For information concerning both this game and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, see Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is the fourth installment of the Super Smash Bros. series. It was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2014, and is the first game in the series to release on a handheld system. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS also had a digital release on the Nintendo eShop, prior to the service's discontinuation on March 27, 2023, and the digital release requires 9,108 blocks (1.16 GB) of memory on an SD card.

The game received a home console counterpart for the Wii U that released shortly after, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Although the two games are commonly paired together, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U follows after Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as the fifth installment.^[5] Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has several similarities while having a few exclusives, most notably the Smash Run mode.

Like all other Super Smash Bros. games, the game has Pokémon content, namely fighters such as Pikachu and various Pokémon that can spawn from Poké Balls thrown onstage.

Gameplay[]

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS features similar gameplay to its predecessors, mostly to Super Smash Bros. Brawl, such as from retaining Smash Balls.

Like other Super Smash Bros. games, the core gameplay of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS consists of characters having percentages starting at zero. When they take damage, their percentages rise and they get more easily knocked away. A character is KO'd once that character is knocked far enough, beyond the blast line, indicated by a colorful explosion, falling in the background and turning into a star, or hitting the screen.

Characters can attack with simple button commands. The A button is used generally for standard attacks, and the direction of the control stick while pressing the A button can indicate the direction, type, and strength of attack. Tapping the control stick while pressing the A button initiates a smash attack, a strong move that is often used to score KOs. The B button is used for special attacks, which can vary from character to character, although their up specials tend to be recovery moves. Players can shield to block attacks with the R button. Grabbing, which can stop shielding or help position opponents, is done with the L button. The trigger buttons have been switched from the previous Super Smash Bros. games, where one left should button is used for shielding while one right shoulder button is used for grabbing.

Each character is given at least two jumps, activated by pressing X, Y, or holding up on the control stick, which can be extended once with an up special move, usually. If players are knocked out of the stage, they can use these jumps to attempt to recover to the stage.

Aesthetically, in the transition from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the overall theme has been changed, with brighter and bolder colors, and character appearances and aesthetic details more closely matching the aesthetics of their series of origin. Due to the smaller screen size of the Nintendo 3DS compared to a television screen, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS also features black outlines around each fighter. Players can adjust the outline from three options: thick, thin, and none. In addition, during a team match, regardless of the option, an outline corresponding to the team color surrounds the character, allowing players to choose any of the existing alternate costumes, rather than assigning a certain colored costume to that character to match the team color like in all the previous installments.

Customization/cross-connectivity[]

Players can customize each fighter by giving them equipment to increase specific attributes (attack, defense, or speed) while sacrificing others. Up to three pieces of equipment can be equipped at a time, and some items provide additional side effects to the fighter. Players can customize fighter's special attacks with one of three variations for each, provided that the variations are unlocked first, but not for the Mii Fighters and Palutena. Players can have up to ten custom characters saved at a time, though the player can have as many Mii Fighters as they want. Custom characters cannot be used in With Anyone online.

Players can send customized fighters from one version to the other. Custom fighters transferred from one version cannot be edited on the receiving version, however. Additionally, by connecting the two games the player can use their Nintendo 3DS as a controller for the Wii U version. Initially, both versions were required in order to use a Nintendo 3DS as a controller for the Wii U version until the Smash Controller 3DS application was released on June 14, 2015.

Exclusive modes[]

Smash Run[]

Smash Run is single-player and multiplayer mode that features players traveling a large maze-like map, fighting enemies from various games, including a few species of Pokémon. It is based on the City Trial mode from Kirby Air Ride while including elements of Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Pokémon	Generation debut	Description
Chandelure	V	They attack the player with Will-O-Wisp, which releases three small purple flames, and Fire Spin, which creates a small fiery tornado. They are immune to fire-based attacks, weaponry, or hazards, and increase in power up if they are struck with them, referencing the Flash Fire Ability.
Cryogonal	V	They fly around and attack by firing Ice Beam either directly ahead or in an arc, which freezes the player upon contact. They are weak to flame-based attacks.
Gastly	I	As it is engulfed in poison gas, Gastly is immune to melee attacks and can only be taken out with projectiles. It can damage players on contact and sometimes follows them around.
Koffing	I	It releases Poison Gas after inflating itself for a while, which damages the player while lowering stats. The player can automatically regain their stats by defeating the Koffing.
Petilil	V	It attacks by using Sleep Powder, which does not do any damage but temporarily puts the player to sleep. Otherwise, Petilil does minor damage if bumped into and does not have much health.

Before going into battle, players can equip powers, which have a variety of effects, such as being a more powerful attack, temporarily increasing stats, healing, or equipping the player with an item. The player can equip only a certain number of powers based on their weight, the maximum weight being determined by the player's current equipment and the fighter.

While fighting, players can collect several stat boosts, which are similar to patches. These stat boosts can increase attack power, special attack power, jumping, or movement speed; there are also special stat boosts that increase all stats. After five minutes, players are shown their final stats, courtesy of the stat boosts they collected, and they are pitted in one of several modes, similar to the Stadiums from City Trial, in which players must fulfill the given conditions to win.

StreetSmash[]

StreetSmash is another new game mode serving as the StreetPass functionality for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. Players compete against other player character's tokens with their own by charging into them to knock them off the stage. Players attack by holding down the A button to build up power, then letting it go and holding the Control Pad in a certain direction to charge forward into an opponent. Players can also shield by pressing the R button, and can dodge by moving when shielding; pressing the A button after dodging allows the player to counterattack. In StreetSmash mode players can either play against other players they have StreetPassed with or in practice mode; both allow the player to earn gold.

Games & More[]

Classic[]

Like the previous games in the series, Classic mode has the player travel through a series of challenges to reach the end. However, this mode is shorter than before, only being six stages long. Before starting, the player can adjust the difficulty level by betting gold, exactly like the Fiend's Cauldron from Kid Icarus: Uprising; a higher difficulty yielding better rewards. The player can also choose to lower the intensity below 2.0, but has to pay 5G for every level decrease that's made. Intensity level 2.0 does not require any gold to play. If at any point the player gets a game over, the intensity level automatically lowers itself by .5 if they decide to try again. However, the intensity will never drop below 2.0; if the player plays on a difficulty lower than 2.0 and gets a game over, the intensity also does not lower.

Before each challenge, the player travels across a map, and they can select which challenge to face by taking one of the diverging paths colored by difficulty, with blue being the easiest, green being medium, and red being the hardest; opponents are based upon the characters the player has unlocked, and unlocking any characters allows the player to face them in Classic. After each match, the player can receive various rewards, including gold, trophies, and custom parts; the exact type of reward depends on the results of a roulette before the battle. As the intensity increases, so does the number of rewards.

Classic Mode consists of six rounds: four are normal, the fifth involves fighting 10 enemies that are significantly easier to launch (either a "team" of a character or the Fighting Mii Team), and the final round is a boss fight. The player can face either Master Hand or, if the intensity is 3.0 or higher, the player can choose a black path to fight both Master Hand and Crazy Hand. (If the intensity is 8.0 or higher, then only the black path will be available.) If the intensity is 5.1 or higher, the player must also fight the Master Core. The number of its forms the player will have to fight varies depending on the intensity level.

All-Star[]

All-Star Mode also returns from Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl and up to two players can play together locally just like the latter game. In this mode, players fight against every playable character (except for the Mii Fighters) until they reach the end; this time, however, battles are organized by periods when the characters were introduced in rather than by series. All-Star Mode is also available from the start, but the player can only play against the default roster until every character is unlocked. After each match, players may be given a reward, and occasionally a trophy or custom part will appear in the break room. The break room also gives the player a Maxim Tomato, Fairy Bottle, and Heart Container to heal between matches; in the full All-Star Mode, the player is given a second Heart Container. However, the items will not return once consumed unless the player starts over. When All-Star Mode is cleared, the player earns a trophy of an alternate color of their character rather than a Final Smash trophy like in the previous game.

Like in the Boss Battles mode of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, if the player runs out of time or loses their one stock, there are no continues and the player receives a Game Over, which leads to the results display screen showing the gold, Global Smash Power, score, trophies, and custom parts that the player earned so far.

Since the Pokémon franchise did not exist before the mid-1990s, the following periods do not include any Pokémon fighters: 1980-1984, 1985-1986, 1986-1990, and 1991-1993. The opponents and stages of the last three periods are listed below. Pokémon subjects are highlighted in bold.

Time period	Opponents	Stages
1994-1998	Ness* Diddy Kong Mewtwo** Pikachu Charizard Jigglypuff* Cloud** Sheik Ganondorf*	Unova Pokémon League Spirit Train Magicant* Midgar**
2001-2006	Villager Olimar Roy** Bowser Jr.* Toon Link Zero Suit Samus Ike Lucas** Lucario	Distant Planet Tortimer Island 3D Land
2007-2015**, 2007-2013	Rosalina & Luma Wii Fit Trainer Bayonetta** Shulk Dark Pit* Robin Lucina* Greninja Corrin**	Gaur Plain Rainbow Road Arena Ferox Prism Tower Super Mario Maker** Umbra Clock Tower**

*- Only available in the full All-Star mode. **- Downloadable content. Only available in this mode after downloading (characters only available in the full All-Star mode), but it will be removed from the list if the player deletes the game's DLC data. Inclusion does not affect any of the game's challenges.

Training[]

Training also returns from previous games, identical to the previous games. Within Training, players can train against a computer opponent, and can automatically select items that appear, game speed, the number of CPU opponents, their behavior, and the current amount of damage for all players. The player can also adjust the camera view and toggle the info display at the top of the screen, as well as restart the session or quit.

Stadium[]

In Stadium mode, three different games are available: Multi-Man Smash, Home-Run Contest, and Target Blast. The Home-Run Contest works like in previous games, in that players have ten seconds to build up damage on the Sandbag before having to launch it as far as they can. Several tweaks have also been made to this mode from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, such as having a more durable shield.

In Multi-Man Smash, the player fights against the Fighting Mii Team, consisting of Miis loaded from those on the player's system. The Miis are easier to launch in every mode aside from Cruel Smash, and sometimes platforms will appear with items on them. Two players can also play this mode together via local wireless. The options for this mode are the same as in the previous games, though with a brand new mode as well:

• 10-Man Smash - The player must defeat ten enemies.
• 100-Man Smash - The player must defeat 100 enemies.
• 3-Minute Smash - The player must defeat as many Miis as possible in three minutes.
• Rival Smash - A brand new mode, in which players compete against a computer version of themselves to defeat as many enemies as possible before being KO'd. Once KO'd, however, only the difference between scores is counted as the player's final score; if the player KOs fewer Miis than the opponent, their score is zero.
• Endless Smash - The player must defeat as many enemies as possible before being KO'd.
• Cruel Smash - The player must fight against more difficult enemies that can easily KO the player, and defeat as many as possible.

Target Blast functions like a combination of the Home-Run Contest and Target Smash in previous games. In this mode, players have ten seconds to attack and launch a bomb to destroy as many targets as possible; the countdown starts as soon as the player starts attacking. There are fourteen large, red targets and several smaller, green amongst structures that must be broken through; a trophy, piece of equipment, or special move may also be among the targets. Also scattered throughout are explosives that can be detonated by having the bomb touch them. The player has two rounds to break as many targets as they can and accumulate the highest score possible.

Vault[]

Within the vault, players can view collected trophies, snapshots taken during play, and saved replays; listen to the game's music and voices in the sounds menu; view records; and view a series of tips.

Trophies[]

There is a total of 707 trophies in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, several of which pertain to the Pokémon franchise and are especially of Pokémon themselves.

Within the trophies menu itself, players have the option of viewing their collected trophies or earning more by either buying them in the shop or by playing the Trophy Rush minigame.

In Trophy Rush, the player must pay gold to increase the amount of time they spend in the minigame, the minimum being thirty seconds and the maximum being 2:30. In the game itself, players must attack crates and rock blocks as they fall from above to destroy them; destroying multiple consecutively creates a chain that increases the player's score. Bomb blocks also fall and explode after three seconds. Destroying the falling blocks builds up a meter that, when full, initiates "Frenzy", in which gold, trophies, and on occasion custom parts fall from above for the player to collect. If the blocks and crates reach above a certain point or the player falls off the stage, the stage disappears, clearing the board and, in the case of the former, costing the player time.

Challenges[]

Also returning from Super Smash Bros. Brawl are Challenges. In this mode, players are given a board of challenges that can be completed by clearing the given criteria. Clearing a challenge unlocks a picture on the top screen as well as a trophy, custom part, stage, CD, Smash Run power, or Poké Ball Pokémon. Completing a certain number of challenges on a given panel unlocks a new panel of challenges. Occasionally the player will also be rewarded with a Golden Hammer, which can be used to automatically clear a challenge.

Online[]

This game had online play through the Nintendo Network feature, prior to the service shutting down on April 8, 2024.

similar to Super Smash Bros. Brawl in that players from all over the world can face others in matches. When playing With Friends, players could customize the rules to their liking. When playing With Anyone, two basic options are available: For Fun and For Glory. In For Fun mode, players battle on randomly selected normal stages, excluding Final Destination, with all items turned on. Losses are not recorded in this mode. In For Glory mode, players only play on the flat, Final Destination versions of stages, without items. Players can either play standard Smash or Team Smash matches in both modes and For Glory offers a 1-on-1 mode as well.

Conquest became available in the Nintendo 3DS version through an update on September 15, 2014 in Japan, and October 2, 2014 in all other regions. Conquests pit some of the game's various characters against each other, and players who win battles with them in With Anyone mode would have had points added to their score. The winning fighter would eventually be revealed after a few days, and players who took part in the conquest by playing as that character get rewarded with gold. The next conquest began after the rewards.

Spectate mode allowed players to view matches and bet gold on their outcome, view replays of past online matches, and view a map showing the players currently online.

Since version 1.0.5, there was also a Share mode, which allows players to send and download screenshots, replays, and Mii Fighters from around the world. Players can share their Mii Fighters and replays with friends or post them to the server, while snapshots can also be posted to Miiverse. When searching for replays players can search by their creator (self, anyone, or friends), location, mode, stage, and character; when searching for snapshots or Mii Fighters, players can search by creator, location, and, in the case of Mii Fighters, the type of fighter.

Instead of an online leaderboard, the game made use of a different type of ranking system, called Global Smash Power. A player's GSP score is recorded for each of the various single-player modes, the number indicating how many players around the world they outrank.

Playable characters[]

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS features a total of 58 playable characters, with the same roster being retained for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The base roster consists of 51 characters (counting all three types of Mii Fighters), featuring 34 returning characters and 17 new ones. Seven fighters were released as downloadable content. 36 characters are available by default, while 12 more can be unlocked, and Mii Fighters (separated into Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, or Mii Gunner) can only be chosen when one is created.

The character selection screen is divided up into two sections: Original Fighters, characters already part of the core game, and Extra Fighters, characters purchased as downloadable content. Five of the 51 Original Fighters are a Pokémon: Pikachu, Lucario, Charizard, Jigglypuff, and Greninja. Mewtwo is the only Pokémon of the seven Extra Fighters. Overall, the game has a total of six Pokémon. Jigglypuff is the only unlockable Pokémon fighter.

To keep the rosters consistent across both games, certain characters and features have been removed, such as Ice Climbers, partly due to limitations with the Nintendo 3DS hardware. One of the removed features was mid-battle transformations, leading to Charizard to become a separate fighter, after originally being connected to Pokémon Trainer in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but neither Ivysaur nor Squirtle return as playable fighters. Likewise, Sheik and Zero Suit Samus had been disconnected from Zelda and Samus, respectively.

The Extra Fighters were all released on separate dates. Mewtwo in particular was released as a downloadable fighter for both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U on April 28, 2015.

amiibo[]

Nintendo's new toys to life figurines were first released on the Super Smash Bros. line. The Pokémon franchise has received six amiibo figures: Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Charizard, Lucario, Greninja, and Mewtwo.

Stages[]

There are 42 stages, where players can battle, and most of them are based on handheld games. Each stage has two songs, with players being able to play the alternate song by holding the R button while selecting a stage. Additionally, players can toggle between playing on "Final Destination" variations of all stages (represented by a "Ω") in addition to playing on the standard versions, being a flat course with no obstacles or other platforms. Stages listed in italics are unlockable. Extra Stages are downloadable stages that were either bundled with certain Extra Fighters or could be purchased individually, except for Duck Hunt, which is added to the game for free through a software update.

Out of every stage, two represent the Pokémon franchise:

• Prism Tower: This stage mostly shifts while flying around the Prism Tower. Helioptile can be seen while the stage is on the ground and Yveltal, Zapdos, Emolga, and Magnemite can be seen flying around the stage and the tower.
• Unova Pokémon League: This stage is mostly made up of one flat platform with two floating platforms and two staircases at the sides of the stage. Occasionally, Reshiram or Zekrom will appear in the background, either destroying the stage with electricity or fire. Milotic, Shaymin and Whimsicott can also appear in the background, but have no effect in battle.

Items[]

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has a total of 75 items, with 26 being introduced to the Super Smash Bros. series in the game. Two are from the Pokémon franchise, one of which is new:

• Poké Ball. Summons a random Pokémon when thrown, with the possible Pokémon being different than in previous Super Smash Bros. games.
• Master Ball (New). Usually summons either a Legendary Pokémon or a Mythical Pokémon.

Music[]

• N's Castle Medley (Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version)
• Trainer Battle Theme Remix (Pokémon X and Pokémon Y)

Trivia[]

• This is the first Super Smash Bros. game to include:
  • A Ghost-type Pokémon that comes from a Poké Ball. (Giratina)
  • A Fire-type Pokémon that comes from a Poké Ball that doesn't have a flame effect. (Victini)
  • A Grass-type Pokémon that comes from a Poké Ball that doesn't have any elemental effects. (Gogoat)
  • A Pokémon that comes from a Poké Ball that uses two moves in the same game. (Abomasnow)
  • No Poison-type Pokémon that can be summoned from PokéBalls.
  • Only one new Pokémon character instead of two.

Gallery[]

References[]

v · d · e List of video games
Core series	Generation I Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green (1996) Pocket Monsters Blue (1996) Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version (1998) Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition (1998) Generation II Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version (1999) Pokémon Crystal Version (2000) Generation III Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version (2002) Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version (2004) Pokémon Emerald Version (2004) Generation IV Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version (2006) Pokémon Platinum Version (2008) Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version (2009) Generation V Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version (2010) Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 (2012) Generation VI Pokémon X and Pokémon Y (2013) Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire (2014) Demo Generation VII Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon (2016) Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon (2017) Demo Generation VIII Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield (2019) Expansion Pass (2020) Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl (2021) Generation IX Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet (2022) Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (2023) Others Pokémon Legends series Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022) Pokémon Legends: Z-A (2025) Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! (2018) Demo (2019)
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series	Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (WiiWare) Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
Pokémon Ranger series	Pokémon Ranger Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs
Pokémon Rumble series	Pokémon Rumble Pokémon Rumble Blast Pokémon Rumble U Pokémon Rumble World Pokémon Rumble Rush
Others	Game Boy Pokémon Pinball Pokémon Trading Card Game Game Boy Color Pokémon Puzzle Challenge Game Boy Advance Pokémon Pinball Ruby & Sapphire Nintendo DS Pokémon Dash Pokémon Trozei! Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure Pokémon Conquest PokéPark: Fishing Rally DS Nintendo 3DS Pokémon Dream Radar Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity Pokémon Battle Trozei Pokémon Art Academy Pokémon Tretta Lab The Band of Thieves & 1000 Pokémon Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Pokémon Shuffle Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon Pokémon Picross Detective Pikachu Nintendo 64 Hey You, Pikachu! Super Smash Bros. Pokémon Snap Pokémon Puzzle League Pokémon Stadium Pokémon Stadium 2 Nintendo GameCube Super Smash Bros. Melee Pokémon Colosseum Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness Pokémon Channel Wii Pokémon Battle Revolution Super Smash Bros. Brawl PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (WiiWare) My Pokémon Ranch PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond Wii U Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Nintendo Switch Pokkén Tournament DX Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX New Pokémon Snap Pokémon UNITE Pokémon Café Mix Detective Pikachu Returns Pokémon Champions Arcades Pokémon Battrio Pokkén Tournament Pokémon Tretta Android/iOS Pokémon TCG Online Pokémon TCG Live Camp Pokémon Pokémon GO Pokémon: Magikarp Jump Pokémon Masters EX Pokémon Quest Pokémon Duel Pokémon UNITE Pokémon Smile Pokémon Café ReMix Pokémon Sleep Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket Pokémon Champions PC Pokémon Trading Card Game Online Creatures Inc. Game Freak Nintendo
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