Many people probably remember a time when they were younger playing the party game Super Smash Brothers with friends or family. The series has been around for more than two decades and is having its 20th year anniversary with the release of Super Smash Brothers Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch. For the sake of simplicity, we will be reffering to the series as just "Smash".

Yes. While Super Smash Brothers is mostly known for being a party game or just a game to enjoy with friends it has had a long competitive standing for about 18 years. In akin to traditional fighters this format is played in a 1v1 setting (There is also a 2v2 format--played with a teammate), without the use of items or foreign factors determing a match for the sake of fairness and skill. What makes Smash unique is that it has other factors besides the characters, such as specific stages to counter your opponent and create new opporunities. As well as creative, momentum based combos. The synergy between characters and stages has created an entirely new genre of fightning games. The Platform Fighter.

There are many reasons, with compeititve Smash there is more of an emphasis on the characters and their moves. With a game with such beloved characters many people love to play and see competitive Smash just to get that feeling of character vs character. There is a lot more depth to the game this way and learning more about it becomes a fun journey that can lead to some good friends as well as good memories. There is a huge Smash scene with people willing to teach and play.

Here is a video from a previous tournament to show what it's like.