Classic Mode (SSBU)
Classic Mode (勝ちあがり乱闘 Survival Smash) is a single-player mode in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Each character now has their own predetermined set of opponents and stages to face in this mode. A unique name is given to each character's path, and there may be special rules or conditions: for example, Ryu's path references Street Fighter II by using only Ω forms and Stamina mode alongside the fighters most closely representing the characters of Street Fighter II. It is different from the Classic Mode versions found in the two versions of SSB4, shown by the return to the style of Classic Mode that was in Melee and Brawl. Just like in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Classic Mode can also be challenged by two players.
Similar to the Classic Modes for the previous entries, players can select an intensity level, indicated by the position of the lengthy mural. The highest allowed starting intensity is 5.0, and it will increase slightly after each victory, with a maximum of 10.0. The layout consists of six stages, a bonus stage, and a boss. Unlike previous entries, the boss in the last stage is not always Master Hand; each fighter has a different boss encounter at the end. Scores are also present in Classic Mode, which is displayed alongside the player's Global Smash Power.
Types of battles
Regular stage
The first six stages of each route are regular Smash battles where all enemy fighters must be defeated to proceed. Some variations include Giant Battles, where at least one opponent is giant, and Horde Battles, where at least eight enemies are fought three at a time.
Bonus Game
This is a challenge in the style of Race to the Finish, but rather than having a time limit, the player must outrun a void of darkness that consumes the stage behind them. Glowing orbs are scattered throughout the side-scrolling area which increase the player's score, some behind breakable blocks and bomb blocks that encourage the player to go out of their way as the void closes in. Some scattered physics objects impede progress in a similar manner to Trophy Rush. At the end of the stage, a cannon blasts the player into a portal that ends the Bonus Game.
Boss
Each fighter faces a predetermined boss fight at the end of their route. The player must deplete the boss's HP in order to defeat them. In some cases, the boss is not the only challenge in the final stage; for example, Mario's final stage features a regular battle on Final Destination against Bowser, who transforms into Giga Bowser and begins the boss fight upon his defeat. So far, the confirmed bosses are Giga Bowser, Master Hand, Crazy Hand, Dracula, Galleom, Ganon, Marx, and Rathalos.
Classic Mode Titles
Fighter | Classic Mode Title | Allusions |
---|---|---|
Mario | Let's-a Go! | The title is Mario's famous catchphrase. In a similar fashion to the Classic Modes of past games, Mario's opponents are groups of fighters from various universes fought on a home stage from that universe. The penultimate battle is against Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings, and it is followed by a final battle against Bowser, who transforms into Giga Bowser upon defeat (similar to the end of Melee's Adventure Mode). This is an allusion to the Koopalings' appearances as world bosses before the final boss fight with Bowser in various Super Mario titles. |
Luigi | Luigi's Nightmares | The boss of this route is Dracula. |
Peach | No Damsel in Distress | |
Bowser | The Red One. Every Red One! (因縁の赤いヤツ, The Fated Red Guy) | Refers to Bowser's longtime rivalry with Mario. |
Dr. Mario | Colorful Treatment Plan | |
Rosalina & Luma | One Star after Another (星々へ探訪, Searching the Stars) | Refers to Rosalina and Luma's goal to find their mother in Super Mario Galaxy. |
Bowser Jr. | Mama Peach, Where Are You? | Refers to how Bowser Jr. thinks Peach is his mama in Super Mario Sunshine. |
Daisy | Sarasaland Represent! | Refers to Daisy ruling over the kingdom of Sarasaland. |
Yoshi | Jurassic Journey | The boss of this route is Rathalos. |
Donkey Kong | Journey to New Donk City (ドンキーコング ニュードンクへ行く, Donkey Kong Goes to New Donk) | Presumably refers to New Donk City Hall being the final stage. |
Diddy Kong | Hey, Little Buddy! | A phrase which originated from the Donkey Kong Country TV series; Diddy Kong is also referred to as Donkey Kong's "little buddy" in games such as Brawl and Donkey Kong Country Returns. |
King K. Rool | Super Heavyweight Class (ヘビー級のキケンなヤツら, Dangerous Heavyweight Guys) | The title uses boxing terminology, referencing the final boss battle of Donkey Kong 64. The opponents are characters with royal titles such as a king or a princess. |
Link | A Quest to Seal the Darkness | The title references the main plot of most games in the Legend of Zelda series, where Link must seal away Ganon. The opponents on this route are all affiliated with darkness, with the penultimate battle being against Dark Link. The boss of this route is Ganon. |
Zelda | Wisdom Prevails | |
Sheik | Masquerade | |
Ganondorf | Encroaching Darkness (終わりの始まり, The Beginning of the End) | |
Young Link | Hyrule Smash! (ハイラル乱闘!, Hyrule Battle!) | The opponents are characters from The Legend of Zelda universe. The boss is Ganon. |
Toon Link | The Teamwork of Courage | |
Samus | Another Planet, Another Bounty | |
Zero Suit Samus | Grapplers! Whips! Claws! | |
Ridley | It Can't Be! Space Pirates! (銀河の脅威!スペースパイレーツ, Threats of the Galaxy! Space Pirates) | Refers to Ridley's title as the leader of the Space Pirates. |
Dark Samus | The Great Poison Given Form | Refers to Phazon (the essence of Metroid Prime and Dark Samus), which is named "the Great Poison" by the Chozo in Metroid Prime. Dark Samus faces off against protagonist characters while teamed up with dark/evil/corrupted variants of characters from their series (for example, fighting Ryu teamed with Ken in his Violent Ken alternate costume). Ends with a Free-for-All against Samus and Ridley (likely in a reference to Metroid Prime 3) before the boss fight with Master Hand. |
Kirby | Gourmet Clash (激突!グルメバトル, Crash! Gourmet Battle) | Refers to the Gourmet Race mode from Kirby Super Star. The opponents are characters who, like Kirby, love to eat things, including their enemies. The boss of this route is Marx. |
Meta Knight | Two Sides of the Same Coin | References how Meta Knight doubles as a villain and a hero. Possibly refers to him fighting characters with a similar status, such as Wolf and Dark Pit. |
King Dedede | Royal Rumble | The boss in this route is both Master Hand and Crazy Hand. |
Fox | Spaceborne Smash | Possibly refers to Fox fighting characters associated with space. |
Falco | Soar Above the Darkness | |
Wolf | Reunited Roster | The opponents are veterans that did not return in at least one game prior to Ultimate, such as the Ice Climbers, Young Link and Snake. The boss of this route is Galleom. Like Wolf, Galleom debuted in Super Smash Bros. Brawl but did not return in Super Smash Bros. 4. |
Pikachu | I Choose You! | Refers to Ash Ketchum's catchphrase in the Pokémon anime, which doubles as the title of the first episode and the 20th movie. The opponents are Pokémon characters from all across the Super Smash Bros. series, such as Pokémon Trainer, Jigglypuff, and Lucario. The final battle is against Mewtwo and then Master Hand upon defeat. |
Jigglypuff | All Original, All 64 (64オールスターズ, 64 All-Stars) | Refers to Jigglypuff being one of the original 12. It fights all of the other original characters on the stages returning from 64. |
Mewtwo | Psychic Control | |
Pichu | Lightweight Fracas | |
Pokémon Trainer | 未来のチャンピオン, Future Champion | Refers to the player's goal of becoming the Pokémon Champion in the Pokémon games. |
Lucario | Counter Encounters | Possibly refers to Lucario fighting characters with counterattacks. |
Greninja | Your Turn, Greninja! | |
Incineroar | Burning Pro Wrestling Spirit! (こわもてヒールのプロレスリング, The Pro Wrestling of a Hard-faced Heel) | |
Captain Falcon | Up Close and Personal | Captain Falcon fights opponents who specialize in close-range combat, such as Ganondorf and Roy. The boss of this route is Bowser, who transforms into Giga Bowser upon defeat. |
Ness | Home to Onett! (ホームシック! オネットに帰ろう, Homesick! Let's Go Back to Onett) | The title reflects Ness's journey in EarthBound in reverse from Magicant to Onett and refers to Ness's Homesick status effect from EarthBound. The boss of this route is Master Hand. |
Lucas | Magic, Sacred Powers, and PSI! | |
Ice Climbers | Duos for Days | Possibly refers to Ice Climbers fighting two characters per stage. The bosses of this route are Master Hand and Crazy Hand. |
Marth | A Kingdom of Dragons | The boss of this route is Rathalos |
Roy | A Journey of Swords (異界の剣士, Otherworldly Swordfighters) | The title possibly refers to only sword-using opponents in Roy's Classic Mode. The Japanese title mentions the concept of Outrealms from more recent Fire Emblem games. The boss of this route is Master Hand. |
Ike | The Black-Clad Warriors (漆黒の武者たち, Pitch-Black Warriors) | Possibly refers to Ike fighting against characters similar to his rival, the Black Knight. The Boss in this route is both Master Hand and Crazy Hand. |
Robin | Thunder and Flames | Refers to two of Robin's tomes, Thunder and Arcfire. |
Lucina | A Path of Heroes | |
Corrin | Between White and Black (白と黒の狭間で, Between White and Black) | This title originated as an epithet given to Corrin on a Fire Emblem Cipher trading card released in 2018, alluding to Corrin's wish to unite the Hoshido and Nohr families. |
Chrom | Fight as One | |
Mr. Game & Watch | A Long Legacy | |
Pit | Fighting for the Goddess | All battles are analogous to fights in Kid Icarus: Uprising (i.e. Ganondorf as Magnus, Bayonetta as Medusa, etc.). Pit's boss fight is against Master Hand and Crazy Hand (likely a reference to the giant form of Hades in the final battle of Uprising) with Dark Pit as his teammate. |
Palutena | A Little Divine Intervention | The title references a line spoken by Palutena in her debut trailer for Super Smash Bros. 4. |
Dark Pit | Created Warriors | Refers to Dark Pit's origins as a copy of Pit in Kid Icarus: Uprising. |
Wario | I'm-a Gonna Win! | Refers to Wario's catchphrase in Mario Kart 64: "I'm Wario! I'm-a gonna win!" |
Olimar | Planetary Explorer | |
R.O.B. | Unreadable Expressions | R.O.B.'s opponents all wear masks or lack expressive faces, including Meta Knight and Wii Fit Trainer. The penultimate battle of this route is a Horde Battle of R.O.B.s, likely referencing the R.O.B. Squad, and the boss of this route is Galleom, also likely due to his role in The Subspace Emissary. |
Villager | Mistake to Underestimate | |
Isabelle | Best in Show (紅23点, 23 Red Flowers) | The English name refers to conformation shows. The Japanese name is a pun on the phrase 紅一点, which translates to "one red flower (in a field of green)" but figuratively means "the only woman in a group of men". All of the characters Isabelle fights are female. |
Little Mac | Friendly Sparring (異種格闘戦!!, Not-Your-Average Bout!!) | |
Wii Fit Trainer | Aerobic Smash (有酸素乱闘, Aerobic Battle) | |
Shulk | Witness the Monado's Power | |
Duck Hunt | Dog, Duck, Zapper | Refers to the elements of Duck Hunt's character. The opponents are all animals or Mii Fighters with animal costumes. The boss of this route is Rathalos, whose home series title of Monster Hunter aligns with the character and series name of Duck Hunt. |
Inkling | An Inkredible Journey (イカした色に染め上げろ, Dye It With Trendy Colors) | The English title makes an ink-related pun, much like the dialogue in Splatoon itself. Similarly, the Japanese title makes a pun with イカした (which means "trendy") イカ (which means "squid"). The boss of this route is Marx. |
Snake | Weapons and Equipment OSP | "OSP" stands for "On Site Procurement", referencing Snake's need to obtain weapons and gear within the mission area in the Metal Gear series. |
Sonic | At the Speed of Sound | The term "speed of sound" is commonly used in the Sonic franchise, including the lyrics of "Escape from the City" from Sonic Adventure 2. The opponents, stages, and music selections are reanacments of various Sonic games. The boss of this route is Master Hand. |
Mega Man | Variable Weapons System: Online! (Dr.マリオの謎, The Mystery of Dr. Mario) | Mega Man's Variable Weapons System allows him to duplicate the abilities of his foes. The Japanese title refers to the Japanese subtitle of Mega Man 2: Dr.ワイリーの謎, The Mystery of Dr. Wily. |
Pac-Man | Ageless Classic | |
Ryu | Seeking a Challenge (俺より強いファイターに会いに行く, I'm going to meet a fighter stronger than myself) | References the single-player mode of Street Fighter II; all battles are one-on-one stamina fights on Ω form stages. |
Ken | Red-Hot Rivalry (燃えるライバル, Heated Rival) | Refers to Ken's status as Ryu's rival. |
Cloud | A Ride? Not Interested. (乗り物...? 興味ないね, A vehicle...? Not interested) | References Cloud's motion sickness; all his battles are on vehicle stages. His boss battle is against Master Hand, likely a One Winged Angel reference (as he fights only the one hand, and Safer Sephiroth's wing was on his right arm). |
Bayonetta | The Requiem of Fallen Wings (散りゆく翼の鎮魂歌, Requiem of Scattering Wings) | References the epilogue of Bayonetta: "Requiem". Bayonetta fights angelic and holy characters, and the final battle is against a Giant Palutena, a reference to the final battle in Bayonetta against Jubileus. |
Simon | Smash-vania (悪魔城スマブラ, Demon Castle Smash Bros.) | The title is a pun with the names of the Smash and Castlevania series. The Japanese version makes a similar pun with the Japanese title of the Castlevania franchise, 悪魔城ドラキュラ (Demon Castle Dracula). The boss of this route is Dracula. |
Richter | Smash Echoes (ダッシュファイターズ, Dash Fighters) | Both the English and Japanese names refer to Echo Fighters. |
Gallery
- SSBU Classic Mode Difficulty Mural.jpg
The mural that is displayed when selecting the difficulty level.
Trivia
- In the Japanese version of Ultimate, Classic Mode is renamed from シンプル (Simple) to 勝ちあがり乱闘 (Survival Smash).