The series is known for its unique gameplay objective which differs from that of traditional fighters, in that the aim is to increase damage counters and knock opponents off the stage instead of depleting life bars.

The series primarily features characters from various Nintendo franchises, including Super Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Yoshi, Kirby, Star Fox, Pokémon, Fire Emblem, and Splatoon, as well as third-party franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter, and Final Fantasy.

[1] 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.

It began as a prototype created by Masahiro Sakurai and Satoru Iwata in their spare time, Dragon King: The Fighting Game, and featured no Nintendo characters.

[20] Although never acknowledged by Nintendo or any developers behind Super Smash Bros., third-party sources have identified Namco's 1995 fighting game The Outfoxies as a possible inspiration.

A followup for the GameCube, Super Smash Bros. Melee, released in Japan and North America in late 2001, and in Europe and Australia in May 2002.

It had a larger budget and development team than Super Smash Bros. did[28] and was released to much greater praise and acclaim among critics and consumers.

[2] In place of Super Smash Bros.' character profiles, Melee introduced trophies (called "figures" in the Japanese version).

The developers wanted to pay homage to the debut of the GameCube by making an opening full motion video sequence that would attract people's attention to the graphics.

On their official website, the developers posted screenshots and information highlighting and explaining the attention to physics and detail in the game, with references to changes from its predecessor.

However, they received favorable attention during the game's North American localization, leading to the decision for the developers to include them in the Western version.

Brawl was also the first game in the franchise to support online play, via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection,[44] and to offer the ability for players to construct their own original stages.

[57] Along with screenshots being posted each weekday on the game's official website and Miiverse community,[58] various cinematic trailers were released, introducing each of the brand new fighters.

[65] Hardware limitations on the Nintendo 3DS led to various design choices, such as the removal of mid-match transformations, the absence of the Ice Climbers, and the lack of Circle Pad Pro support.

[72] The games were officially revealed at E3 2013, with new information being released via trailers, Nintendo Direct presentations, and developer posts on Miiverse.

[75][76][77] In April 2014, Bandai Namco Entertainment posted a recruitment advertisement on a Japanese career job opportunity website.

The page noted there were 120 game developers working on the project at the time, and that Bandai Namco expected that number to increase to 200.

"[84][85] On March 22, 2018, Nintendo announced that they would host another Super Smash Bros. Invitational tournament, in which a selected group of players would get to play the game for the first time and compete in a series of matches before a winner is chosen.

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,[104] 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.

[105][97][106][107] 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."

[118][119] 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!

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