Super Smash Bros Brawl Guide: Brawlin'

By Steve West: 2008-03-09 06:15:33

What differentiates the Smash Bros series from all other fighting games is the way it plays. The usual emphasis on pummeling your opponent for ultimate victory is thrown out for smashing your opponents until they can’t return to the stage. First time players need to understand that the goal is not to kill or knock out an opponent, focus should be placed on getting your opponent off the stage. Think of it like sumo with Nintendo characters…on crack.

The intention of this Brawlin’ guide is to get you familiar with the unique fighting style of Super Smash Bros Brawl. You’ll find a multitude of levels with dynamic interaction along with items and Smash Balls that will aide you on your quest to beat the crap out of friends. And then there are the items, of which there are plenty. You can look at our Items Guide to see what’s available, and what each one does. So let’s just break this thing down for easy consumption.

This Is How They Cause You Damage

The reason that you’re so amazing at the game, constantly pummeling your opponent, and still not winning is easy to explain. You probably don’t realize what the damage meter actually means. Unlike most games (fighting or otherwise) a health meter indicates how close you are to death or defeat. In Super Smash Bros Brawl your damage indicates how far you’ll fly. You see, the goal here is not to maim or kill…it is to send your opponent flying off the map. The more damage a character takes the further they’ll fly. So keep an eye on your numbers, and if you’re high on damage try to keep yourself out of the air as much as possible.

Now, let’s say you’ve been knocked away. You do have options for saving yourself. Every character is capable of performing that tried and true maneuver of platform titles, the double jump. If that isn’t enough to get you back on firm ground most of the up special attacks will gain you a little height. In the case of some characters, like Peach, you’ll gain a lot of height. Finally, a few characters have long range grapple moves that can help out. Link, for instance, can use the hookshot to latch onto the stage’s edge and climb back on.

This Is How You Attack

You may have heard how deep Smash Bros can be, or even that there are professional tournaments. This can be true, but any normal person out there will be capable of getting a firm grasp on fighting in Brawl. The controls are simplistic, especially when you consider the button combos in other fighters, but it’s what makes this series so great. You have two buttons for attacking: normal and special.

Your normal attacks are fairly standard and easy to perform. Just hit the attack button to go at it. The variety comes in with how you use the control stick. Press up for a high attack, down for low fighting, or to the side for an attack in front or behind you. Special attacks work the same as normal ones, but these are what begin to define your character. The move set for each character is unique and you’ll need to experiment to discover who and what works best for your style. Each character can do four special attacks depending on which direction the control stick is being pressed.

A game that requires you to toss your opponents off of a stage should of course include some grab and throw techniques. At it’s most basic level the grab and throw mechanic works like regular attacks. You can toss an opponent up, to the side, and down. Down often is worthless unless you can get out over the abyss at the moment. The difficulty and technique comes in learning how to actually grab an enemy. You’ll need to be close and hit the buttons just right. Once you do you’ll have the option to use attack to slap your opponent around, or toss ‘em. Because it’s possible to escape from a grasp you shouldn’t spend a lot of time slapping enemies around. Grab and throw is your best option here.

Then there are the Smash Attacks. The game is Smash Bros, so these attacks must be important. Even more important is learning when and how to use the moves available to you. Once you’ve grabbed the Smash Ball you’ll be able to launch one of three Smash Attacks. This is done by throwing – or smashing, if you will – the control stick in any direction while simultaneously hitting attack. If you hold the attack button down you’ll be able to charge the attack, which is most useful for knocking a recovering opponent back off. Just remember that you don’t hold the charge very long, a few seconds at the most. The Smash Attack will do far more damage and launch enemies further than all your other attacks.

The Offense Roundup:

Attack – Press attack button and use control stick to alter moves.
Special – Press special button and use control stick to alter character specific moves.
Grab&Throw – Get close to grab an opponent and then use attack to hit or use control stick to throw enemy.
Smash Attack – Use control stick and attack button simultaneously to launch a monster attack on opponents.

This Is How You Defend Your Life

Besides just moving around, the most basic tactic in your repertoire is the shield. Many players forget they even have this capability, so don’t be one of them. When you press the shield button your character is enveloped in a bubble. Your new bubble boy protection will defend you against most attacks. Be aware that the shield depletes as it takes hits, or the longer you hold it (nearly 3 seconds). When the shield goes down you’ll be stunned, so be sure to let it go before that happens. And if you’re really good you’ll perform that rare tactic, the Perfect Shield. This is attained if you turn on your shield exactly as an attack connects with you. You’ll be able to counter much faster.

You also have the option to dodge an attack. When holding the shield button just tab down on the control stick to sidestep. The problem is that it barely lasts a moment, so you have to utilize impeccable timing. On the upside you’ll be ready to battle immediately. The roll is a useful move; it makes you completely invulnerable during the act. There’ s a moment of recovery time when you finish a roll, but it’s more often than not worth it. Novice players often forget about the roll move. We’re here to tell you that he who rolls gets the items and the victory. Finally there is the aerial dodge, which is simply a use of the shield in the air to avoid an attack.

The final thing to learn when playing defensively is to know your placement on the stage. If you know that a change is coming up after having learned the ins and outs of a stage, then prepare to utilize the dynamic aspects of many of the Brawl stages. We’ll often knock an opponent out while they’re preoccupied trying to establish themselves on the altered stage. Stake out your real estate and defend it as much as possible.

The Defense Roundup:

Shield – Press the shield button. Depletes when attacked or over time.
Dodge & Roll – Press the shield button and move with control stick. Down will dodge, backward or forward will roll.
Aerial Dodge – Press the shield button in the air.

RELATED: wii, super smash bros, brawl guide

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