- For information on Project+'s predecessor, see Project M.
Project+ is a gameplay modification of the Brawl mod Project M (based on Legacy TE) with the aim to improve the balance among the cast by making small moveset changes to all or most characters. Project+'s 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.
Shortly after it's initial release, Project+ received high levels of popularity among players. By April 8, 2019 Project+ 2.0 had received 100,000 downloads[1] on its primary site alone. Since its release, Project+ has become the main mod over Project M in several tournaments, most notably and recently Blacklisted 5, Low Tier City 7, and The Encore, with many majors switching from Project M over to Project+.
Changes from Project M and Legacy TE
Like the mods Project+ was based on before it, this mod focuses on improving the overall gameplay. While there are not many changes, there are some noteworthy ones.
One of these changes, which is the main focus of Project+, is the significant removal of universal bugs and memory leaks featured in version 3.6 of Project M. These pertain to either stages, movesets, alternate costumes, or previously outdated codes used in Project M. While there are still some bugs in the mod they no longer impact the overall performance as easily as it did previously, thus reducing crashes and freeing memory space.
As mentioned by the team as well, most if not all of the changes are merely aesthetic. Noticeably, the character select screen now features a new HUD, matching the theme of Project+, and includes diamond portraits. All characters have original artwork for their select portraits, with their alternate costumes also sharing the same pose rather than having unique poses, like with Wario's costume. All characters no longer show their names on the select screen.
Characters
Project+ retains the same roster as Project M, albeit with the addition of Knuckles from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. All of the characters received balance changes based on input from the competitive Project M community. Characters previously considered low tier were given better tools to help with their viability while characters previously considered high tier were nerfed to bring them closer to the rest of the cast. Additionally, certain aspects of characters deemed oppressive or frustrating by the community were balanced in an attempt to alleviate such issues while still maintaining the appeal it had to players who had used it. Four characters received a visual overhaul and major touchups in Project+: the first is Samus (who design was changed to be based on her Metroid Prime appearance, the second is Zero Suit Samus (who design was changed to be similar to her Other M appearance, a concept that was initiallyplanned for Project M). Then the third being Toon Link where his Outset alternate costume was upgraded and given new shirt designs based on charts in Windwaker, and his Linebeck alternate costume receiving his Lobster shield. Lastly, Roy, who was given major polygon improvements to smooth out his armor and boots as well being given a cleaner more red hair texture when comapred to Project M 3.6's last revision.
* Characters not in Brawl
Stages
All stages from Project M 3.6 return, some remain untouched, stages such as Metal Cavern and Castle Siege were given new layouts for tournament use. In addition, along with the remaining stages from 64, Melee, and Brawl, 16 new stages have been added:
- Bell Tower
- Clock Town
- Cookie Country
- Dead Line
- Dinosaur Land (Yoshi's Island (SSBM) renamed)
- Dracula's Castle
- Golden Temple
- Figure-8 Circuit
- Metroid Lab
- Mushroom Kingdom (SSB)
- Oil Drum Alley
- Poké Floats
- Sky Sanctuary Zone
- Subspace
- Venus Lighthouse
- WarioWare, Inc.
These 16 Stages all have 3 alternate layouts or skins to choose from by holding the button shown on the stage selection screen. Stages like Battlefield and Final Destination have a 4th hidden that are their Smash 64 variant.
Errors
Trivia
Downloading instructions
The mod can be downloaded here.