Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary
As confirmed on Smash Bros. DOJO!!, Super Smash Bros. Brawl will feature a new single-player adventure mode called the 'Subspace Emissary. Sakurai stated that although the past games featured a large multi-player mode, they've never created an extensive single-player adventure. This time, the developers have included a plot-line that features the histories of the many fighters in Brawl. The Subspace Emissary will also include many new diverse characters, enemies, and levels that will each play a part in the adventure. The mode will also feature dozens of cut-scenes which are rare among Nintendo games
Structure
Stage selection is done via a map screen, which also allows players to select their difficulty (Easy, Normal, Hard, Very Hard, Intense) and determine if you want two-player co-op play. Before the beginning of each stage, the player picks a "Team" of allied characters that he or she would like to use to complete that particular level. Each stage has a fixed amount of lives that one can lose before the game is lost.
In-Game Structure
As you go through the game, your damage percentage will be displayed at the bottom of the screen for each player, just like in multiplayer battles. At the left side of the screen, a bar showing what seems to be your lives is displayed. A feature that was not present in Melee is that enemies now have health. As you fight them, their own health bars will be displayed at the top of the screen. More than one health bar may appear if you are fighting multiple enemies at once.
Co-op
The Subspace Emissary supports two-player co-op. When playing cooperatively, the two players share the same amount of lives. If player one is on his or her last life, and dies, but player two is still alive, the game is still over. Within stages, the game's camera follows player one, and so it is player two's responsibility to keep up with player one. If the two become separated, player two may return to player one's location with the "Space Jump" technique.
The World
The Subspace Emissary introduces players to the true world of Smash Bros. This world is composed of a wide variety of terrain ranging from vast forests and grasslands to deep caverns and large deserts. The most notable structure is the enormous stadium that hovers over the land. It was the major place of all battles, until the Subspace invasion began. During this invasion, the entire stadium, along with any potential visitors, were engulfed in a subspace bomb.
Areas Revealed
Only a few areas have been revealed that you will have to fight through as of far:
The Arena- The introduction of the plot takes place at the Smash Bros. Arena. Three battles will take place, the first being between Mario and Kirby. After the Subspace Army arrives, you will have to battle a group of Primid. Finally, you will face off with the first boss.
- Boss Battle- Petey Piranha
Skyworld- Pit's home land is supposedly the first actual level in the game. You will have to explore and find Mario in the clouds as Pit. From there, you will need to proceed to the surface of the world. A short battle with the Primid will take place here as well.
- Boss Battle- Unknown, if any
Jungle- You will play as Diddy and DK in this area. The Jungle is infested with Mario World enemies such as Goombas, Koopas, and Bullet Bills. A mini-boss battle with a Giant Goomba will take place here. Bowser is encountered at the end of the level wielding a trophy gun.
- Boss Battle- Bowser
The Lake- The player(s) control Diddy Kong and Fox in this level. The only known gameplay in this area is a boss battle with Rayquaza.
- Boss Battle- Rayquaza
The Storyline
The plot introduces the Subspace Army, which includes an array of dark creatures called the Primid. Their ruler, known as the Ancient Minister plans to use special bombs to break apart the world and carry it into Subspace.
So far, it appears that most, if not all of the playable characters will have some sort of role, possibly even the third parties (though not confirmed). There seems to be many sub-plots that will presumably all merge together in the same story that involves the Subspace Army.
Before playing each part of the Subspace Emissary, you can choose between two characters to play as, like Mario and Kirby, or between Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.
Seemingly the first event starts with Mario and Kirby fighting in the Arena with Zelda and Peach cheering in the stands. The story can be changed slightly depending on what characters you choose to play as. In this particular storyline, Mario ultimately wins, and Kirby turns into a trophy. As an act of compassion Mario revives Kirby and the two shake hands, forming a friendship. According to Smash Bros. DOJO!! in the This World... update, fighting is the sole purpose of the trophies and doing anything other than fighting, as Mario did, is braking the rules. Apparently as punishment, Meta Knight's Battleship Halberd arrives on the scene with an army of Primid, along with a subspace bomb operated by two Robotic Operating Buddies (R.O.B). From the stands, Zelda and Peach come down to Mario and Kirby's side. The Ancient Minister then makes a brief pass and then the ROBs activate the bomb which has a 3 minute timer. Mario charges forward to deactivate the bomb, but gets blindsided by a cannon ball and is shot miles away. Meanwhile, the two onlooking princesses, Peach and Zelda, get captured into cages by Petey Piranha. Kirby will be the only one safe, so he then battles Petey to save one of the two princesses.
Once Kirby breaks one of the cages and saves one of the princesses, Petey will be defeated and burning. Wario will next come on scene and turn the princess who was not saved into a trophy using a gun that fires a black growing arrow on the ground. Wario will then grab the trophy and flee. Meanwhile, the bomb is getting ready to blow, and Kirby and the princess take off on a Warpstar, neither being capable of destroying the bomb, which explodes soon after. The bomb imprisons the arena and its crowd inside an enormous orb of dark Subspace energy.
Kirby and the princess then get shot down by the Halberd and land on the ship. They then explore the surface of the ship when Fox and his Arwing come to fight the Halberd. Fox dodges laser fire but gets hit by the Halberd's retractable arm. Fox's Arwing then spirals and crashes onto the ship, knocking Kirby and the other princess down to earth.
Meanwhile, Pit, in Skyworld, is watching Mario and Kirby's fight on a screen. Once he sees the whole terrible scene, including the bomb explosion, he retrieves his bow from Palutena and sets of to help. Amidst the clouds, the Halberd appears and drops off a wave of Primid to hinder Pit. Pit prevails and notices Mario's trophy stuck in the clouds and revives Mario. Pit and Mario join forces with the goal of destroying the Subspace army.
Meanwhile, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong chase after King Bowser's minions, who have stolen their bananas for some unknown reason. They reach Bowser, and Diddy and DK fight him. Later Diddy, seperate from DK, finds Fox's crashed Arwing by an enormous lake. The Pokémon, Rayquaza, suddenly rises out of the lake, destroys what remains of the Arwing, and captures Diddy. Fox is ejected out of his destroyed ship at the last second and rescues Diddy from Rayquaza. Together the two fight Rayquaza and the rest is unknown.
There has been scenes of Bowser holding a similar gun to Wario, screens of Meta Knight fighting with Ice Climbers, and scenes of Samus fighting Primd with Beam Swords. An early screenshot also showed Zero Suit Samus in a room full of screens. Yoshi and Link are apparently on a team according to the video and Ike and Lucas will have roles in the story as well.
Weapons and Defense
The Subspace Army possesses special weapons called Subspace Bombs. The R.O.B.s (Robotic Operating Buddies) assist in activating each bomb. When a Subspace bomb explodes, it creates an enormous ball of energy that engulfs the area and brings it into Subspace. It is currently unknown as to what happens to living creatures when sucked into Subspace. In addition to the bombs, the Subspace Army also controls Meta Knight's massive airship, the Halberd. They use the Halberd to transport their armies and deliver the Subspace Bombs to their destinations.
The Primid
The Primid are the Subspace Army's main offensive soldiers [1]. They are puppet-like beings who bear the Subspace symbol on their chest and they appear in different types:
- Common Primid - These are the main Primid enemies that you encounter throughout the game. They mostly run around and make faces at you, but can also attack unexpectedly.
- Red Primid - Making a vague appearance in a trailer, it is unknown what this variation of Primid is capable of or if they are any more dangerous than normal Primid soldiers.
- Boom Primid - These Primid carry enormous boomerangs and can therefore attack you from great distance.
- Bomb Primid- These black, red, and grey Primid carry large bombs. If you touch one, they will explode or throw bombs at you. Sonic is the best parter to take care of them.
- Saber Primid- Shown in a trailer, these elite fighters wield large, blue beam swords. Based on their nature, they are much more dangerous than other Primid variations.
- Laser Primid- These Primid are able to shoot red lasers from their hands.
- Big Primid- These Primid are the largest Primid type, hence the name. While they are very similar to normal Primid both in attacks and appearance, they are fairly stronger. They also have jump and roll attacks.
Other Enemies
The Subspace army have many robotic minions that assist them greatly during the game, including the R.O.B.s that were seen during the video, whom have missiles and lasers as their weaponry. So far the largest of their robots seem to be the Greap - a large hulking mechanic being that sports two incredible sickles. One of the strangest robots that they've created are the Shaydas, who seem to be made entirely out of fog - though also have two large sword like weapons as well. Their weak spot is the glowing orb in their chest.
The Bytan, while seemingly harmless - aren't, as the small spheroids are capable of multiplying. The Poppant, on the other hand, are relatively harmless, seeing that once you approach them, they'll cower and skedaddle off the stage. Roaders are unicycle like enemies who drive around the stage - and are very fast at doing so. Also, Roaders are reminiscent of the original ExciteBiker.
The Glunder is a static-producing eyeball that hides in a metal shell. When you get near them, they open their shells and send out electricity. Spaaks are large mechanical clouds that try to ram you. When attacked, they turn black and become more aggressive. Mites are tiny creatures that look like stick figure drawings. They like to attack in huge groups and are continuously produced through dark portals that can also be destroyed.
The Trowlon is a pink robotic like creature who is quite thin compared to many of the others. According to the website it'll use its trowel like arms to carry their opponents, or rather your character, away. Whether or not this means an instant kill is unknown. Finally, the Auroros are large mechanic birds who'll charge their beaks into the ground, attempting to harm you. A recent game trailer revealed a few other Subspace enemies including a hovering jellyfish-like creature, circular enemies that move on a track and drop fireballs, and what appears to be a creature that throws large bombs.
Aside from these well-known enemies, there are others that have also been confirmed to appear. A few of these come from an actual series, including the Hammer Bro., Bullet Bills, Goombas, and Koopas. The rest of the confirmed enemies are completely unknown. These include sword wielding fish, a strange ram-like creature, and a fire-launching spacecraft. Their relation to the Subspace Army is still questionable.
The Enemy
The main enemy of the Subspace Emissary is the Ancient Minister as well as his army, which consists of the Primid. The Halberd has been taken over by the Ancient Minister, but it is unknown if Meta Knight himself has joined his side. The Subspace Emissary Movie, which was posted on the official Smash Bros. homepage, revealed that Meta-Knight is working together with Ice Climbers in the Subspace Emissary. Apparently, Petey Piranha from the Mario series is working for the Subspace Army and has captured Princess Peach and Zelda. The official website also revealed a number of enemies that fight for the Subspace Army (a list of which can be seen under "Weapons and Defense" above). Each of these creative creatures bears the Subspace Symbol on some part of their body.
Petey Piranha is the first boss in the Subspace Emissary. You will fight him as either Mario or Kirby, depending on who you chose in the very first battle. He will attack using the cages that contain Peach and Zelda. Your job is to break one of the cages, thus freeing the princess inside. After you defeat Petey Piranha, Wario will appear and use a strange machine to transform the princess you didn't save into her trophy form and kidnap her. As mentioned before, being a trophy is apparently a bad thing.
As seen in Fox's misfortune and the Trophy Stands update, Rayquaza appears as a boss that Diddy Kong and/or Fox fight. The whereabouts of Donkey Kong are unknown.
It has been suggested over at the official website that there will be many bosses in the game other than Petey Piranha, all of whom will probably be a major (or minor) boss in a Nintendo or third party video game series.
Compilation Video
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