The Additions of Minecraft Steve and Alex to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is Monumental
Yesterday, Sakurai and Nintendo shocked the world by announcing that the next DLC character coming in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate is none other than Minecraft Steve and Alex, two of the original characters that are used in Minecraft.
Originally, I was surprised at how divisive this announcement was. A lot of fans were looking for more iconic RPG characters like Sora from Kingdom Hearts, Dante from Devil May Cry, or perhaps a long time requested fan favorite like Geno from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. I’ll admit, my personal favorite would have been an announcement of Sora, especially with Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory releasing on November 13th. I’m a Kingdom Hearts fan and I felt that Sora has a unique enough kit that he wouldn’t just be another sword fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It would even be perfectly setup to have a final smash where Sora, Donald and Goofy do a trinity move together. I had it all planned out!
The reactions from the internet featured a lot of shock in a negative way. MKLeo, arguably the best Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player in the world right now, shared his dismay with the announcement. One common reaction seems to be from the older crowd in their 20’s and 30’s that aren’t in the targeted age group for Minecraft.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is, well, the ultimate compilation of video game characters representing video games as a whole. It is no longer just about Nintendo characters and Nintendo IP’s. Smash is now is a celebration of video games as a whole, and I’m here for it.
Did you know that Minecraft is the highest selling game of all time? It isn’t even close either. Despite the fact that I had preferences over Minecraft Steve and Alex, I am shocked to see their entry into the series, but I can view it from a different perspective.
We live in a world where we want everything to be catered to our best interests and to cater to our fandom in this particular example. To be fair, there isn’t anything wrong with wanting YOUR ideal composition of fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, or wanting a video game catered to your specific characteristics you enjoy. There is nothing wrong with not being excited about this reveal. However, it is monumental, and what makes me happy is all the younger fans who are going absolutely nuts and begging their parents for the DLC because they’ve played 10,000 hours of Minecraft and also enjoy Smash, and now get to enjoy both in the same video game.
What’s also surprising about their addition is Sakurai mentioned how hard this task was to get Steve and Alex into the game. There were multiple difficulties with getting Minecraft to work in Smash, whether it was making sure he could do them justice, or to make sure all the levels worked with their unique movesets that truly alter the way each level will play.
Sakurai said the following in regards to the Minecraft additions to Smash and difficulties surrounding them: “Even I didn’t think this day would come. When thinking about new fighters for this game, we don’t just pick my favorites or draw from a hat. More often than not, these discussions start by Nintendo approaching me with an idea. Of course, if I can’t do that idea justice, I’ll tell them no.”
Sakurai explained that adding Minecraft characters to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a “massive challenge,” saying that the development team will “rework all our existing stages so that blocks can be placed in them.”
To close this out, I’d urge anyone that is feeling a bit down about the announcement to realize what Smash has become, and it’s a celebration of video games, period. Just look at the roster and look at all the timeless characters that are already available to be played. There will truly never be a compilation of video game history like we have compiled here in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and even if every DLC doesn’t excite me to the max, I am excited about what it represents with video games as a whole, and hopefully you can find that too and give it a chance.
