On nearly every Nintendo console since the release of the Nintendo 64, there has been a Super Smash Bros. game to come out for it. It's almost a guarantee that the series will be part of any new console that Nintendo releases. The last Smash Bros. release on the original Nintendo Switch was a massive success, which was the result of a culmination of every game in the series leading up to that point. Now that the Nintendo Switch 2 is finally out and Nintendo fans are looking for new games to play on it, it is inevitable that a brand-new Super Smash Bros. will come to the console in the future. But what that game is and what new things it will bring to the series is anyone's guess.

How can you top what is considered to be the "ultimate" entry of a widely popular crossover series? You try to make it different in ways that build upon the familiar, but make it feel very fresh. I want the Switch 2 entry of Super Smash Bros. to stand out in ways that don't make it feel like an attempt to recapture its predecessor. The best parts about all the sequels in the Smash Bros. series are that each game added to the core experience, which made them all feel unique. Here's what I want to see in the next Super Smash Bros. game for the Nintendo Switch 2, and how it can be done right.

A different roster of characters

New faces make a new game era

Part of the charm of any Super Smash Bros. is the large roster of characters that are playable. Whether it was the humble group of fighters in Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64 or the legion of characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the original Switch, the cast of characters is always a big part of the game. But with a new game that is coming off the heels of what was viewed as the ultimate entry, comes a need to start things anew. When "everyone is here" is finally over, we can't just have the same faces showing up once again. There needs to be new characters to usher in the next Smash Bros. game for a new era of the series.

This doesn't mean that Nintendo should abandon including staple characters like Mario or Zelda into the mix, as certain iconic characters should remain in the mix. But that also means that some previous fighters need to take a backseat to other characters that have yet to join a Super Smash Bros. game in any significant way. This also means including newer characters that may be less iconic than others, but have been part of newer games that have been part of significant releases on consoles like the original Switch or Switch 2. Who or what those characters could be is anyone's guess, but there are many more characters to look at for potential fighter spots for the next game, rather than just sticking with the ones people have been playing for a long time already.

The reason for this is that the next Super Smash Bros. needs to look and feel like a new era, not a rehash of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Nintendo fans didn't realize they loved characters like Marth or Kid Icarus in a Smash Bros. game until they were finally brought into their respective entries, which made everyone see those games as a step forward. This same type of thing can happen to other characters from Nintendo franchises, not given that kind of spotlight before, or even brand-new titles that are coming out following the launch of the Switch 2. Doing this makes the overall game feel new, and eventually look new, which is something that the franchise and Nintendo's newest console really needs.

Smashing worlds together more

Playing up the crossover aspects

Something that was done in another crossover fighter could help a new Super Smash Bros. game in big ways. Anyone who has played PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale will remember how that game tried to distinguish itself from the Super Smash Bros. series by exaggerating the idea of different franchises coming together. Characters from one game will show up and cause havoc in a location from another game, or certain effects from one franchise will change the look of a stage from another. It was the idea that the crossover fighter truly was a big crossover in every facet possible, sometimes in the most ridiculous ways.

This is an approach that has not been done in any previous Super Smash Bros. title, at least with the same type of approach. Characters and stages match up to their series when playing through classic arcade and adventure-style modes, despite multiple characters entering into matches. While there are a few examples of specific games that play slightly with this mashup concept, it has never gone further than that. To truly make the Switch 2 Super Smash Bros. feel different would be to take this concept and run with it, finding ways to have one franchise invade another that Nintendo fans would really enjoy and be excited about.

What if something from Metroid somehow found its way into Splatoon maps? Or what about if the side characters from Kirby's Dream Land and Super Mario Bros. somehow got dropped into the background of an environment based on Golden Sun? These are things that were done in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and creatively implemented to make the game grab players' attention. With so many series to pull from the Nintendo archive, a new Super Smash Bros. could really take advantage of this and make the idea of mash-ups truly spectacular.

More options for gameplay mode

Having a story and competitive play

The Super Smash Bros. series has always struggled over the years to satisfy multiple audiences within its fandom, the casual and the competitive crowd. For each subsequent release after Super Smash Bros. Melee, it almost felt like Nintendo had to choose which one to prioritize with different features. The casual crowd loves additions like adventure modes and stadium challenges, while the competitive crowd likes having more options to set up matches and online selections for tournament-style play. But up until Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch, it felt like we had to lose one thing or another to get something that would satisfy someone. For the next game, why not try to approach both and bring everyone to the table?

Many people who played Super Smash Bros. Brawl really enjoyed the story-like approach of the Subspace Emissary mode, which eventually became the World of Light mode in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. But that mode in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate lacked the number of cutscenes compared to its predecessor, making it feel like a true story mode despite the production being vastly improved. Rather than having a large board with tons of nods to other Nintendo games throughout, it would be better for the next entry in the series to usher things in with a new story mode. Having full cutscenes with voice acting and a story to follow that can take everyone on a new adventure for the next era of the series.

However, none of this should come at the expense of abandoning the advancements in gameplay options for multiplayer, all of which have greatly contributed to the competitive Super Smash Bros. scene. For one reason or another, Nintendo has often had a stressful relationship with the competitive crowd for Super Smash Bros. games, but has still managed to make progress in giving features that keep people playing. Having easier controls for setting up offline matches and putting together online lobbies should be a part of the core experience for the next game on Switch 2, as Nintendo Switch Online is a massive part of the new console's features. To have a lackluster approach to any of this would be detrimental and a huge step back after everything people loved from playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the original Nintendo Switch. The company can no longer overlook this part of the crowd that plays Super Smash Bros. games; they have to find more ways to make things work better.

Smash Bros. on the Switch 2

It's still early to tell whether the next Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo Switch 2 will be something great or not. But when the game is finally made, it's going to be a special release for every Nintendo fan. Not only will this be a big game for the console that many will buy, but it will also be the entry that starts a new era for the ongoing legacy of the series. There's a lot of potential for positive changes to the series. Not only do I want to see this game become massive for Switch 2 owners, but I want to see the next Super Smash Bros. become unique and more successful than its predecessors in big ways.