Classic Mode (勝ちあがり乱闘 Survival Smash) is a single-player mode in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Each character now has their own predetermined set of opponents and stages to face in this mode. A unique name is given to each character's path, and there may be special rules or conditions: for example, Ryu's path references Street Fighter II by using only Ω forms and Stamina mode alongside the fighters most closely representing the characters of Street Fighter II. It is different from the Classic Mode versions found in the two versions of SSB4, shown by the return to the style of Classic Mode that was in Melee and Brawl. Just like in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Classic Mode can also be challenged by two players. Allies like Pikachu, Mario, Ken, Dark Pit, Pit, Female Robin, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, & Greninja.
Similar to the Classic Modes for the previous entries, players can select an intensity level, indicated by the position of the lengthy mural. The highest allowed starting intensity is 5.0, and it will increase slightly after each victory, with a maximum of 9.9. The layout consists of six stages, a bonus stage, and a boss. Unlike previous entries, the boss in the last stage is not always Master Hand; each fighter has a different boss encounter at the end. Scores are also present in Classic Mode, which is displayed alongside the player's Global Smash Power. Master Hand, Crazy Hand, Giga Bowser, Galleom, Ganon, Marx, Rathalos, and Dracula are all the bosses for specific characters.
The full Classic Mode mural used for selecting the intensity of a Classic Mode play through.
Type of Battles
Regular stage
The first six stages of each route are regular Smash battles where all enemy fighters must be defeated to proceed. Some variations include Giant Battles, where at least one opponent is giant, and Horde Battles, where at least eight enemies are fought three at a time.
Bonus Game
This is a challenge in the style of Race to the Finish, but rather than having a time limit, the player must outrun a void of darkness that consumes the stage behind them. Glowing orbs are scattered throughout the side-scrolling area which increase the player's score, some behind breakable blocks and bomb blocks that encourage the player to go out of their way as the void closes in. Some scattered physics objects impede progress in a similar manner to Trophy Rush. At the end of the stage, a cannon blasts the player into a portal that ends the Bonus Game.
Boss
Each fighter faces a predetermined boss fight at the end of their route. The player must deplete the boss's HP in order to defeat them. In some cases, the boss is not the only challenge in the final stage; for example, Mario and Captain Falcon's final stage features a regular battle on Final Destination against Bowser, who transforms into Giga Bowser and begins the boss fight upon his defeat.
Classic Mode Titles
- For a more in-depth look at each character's classic mode, please see List of Classic Mode battles in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Fighter | Classic Mode Title | Theme | Final Boss |
---|---|---|---|
Mario | Let's-a Go! | Most fighters are other Nintendo icons with Bowser Jr. & Koopalings and Bowser as the final fighters. | Bowser, then Giga Bowser |
Donkey Kong | Journey to New Donk City | First 2 fighters are from the Donkey Kong series. Every other fighter has a stage relating to a city. With Diddy Kong as your partner. | Master Hand on New Donk City Hall |
Link | A Quest to Seal the Darkness | All fighters have an 'evil', 'demon' or 'darkness' theme. | Ganon |
Samus | Another Planet, Another Bounty | All battles take place in the Metroid stages and involves fighting a monstrous character. | Master Hand |
Dark Samus | The Great Poison Given Form | All fighters are Heroes teaming up with dark variants from their series. The penultimate battle is against Samus and Ridley. | Master Hand |
Yoshi | Jurassic Journey | All fighters are reptilian themed. | Rathalos |
Kirby | Gourmet Clash | All fighters are infamous for their gluttony (Wario, for example) or have 'eating' (King Dedede) attacks. The final boss may represent Kirby Super Star. | Marx |
Fox | Spaceborne Smash | All fighters are associated with space or other planets. The penultimate battle is against Wolf O'Donnell, which fits since they are rivals. Andross may be represented in the final boss. | Master Hand |
Pikachu | I Choose You! | All fighters are Pokémon characters. All item drops are Poké-balls. | Mewtwo, then Master Hand |
Luigi | Luigi's Nigthmares | All fighters are creepy or scary characters. | Dracula |
Ness | Home to Onett! | The title reflects Ness's journey in Earthbound in reverse from Magicant to Onett. | Master Hand |
Captain Falcon | Up Close and Personal | All fighters specialize in close combat or have no long-ranged attacks. | Bowser, then Giga Bowser |
Jigglypuff | All Original, All 64 | All fighters are the original 12 who all debuted in Super Smash Bros., with the final boss representing the Giant Donkey Kong battle that can occur in the original game. | Giant Donkey Kong |
Peach | No Damsel In Distress | All fighters are would-be kidnapers such as Bowser's family. | Master Hand |
Daisy | Sarasaland Represent! | All fighters are princesses in their respective franchises. | Master Hand |
Bowser | The Red One. Every Red One! | All fighters are affiliated with red costumes, with the penultimate boss being Rathalos. | Mario, then Metal Mario |
Ice Climbers | Duos For Days | All fighters are a male-female duo of their respective franchises, with the exception of the final boss, which is all male. | Master Hand and Crazy Hand |
Sheik | Masquerade | All fighters have a mask or some headwear to conceal their identity. | Master Hand |
Zelda | Wisdom Prevails | All fighters are villains who are known for being unwise, or unintelligent, with the exception of the final boss. | Ganondorf, then Ganon |
Dr. Mario | Colorful Treatment Plan | All fighters are in red, blue, and yellow costumes based on the three viruses: Fever, Chill, and Weird. | Master Hand |
Pichu | Lightweight Fracas | All fighters are lightweights. | Master Hand |
Falco | Soar above the Darkness | All fighters are "dark" characters. | Crazy Hand |
Marth | A Kingdom of Dragons | All fighters are draconic characters. | Rathalos |
Lucina | A Path of Heroes | All fighters are from the Fire Emblem series. | Master Hand |
Young Link | Hyrule Smash! | All fighters are from the Legend of Zelda series. | Ganon |
Ganondorf | Encroaching Darkness | All fighters are Heroes of their own series. The penultimate battle is against Link and Zelda. | Master Hand |
Mewtwo | Psychic Control | All fighters are those who were possessed in their own games and all battles are a series of Team Battles where the first fighter defeated will join the player in the following battle. With Pikachu as its ally. | Master Hand & Crazy Hand (Ally: Pikachu) |
Roy | A Journey of Swords | All Fighters are Swordsmen. | Master Hand |
Chrom | Fight as One | The first battle is against Lucina. Afterwards, the battles become Team Battles where Chrom's teammate alternates between Lucina and either male or female Robin. | Master Hand & Crazy Hand (Ally: Female Robin) |
Mr. Game & Watch | A Long Legacy | All fighters are classic characters on retro stages. | Master Hand |
Meta Knight | Two Sides of the Same Coin | All fighters are the dark counterparts of the main Heroes. | Master Hand and Crazy Hand |
Pit | Fighting for the Goddess! | All fighters are based on the characters from Kid Icarus: Uprising. | Master Hand & Crazy Hand (Ally: Dark Pit) |
Dark Pit | Created Warriors | All fighters are genetic clones. The penultimate battle is against Pit. | Galleom (Ally: Pit) |
Zero Suit Samus | Grapplers! Whips! Claws! | All fighters are characters who use teether recoveries with their grapplers, whips, and claws. | Master Hand |
Wario | I'm-a Gonna Win! | All fighters are those with brute strengths. | Master Hand |
Snake | Weapons and Equipment OSP | All fighters use projectile weapons. | Galleom |
Ike | The Black-Clad Warriors | The title refers to Ike's rival, the Black Knight. All fighters are in their black alternate costumes. | Master Hand |
Pokémon Trainer | The Future Champion | All fighters are Pokémon or references a Pokémon. The penultimate battle is against opposite-gendered Pokémon Trainer. | Mewtwo, then Master Hand |
Diddy Kong | Hey, Little Buddy! | All fighters are villains with "little buddies" of their own. The penultimate battle is against King K. Rool. With Donkey Kong as his ally. | Master Hand & Crazy Hand (Ally: Donkey Kong) |
Lucas | Magic, Sacred Powers, and PSI! | All fighters have some form of Magical Powers. | Master Hand |
Sonic | At the Speed of Sound | All fighters are references to the characters from the Sonic franchise, as well as the reference to the Sonic games in general. Half of the fighters are some of the fastest characters in the game. | Master Hand |
King Dedede | Royal Rumble | All fighters are characters with royal titles such as a king or a princess. | Master Hand |
Olimar/Alph | Planetary Explorer | All fighters are those who are space travelers in their respective series. The penultimate battle is against Alph (or Olimar if the player is using Alph). | Master Hand |
Lucario | Counter Encounters | All fighters are characters with counterattacks. | Master Hand |
R.O.B. | Unreadable Expressions | All fighters have masks or appear to be expressionless or emotionless. | Galleom |
Toon Link | The Teamwork of Courage | All battles involve Toon Link teaming up with two other Toon Links, which may be a reference to The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes. | Ganon |
Wolf | Reunited Roster | All fighters are fighters that were cut from Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. | Galleom |
Villager | Mistake to Underestimate | All fighters are those who appear unsuited for battle. | Master Hand |
Mega Man | Variable Weapons System; Online! | All fighters are based on some of the Robot Masters, with the penultimate boss being Galleom. | Dr. Mario, then Mewtwo |
Wii Fit Trainer | Aerobic Smash | All fighters are overweight or physically unfit. Dr. Mario appears as her/his teammate. | Master Hand |
Rosalina & Luma | One Star after Another | All fighters are characters from space or other planets. The penultimate battle is against Bowser, with Mario as her ally. | Marx (Ally: Mario) |
Little Mac | Friendly Sparring | All fighters have moves relating to Boxing. | Master Hand |
Greninja | Your Turn, Greninja! | All fighters are characters that represent a certain type. All battles take place on Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2, except for the penultimate battle, which takes place on Kalos Pokémon League. | Master Hand |
Palutena | A Little Divine Intervention | All battles alternate between characters who represent holiness and darkness. | Master Hand |
Pac-Man | Ageless Classic | All fighters are classic and iconic characters in accordance to their original release date, similar to All-Star Mode in Super Smash Bros. 4. | Dracula |
Robin | Thunder and Flames | All fighters are characters who use fire and lightning attacks. | Master Hand |
Shulk | Witness the Monando's Power | All fighters represent one of Shulk's Monado Arts and are fought in their cycling order in Super Smash Bros. 4. The penultimate battle is against Mega Man, who plays the role of Shulk's rival, Metal Face. | Master Hand |
Bowser Jr./Koopalings | Mama Peach, Where Are You? | All fighters are princesses, some of which are teamed up with their love interest (or in Lucina's case, her father). The penultimate battle is against Mario and Peach. | Master Hand |
Duck Hunt | Dog, Duck, and Zapper | All fighters are animals or Mii Fighters with animal costumes. | Rathalos |
Ryu | Seeking a Challenge | All fighters are references to Street Fighter characters and all battles are one-on-one stamina fights on the Omega form of the stages. | Master Hand & Crazy Hand (Ally: Ken) |
Ken | Red-Hot Rivalry | All fighters resemble dark versions or rivals of fighters. The penultimate battle is against Ryu. | Crazy Hand |
Cloud | A Ride? Not Interested. | All fights take place on a vehicle-related stage and their corresponding fighter. | Master Hand |
Corrin | Between White and Black | All fighters alternate between black and white costumes. The black represents the Kingdom of Nohr, and the white represents the Kingdom of Hoshido. | Master Hand |
Bayonetta | The Requiem of Fallen Wings | All fighters have angelic theme or have wings. | Giant Palutena |
Inkling | An Inkredible Journey | All fighters have an alternative costume that matches the color of the stage. | Marx |
Ridley | It Can't Be! Space Pirates! | All fighters are those who pilot their own spaceships. | Master Hand |
Simon | Smash-vania | All fighters are based on the bosses from the Castlevania series, with the penultimate battle being against Richter. | Dracula |
Richter | Smash Echoes | All fighters are Echo Fighters. | Dracula |
King K. Rool | Super Heavyweight Class | All fighters are heavyweights. The penultimate battle is against Donkey Kong. | Galleom |
Isabelle | Best in Show | All fighters are female, with the exception of Popo allied with Nana and the final boss. | Master Hand |
Incineroar | Burning Pro Wrestling Spirit! | All battles takes place in the Boxing Ring stage, with the exception of the final stage. | Master Hand & Crazy Hand (Ally: Greninja) |
Piranha Plant | New Bloom | All fighters are newcomers in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. | Rathalos |
Joker | Shadows | All fighters are in their dark costumes, representing the shadow forms of the villains in Persona 5. After the first fight, these opponents will become his allies, and their costumes will change to a lighter variant. | Master Hand on Mementos |
Hero | A History of Heroism | All fighters are based on the characters from the Dragon Quest universe, and all battles except for the last battle are stamina battles, with all of the Dragon Quest musics playing in different stages. The fourth battle is against Rathalos. | Robin, then Giant Charizard |
Banjo & Kazooie | Perfect Partners | All fighters are two characters as one fighter or two fighters from a Nintendo 64 game teaming up with different stages representing levels from Banjo-Kazooie, with the penultimate battle against Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong who also starred in games by Rare. | Master Hand and Crazy Hand |