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Smash Run (Japanese:フィールドスマッシュFīrudosumasshu) is a game mode exclusively for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS that was revealed during the Smash Bros. Nintendo Direct on April 8th, 2014.

Basic Rules[]

Up to four players join, they can compete in two separate instances: one where they collect power-ups and another one where they fight each other.

Ssb4-smash-run-power-ups
Ssb4-smash-run-power-ups-result

Mario at the end of the first part of Smash Run, with the resulting stats.

The first part of the mode happens in a gigantic labyrinth, similar to the Great Maze from the Subspace Emissary mode seen in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Players are tasked with exploring the vast field and defeating enemies to collect power-ups, which boost the characters' stats. There are 6 types of boosts:

  • Speed: Increases running speed and air speed.
  • Jump: Increases jumping heights (including double jumps).
  • Attack: Increases the amount of damage and launching power caused by normal attacks and Smash Attacks.
  • Special: Increases the amount of damaged and launching power caused by Special Moves.
  • Arms: Increases the amount of damage caused by weapon items, the power of throwing attacks, and decreases the chance of dropping stats.
  • Defense: Decreases the amount of damaged when receiving attacks, make the player's shield last longer, and can help players shield faster.
  • Star: Not an actual stat, but collecting this boost will increase all stats above. Dropped by only a few enemies.

The effect of those power-ups can be stacked. The larger the power-up is when dropped by the enemy, the higher is the resulting boost.

Being hit by enemies too much will also make the characters drop those power-ups; and some, such as Tac, can steal the player's stats, but can be recovered by killing it before it escapes the screen. This match lasts for 5 minutes, and the goal is to collect as many power-ups as possible. When the time limit is up, players carry the boosts collected into the second phase.

Aside from power-ups, players can also collect Smash Coins (which can be spent on other modes), trophies, equippable items, and Special Move customizations.

To keep track of players, a feature called "News Smash!" will sometimes announce what the other characters are doing, such as opening treasure chests and defeating a number of enemies. At the end of the first phase, players will be taken to a results screen, where they will be shown their current stats, along with their opponents. You can also turn your stats page into maps by clicking on the map, which will give players a rough sketch on where they and other players are.

It is worth noting that your only interaction with the other players during the first portion of Smash Run will be through the Smash News. While the mini-map on the touchscreen shows the players location, if someone is in the same location as the other player, the player won't find anything, meaning that players can't interact with each other.

If a player is KO'ed, some stats are lost and they are placed in another area of the labyrinth. They can be recovered if the player respawns close enough with the proper stats. In the case of challenge doors, the stats are lost forever and the player is put outside where the challenge door was.

Stat boost sizes:

  • Tiny: 3+ to stat; obtained from most enemies.
  • Small: 10+ to stat; obtained from most enemies.
  • Medium: 30+ to stat; obtained from some enemies.
  • Large: 100+ to stat; obtained from Polar Bears, Reapers, Darknuts, Devil Cars, Blonkers, Bulborbs and Mimicuties.
  • Huge: 200+ to stat; obtained only from Clubberskulls, Souflees, successfully completing a challenge (challenge door or enemy squad) or defeating a Wanted enemy. Not available in star form.

Final Battle[]

The second part of the mode is the Final Battle, where players will compete with each other with their enhanced abilities. The battle type is randomly chosen and the players battle using the power-ups they collected.

Smash[]

There are a variety of smash battles that can be chosen for the final battle. Unless otherwise stated, all smash battles are Free-for-All or Team Battle, any stage, all items, 1-minute timed battles. The maps used are all non-DLC maps with Omega Form disabled.

  • Smash: Regular smash.
  • Stock Smash: 1-Minute, 2-Stock battle.
  • Stamina Smash: No time limit, all players have 200 HP.
  • 300% Smash: Players start every respawn with 300%.
  • Glorious Smash: Only Omega-form stages with no items.
  • Reflect Smash: Players are equipped with a Franklin Badge.
  • High-Launch Smash: Every move has increased launch power.
  • Mega Smash: Everyone is mega-sized for the duration of the match.
  • Flower Smash: Players have a Lip's Stick effect on their heads for the duration of the match.
  • Explosive Smash: Only explosive items such as Bob-ombs, Smart Bombs, Explosive Crates, etc.
  • Mr. Saturn Smash: Only Mr. Saturns.
  • Mushroom Smash: Only Poison Mushroom and Super Mushrooms.
  • Warp Star Smash: Only Warp Stars.

Other[]

These final battles are not traditional player-against-player fighting battles. They have different objectives and settings from smash battles.

  • Multi-Man Smash: Defeat as many Mii-Fighters as you can within 1 minute, on Battlefield. Mii Fighters can be giant sized. In addition there are clones of your character which can be metal and/or giant sized.
  • Vs. Enemy Team!: Involves characters individually fighting off swarms of enemies for 1 minute. The stage and enemies are randomly picked. Not all enemies in that series appear and are listed below:
  • Run!: Involves characters dashing toward the finish line. Characters that have high Speed, and to a lesser extent Jump stats will have an advantage in this battle. Danger Zones are present in this Final Battle, and touching them results in an instant KO, with the character who touched it being sent further from the finish line. There are two variants of "Run!" that are used. There will be an occasional Invulnerability star, Speed stat boost, Bunny Hood, or Spicy Curry for players lagging behind.
  • Climb!: Involves the characters jumping toward the finish line. Characters with high Jump stats will have the advantage in this battle. Danger zones are also present in this Final Battle, and like the "Run!" battle, touching them results in an instant KO. After 30 seconds have passed, Smart Bombs begin to drop from above, dealing damage but do not KO (although if you are hurt enough you may be thrown into a Danger Zone). Invulnerability Stars, Bunny Hoods and Jump stat boost appear for lagging players. Touching a danger zone while under the effects of the Invulnerability Star will still destroy the danger zone but the fighter will not be K.O.'d by them.

Events[]

Ssb4-smash-run-power-ups-event

From time to time, events will occur in the first phase. All players will be subject to similar conditions and they will use their techniques to power up and proceed. These events vary from defeating hordes of powerful enemies to simply having some of their stats increased. Similar to Subspace Emissary, some of those events can be accessed by entering hidden doors, which will take players to small instances.

List of Events[]

The amount of events and the time of the events vary for each Smash Run attempt. Going into a challenge door will remove event buffs/debuffs affecting the player.

  • Amped Up: Your Speed and Jump stats are temporarily maxed out.
  • Big Haul: Treasure chests yield more powerful stats.
  • Bonus Time: Stat boosts from most defeated enemies are larger.
  • Doors Galore: Challenge doors appear throughout the area.
  • (Enemy) Fest: A randomly selected enemy, always a weak enemy, will appear in greater quantities and will be the only enemy that appears during that event. Once the time limit is over, regular enemies will spawn in those areas if they weren't cleared out. The time limit varies depending on the type of enemy:
    • 20 seconds - Tiki Buzz, Bullet Bill, Pooka, Shy Guy
    • 10 seconds - Sneaky Spirits, Souflee
  • Fast Learner: A randomly selected stat is picked, and all defeated enemies have a very high drop rate for that stat. Does not affect treasure chests.
  • Final Battle Forecast: You are given a hint about the final battle match type.
  • Gale: You are pushed about by strong winds, which can hinder or help you to a destination.
  • Heavenly Light: You gain Heavenly Light for 10 seconds.
  • Treasure/Door Map: You are directed to nearby treasure chests or challenge doors. They also appear on the minimap. The Door Map event used to be called "Otherwordly Door".
  • Treasure Trove: A new treasure room appears on the map. It is always in the same spot and contains three chests.
  • Wanted: Defeat the specified enemy for extra rewards. The enemy is placed in a random area and is always a powerful enemy. If it is not a Clubberskull, it will have increased health and strength. Defeating the targeted enemy will give 3-5 huge stat boosts.
    • Bulborb
    • Bonkers
    • Polar Bear
    • Clubberskull
    • Reaper
  • Warp: You are teleported to a random location. You will not teleport if you are in a locked battle or in a cannon.
  • Shrunk: All players get shrunken as if they were hit by a Poison Mushroom.

Equippable Items[]

Ssb4-smash-run-power-ups-equip
Equipment (Smash Run)
Main articles: Powers and Equipment

Players can carry equippable items and use them (by tapping their icons in the touch screen) to improve their performance in Smash Run, by granting them special buffs and effects. Those special items can be obtained by defeating powerful enemies or by finding them in treasure chests scattered around the maze. The level of an item is proportional to the strength, number of uses, and weight. They can be equipped in a menu, the players can change how the items are set up by touching their icons and dragging them in other blank icons, if the X button is pressed, they will be randomly placed.

The types of items varies: from health recovery and invisibility to summoning meteors from the sky. Some of the items also allow the players to hold weapons, such as the Beam Sword.

The weight of the character affects the amount of slots and number of stacks that the player can have: heavier characters tend to have more slots and can carry more items, while lighter characters have less slots and can carry less items.

These items can not be used on both phases of Smash Run, only on the first.

Challenge Doors[]

Challenge Doors can be found randomly throughout the map as double doors with a shining aura behind it. Players can enter them to get various instances, some with various difficulties:

If you manage to complete the objective of the game, depending on difficulty, a chest will appear in the middle of the arena. It contains large stat boosts (200+, never a star), and two items. You get one large stat boost on Easy, two on Medium and three on Hard.

Survival[]

You will be placed in an instance where obstacles and enemies will appear. You must avoid being KO'ed to complete the objective. They may include the following:

  • Easy:
    • Flat platform in an Omega form, with several stat boosters (Jump, Attack, Special and Arms), a Drill and two Smart Bombs. Enemies include Skuttlers, Skuttler Mages and Crynogals.
    • Same as Survival, but with three X Bombs. Initial enemies include two Peahats, one Plasma Wisp and a Souflee. Assisting enemies consist of Ice Bubbles.
  • Normal: Two thin platforms, with one Orne and three Souflees - 20 seconds
  • Hard:
    • Same platform as most other Challenge doors. There are several hazards along the map, including two Gordos at the edges, two cannons (one launching left another launching right, will launch players out the blast zone if they enter them). A Polar Bear will spawn (one spawn only), and assisting enemies are Gastlys. Fly Guys will also appear and may be attacked for their items.
    • Same platform as "Defeat them all!". A Reaper and Metroid will spawn (one spawn only), while assisting enemies include Zurees and Bacuras. Like "Defeat them all!" touching the ground when it is hot results in an instant kill.

Once the time limit is over, all enemies and hazards will disappear. You may defeat the enemies if you wish for stat boosts.

Crystal[]

You will be placed in an instance where there are crystals to destroy. The difficulty given determines the number of crystals and their durability:

  • Easy: 1
  • Normal: 3
  • Hard: 4 (blue colored)

Main crystals are counted in this challenge; the offshoots from them do not. When attacking them, an "X" may appear on the crystal; hitting that area will deal extra damage.

Target[]

You will be placed in an instance where red targets appear and must be destroyed.

  • Easy: 5 targets, 10 seconds
  • Medium: 6 targets, with Gordo Hazards (springs and a Ray Gun are provided), 20 seconds
  • Hard: 10 targets, with floor hazard (same as the ones in Wave Smash, sword is provided), 20 seconds

Waves[]

You will be placed in an instance where you must complete several waves of enemies. All enemies of the current wave must be defeated to proceed to the next wave. In Normal and Hard Wave Smash, the floor will alternate between a regular and Danger Zone platform; anything that touches the Danger Zone platform will be instantly KO'd.

  • Easy: 9 enemies in four waves; wave 1 includes two Shy Guys, wave 2 includes two Kritters, wave 3 includes two Petilil, and wave 4 includes two Skuttlers and a Skuttler Mage.
  • Medium: 10 enemies in four waves; waves 1 and 2 includes three Octoroks, and wave 3 includes two Bumpety Bombs, one Plasma Wisp and one Yellow Ghost.
  • Hard: 6 enemies in three waves; wave 1 has two Hammer Bros, wave 2 has two Giant Goombas, and wave 3 has two Stalfos.

Treasures[]

You will be placed in an instance with one of the following:

  • Twelve 30 stat boosts of one/two types.
  • Four chests.
  • Twelve 10 stat boosts of one/two types, random food, 2x stat booster.
  • Six small star stat boosts and three Iridescent Glint Beetles

Enemies[]

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In a combination of Adventure Mode from Super Smash Bros. Melee and Subspace Emissary from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, players will fight enemies from the various franchises (including 3rd Party Characters'), as well the returning original enemies from Subspace Emissary.

This ever-changing cast of enemy characters will be randomly placed in the maze. More powerful enemies drop lots of boost items. They are also more likely to drop custom parts and other rare items. Stronger enemies are usually placed around the edges of the maze, and on the tower if one appears.

In addition, sometimes an "enemy squad" may appear in several areas of the maze (there are up to 8 potential locations for enemy squads), and a specific number of enemies must be defeated within 30 seconds. The enemies vary in each squad; one enemy squad may contain weak enemies while another may start off with weak enemies and end with stronger ones. The enemies in the squad will disappear when all the enemies required are defeated, or if they are not wiped out within 30 seconds. If they are defeated within 30 seconds, the player will be awarded with one 200+ stat booster.

Enemies will flash red and have smoke around them as their health is low, a visual indication that the player is closer to defeat them. When defeated, most enemies will create a cannonball effect (a Mite can create a cannonball effect, while a massive enemy like a Clubberskull just disappears in a flash of light) which can hurt other enemies, and if other enemies are defeated off-screen then the player will be given less stat boosts.

Trophy Description[]

Smash run powers

Stat Boosts (Smash Run)[]

Stat boosts are items that appear when you defeat enemies during Smash Run. You can also just find them lying around or hidden in treasure chests. There are six types of stat boosts that each affect a different stat, and the bigger the icon, the bigger the boost. Look for the star-shaped stat boosts, too—they boost all your stats at once!

Smash coins

Gold (Smash Run)[]

In Smash Run, defeating an enemy or opening a treasure chest might net you some gold. The coins come in three varieties: gold-the most valuable-then silver, then bronze. You can use them in the game for things like buying trophies or placing bets in Spectator mode. Just choose your bets wisely!

Trivia[]

  • In the Nintendo Direct it was announced, Sakurai stated that this mode was inspired by one of his own games, Kirby Air Ride (which was the last Kirby game he worked on as a director), which featured a similar mode called City Trial. "I created that game a while ago, and thought I'd unearth a piece of it and use it in Smash Bros."
  • Four Smash Run enemies, Hammer Bro, Starman, Chain Chomp and Metroid, double as Assist Trophies.
Smash Run
Enemies Bacura  · Banzai Bill  · Bill Blaster  · Bubble  · Bonkers  · Boom Stomper  · Bronto Burt  · Bulborb  · Bullet Bill  · Bumpety Bomb  · Chain Chomp  · Chandelure  · Clubberskull  · Cryogonal  · Cucco  · Daphne  · Darknut  · Devil Car  · Eggrobo  · Flage  · Flame Chomp  · Fly Guy  · Gastly  · Geemer  · Generator  · Ghost  · Giant Goomba  · Glice  · Glire  · Glunder  · Goomba  · Gordo  · Hammer Bro.  · Iridescent Glint Beetle  · Kihunter  · Koffing  · Koopa Paratroopa  · Koopa Troopa  · Kritter  · Lakitu and Spinies  · Lethinium  · Lurchthorn  · Magikoopa  · Mahva  · Megonta  · Metroid  · Mettaur  · Mimicutie  · Mite  · Monoeye  · Nutski  · Octorok  · Orne  · Parasol Waddle Dee  · Peahat  · Petilil  · Plasma Wisp  · Polar Bear  · Pooka  · Poppant  · Reaper  · ReDead  · Reo  · Roturret  · Shotzo  · Shy Guy  · Skuttler  · Sneaky Spirit  · Souflee  · Spike Top  · Stalfos  · Starman  · Tac  · Tiki Buzz  · Waddle Dee  · Waddle Doo  · Zuree
Items Custom Part  · Powers  · Gold
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