Zl Cfz STCp Dc HBl Z9 A6

In a bold move from the development team, Sakurai-san has revealed in his pic-of-the-day for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS that the elusive Namco Special Flag will have an unusual and potentially controversial effect on gameplay.

If you're in a regular timed battle the flag will grant you an extra KO to add to your score, and if you're in a stock match you'll get an extra life to fiddle around with.

Taking into account the competitive community's backlash against the Smash Ball – considered by many as an easy, talentless way to rack up points – this may not be terribly well received. On the other hand the Smash Bros. guru mentions that the item's effect will only activate if you manage to raise it long enough. Despite this being a vague statement it at least sounds like the item won't be extremely easy to abuse.

Here's the official lowdown ad verbatim:

Pic of the day. If you manage to raise this Special Flag for long enough, an additional KO count will be added to your score in a time match, or you'll get an extra stock for a stock match. When this appears on the stage, the fight for the flag becomes a fierce battle of tactics, which makes things pretty interesting.

Time-consuming features have appeared before in the series, such as Fox's hidden taunt where he calls upon his Arwing-piloting chums, and not forgetting how you can switch between Samus and Zero Suit Samus without the aid of a Smash Ball in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Perhaps the execution of this item will be seen in a positive light, perhaps as an achievement of good timing and positioning – only time will tell.

What do you think about this new item, does it add a new dimension of tactics in your eyes? Will you simply be turning the item off permanently? Do feel free to tell us in the usual place.

[source miiverse.nintendo.net]