Its gameplay is distinct from traditional fighting games, with players aiming to knock each other off of stages after accumulating damage with numerous attacks.

The game was a success, and Sakurai was asked to make a sequel for the then-upcoming GameCube, Super Smash Bros. Melee, which was developed in 13 months and released in 2001.

The series has also attracted a dedicated community of competitive players who compete in esports tournaments, and Super Smash Bros. has inspired numerous other platform fighting games and has been credited for bringing popularity to several of the franchises whose characters it features.

In response, Sakurai and Iwata created a demo of the game featuring Mario, Fox McCloud, Samus Aran, and Donkey Kong, and ensured that it was well-balanced before presenting it again.

[3] After the game's completion, it was met with mixed reception internally; many other developers reacted positively, while Nintendo's sales team did not want the company's characters to fight each other.

[1] The game was ultimately titled "Super Smash Bros." after Iwata suggested the inclusion of the word "brothers" to indicate that the characters "weren't simply fighting" but "were friends who were settling a little disagreement.

[1] In May 1999, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Sakurai privately revealed that he was developing a sequel to Super Smash Bros. for the then-upcoming Nintendo GameCube, and the design plan for the game was completed on July 5, 1999.

[6] The game was officially revealed as Super Smash Bros. Melee at E3 2001, seven months ahead of its release in North America.

[10] Melee also included full-motion video scenes; HAL worked with three separate computer graphics studios in Tokyo to complete the animations by E3 2001[7] and Sakurai created the storyboards himself.

[13] After the announcement, Iwata met with Sakurai and asked him to create a new Smash Bros. game for the Wii, saying that Nintendo would simply port Melee to the system with online functionality if he refused.

[3] Brawl was designed with a focus on creating online multiplayer as well as a lengthy single-player story mode intended to flesh out the game's characters and give them more time in the spotlight.

[14] Sakurai worked with Kazushige Nojima, who had written scenarios for various Final Fantasy games, to create the storyline for Brawl's single-player mode.

It introduced several new mechanics to the Smash Bros. series, including powerful "Final Smash" attacks able to be activated after destroying an orb and "Assist Trophy" items that allow players to summon certain characters to fight alongside them,[15] which were created as another way to increase the number of characters present in Brawl.

[3] At E3 2011 in June 2011, Iwata announced that Sakurai would be developing a new Super Smash Bros. game that would release on both the handheld Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U, a home console, with the two versions having connectivity with each other.

[21] Sakurai felt that the cutscenes developed for Brawl's story mode were unable to impact players as he wished because they were shared widely on the internet, so he said that Smash 4 would include neither a story mode nor cutscenes, and that the animation resources would instead go into creating computer-generated videos to reveal new characters coming to the game online.

[3] Iwata asked Sakurai to direct a new Super Smash Bros. game for the Nintendo Switch before the system was publicly announced.

[29] Time constraints meant that the team could create neither a story mode similar to Brawl's nor a large assortment of collectible trophies, which had grown expensive to develop.

[38] Players can perform different types of moves by holding the directional controls up, down, to the side, or in a neutral position while pressing the attack or special button.

Brawl introduced the Assist Trophy item which serves a similar purpose; instead of releasing Pokémon, it summons a character from another series.

Focusing on the additional features, GameSpy commented that "Melee really scores big in the 'we've added tons of great extra stuff' department."

Reviewers compared the game favorably to Super Smash Bros. IGN's Fran Mirabella III stated that it was "in an entirely different league than the N64 version"; GameSpot's Miguel Lopez praised the game for offering an advanced "classic-mode" compared to its predecessor, while detailing the Adventure Mode as "really a hit-or-miss experience."

In their review of the game, GameSpy stated that "you'll have a pretty hard time finding a more enjoyable multiplayer experience on any other console."

The reviewers praised the variety and depth of the single-player content,[72] the unpredictability of Final Smashes, and the dynamic fighting styles of the characters.

IGN critic Matt Casamassina, in his February 11 Wii-k in Review podcast, noted that although Brawl is a "solid fighter", it does have "some issues that need to be acknowledged", including "long loading times" and repetition in The Subspace Emissary.

[73][65][74][75] Reviewers have particularly noted the large, diverse character roster, the improvements to game mechanics, and the variety of multiplayer options.

Daniel Dischoff of GameRevolution stated "It's true that Super Smash Bros. evolves every time with regard to new features, items, and characters to choose from.

While your favorite character may not return or a few annoying pickups may force you to turn off items altogether, this represents the biggest leap forward Smashers have seen yet."

Jose Otero from IGN, praising the replayability of the game, states "Nearly every aspect of Smash Wii U seems fine-tuned not only to appeal to the nostalgia of long-time Nintendo fans, but also to be accessible to new players."

[86][87] It sold an estimate of 5.6 million copies in global sales during its first week of launch, beating out records previously held by games such as Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!

[88] In Japan, Ultimate outsold the records held by Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS with 2.6 million copies sold in five weeks.