amiibo
amiibo (アミーボ, amiibo) are a line of interactive figurines available for usage with the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS systems. By scanning an amiibo with near field communication technology, players can receive various effects in games. For the Wii U, amiibo are scanned using the Wii U GamePad. The New Nintendo 3DS models are also natively compatible with amiibo, while older 3DS models require an NFC adapter to use the figurines.[1] While the concept of figurines using NFC technology to interact with the Wii U was previously explored with Pokémon Rumble U, Super Smash Bros. 4 was the first game to feature the amiibo branding, acting as the debut and flagship title for the line.
As of March 31, 2016, Nintendo reports that 35.2 million Amiibo have been sold, along with 28.9 million Amiibo cards.
In Super Smash Bros. 4
Super Smash Bros. 4 supports the use of amiibo, with its series of figurines representing the various characters available for play in the games. While all playable characters are to be represented, alternate costumes, such as Alph for Olimar, are not confirmed to be featured in the line. amiibo figurines are not required to unlock any characters or other features in the games, and they are completely optional for playing both versions.[2] amiibo can also be used on any copy of the game (even if the character has not been unlocked or downloaded), and the character on the amiibo is tied to the figurine, allowing for players to use its customized moveset and fighting style wherever they desire.
amiibo, when scanned by the console, allow the character represented by the figurines to be used in-game as a customized CPU opponent; the character can be modified by players with character customization options available in the game. Unlike normal fighters, amiibo fighters' stats are modified by "feeding" them equipment, including equipment the character cannot normally use; for example, an amiibo Mario can be given Hammer equipment, which would normally be impossible. There is a limit to how many times the amiibo can be fed before battling, however, and any equipment that's given to an amiibo is permanently lost. An amiibo can also "learn" up to three bonus effects from the equipment they are given. By default, the amiibo's stat total is capped at 120. As with other player-designed custom sets for characters, amiibo can be assigned a name and a specific alternate costume as well.
After this, they can be used as a specialized computer player, with the tag "FP" (Figure Player) above them. Figure Players start at level 1 like regular CPU players, but as they fight more often, they can continue to level up, to a cap of 50. As they gain levels, amiibo can potentially "learn" techniques from other characters: if a player frequently uses long-ranged, camping techniques, then the amiibo will also begin to emulate this behavior. This learning continues even after the 50 level cap is reached. In addition, an amiibo can gain improved fighting statistics, such as improved damage, knockback, and reaction times, the higher its level is. Finally, higher-leveled amiibo can adapt to individual matches faster than lower-leveled amiibo; if an opponent takes on an aggressive, rush-down style against an amiibo in one match, for instance, it will begin to make more use of defensive techniques like spot dodges and rolls.
amiibo also gain gold and other items while fighting, which are retrieved when checking them in the amiibo menu. Aside from gold, players may also receive custom parts or trophies. The longer the amiibo has fought, the more presents and gold are received. These items can be retrieved when the amiibo is scanned on its owner's console under the amiibo menu. While Super Smash Bros. for Wii U natively supports amiibo, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS was unable to do so at launch. Version 1.0.5, released on February 9th, 2015, added support for scanning amiibo if the game is played on a New Nintendo 3DS, while version 1.0.8, released on June 14th, 2015, added support for the NFC reader/writer accessory. The user must have one of these pieces of hardware to use amiibo with the 3DS version.
Owing to their ability to be "trained" and used on other consoles, amiibo tournaments have become a minor side-event at some Smash 4 tournaments.
Release
For Smash, amiibo are being released in waves. Several staggered release dates have been announced, with each date containing a subset of the entire Smash lineup. The known waves, the figurines they contain, and their release dates are detailed below; waves are listed in their North American sets and dates, although the contents of each wave sometimes vary by region.
Smash-related amiibo are priced at $12.99 in the US, $15.99 in Canada, £10.99 GBP in the United Kingdom, $17.95 AUS in Australia, ¥1200 JPY in Japan, and €14.99 EUR in Europe.
Wave 1
The first wave of amiibo launched on November 21st, 2014, alongside the North American release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Wave 2
The second wave of amiibo was released on December 14th, 2014 in North America and on December 19th, 2014 in Europe.
Wave 3
The third wave of amiibo released in Japan on January 22nd, 2015, in Australia on January 29th, 2015, and in North America on February 1st, 2015. In North America, several of the amiibo are exclusively available through specific retailers.
In Europe, Wave 3 was split in two. Bowser, Ike, Lucario, Rosalina & Luma, Sheik, and Toon Link were released on January 23rd, 2015, while King Dedede, Mega Man, Meta Knight, Shulk, and Sonic were released on February 20th, 2015.
 Lucario |
Toys "R" Us exclusive at launch 
|
 Meta Knight |
Best Buy exclusive at launch
|
 Rosalina & Luma |
Target exclusive at launch 
|
 Shulk |
GameStop exclusive at launch EB Games exclusive at launch 
|
Wave 4
The fourth wave of amiibo was released in Japan on April 29th, 2015 and in North America on May 29th, 2015. This is the first wave of amiibo that includes unlockable characters. In Europe, this wave was released in two portions, with Charizard, Lucina, Ness, Pac-Man, Robin, and Wario released on April 24th, 2015 and Greninja and Jigglypuff releasing on May 29th, 2015. Like Wave 3, in North America, several of the amiibo are exclusively available through specific retailers.
 Greninja |
Toys "R" Us exclusive at launch
|
 Jigglypuff |
Target exclusive at launch Walmart exclusive at launch
|
 Ness |
GameStop exclusive at launch EB Games exclusive at launch
|
Wave 5
The fifth wave of amiibo was released in Europe on June 26th, 2015, in Japan on June 11th, 2015, and in North America in late July 2015, with Dark Pit releasing on July 31st, 2015, and Palutena releasing on July 24th, 2015. This wave also marks Palutena as the very first amiibo to be exclusive to an online retailer in North America, as well as being the only wave containing only exclusives in North America.
 Dark Pit |
Best Buy exclusive at launch Gamers and El Palacio de Hierro exclusive at launch 
|
 Palutena |
Amazon exclusive at launch
|
Wave 6
The sixth wave of amiibo was released in North America on September 11th, 2015, in which the following amiibo were available: Zero Suit Samus, Olimar, Bowser Jr., Dr. Mario, and Ganondorf. In Europe and Japan, Ganondorf and Zero Suit Samus released alongside Wave 5, and Dr. Mario, Bowser Jr., and Olimar were released on July 17th, 2015, with the remainder of the wave releasing in September 2015. R.O.B., Mr. Game & Watch, and Duck Hunt are bundled together as a "retro 3-pack" in North America and released exclusively at GameStop on September 25th, 2015 in North America and were individually released on October 29th, 2015 in Japan. This is the final set of amiibo featuring starters. The Mr. Game & Watch amiibo features multiple, swappable poses.
Mr. Game & Watch's multiple poses.
R.O.B. (Japan)
R.O.B. (international)
 Bowser Jr. |
Toys "R" Us exclusive at launch
|
 Dr. Mario |
Target exclusive at launch Walmart exclusive at launch
|
 Duck Hunt Mr. Game & Watch R.O.B. |
GameStop exclusive at launch EB Games exclusive at launch
|
Wave 7
The seventh wave of amiibo released in Europe on October 23rd, 2015 and in Japan on October 29th, 2015, and in North America on November 13th, 2015, with the release of the very first amiibo of a downloadable character, Mewtwo. Falco was released in North America exclusively at Best Buy and Europe on November 20th, 2015. The three Mii Fighters was released in the United States on November 1st, 2015 in a 3-pack exclusively at Toys "R" Us [3]. The 3-pack was released in Canada on November 20th, 2015.
The three Mii Fighter amiibo have been released individually in Europe, on the same day as R.O.B., Mr. Game & Watch and Duck Hunt Duo were released.
 Falco |
Best Buy exclusive at launch |
 Mii Brawler Mii Gunner Mii Swordfighter |
Toys "R" Us exclusive at launch
|
Wave 8
The Lucas amiibo is the only amiibo in the eighth wave, and released in Japan on December 17th, 2015, in North America on January 22nd, 2016, and in Europe on January 29th, 2016.
Wave 9
The ninth wave of amiibo was released on March 18th, 2016 in North America and Europe, and was released on April 28th, 2016 for Japan. This wave includes the releases of the DLC fighters Roy and Ryu, with Roy being a GameStop exclusive in North America, and the first international release of R.O.B. with his Famicom color scheme.
R.O.B. (Famicom color scheme)
 Roy |
GameStop exclusive at launch |
Future releases
Shinya Takahashi of Nintendo's SPD division confirmed that the plan is to ultimately release amiibo figurines for all characters on the roster[4]. It has been confirmed that DLC characters Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta will have amiibo.
Sales
Over 710,000 amiibo from Wave 1 were sold prior to the introduction of Wave 2, with Nintendo also stating that sales were approximately equal to those of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.[5] amiibo of Link were said to be the most popular, with Mario and Pikachu being the second and third most popular, respectively. At the end of 2014, it was announced that amiibo had outsold Super Smash Bros. for Wii U by a factor of at least two to one, with over 2.6 million figurines being sold [6]; a later quarterly report from Nintendo claimed that over 5.7 million amiibo were shipped worldwide.
Pre-orders for Rosalina & Luma also notably broke sales records for Target, with the figurines selling out in only 35 minutes.[7] amiibo from wave 4 caused such huge demand that the web servers for GameStop crashed when pre-orders became available[8]. GameStop also sold out of pre-orders for all Wave 4 amiibo in less than five hours.[9] Palutena's amiibo sold out on Amazon after an hour.
Cross-compatibility
Games compatible with Super Smash Bros. series amiibo
The following games have effects when an amiibo from the Super Smash Bros. series is scanned:
| Game | amiibo | Function |
|---|---|---|
 Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Plus |
                |
Unlocks skins for the player's fighter based on the scanned characters. |
| amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits |
 |
Unlocks timed demos of various NES and SNES games. |
 Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival |
 |
Adds a golden statue of the Smash Villager to the plaza. |
| Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer |
|
Awards the player a golden statue of the Smash Villager. |
 Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker |
|
Gives the player 1-Up Mushrooms. |
| Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash |
                           |
If the player has also linked a Chibi-Robo amiibo to the game, figures of Chibi-Robo imitating the scanned amiibo's pose will be added for collection in the Toy Capsule Machine. |
|
Gives the player 50 or 100 Moolah once a day. Also applies to the amiibo that unlock pose figures. Up to 20 amiibo can be scanned daily. | |
| Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. |
|
Makes the scanned character usable once per level, although they cannot be revived at checkpoints. |
 Fire Emblem Fates |
|
Allows the player to challenge the scanned character to battle and recruit them into Corrin's forces. |
 Hyrule Warriors |
|
The first time scanning one of these amiibo unlocks the Spinner weapon class for Link. Gives the player a weapon for Link with at least three stars every time after the first. |
|
Gives the player a weapon for the scanned character with at least three stars. | |
|
Gives the player a weapon with up to three stars, a random material, or a random number of rupees. Up to five can be scanned daily. | |
| Hyrule Warriors Legends |
|
Gives the player a weapon for the scanned character with at least three stars. |
 Kirby and the Rainbow Curse |
|
Unlocks infinite star dash for Kirby for one level per day. |
|
Unlocks a Meta Knight mask for Kirby and increases the speed of his tap dash for one level per day. | |
|
Unlocks a King Dedede hat for Kirby and gives two additional health bars for one level per day. | |
| Kirby: Planet Robobot |
|
Provides the Smash copy ability to Kirby. |
|
Colors Kirby green and gives him the Sword ability. | |
|
Colors Kirby yellow and gives him the Hammer ability. | |
 |
Gives Kirby the Fire ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Parasol ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Stone ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Doctor ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Ice ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Bomb ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Whip ability. | |
 |
Gives Kirby the Fighter ability. | |
 |
Gives Kirby the Sword ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Mirror ability. | |
 |
Gives Kirby the Ninja ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Poison ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Cutter ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Jet ability. | |
 |
Gives Kirby the Spark ability. | |
 |
Gives Kirby the Mike ability. | |
  |
Gives Kirby the ESP ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Wheel ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Circus ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Archer ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Leaf ability. | |
|
Gives Kirby the Beam ability. | |
|
Randomly gives Kirby the Fighter, Sword, or Spark ability. | |
   |
Provides a random copy ability to Kirby. | |
| Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam |
|
Allows the player to change ? Battle Cards they have found into character cards for use in battle. |
 Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games |
|
Transforms the Mario or Sonic Mii costume into a more powerful Gold Mario or Super Sonic costume, respectively (dependent on the amiibo) for 24 hours. |
| Mario Kart 8 |
|
Permanently unlocks racing suits for the player's Mii themed after the scanned characters. |
| Mario Party 10 |
|
Compatible with amiibo Party mode. Unlocks personal board of scanned characters. |
|
Allows the player to play Scratch Bonus and win Mario Party points. | |
| Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash |
|
Allows the player to use the scanned character as a tennis partner that can be trained and improved. |
 Mega Man Legacy Collection |
|
Unlocks 10 additional challenge stages designed as part of a fan contest. 3DS version only. |
 Metroid Prime: Federation Force |
|
Recolors the player's mech based on the scanned amiibo and provides other unspecified upgrades. |
| Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge |
|
Creates a toy character of the scanned character to navigate a level; different character toys have different abilities. |
|
Creates a Mini Spec to navigate a level. | |
| New Shape Discovery! Rittai Picross 2 |
|
Unlocks a Picross puzzle based on the scanned character. |
| One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X |
|
Unlocks matching costumes for various playable characters; see here for more details. |
 Pokkén Tournament |
|
Unlock various in-game items such as clothing items and money. Up to five can be scanned daily. |
 Star Fox Guard |
|
Calls in an Arwing air strike to wipe out all enemies. Limit of one use daily. |
| Star Fox Zero |
|
Unlocks a SNES-style Arwing, which cannot lock onto targets. |
|
Unlocks the Black Arwing, which can lock onto two targets at once but takes triple damage. | |
| Style Savvy: Fashion Forward |
|
Gives the player themed articles of clothing based on the scanned character. |
| Super Mario Maker |
|
Gives Costume Mario the appearance of the scanned character, in 8-bit form. These costumes can also be unlocked through the 100 Mario Challenge. |
| Taiko no Tatsujin: Atsumete Tomodachi Daisakusen! |
  |
Unlocks songs from the character's game of origin. |
| The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD |
|
Fully replenishes Link's arrows. |
|
Completely restores Link's hearts. | |
|
Receive twice as much damage from enemies. | |
 Xenoblade Chronicles 3D |
|
Awards 3 tokens per day that can be used to unlock music and character models. |
 Yoshi's Woolly World |
|
Activates Double Yoshi mode and unlocks a non-yarn Yoshi design. |
|
Gives the player a Yarn Yoshi with a design based on the amiibo that was used. The two designs of R.O.B.'s amiibo unlock distinct costumes from one another. | |
|
Gives the player a Yarn Yoshi with a generic design of the amiibo logo. |
Other series of amiibo compatible with Super Smash Bros.
The following amiibo from other release sets are compatible with Super Smash Bros. 4. All color and size variations from these sets will function identically in Smash.
| Series name | Compatible amiibo |
|---|---|
| Kirby |
|
| Mega Man Legacy Collection |
|
| Skylanders: SuperChargers |
|
| Super Mario |
|
| Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary |
|
| Yoshi's Woolly World |
|
Gallery
How to work amiibo figures with the Wii U.
Promotional art depicting Mario and Link's amiibo in SSB4.
Large-scale model of Mario's amiibo at Nintendo New York in February 2016.
Official amiibo display diorama based on Battlefield.
Trivia
- Originally at launch, Shulk's amiibo was exclusive to GameStop in North America, the same store his game, Xenoblade Chronicles, was exclusive to in its North American release.
- The word "new" in the New Nintendo 3DS logo is stylized similarly to the amiibo logo.
- The font itself is the Bauhaus 93 font, which is also used in many of the games in the Super Mario Bros. series.
- The R.O.B. amiibo is currently the only amiibo to have different versions in the Smash line.
- Mr. Game & Watch's amiibo comes with multiple unique poses that can replace the original pose. One is based on his official SSB4 artwork, as are other amiibo; others feature his parachute from Fire, getting a 9 using Judge, and a bell-ringing pose resembling his side taunt and artwork pose from Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
- Amongst his four poses, the pose depicting his number 9 Judge is the only pose that was never used as an in game trophy pose for any game in the series.
- Mewtwo's amiibo released in Europe on October 23rd, 2015, one year to the day after it was confirmed to be a downloadable character during the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: 50-Fact Extravaganza.
- Since Pokémon Rumble U can use anything with NFC technology to briefly summon a random helper Pokémon, it unintentionally supports all amiibo.
- If the player were to feed an amiibo equipment, and then exit without saving to the amiibo, that equipment will disappear anyway. The only way to get it back is to quit the game without letting the game save.
References
- ^ Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U: amiibo
- ^ IGN: Super Smash Bros. Wii U Gameplay Demo -IGN Live: E3 2014
- ^ http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/08/falco_mewtwo_mii_fighters_and_more_amiibo_release_details_confirmed
- ^ IGN: E3 2014: Nintendo on Amiibo, Smash Bros., and Custom Figurines
- ^ Nintendo Has Sold 710,000 Amiibo in the US
- ^ http://www.screwattack.com/news/amiibo-figures-outsold-smash-wii-u-nearly-2-1-2014
- ^ Target-Exclusive Rosalina amiibo Sold Out in Record Time
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
External links
- amiibo E3 2014 Trailer
- amiibo page on Nintendo of Japan's website
- amiibo page on Nintendo of America's website
- amiibo page on Nintendo of Europe's website
| Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS menu items | |
|---|---|
| Smash | Smash (Solo · Group · Time · Stock · Team Battle) · Rules |
| Smash Run | Solo · Group · Custom · Select Music |
| Games & More | Classic · All-Star · Stadium (Multi-Man Smash · Target Blast · Home-Run Contest) · Training · Custom · amiibo · Vault (Trophies · Trophy Rush · Album · Replays · Sounds · Records · Tips) · Options (Controls · Sound · Character Outline · Damage Display · Internet Options) |
| Online | Spectator Mode · With Anyone (For Fun · For Glory) · With Friends · Conquest · Share |
| Other | Challenge · StreetPass · Wii U |
| Super Smash Bros. for Wii U menu items | |
|---|---|
| Smash | Smash (Time · Stock · Coin Battle · Team Battle) · 8-Player Smash · Special Smash · Rules · Controls |
| Games & More | Classic · All-Star · Stadium (Target Blast · Home-Run Contest · Multi-Man Smash) · Training · Events · Special Orders (Master Orders · Crazy Orders) · Custom · Stage Builder · amiibo · Vault (Trophies · Trophy Rush · Album · Replays · Movies · Sounds · Records · Tips · Masterpieces) · Options (Controls · Sound · My Music · Internet Options) |
| Online | Spectator Mode · With Anyone (For Fun · For Glory) · With Friends · Online Events (Tourney · Conquest) · Share |
| Other | Challenge · Smash Tour · 3DS |
