Cover artwork I generate from the game data. I do not use publisher artwork.
Game profile
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Nintendo icons brawl on lovingly designed stages, with advanced techniques still keeping a highly competitive tournament scene alive today. The 2001 classic remains present via Nintendo Switch Online's expansion pack and active community tournaments.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Fighting / Party, set in a fantasy world. Visually it is leaning into a retro look, and the overall tone stays light and upbeat. The structure is guided rather than open, so you are moved along instead of dropped into a map. It is built around short sessions, which makes it easy to pick up for half an hour.
It is genuinely demanding, and repeated failure is part of how it is designed. There is no story to speak of, the systems carry everything. You can play it with others cooperatively or go head to head. It is available on one platform. It sits in the budget bracket.
What stands out
- Highly competitive scene
- Nintendo characters
- Deep technical gameplay
This fits you if
- you want your skill measured against other people
- you are after a proper adrenaline rush
- you usually have thirty to sixty minutes and want that to be enough
- cutscenes annoy you and you just want to play
- you want real resistance and are fine with dying a lot
- you have someone to play with
Look elsewhere if
- you want to relax and not be punished for mistakes
- you play mainly for narrative
- you want something that lasts, this is over after 8 hours
- you want something with real weight to it
What it costs you in time
About 8 hours in total. At two hours per evening that is around 4 evenings, so about a week of casual play.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 92 out of 100, which puts it above 93 percent of the 1206 games here and at rank 86 overall. That is a strong score, comfortably above what most releases manage.
For comparison, Fighting averages 81 points across the database, so this one sits 11 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 1090 collected ratings.
Released in 2001, which makes it 25 years old. A genuine classic, and worth checking how the version you buy holds up today.
The facts
- Release year
- 2001
- Genres
- Fighting, Party
- Playtime
- approx. 8 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Demanding, punishing
- Story weight
- None, pure gameplay
- Play with
- Solo, Co-op, Competitive
- Setting
- Fantasy
- Visual style
- Retro
- Price bracket
- Budget
- Platforms
- Switch
- Critic rating
- 92 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Smash Bros. Melee | 2001 | approx. 8 hrs. | 92 | Budget |
| TowerFall Ascension | 2014 | Endless game | 87 | Budget |
| Brawlhalla | 2017 | Endless game | 79 | Free-to-play |
| ROUNDS | 2021 | approx. 10 hrs. | 84 | Budget |
If you liked this, try these
- TowerFall Ascension Shared: Fighting, Party, Fantasy, longer
- Brawlhalla Shared: Fighting, Party, Fantasy, longer
- ROUNDS Shared: Fighting, Party
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Shared: Fighting, Party, Fantasy, longer
- Duck Game Shared: Fighting, Party, longer
- Stick Fight: The Game Shared: Fighting, Party, longer