Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is less than a month away from its November 21st North American release date, and to drum up even more hype, Nintendo decided to broadcast an online stream earlier today, which revealed a huge amount of new information and announcements on some of the new features that the series’ first high-definition home console entry will boast.
While the character roster and move sets will be identical to the already-released 3DS version, the default lineup of fighters will be larger in comparison, with fewer requiring an in-game unlock to play. In a series first, local matches for up to 8 players at once will also be incorporated, though only select stages will support it.
New stages exclusive to the Wii U version will include a tribute to The Great Cave Offensive from Kirby Super Star, as well as Jungle Hijinxs, a Donkey Kong Country Returns-styled level that will incorporate that game’s ability to jump between the background and foreground. Other new levels will include Wuhu Island from Wii Sports Resort, Norfair from the Metroid series, and a level inspired by the NES title Wrecking Crew.
Another clever new level that will become available soon after launch is a Miiverse level. For its design, Nintendo will select drawings of each playable fighter on their Miiverse service and display them in the background, with the drawings shown representing each playable fighter in each match. Also, the Star Fox levels will again boast hidden conversations between Fox McCloud and his crew, while the Palutena’s Temple level will allow Pit to speak to Palutena and Viridi just like in Kid Icarus: Uprising, along with a cameo appearance from Fire Emblem‘s Chrom.