Masahiro Sakurai is now a YouTuber, and in his most recent video, he showed “never-before-seen” footage of the prototype that became Super Smash Bros. You may see Dragon King: The Fighting Game starting at 1:25 in the video at the top of this page or go straight to that point by clicking this link.
The Dragon King clip is definitely early in production, but you can already see characteristics that are now important to the Smash series, such as percentages denoting health, the distinctive three-platform “Battlefield” stage structure, and characters flying over the borders of the screen to their deaths. Fighters were just polygonal people, not Nintendo characters, with abilities such as smash strikes, midair leaps, shields, dashes, and aerial assaults. “There were no special techniques, dodges, or even items yet,” Sakurai said, “but the game’s mechanics were roughly the same as Smash Bros.”
Dragon King was one of two games Sakurai was working on at the time. He described the other as an “RC robot adventure game where you hacked into security cameras to proceed.” Sakurai handled the design, graphics, modeling, and animation for both, while the late Satoru Iwata, who was also a great programmer before becoming Nintendo’s president, handled the programming. Sakurai eventually went forward with the fighting game since it could be done faster.
Sakurai discussed some of the ideas behind Smash Bros., which remains distinct from most other fighting games to this day. He believed that intricate and combo-focused games may alienate players. Instead, Smash relies on simplified controls and an accumulating damage system to make the game more approachable and promote creativity. The inclusion of Nintendo characters occurred later in the production process. While the characters were included in the final game, Sakurai said that Nintendo’s wholesalers and sales teams “flatly rejected the notion of having Nintendo’s characters beat each other up” prior to release. (The initial Smash Bros. game also determined Kirby’s now-distinctive voice.)
It’s an interesting video, and you should watch all eight and a half minutes of it. While you’re on Sakurai’s channel, I strongly suggest watching any of his other videos. Since the channel’s inception in August, I’ve really loved each and every one. (There’s even one regarding file names that’s worth a look.) And Smash fans will have even more to look forward to, as Sakurai has revealed that a video about Super Smash Bros. Melee is currently in the works.
