After selling nearly three million units worldwide, it's fair to say the latest installment to the Smash Bros. franchise has been a success. But just how well does the game translate onto the smaller dual screens for the Nintendo 3DS?
The answer is - rather well. Jumping straight into the action I was a bit miffed at the lack of instructions as to which controls did what, but it only took a half hour to realise which mashing of buttons worked and which didn't.
There are a plethora of different modes to get involved with, including the classic beat-em-up all the way to the creepy and extremely difficult Master and Crazy Hand. Difficulty here can be ranked by a player - the harder it gets the better the reward and so forth. It's relatively easy to breeze through levels five and under. Any above that and the hands smacked seven bells out of me.
Exclusive to the 3DS game is Smash Run - a new mode where four players are placed into a dungeon for five minutes, battling small enemies and collecting power-ups for their character to use in the impending battle with their fellow players. When all is said and done, they use their collection to see who's done the best and who can fight through to become the Smash Run champion. It's neat, but not something I immediately returned to after initial play.
New playable fighters (there's 15!) include Pac-Man and the Animal Crossing villager - the former being an able and intriguing fighter whilst the latter doesn't seem all that ready to enter the ring (or perhaps I just haven't grasped his moves quite yet...).
Personalised Miis can be brought in-game and designs to be chosen from for those characters include a gunner, swordsman or brawler, which just adds another layer to the fun of having all our arcade favourites on offer.
With four players allowed in any one fight, things can get a bit hectic - especially on stages that are constantly moving and morphing as the surroundings change - but again this is all part of the franchise that's held strong for 15 years.
Slightly annoying at times is when players are on complete opposite ends of the screen. They go rather small and though they're easily distinguishable, it can be distracting for a few seconds - sometimes enough for you to be sent blasting off the screen into oblivion. Not enough to ruin the game entirely, of course.
What it all comes down to is the charm that Smash Bros. has forever instilled on the world of fighting games, and luckily it still remains firmly present here. With the Wii U version on its way later this year, it'll be interesting to see just what's on offer there.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is out now.