Hello!
My name is Dan, I'm an animator, and this is New Frame Plus,
a series about video game animation.
Smash Bros character animation has always been fantastic.
It looks great, it plays great,
and best of all, it always manages to capture the essence of who each character is,
what makes them each so uniquely appealing.
And since I am as hype as the next person about Smash Bros Ultimate,
I thought it might be fun to ask:
How do you take a character that everybody loves
(or tolerates),
and make them work in a Smash game?
See, in any video game, it's important that character animation be not just appealing,
but functional,
that it serve the needs of gameplay.
So… what are the functional needs of a game like Smash Bros?
Well, to start, Smash is a fighting game,
and the animation in fighting games tends to be FAST.
You press the button to attack or jump or block,
and the move happens almost as fast as you can think it.
It's what makes these games feel so responsive.
Even the slowest characters in Smash tend to move and attack pretty quickly.
The fast ones seem to have long ago transcended the very concept of time.
So most any character brought into Smash Bros is likely to see their baseline movement and
attack speeds increased significantly.
But those attacks can't JUST come out fast, they also need to convey impact.
If a hit connects, you need to feel it.
And these characters tend to be such tiny little mosquitos darting around the screen
that it takes a healthy dose of exaggeration to really give these attacks the impact they need.
Staging is a big part of Smash animation too.
Any character brought into Smash is going to need to inhabit a 3D space.
Characters who already exist as 3D models can make that transition pretty easily,
but if that character only existed as a hand drawn or pixel art sprite originally?
They're going to need to undergo some significant changes to work in Smash.
…well, usually.
But that said, Smash gameplay all takes place on a flat 2D plane, like most fighting games.
This means that, even though all the characters may exist as 3D models,
their animation needs to be crafted so that it reads clearly to THIS specific camera angle.
In fact, that might be the most important functional requirement
for all Smash Bros. animation...
CLARITY.
These games tend to be a cacophony of action,
a jumble of tiny characters zipping around the screen throwing punches and pokeballs,
all while the stage itself morphs and changes and throws even more hazards into the mix.
Smash is frantic chaos,
so it is absolutely crucial that every character's animation is as visually clear as possible.
Character silhouettes need to be easy to read at a glance.
Different attacks need to be recognizable instantly.
The only way that Smash Bros gameplay works is if the player can parse what's happening
on screen just quickly enough to react to it.
If any character's animation doesn't accomplish this, the game experience will suffer.
Now that's a lot of functional requirements for every Smash character to have to meet,
but we're not done!
There is one more crucial goal that Smash Bros character animation must prioritize.
You see, Smash Bros isn't JUST a casual party brawler,
OR a competitive fighting game
or…
...whatever THIS is.
I don't know what you kids are doing these days.
On a fundamental level, Smash Bros is also a nostalgic celebration.
It's a gathering of dozens of beloved characters
(and also Pichu)
from dozens of different games, each of whom must be represented faithfully.
There's a reason that we get so ridiculously hyped
about every single newcomer announcement for these games.
It's because every Smash Bros fighter is like a Greatest Hits version of that character,
a condensed amalgamation of everything we know and love
(or tolerate) about them.
To that end, when a new challenger is introduced to this nostalgia engine,
it is absolutely vital that their Smash Bros incarnation gets the essence of that character
JUST RIGHT.
They have to move like them,
they have to act like them,
they have to FEEL familiar.
Ultimately, those are the two parallel animation goals
for adapting any character to Smash Bros.
They must aesthetically feel like the character you know and love
while also functionally handling like a Smash Bros character.
So with that in mind, let's see what this looks like in action.
I can think of no better character to start with…
than Mario.
Imagine that you and I have been tasked with bringing Mario into Smash for the first time.
Yes, in this fantasy scenario, after a BAFFLINGLY long wait,
Mario is finally going to be added to the Smash roster.
Where would we start?
Well, what do we know about Mario?
What sort of unique traits are going to be relevant to his animation?
Well, we know that he's got a thick stocky build,
which tends to make him feel nice and sturdy.
But he's also consistently presented
as a fairly agile and quick character in his games,
so it's going to be important that his Smash incarnation preserves that.
He also tends to look kinda adorable most of time.
Most of his games make him fairly small,
his proportions are rounded and appealing,
there's this cute little scamper to his run.
[pitter-patter footsteps]
I mean, look at him.
He is SO precious.
His attitude is important too.
There may not be immense depth to Mario's personality, but he does always have this
upbeat determination to him.
Nothing's gonna get him down.
We also need to figure out what his attacks should be.
What sort of actions is he most known for?
Well, Mario has starred in a LOT of games, each of which has introduced new abilities,
and since we want his Smash incarnation to be a celebration of everything Mario has been,
we're going to want to include as many references to that long history as possible.
But if Mario does have one signature move,
it's JUMPING.
He's THE platformer mascot.
Jumping is his THING.
And we also know that - on a more meta level - Mario has a history of being highly versatile.
He does everything.
He golfs, he referees, he olympics, he parties.
He can adapt to the needs of whatever game he needs to be the face of.
So, with all of that in mind…
does the Smash Bros incarnation of Mario feel like Mario?
I would say yes!
Overall, that classic upbeat Mario personality is totally there.
His moveset is PACKED with references to previous Mario games.
This 3-hit combo?
The exact same 1-2-3 he does in Mario 64.
Same with the running slide kick!
This particular throw
is a direct reference to the way he throws Bowser by the tail.
And of course, he's got fireballs.
I mean, that's one of the most iconic Mario attacks there is.
And while his basic fighting stance and walks and runs
don't appear to be referencing any specific animations
from previous Mario games,
they do all still absolutely still FEEL like Mario.
The sturdiness, the agility, the cuteness, the attitude… it's all in there.
But how has all that Mario animation been adapted to work in Smash?
Well let's look at that 3-hit combo again…
Here's what the original looked like.
And now here's the Smash version.
There are some significant changes here!
For one, the Smash version is noticeably faster.
In the original animation, that first punch takes about 10 frames to land,
where the Smash version takes maybe 2?
He goes from Idle pose to the first punch connecting in like 3 frames tops.
It's SO fast that there's not even time for Mario to do a wind-up anticipation pose,
so they've had to try to build the feeling of a wind-up into the first frame of the attack.
The 3-hit combo has also been adapted to read even more clearly to this fighting game camera.
Notice how Mario starts the combo with a left jab instead of the original right.
This not only leaves his body open and facing us for the first hit
(which is just great for pose clarity and appeal),
but it also sets him up for an even more powerful- looking version of the second punch
where he gets this nice twist up the torso.
Notice also how big his fists and feet become!
This was present in the original as well, but it's a great way to emphasize
what part of the body Mario is attacking with
and to lend that hit a nice POP.
And look at just how MUCH they are doing to sell each hit's impact.
The fireworks show of effects…
That massive hit pause and shake on Mario when the hit connects…
The 6 frame hit pause on Mario's opponent
followed by an animation of them being shoved backward…
It all happens in an instant, but without all this?
It would be SO much harder to tell if your attack had connected.
Dig into any one of Mario's attacks, and you'll find similar adjustments.
Subtle alterations to posing and speed,
all for the sake of gameplay responsiveness and clarity.
This is some darned good game animation right here.
Functionality and aesthetics, both firing on all cylinders.
Now, could Mario's animation be improved even further?
Possibly so!
We're getting into nitpick territory here, but I'm a bit underwhelmed
at the representation of Mario's jumping ability.
For one thing, I'm surprised they haven't used that classic,
immediately-recognizable Mario jumping pose here.
It's CLOSE, but it's not that exact pose.
It just seems like so obvious a choice…
But then, Mario's jump HAS actually seen a surprising amount of subtle variation over the years.
Still, though… they don't use the pose for his Up-Special attack either,
which REALLY seems like a prime opportunity…
But even ignoring the jump's aesthetics,
I am still really surprised at how little jumping plays into Mario's move set.
He can't cause damage by jumping on somebody's head,
which is just such a MARIO move.
The height of his jumps don't stand out in any immediately noticeable way.
Even his aerial attacks don't feel that special.
It seems like there's a big opportunity being missed to capitalize on something that
makes Mario's mobility and combat style feel really unique.
I get the feeling that, if Mario really was being added as a new character
to the Smash roster NOW,
they would be making a MUCH bigger deal out of his jumping abilities
to really set him apart.
As it stands, so many of Mario's moves are just punches and kicks.
Standard fighting game moves.
Of course, back when Smash was first released on the N64,
the most recent Mario title at the time would have been Super Mario 64,
a game in which Mario's jumps were slightly de-emphasized
in favor of more typical fighting moves like punches and kicks.
It's just kinda where Mario was at in 1999.
And this IS fundamentally a fighting game.
As one of the first fighters to join the Smash roster
AND as one of Nintendo's most versatile characters,
Mario is uniquely qualified to act as FOUNDATION for this franchise.
Maybe the intent here has always been to make Mario the baseline
which other fighters can be compared to,
rather than a strong unique flavor in his own right.
I can see the value in that.
Anyway, what should we expect from Mario in Smash Bros Ultimate?
Well, given that he's such a well-established part of the Smash roster,
I'm sure we're not gonna see any drastic changes
BUT, that said, we have had another high profile Mario game come out since last time.
We already know that Cappy's gonna be in there, but keep an eye out.
I would be really surprised if Smash Ultimate didn't sneak in
just a few more Odyssey references into Mario's arsenal,
even if it's just subtle adjustments to posing or expressions.
OR, and this is just an idea, but…
Nintendo, this could be real.
I'm not telling you how to do your job,
but you have the power to do this and you absolutely should do it.
You should do it.
Do it.
DO IT.
ahem
You will hear me say it over and over on this channel:
video game animation has to do more than simply look good.
Truly successful game animation looks good
WHILE functionally serving the needs of the game,
whether those functional needs are gameplay, narrative, technical or aesthetic.
And despite my little nitpicks about the jump,
I wouldd say that Mario's Smash Bros animation
is wildly successful on all of those fronts.
Now, I'm curious…
is there another Smash Bros character's animation that you would like me to analyze?
If so, let me know down in the comments!
I would REALLY love to have an excuse to keep digging into the animation in these games.
In the meantime, subscribe if you want to see
more videos about Smash, or gameplay animation in general.
Thanks for watching,
and I'll see you next time for more New Frame Plus.
Until then!
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