist for the 3DS game, alongside a port of Project +'s Knuckles.

In Ultimate[edit]

Ryu and Kazuya fight under the guises of Homer and Marge Simpson respectively using a simple model swap mod for Ultimate.

For Ultimate, there is a tool called StudioSB, which allows for model imports and animation imports. Add-ons for Blender were also made to edit some animation/model files. Material edits are done via ParamXML or CrossMod, to change properties like how metallic or bright an object appears. Brawlbox is also compatible with Ultimate animations & models.

Adding new characters[edit]

In 64[edit]

Marth, Peppy Hare, and two versions of Mario (his larger-headed Japanese self and smaller-headed international self) fight in Smash Remix.

The first few public versions of Smash Remix added Ganondorf, Young Link, Falco and Dr. Mario to the game, working however as replacements for Captain Falcon, Link, Fox and Mario respectively. In version "0.9" released in October 2019, the dev team of Smash Remix managed to give those characters their own roster slots, restoring the full original cast.

As of version 1.5.0 of Smash Remix several characters have been added in addition to the original 12, with backports from future entries including Ganondorf, Young Link, Falco, Dr. Mario, Dark Samus, Wario, Lucas, Bowser, Wolf, Mewtwo, Marth, Sonic, Sheik, King Dedede, and Banjo & Kazooie, as well as brand new characters like Conker (from Conker's Bad Fur Day), Marina (from Mischief Makers) and Goemon. Some characters, such as Giga Bowser, Mad Piano, Super Sonic, Peppy, Slippy, Ebisumaru, Dragon King, and Metal Luigi have also been added as playable boss characters, and balance-changed versions of characters from between the different regional versions of Smash 64 are available, as well as Fighting Polygon Team variants for all new non-boss characters.

In Melee[edit]

Meta Knight using Mach Tornado against Sonic in Beyond Melee

As of 2021, Melee also had mods created for it using the m-ex engine. This has been shown off in the Akaneia Build adding Wolf on December 25, 2021, followed later by Diddy Kong, Charizard, Lucas, and Sonic.

Another mod, Beyond Melee, also added new characters to Melee, including Wolf, Fay, Raichu, Shadow Mewtwo, Skull Kid, Meta Knight and Sonic.

In Brawl[edit]

Mewtwo and Roy square off in Project M.

In 2013, the addition of characters has become a possibility for Brawl mods. Project M notably added Roy and Mewtwo as playable characters in version 3.0 after the absence of the duo in Brawl.

In 2015, a build called Project M Ex was created, mainly by hacker PyotrLuzhin/Петр Лужин, that works as a template for builds to easily add new character slots. It included all characters present in Project M, as well as Ridley. All future builds that were based on Project M and added new characters are based on this template, and mods like Brawl- switched to this template reimplementing their changes.

Brawl- added Pichu, Roy, Mewtwo, and newcomers Ridley and Waluigi to the game. Newer mods based on Project M like Legacy XP add even more characters into the game with new movesets, including backports of characters from later Smash games like Cloud and Banjo & Kazooie.

In Smash 4[edit]

An icon for denoting incomplete things.

There are currently no known means to add playable characters to either version of Smash 4 without replacing another character. A mod called 4XM added Chrom by giving Lucina extra costumes, but they both share the same slot.[3] Another method is to replace a Fighting Mii Team slot with an existing character and then replace that character's slot with a modded character, though this method tends to have more limitations and bugs.[4]

In Ultimate[edit]

Adding new characters to Ultimate the same way 64, Brawl and Melee did isn't currently possible. However, the mod Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Championship Edition "added" Akuma from the Street Fighter series in its version 1.00 update released on July 1st 2021, with entirely unique moves and Final Smashes. Despite this, and without file and directory addition being possible during that time, the developer used a method called "model stacking" over Ryu and used various code edits to deal with name checks and mesh visibility toggles.

While proper fighter addition still isn't possible as of 2024, functionally close alternatives have been discovered. Due to Arcropolis supporting file and directory addition, it is possible to increase a fighter's costume count past 8 and add more. These added slots can also have their own UI, names, sound effects, voice clips, animations, and even classic mode routes. There is also a Skyline plugin (still in closed beta) that can redirect a fighter's added costumes to have their own new slot on the Character Select Screen. It is also possible to give certain costumes their own frame data within their moveset through various code edits. This method is widely considered to be the closest thing to "fighter addition" in Ultimate; however, it isn't flawless and can still suffer from problems.

Notable gameplay mods[edit]

Super Smash Bros.[edit]

19XX[edit]

Main article: 19XX
19xx.png

19XXTE (Tournament edition) is the first and most notable of gameplay mods involving Smash 64. Similar to the concurrently developed 20XX, 19XXTE is intended to assist players in training their skills for professional play in Smash 64, as well as adding various improvements for tournament play, such as a match timer, and allowing for access to the ordinarily unplayable stages Duel Zone, Final Destination, Meta Crystal and cloudless Yoshi's Island. The mod has notably seen use in most Smash 64 tournaments since Hitstun 3 in late 2015, including GENESIS 3, the first tournament with over 200 participants.

19XXGE (Genesis edition) is more or less identical to 19XXTE and got its name from being designed for the GENESIS series.

19XXCE (Complete edition) has more content, such as a bigger stage selection screen including all 1P only and unplayable test stages, and an enhanced training mode with options for hitbox display, color overlays, flashes on Z-cancel, the option to set the percentages, and more.

SSBMSE[edit]

SSBMSE.png

SSBMSE (More Stage edition) [11] is a modification with the goal to add more tournament-viable stages to the game. Version 0.3 was released in April 2019, and features Kalos Pokémon League, Smashville, non-transforming Pokémon Stadium, and Final Destination, in addition to Dream Land, Yoshi's Island, Battlefield, Final Destination, and Meta Crystal. Since it was merged into Smash Remix, it won't be developed any further.

Smash Remix[edit]

Main article: Smash Remix
SmashRemixLogo.png

Smash Remix is a mod with the goal to expand Smash 64 with new characters, stages, etc. while staying true to its core gameplay. New mechanics from the other Smash games, like wavedashing, are added as optional bonuses. The vision involves having tournaments where the new characters are pitched against the old ones, with most of the newcomers being viable against the originals, alongside a set of more powerful boss characters.

Incorporating every feature from 19XXCE and SSBMSE, the mod adds 18 regular characters (returning and newcomers) as well as more than 60 stages. It also add many new game modes, as well as a plethora of customisation options for those modes, making the mod a robust single-player experience and multiplayer competition game alike.

Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]

Melee: SD Remix[edit]

Main article: Melee: SD Remix
Melee SDR.png

Melee: SD Remix is the first of notable of hacks involving Melee. SD Remix holds some niche appeal amongst some devoted Melee players. The concept behind Melee: SD Remix can be compared to that of Balanced Brawl; both mods avoid making changes to the game's base engine in favour of buffing and nerfing individual attributes of characters to make the game more balanced. Some stages have also been altered as to allow for better competitive gameplay. The development for SD Remix continues today, but appears to have slowed down, with the last version being from 2015.

As of July 5, 2015, a version loadable from a memory card, entitled SD Remix Lite, was released; it is also the only memory card mod that can run with full features on all versions of Melee, including NTSC/NTSC-J 1.00, 1.01, 1.02, and PAL, and even though it is named version 3.2, it still contains all fixes of SD Remix Full 3.2.1.

20XX[edit]

Main article: 20XX
20XXTELogo.png

The 20XX Melee Training Hack Pack does not feature any true modifications to Melee's gameplay; rather, as its name suggests, it modifies Melee's overall user interface to allow players to train their skills for professional Melee tournaments. Hacks, for instance, can allow players to flash differing colours to allow for practising of L-cancelling or allow for players to view hitbox data for the game's various characters. Other, minor hacks are also available, allowing for players to modify stages, use PAL versions of characters, or use unique costumes.

An extension of the 20XX Melee Training Hack Pack is the 20XX Tournament Edition. Developed by professional Melee player Dan Salvato, 20XX Tournament Edition features various hacks to streamline the mod's performance in tournament use, as well as other minor improvements, such as widescreen support; it also uniquely runs via hacked save data on a GameCube memory card, allowing for it to be spread through the standard software found on either the GameCube or Wii.

Silly Melee[edit]

SillyMeleeLogo.png

Silly Melee [12] is a modification of Melee with the purpose of making every character overpowered. Made by Alpharad and MagicScrumpy with assistance from Casey O'Rourke, it is self-described on its official website as "Very, very silly. Characters do things that they never should have been able to do." Version 1.0 was released in December 2015.

The Akaneia Build[edit]

The Akaneia Build.png

First released on January 20th, 2021, The Akaneia Build is a major mod that is comparable to that of Smash Remix for the first entry in the series, albeit for Melee instead, as it too takes advantage of being able to add content to the original game without replacing any, which was a brand new discovery for Melee upon its creation. It also features online play, using an already existing netcode mod. Also like Remix, the mod focuses heavily on the competitive side of things while also being fully accessible to more casual play.

The mod was first released with adding back in all stages from Smash 64 that weren't already present in the base game except for Sector Z, including Metal Cavern. A brand new stage added was a volleyball court, which also became a new game mode complete with scoring. It also added various new alternate costumes for the roster, many of which were based on color swaps added in later games of the series, such as Mario's pink and cyan alternate, the white alternate for Mr. Game & Watch, and yellow color swaps for Fox and Link. Some costumes were new, such as Pichu wearing the hat and backpack of the male trainer from Pokémon Gold and Silver. A small update was released shortly after, adding Mario wearing his cape as another new costume. The most notable addition to the base release was Wolf O'Donnell being added as a newcomer, with his appearance being based on how he looks in Star Fox 64 and the intro to Melee, and he only has Japanese voice clips, much like Fox and Falco's appearances. Wolf mostly replicates his gameplay from the regular series, although his connections to Fox and Falco can be more clearly felt here. He especially shares many noticeable assets with Fox, due to Wolf blatantly being a modded version of him in terms of moveset and attributes; additionally, Wolf's size and proportions are much closer to Fox's than how they normally are; the two even share his idle animation. Wolf's playstyle and strategy is also heavily affected due to Melee's physics. Wolf comes with his own Break the Targets stage as well; however, he currently he lacks victory animations, with a win by him resulting in an immediate cut back to the character select screen. The announcer does not say Wolf's name, but instead says "Bonus character" when selecting him.

Version 0.8, released on December 25th, 2021, added Diddy Kong and Charizard, with the former being based on his appearance in games like Diddy Kong Racing and Donkey Kong 64, and the latter being based on its appearance as a Poké Ball Pokémon in Melee itself. Charizard's moveset closely matches its appearance in Smash 4, with Flare Blitz as its side special (though it is labelled in-game as Dragon Rage), and Rock Smash as its down special, though it keeps its forward aerial from Brawl.

Version 0.9, released on April 7th, 2023, adds Lucas and Sonic the Hedgehog, with the latter's appearance being based on his design first seen in Sonic Adventure, and his moveset being slightly altered to reflect such by replacing Spin Dash with the Light Speed Dash. Four more stages were added, being Luigi's Mansion, Delfino Plaza, Village (Smashville), and Green Hill Zone. Reflecting the release time of Melee, the Village takes its design from the Nintendo 64 Animal Crossing rather than Wild World, and Amy replaces Silver as a background character in Green Hill Zone. In addition, all newcomers now have their own trophies, as well as a new Kirby Hat 6 trophy featuring Kirbys with Wolf's, Diddy Kong's, and Charizard's Copy Abilities and a Kirby Hat 7 trophy featuring Kirbys with Lucas' and Sonic's Copy Abilities. Trophies of Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Super Sonic, and Shadow were also added.

Beyond Melee[edit]

Beyond Melee.png

Beyond Melee is a Melee mod made after the release of The Akaneia Build to further expand Melee's roster and other content without replacing any, even using the same Wolf and "minigame" stages from Akaneia Build. However, unlike Akaneia Build, which simply adds content to Melee while leaving everything else unchanged (much like Smash Remix for Smash 64), Beyond Melee changes original assets in the game. In addition to aesthetic changes to menu design, gameplay-wise, a chunk of the original cast and stages are remixed. This is done to make the roster more balanced and competitively viable and stages to be more tournament-friendly. Said changes are done in accessible ways, though, and can still be enjoyed casually. There are still stages that exist purely for fun, and ones changed competitively are done in self-aware and humorous ways, such as having Whispy Woods burnt down on Dream Land 64 so as to not blow on fighters.

Most veteran fighters received minimal changes, usually just a couple of new moves and fixes in frame data. Lower-tier characters, such as Bowser and Zelda, however, received many more changes to buff them. Bowser, for example, received tremendous buffs in speed and frame data. He also gained an entirely new neutral special and down air. Zelda received similar changes, but also has an entirely new warrior princess-like attire, resembling her appearance in Hyrule Warriors. In the first public release, Luigi, Yoshi, Ness, Ice Climbers, Kirby, and Mr. Game & Watch were not yet playable, most likely due to also receiving large overhauls. However, their silhouettes could be seen on the character select screen, with Luigi having what appears to be a Boo alongside him, implying his moveset would have many more references to Luigi's Mansion.

The mod adds five newcomers to Melee, being Skull Kid, Fay from Star Fox 2, Wolf, Raichu, and Shadow Mewtwo from Pokkén Tournament. Skull Kid uses Ness as a base, but has an entirely unique moveset featuring magic and dark energy balls that hover around him. Wolf is the same as he is in The Akaneia Build, but with a minor appearance change. Fay, like Wolf in these mods, is also clearly an edited version of Fox, though has an even closer resemblance to him than Wolf. Fay gains unique attributes by having the Homing Launcher from Star Fox: Assault in her moveset. The launcher can ignite powerful close range explosions and also gives her a side special similar to Snake's Remote Missile. Raichu is a heavyweight compliment to its pre-evolutions, moving much slower but having much more powerful electric attacks than the other two. Shadow Mewtwo is based on Mewtwo, but has many brand new moves and even a unique gimmick of building up a power meter.

The second publicly released build of Beyond Melee was released on March 15th, 2022, entitled "Demo 2" and featuring the revamped return of Ness, a significant revamp for Raichu, and the additions of Sonic the Hedgehog and Meta Knight, as well as even more stages, costumes, and balance changes.

Super Smash Bros. Melee 64[edit]

Supersmashbrosmelee64.png

As the name suggests, Super Smash Bros. Melee 64 (often just referred to as "Melee 64") is a mod with the goal of making Melee more like its predecessor, Smash 64, and was first made available in July 2019. A notable feature of the mod is the ability to choose between playing it with Melee's regular mechanics and techniques, or a unique version that combines the gameplay styles of Melee and 64. It also contains completely remixed stages, alternate costumes, and menus reflecting 64.

Turbo DX[edit]

Turbo DX is a mod of The Akaneia Build released on September 28th, 2024, comprising of all the content from The Akaneia Build and the addition of more content. There are currently two new characters added in the mod, those being Daisy and Wario. Unlike The Akaneia Build, all characters that weren't in Melee have unique announcer calls done by the game's original announcer, Dean Harrington provided by David V. Kimball. Lucas had his design changed to match how he would have looked in the cancelled EarthBound 64. Many veterans received new alternate costumes and more stages have been added such as Sector Z, Castle Siege, Mine Cart Madness, Bowser's Castle, Ecruteak City, Celestial Valley, a Melee version of Small Battlefield, and Wario's Castle.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

Balanced Brawl[edit]

Balancedbrawllogo.png

Balanced Brawl is unusual amongst Brawl mods in that it does not significantly alter the core gameplay physics of Brawl. In its attempts to make the game more balanced, it instead primarily focuses buffing and nerfing all the characters, as well as adding some universal nerfs, such as altering how ledges work in order to combat planking. In addition to its various character tweaks, some of the stages were also changed, though not to an extent seen in other mods; most stage hazards are still present, but instead are either weakened or occur less often. Likely as a result of its lack of immediately visible changes, Balanced Brawl was unable to find the popularity of other mods for Brawl, though it did attain a small niche composed of those who opposed the changes made by Brawl+.

While not officially abandoned, the last notable update for Balanced Brawl, version 3, was released in 2010, with only a 2011 bugfix patch for PAL regions being released since then. Because of the effectively ceased development, Balanced Brawl is generally considered to be antiquated. As its last version was based on the Brawl metagame from 2010, some notable developments are not reflected in Balanced Brawl's changes, such as the emergence of Olimar as a top tier character (who saw no nerfs by the final release of Balanced Brawl), as well as the gradually decreasing dominance of Snake (who saw the most nerfs besides Meta Knight).

Brawl+[edit]

Main article: Brawl+
Brawl+ Logo.png

Brawl+ was the first notable gameplay mod available for Brawl, and it also became the first mod to develop its own tournament scene, with it semi-frequently appearing as a side event at Brawl tournaments during its heyday in 2009 and early 2010. The mod featured multiple tweaks to gameplay that would later be seen in most future mods; in addition to changing the physics engine, some stages were changed in order to make them fit the guidelines for legality within tournaments, and individual characters had various attributes nerfed and buffed in an attempt to reduce competitive inequality between characters. Despite popularising the concept of modifying the base gameplay of Brawl and its presence as a side-event at some Brawl tournaments, Brawl+ was immediately controversial to some members of the community, due to the fact that most of its changes were seen by many as solely attempting to make Brawl play exactly like Melee, particularly in regard to changes to individual characters, such as Fox and Jigglypuff having become altered to make them almost identical to their Melee counterparts. Brawl+'s own staff became estranged and antagonistic towards each other because of controversies over the development and ultimate goal of the mod.

Development of the mod ceased in 2010, with version 7.0.3. Most of its staff moved onto Project M, a mod with a similar design philosophy to Brawl+, but with a more concentrated and slightly different goal. Today, Brawl+ is mostly viewed as a curiosity amongst Smashers who are interested in seeing how the hacking scene of Brawl first started.

Brawl-[edit]

Main article: Brawl-
BrawlMinusLogo.png

Brawl-, like most other Brawl mods, attempts to change the cast and physics of Brawl in order to make the game more balanced. In a playful jab at the then-active Brawl+ and its carefully considered balancing philosophy, the changes to the characters and physics in Brawl- are intended by the developers to be absurd and over-the-top in comparison. Brawl-'s character design can be boiled down to the mantra "if everyone is broken, no one is". Hitstun, for instance, has been drastically increased as to allow for combos that are much easier to perform than either Brawl or Melee, and all characters now have the ability to wall jump. In addition, all characters have been buffed to ridiculous levels and each given a plethora of new, very powerful options; Ike, for instance, can charge Eruption and store it, allowing for a powerful kill move. The mod is noteworthy for being an early major Brawl mod aimed towards casual players (although competitive balancing is still of importance to the developers).

Brawl- enjoyed considerable popularity and attention when first released in 2010, and it became the most popular Brawl mod among the fanbase in this time, due to its more obvious changes compared to Balanced Brawl and its less controversial changes compared to Brawl+; the game was even featured as a side-event at some Brawl tournaments, such as at Apex 2010. As Project M got farther into development and started releasing more complete builds, however, Brawl- would become eclipsed in popularity, though it still has a large, devoted cult following. Despite the diminishing popularity and lack of representation at tournaments, development for Brawl- has received updates as late as February 2023.

Project M[edit]

Main article: Project M
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Project M can be seen as a spiritual successor to Brawl+, especially since many Brawl+ developers moved on to work on Project M. Project M features many of Brawl+'s previous physics changes, but was able to distance itself from the previous mod and its related controversies by giving more thorough changes to all characters. Of all Brawl gameplay mods, Project M remains the most popular, due to its altered physics engine that makes it play similarly to Melee and thorough nerfing and buffing of all characters in the game; although aimed primarily at hardcore players as opposed to casual gamers, Project M's considerable "fanservice", such as the inclusion of Roy and Mewtwo, new palette swaps that reference more video games than Brawl's standard selections, and other such interests have allowed it to reach popularity amongst such players. Project M's popularity led to it eventually becoming a notable side-event in tournaments, and it later developed its own distinctive tournament scene, with Apex 2014's Project M event attracting even more entrants than Brawl's.

Newer revisions of Project M had other additions to the game, such as added multiplayer modes, new maps, and a new announcer, with the last major revision being 3.6. While intended to include several completely new characters in its next revision, as well as further buffs and nerfs, development on Project M ceased on 1 December 2015, due to concerns over the legality of the mod. Despite this stoppage, Project M continues to maintain a devoted following.

Project+[edit]

Main article: Project+
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Project+ is a modification of Project M 3.6 (based on Legacy TE) with the aim to improve the balance among the cast by making small moveset changes to all or most characters. It is intended to become tournament standard. Development started in 2018, and version v1b was released in April 2019.

On March 17, 2020, Project+ 2.0 was revealed, with additional content, such as new modes, revamps to some characters' movesets such as Bowser getting a new fireball attack and Charizard getting Thunder Punch, and the reveal of Knuckles the Echidna as the only new playable character beyond what Project M had. Future Updates, up to 2.3, included balanced changes, new UI, and more stages.

Project+ Tournament Addition[edit]

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Project+ Tournament Addition is a tourney-viable modification of Project+ that aims to add new content while also keeping core, fundamental gameplay unmodified. It features an expansive variety of tourney-safe alternative stage skins, costumes, and quality of life features. This includes over 1,000 character costumes to choose from with each character having 20 costumes, and 4 team color options. Over 1,000 stages that are all alternate skins of existing competitive layouts, featuring tournament layout makeovers for all existing stages from Project+, Legacy TE, Project M, Brawl, Melee, and 64; as well as many brand new stages designed for this mod. The project also showcases a new code menu made with the mod in mind, that allows players to train their skills for professional tournaments. For example, there is a feature called actionable overlay that allows you to see when you are actionable during or after an attack, as well as a combo trainer tool that allows you to set your opponent's position and practice follow ups. Other new codes made for the project include a Random 1-1 code that allows the player to select a tournament stage of their choice, and be taken to a random variation of that stage. This is often used with the Endless Friendlies code shown in LegacyTE to allow players to play on many visual takes on the same stage layout for as long as they want. Many new modes that aren't seen in Project+ are featured here which include Big Head Mode, Random Angle Mode, Legacy XP's War Mode, and a preliminary version of Retro Mode replacing Clear Mode in the Special Versus menu.

Version 1.0 was released on March 27, 2022 after the tournament Project M Theatre.

Legacy XP[edit]

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Legacy XP is a modification of Project M 3.6 that includes more characters, 700+ additional stages, and new modes. While the characters from Project M were mostly unaltered (Yoshi and Link received some non-PM 3.6 moveset-fixing edits, and Snake gained the ability to walk while using his box taunt), 10 more fighters were added: Young Link, Pichu, and Dr. Mario returned from Melee, and Ridley, Waluigi, Geno, Lucina, and Metal-Sonic were added in the beta build released in September 2016. Shadow and Mage Ganondorf (inspired by his Ocarina of Time appearance) followed in version 2.0 Full in May 2018. Version 2.1, featuring some balance changes, was released in March 2019.

Just like the aforementioned Legacy TE, development ceased on March 13, 2020 with an announcement on their website [13] and removal of all downloads. Project co-lead David V. Kimball stressed no Nintendo involvement in the shutdown, and directed further questions to Ryan Morrison [14], similar to the Project M shutdown.

Legacy XP Lite is a combination of Legacy XP with some of the more competitive-friendly stages from Legacy TE, greatly reducing the number of stages and the mod size from over 5 GB to under 2 GB. Version 2.1 was released in March 2019.

Legacy TE[edit]

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Legacy TE is a tourney-viable modification of Project M 3.6 that aims to add new content while also keeping core, fundamental gameplay unmodified. It features a variety of tourney-safe alternative stage skins, costumes, and quality of life features. This includes shortcuts to edit a players' controls without leaving the character selection screen, an improvement to character files to reduce crashing likelihood, and an improved menu interface. A debug menu made for the mod allows players to train their skills for professional tournaments. For example, there is an option to show DI lines that show how directional influence affects where an attack sends an opponent, with a clearly defined end point that either aims to the ground or stops in the air. A variety of tools and resources have also been made for the mod, allowing tournament organizers to easily customize their builds, including changing the stagelist, replacing costumes, or editing brand assets on menus. Legacy TE has received worldwide adoption and is generally considered the go-to edition of Project M by tournament players. Version 2.11 was released in January 2019. Version 2.5 was released on August 26, 2019, and features 15 costumes per character, alternate stage toggle options in the code menu, and many other features.

Development ceased on March 13, 2020, with an announcement on their website "Smash Bros. Legacy" and removal of all downloads.[5] Project co-lead David V. Kimball stressed no Nintendo involvement in the shutdown, and directed further questions to Ryan Morrison,[6] similar to the Project M shutdown.

Legacy MP+[edit]

Legacy MP+ is a modification of Brawl that features character rebalancing, a mode inspired by Lethal League, and additional costumes such as one for Bowser that references the ending of Super Mario Odyssey where Mario captures him, costumes for the Star Fox characters inspired by Dragon Ball Z, a set of costumes for Charizard based on the Armor Style Holowear from Pokémon UNITE, adding Peachette as an alternate costume for Peach, and even adding Scourge the Hedgehog as an alternate costume for Sonic.

Smash 2[edit]

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Smash 2 is a modification of Brawl that was designed to be like Melee as if Nintendo had more time to develop it (leading to more characters), making it much more of a direct homage to Melee than Project M. In addition to the engine changes from Project M, stage camera and lighting are edited, and the movesets of all Melee veterans have been reverted to function as in Melee, with some rebalancing to adjust for these changes. For the newcomers in Brawl, Wolf and Lucas were designed to be more similar to the characters they were partially cloned from, and for other characters, abilities they gained that originated from games released after Melee got replaced (for example, King Dedede's Jet Hammer).

Smash 2 Plus[edit]

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Smash 2 Plus is seen as the direct successor of Smash 2, making adjustments and changes to the roster by re-adding characters such as Wolf and Lucas alongside other roster additions.

Smash 2 Omega[edit]

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Smash 2 Omega is considered the third installment of Smash 2, making further adjustments and also adding characters such as Ridley, Toad, and Daisy to the roster. The current build is Version 1.5, which released on February 2nd, 2023.

REX[edit]

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REX is a more casual expansion of Project+, adding many new characters and stages. Like the aforementioned Legacy XP, the goal of this build is to balance quantity with quality. Good character balancing is also a goal of REX, and the developers strive to maintain a meta that isn't completely dominated by just a few characters.

REX's roster covers a wide range of franchises and characters, including characters that were added to later Smash titles (some with redesigned movesets like Ridley and Lucina, others more faithful backports like Wii Fit Trainer and Sora), popular characters that never quite made it to Smash like Waluigi, Geno, and Bandana Waddle Dee, and more obscure picks like Deathborn, from F-Zero GX, Vectorman from his namesake game series, and Sukapon from Joy Mech Fight. The mod has also added hundreds of new stages, both new and backported, as well as various features. REX enjoys continued development from both the internal dev team and external collaborators, including polishing character movesets and animations, redesigning textures to better fit Brawl's art style, and even providing new voice work for some characters.

Originally, the project began in 2018 as a separate mod pack known as Project M EX Remix (REMIX for short), but after reaching version 0.95DX, REMIX ceased development in February 2024 due to the departure of three of the project leaders.[7] The remaining project leader and other members of its development team subsequently shifted over to REX, which will feature all of the existing content from REMIX along with its previous planned content and other new additions.

On May 26th, 2024, REX's first two newcomers after the transition from Project M EX Remix, Incineroar and Pikachu Libre, were announced, despite the latter being Pikachu's eighth costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[8] The initial teaser trailer also features silhouettes of characters like Galacta Knight, but all of them beyond Incineroar and Pikachu Libre have yet to be revealed. Currently, the mod has been delayed to early 2025 due to the director's real-life issues.[9]

The initial teaser trailer for REX is considered something of a tribute to the first trailer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, due to Vectorman's eye reflecting the mod's logo in a similar fashion to Inkling's eye reflecting the burning Super Smash Bros. emblem.

Project Horizon[edit]

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Project Horizon follows a similar design philosophy to REX, but distinguishes itself with several characters not in REX (including non-gaming 3rd parties like Goku from the Dragon Ball series and Scott Pilgrim from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), other stages that have not made it to REX's stage list, and an intentional lack of backported characters from future Super Smash Bros. games.

Project Meta Plus EX[edit]

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Project Meta Plus EX is a Project+EX build with a different roster, adding characters who did not debut in a video game such as Goku and Kirito, alongside 2 new original characters, as well as characters who are not in REX such as Roxas, Proto-Man, Mach Rider, Doom Slayer, and Ayumi Tachibana. The modification also includes stages from manga and anime such as My Hero Academia, and stage recreations of Earthbound 64 locations. Finally, the mod features stages from fangames such as Super Smash Land.

Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]

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4XM[edit]

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4XM (previously Melee HD) is a modification of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Super Smash Bros. for Wii U that aims to change the engine to make the game more like Melee, and add most mechanics like L-canceling and Wavedashing back. Development started in 2017, and in December 2022, 4xM Beta v1.8 was released.

Artful Phoenix[edit]

Artful Phoenix (AP) is the product of a joint venture between the former development teams behind popular mods Artful Lander and Phoenix, with a combined three years worth of development and original content.

TR4SH[edit]

TR4SH This mod changes up all 58 characters, making them all a lot stronger, and a bit more silly. Don't be fooled though, as it's also quite balanced, so you can always have a lot of fun playing!

Smash Rebuffed[edit]

Smash Rebuffed increases the viability of every single character and transforms their normal moveset into deadly assets. Every fighter is marginally better than they were in vanilla.

CH4OS: Forever Unbalanced[edit]

CH4OS: Forever Unbalanced serves as the official sequel and tribute for the original CH4OS: The Unbalance Mod, made by Bagelboyy. In this mod, characters are much more broken than before (and aims to buff some characters that were somewhat underpowered in CH4OS 1.0 and above).

SSBTrue[edit]

Super Smash Bros.True (SSBTrue) buffs the entire Smash 4 roster and gives existing fighters new moves while also adding new characters and stages to the game.

Eclipse Smash[edit]

Eclipse Smash is one of the very few Smash 3DS mod packs out there this pack adds characters, gives new moves to existing characters, changes costumes, adds new stages, and new music.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

ProjectNX[edit]

Announced at the beginning of Smash Ultimate's life cycle, with the initial name being Project Ultimate,[10] ProjectNX is a Project M-esque mod that was being developed by NyxTheShield, though Nyx saw it as his own "personal passion project" that he wasn't going to release for some time into the future. ProjectNX mostly modified the engine and didn't include ACMD moveset changes, though other changes were planned, since Nyx had made comments in the past where he said he would like to fix Captain Falcon's Knee Smash as well as other game balance changes. ProjectNX garnered controversy within the Smash community after its reveal, with many divided over the issue on whether or not modding Ultimate to act like Melee would be respectful to the game and its developers. The project was eventually faced with legal pressure by Nintendo and has since ceased all development.

Super Smash Bros. Championship Edition[edit]

Initially released around late December of 2019, Championship Edition[15] (also known as CE) is a massive overhaul of many aspects of Ultimate's base game, developed by Ayerbe and others with the intent of "To fix the problems with Ultimate to create a game that's healthier for a competitive environment." It also changes aspects of the game aside from adding more competitively friendly properties. Alongside changing the engine to be more akin to Melee/PM (although it includes several non-melee changes), it also changes how characters are balanced, such as making animation changes (both new movesets and higher quality anims), changing the params, etc. Alongside animation/moveset edits, many QOL changes and improvements to things such as references have been added, like multiple characters getting changed voices to better fit their origin games (Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Bowser are examples). As of 2022, the mod introduces two new fighters: Giga Bowser and Akuma. In addition, several casual game modes have been added via altering Custom Smash. It went open source and has stopped receiving updates on April 28th, 2022.

HewDraw Remix[edit]

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Released on March 9th, 2022, HewDraw Remix[16] (also known as HDR) is a mod that primarily adds Melee/Project M-like changes to the game, while also adding other improvements to the game's UI, control options, and online functionalities. Many global changes have been added to the game, such as wavedashing, ledge hogging, and knockback tweaks. HDR also adds some advanced techniques from Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4, such as dash attack canceled up smash and perfect pivoting, as well as some new mechanics of its own, such as upwards wavelanding and wavedropping- by dropping through a platform during a wavedash, a character will keep their momentum. Additionally, HDR changes how perfect shields function- instead of releasing shield at the right time, a player instead presses the special button while holding shield to activate a parry.

Many characters have new mechanics and moveset overhauls. For example, Palutena gained a new meter mechanic inspired by Nine the Phantom from BlazBlue, and characters like Sonic and Banjo & Kazooie received heavy reworks of their moveset. Further changes and reworks are planned for many characters in the cast. A list of changes from all beta releases can be found here.

HDR also adds the ability to strike stages on the Stage Select Screen, with both the CSS and the SSS having redone designs, alongside the Main Menu. HDR also adds several new control options, such as the addition of a dedicated smash attack and short hop button. The mod also has an in-built option to decrease online latency, at the potential cost of stability and lag.

HDR is arguably the most popular Super Smash Bros. Ultimate mod, having several in-person brackets at majors, such as Frosty Faustings XV 2023 and Collision 2023. Smaller-scale local tournaments have also started to appear in multiple regions.

Ultimate S[edit]

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Initially released on April 13th, 2021, the mod Ultimate S is a fresh take on Ultimate with a large overhaul including lots of new features, character reworks and balancing. It also re-adds popular mechanics such as edge canceling, DACUS, and wavedashing, as well as decloning echo fighters. Most notably, the majority of the cast has received a variety of brand new moves and even command inputs. As of update 4.0's release on June 29th, 2024, Toad, Rayman, Bomberman, Masked Man, and Sandbag have been added as brand-new fighters.

TR4SH Rebuffed[edit]

TR4SH Rebuffed is a collaboration that takes the best from the TR4SH and Smash Rebuffed modpacks, which were both overhaul mods for Super Smash Bros. Wii U. It uses the crazy gimmicks and silliness of TR4SH combined with the fast combo-based gameplay of Smash Rebuffed. Despite being a mod that "buffs" and makes characters stronger than vanilla for the most part, TR4SH Rebuffed also rebalances certain aspects across the cast, aiming to keep gameplay competitive friendly. It is also considered to be the closest mod to resemble Brawl- in terms of feel. In terms of global mechanics, TR4SH Rebuffed has included wavedashing, DACUS, DACDS (Dash Attack Canceled Down Smash), perfect pivoting, increased hitstun, and wall-jumping for the entire cast.

The mod notably includes inputted variations on certain moves, where for one eaxmple, holding the A button on Wario's Up-Air will turn it into a slow variation that will instantly kill the opponent upon a successful hit. TR4SH Rebuffed also does have other features such as adding brand new Spirits, Classic Mode Routes, Various Cosmetic Changes, and even better AI for CPU players.

WuBor Patch[edit]

The WuBor Patch is seen as half overhaul, half balancing mod. The main aims are to take weaker characters and make them more enjoyable, to balance very strong characters but make them still fun, "declone" echo fighters, and overhaul system mechanics in an effort to better the game's feel. In addition, the WuBor Patch introduces a new fighter in the form of Yu Narukami from Persona 4, who completely replaces Lucina. Yu has a fully unique moveset, animations, parameters, special moves, meters, super moves (like Terry) and more. The WuBor Patch is available to download and still in active development.

CHAO5: The UN-Balance Mod Returns![edit]

CHAO5: The UN-Balance Mod Returns! is a mod for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate which makes fighters overpowered. It is also the successor and sequel to CH4OS: The UN-Balance Mod which was a mod for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Unlike most gameplay overhaul mods, CHAO5 is more of a "joke mod" which isn't meant to be taken too seriously, having less resemblance for balance and isn't strictly made for competitive play, similar to Silly Melee. The mod is well-noted for having characters with mostly turbo moves, multiple jumps, boosted mobility and strikingly good recoveries, and containing a number moves that can either deal extremely high amounts of damage or even OHKO fighters, with Mr. Game and Watch most notably having plenty. CHAO5 has overhauled and included several global mechanics such as much stronger shields, wavedashing and dash-dancing from Melee, chain-grabbing, hitstun canceling from Brawl, unlimited air dodging, DACUS, DACDS, spawning items through taunting, and more. CHAO5 is also well-noted for completely and accurately restoring Brawl's gliding mechanic, in which Meta Knight, Pit and Charizard regain, and they all reuse their gliding animations from Brawl while also making the glide stronger. In Meta Knight's case, Shuttle Loop puts him into a gliding state exactly like in Brawl, while also having his regular glide. In addition, non-Brawl characters such as Dark Pit, Ridley, Palutena, Banjo & Kazooie, and Sora can also glide, having their own proper animations and unique traits to their movements. CHAO5 also replaces a number of moves of fighters, for example Ryu now has a laser on non-inputted Neutral Special similar to Zero Laser, and more.

Despite the non-serious nature of the mod, CHAO5 does aim to be creative in overhauling the entire cast. The mod attempts to differentiate echo fighters, with some even gaining new animations and moves (with Daisy being a notable example). This mod also adds extra costumes to fighters, without replacing any existing ones. In the v1.0.0 update released on November 26th, 2022, CHAO5 has introduced two new fighters; Claus from Mother 3 (being Lucas's echo fighter) and Giga Bowser. Claus is mostly similar to Lucas but has some different moves/animations (taking some from P+ Lucas), voice acting, different coloured PSI effects, and even his own Classic Mode Route. Both Giga Bowser and Claus do not replace any existing fighter and have their own slots on the Character Select Screen.

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