The fighting genre has been through a lot over the years. Like many other genres in the video game industry, there has been an ebb and flow to its popularity where some years are filled with stellar releases, and other years there is some stagnation. The same goes for the many subgenres within the realm of fighting games, as some have had more staying power than others. While games likeMortal KombatandStreet Fighterhave carried the 2D platformer, franchises likeTekkenandSoulcaliburhave kept the 3D fighter alive despite their somewhat lesser popularity.
Among allfighting subgenres, perhaps the most tenuous is the platform fighter. This genre has always been unique to its 2D and 3D counterparts, combining 2D fighting mechanics with a greater sense of verticality. Platform fighters have always been a bit of an enigma in the grander sense of the industry, persisting on only one or two franchises that infrequently release new entries. Nintendo’sSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatehas almost always been the face of the genre, but with DLC support coming to an end, the future of platform fighters can seem uncertain. Fortunately, there’s reason to believe that platform fighters will continue to receive support for some time.
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The Staying Power Of Super Smash Bros.
It would be no exaggeration to say thatSuper Smash Bros.as a franchise has carried the platform fighting genre. Its frenetic action and laundry list of familiar faces acrossNintendoand third party IPs has made it a hit with casual and hardcore crowds, with the latter even going back to older entries regularly. While it may seem discouraging that DLC forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateis ending, it’s important to remember just how long Nintendo supported the game, and how much longer fans could support it. It’s hard to find an experience of the same enormity asSmash Ultimate, and that fact alone should ensure that it, and the popularity of platform fighters, persists for many more years.
The Platform Fighter Newcomers
While it’s possible thatSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatecould keep platform fighting games alive on its own for years to come, it’s becoming increasingly prevalent that it might not have to. This year has seen an encouraging uptick in new reveals and releases that hope to mimic the success ofSuper Smash Bros.with platform fighters of their own that have similarly ambitious crossovers.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawlhas already made an impression with fans of Nickelodeon’s many cartoons, while maintaining the fundamentals of the current platform fighter. Although it may be a little light on overall content, features like rollback netcode show how the game hopes to not only mimicSmash Bros.' formula, but to improve on it with fan-requested features. The newly announcedMultiVersusalso hopes to throw its hat into the crossover platform fighter ring by combining Warner Bros. properties, co-op focused mechanics, and a free-to-play model. While neither game isSmash Bros., they’re different and innovative, and sometimes that’s all a game needs to succeed.
Looking at the state of platform fighting games now and for the next year, the genre seems like it’s in very good hands. While it may never reach the same level of variety as first-person shooters or third-person adventure games, it doesn’t have to.Super Smash Bros. Ultimatearguably has enough content to where the franchise doesn’t need a new entry for many years, and games likeNickelodeon All-Star BrawlandMultiVersusseem to understand the core of what makes the genre so fun. So long as those fundamentals aren’t lost, fans of platform fighters should be in good shape for quite some time.
