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Earlier today, Nintendo Versus announced that the next patch for Super Smash Bros Ultimate would be releasing “in the near future.”
This new patch will reportedly include fighter adjustments, implying possible balance changes coming to the roster. Some players are speculating that this may involve changes to the most recent addition to Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Minecraft Steve.
How balanced is Super Smash Bros Ultimate?
The Super Smash Bros games rarely end up balanced. With such a wide and varied roster of characters, it would be almost impossible for every character to retain their identity and be balanced. Even simple things like Bowser being slow and heavy, while Sonic is quick and light, creates a dynamic in Super Smash Bros that is fundamental to fighting games as a whole.
This is why the developers occasionally tune the game in the hopes of making every character playable - something that involves a significant amount of time on behalf of both developers and players alike.
The newest character in Super Smash Bros Ultimate has been making waves within the Smash community. Steve’s varied toolset allows him to excel at many aspects of the game. He can place blocks to chase opponents in the air, he can use a minecart to recover or apply offensive pressure against his opponents, and he has interesting and intuitive mechanics that allow him to fight fiercely in the right hands.
While Steve is the most recent addition to Smash, he isn’t the most problematic or controversial. According to HungryBox, one of the world’s best Smash players, Steve is actually pretty well balanced. The problematic characters instead, are Pikachu, Palutena, Joker, and (maybe) Shulk, a group he collectively calls “Super Top Tier.”
Sometimes fighter adjustments have nothing to do with balance
Of course it would be irresponsible to fail to mention that the Super Smash Bros games have had a contentious relationship with players who push for greater balance. There is a possibility that the intended adjustments are meant to address something other than balance, such as quality of life issues or bug fixes.
Nonetheless, there will always be a sizable community eager to see the game balanced out more evenly. Even casual players of Super Smash Bros Ultimate will benefit from balance, as no one appreciates a game where their favorite character is rendered unplayable due to a quirk of balance.
