Did Luigi's 'Death' In Smash Bros. Ultimate Secretly Hint At A New Single-Player Campaign?

Fans also think Waluigi is going to be in due to chairs in the background. Not really sure if you can take what fans think as a source.

While I do think we are getting some kind of adventure/story mode and that hidden "spirits" option are likely connected to unlcking characters, I do not think these character trailers are connected. The logic they are using is that you are unlocking them via these 'deaths' or spirits, yet the trailer for Ridley has Mario's 'death', but you can't unlock Mario, he's in the base character slots.

As long as it’s not the dull dice/board thing from 3DS/WiiU. What a let down that was!!

I don’t mind if it’s not a huge storyline, just make it a fun thing to play on my own.
I’m so alone. cries

@Xaessya If it weren't Sakurai I'd agree we're being pretty silly. However Sakurai is involved, his evil sense of fanbaiting is well documented at this point.

@NewAdvent I think you're onto something here. There's definitely a prominent theme of villains going on, especially on that little clip leading up to the reveal of K.Rool! It looked to good of art to just throw away after the presentation

Ridley, K. Rool, Bowser, Alucard, etc... will all be bosses in a Story Mode... most/all of the big universes will be represented and the player will guide a team through the associated Story Mode.

That's my prediction... just hope it's good since I don't know many people that play Smash these days and playing against strangers online doesn't really do anything for me.

People seem to be overlooking the fact that that section of the menu may not have been simply blurred out, but covered with an unrelated blurry image instead.

The idea that - from the trailer and 'unblurring' the image - this could point to a new, as-yet-unannounced 'Spirits' mode is a fairly convincing one...but there are too many unknown variables to take this speculation with any more than a pinch of salt at the moment.

As someone who has dabbled in Photoshop in the past, the best way to cover up something you don't want people to see is to add an image as a layer in the foreground to completely block it out (rather than simply blur/pixelate the area) ..it's just worth baring in mind that Nintendo could've done either here - 'Spirits' may be a bit of tricksy misdirection instead!

Nah, it just meant that he’s gone for good and will never appear in any Mario games again. ...Yeah, it probably has something to do with a story mode or so.

The boss from monster hunter was actually beated in a stage we have still never seen btw. This could be an even biggger hint.

@bluemujika "yet the trailer for Ridley has Mario's 'death', but you can't unlock Mario, he's in the base character slots."

He's in the base character slot for the main game, these "guesses" are about unlocking characters in a story mode similar to Subspace Emissary in SSBB. It would be very simple for them to start a game with a playable Link who then has to beat Ridley to free Mario, making Mario the 2nd playable character - in story mode. They would then team up and free Luigi by beating Death. And so on and so on. Adding each character to be playable.

Here's all the cut scenes from SSBB as a refresher.

I'm surprised this is even in question.

It's not so much the running theme of each character introduction and how it plays out, but rather the execution. The quality of the CGI and cinematic direction is beyond what one would normally expect from a piece of promotional footage for only one aspect of the game.

Clearly, a lot of care and attention has been paid to these videos, so I would assume they're part of something larger.

If I was to guess what this 'Spirits' story mode is, it requires the player to defeat bosses and reclaim the 'spirits' of those who were already defeated. I mean, come on... You can literally hear the bone-crunching when Mario and Mega Man are killed, and we've seen Luigi's ghost... How else are they supposed to recover?

@rjejr The "deaths" of Luigi, Mario, and Mega Man felt a lot like the "deaths" of characters in SSBB. The cutscenes also have a very story like element to it, much like the ones from subspace emissary. Also, there's a similarity between the 2 since in both we see villains taking out heroes. Maybe they're taking the souls (spirits?), only to have some evil entity take over the bodies of the heroes, and the only way to free them is to beat them and restore their souls?

All speculation of course, and it does feel a bit darker than the SSBB version, but then again we haven't seen them be turned into "trophies", so that may still happen.

@xj220_afiles also, come on Isaac! I don't much care for Smash, but any chance Golden Sun has of returning is good in my book!

If the 'Spirits' thing is correct (sorry, I haven't read the comments so sorry if I'm "stealing" the idea), then I believe that the videos are pointing to that. They seem to be making a pretty big emphasis on the villains vs heros, whether they are playable or a boss, this go around. It might be something similar to what was happening in brawl, except instead of turning people into statues they need their spirits for something a little more sinister.

I would like to think that all though beautifully rendered character introductions actually end up included in the game somehow.

These cutscenes did seem awfully high budget for a one time ND reveal in August, let alone the content of relatively graphically (for Nintendo) murdering Luigi.....it's hard not to think the scene is made for the game, and not for marketing.

@OfNullAndVoid "some evil entity take over the bodies of the heroes, and the only way to free them is to beat them and restore their souls"

That sounds plausible.

I'm not too particular about the details, btu if after all this all we get is a board game a lot of people are going to be very disappointed. It's ok for Nitnedo to tease us with the green blur, but there's a fine line between a "tease" and a "troll". If it's just boss fights and not a long 2D platformer with a story like Subspace Emissary people will be upset.

was such a let down when wii u smash bro had no single player campaign but still had alota fun with it..

I've already pre-ordered my collector's edition thing but a story is the main selling point for me... I don't think these are a story they are just made to show off a character in a cool vid... I hope I'm wrong and a odd story is what we get

I hope that blur out mode that Sakurai did not want to tell us about is the new Adventure Mode or Story Mode of some kind. Like I said before, it doesn't have to be litter with CGI cutscenes, just a solo Adventure Mode similar to Melee would had been okay as long as it had variety in the levels and surprise us with some deep fun level design.

Y'all are settin' yourselves up for disappointment.

The "unlocking them" part may not be a thing, since during the Direct, correct me if I'm wrong, he mentioned all characters would be available from the start.

@Totaldude911 I think it said something along the lines of starting with the original 8 and gradually increasing the roster, but with a pace that makes you feel like you are always accomplishing something

This could be the reason I buy the game. Smash will also made sense since for sure I will be getting online services!

No. They had high budget CGI character trailers in SSB4 as well. These ones are darker, but that’s a direct consequence of the new characters/franchises being darker this time around.

Don’t overthink it. The whole premise of this game is that you have exaggerated fantastic characters like Kirby and Yoshi in the same universe as realistic characters like Link and Marth. Then you throw the characters in truly ridiculous situations that they take very seriously (yet not too seriously - the characters always applaud after losing a fight). You have Ganondorf fighting Jigglypuff on the back of an F Zero machine while wearing a bunny hood and wielding a paper fan. It makes no sense at all - and yet it works. In that same spirit, then, you contrast Luigi’s comical ghostbusting adventures with Castlevania’s much darker conquests of Count Dracula’s Castle. The trailer has to be spooky and silly at the same time, and someone has to be the designated butt monkey. That’s all there is to it.

@Euler get out of here with your logic and sense... This is the internet, the best place to setup shop, selling straws for people to grasp!

Assuming there is a story mode again a really hope it's at least 2 player coop

@Euler We will know in due time. Crazy fan theories may be crazy, but look what happened with K.Rool's reveal. Most people were hoping but not expecting that to happen.

This might very well lead to a story mode.
We just have to wait and see.

Definitely yes, storymode will be in. They will tease us some more, but its definitely in.
I hope the storymode is long and challenging.

Probably not. It's been a slow news week and Reddit needs something to talk about.

Meanwhile I’m just interested in Luigi’s never-before-seen Poltergust, which doesn’t match the design from either Luigi’s Mansion games. I believe this is hinting at a brand new Luigi’s Mansion game in development for Switch, hopefully alongside the release of the 3DS remake of the original!

@MegaVel91 Well, with this one they were really going all out on fan service so it would make sense that they bring in Ridley and King K. Rool (characters people have been begging for since Melee). And don’t get me wrong, I would bet on a story mode (partly for that reason, “everyone just watches all the cutscenes on YouTube” has to be one of the all-time lamest excuses for anything, ever). I just don’t think these character trailers have anything to do with it.

No, it confirms Luigi won't be in smash.

I think people are over thinking. The trailer was a reveal for Castlevania which included Death from the game. The reason it was Luigi was because his own game series is set in haunted mansions so it's the best character to have in a crossover trailer. It was an excellent trailer for a character reveal. Start with what audience knows (Luigi). He's in a haunted house. Death attacks him (woah, shock moment). Castlevania character reveal (wow moment). Richter reveal (cherry on top).

Nintendo Life reporting can be SLOOOOOOOOOWWWW.

Grasping at straws huh? There's so much info and analyzing the facts out there, but here comes something forgettable again.

@Xaessya
There's also the theory going around that those chairs, along with the couch and pillows on the other side of the room, are hinting toward a Skull Kid inclusion instead. The couch and pillows sport a color scheme very reminiscent to the Skull Kid's clothing, and the chairs share the same color as Tat'l and Tael, his fairy companions.

@NaviAndMii
One interesting thing to note about that is apparently the kanji used underneath that blur for Japan's Direct apparently also translates to Spirits. So if it's a fake image underneath, would Nintendo remain consistent like that through both Directs?

Regardless of what it is, I just want it to be worthwhile solo content. I also hope we get a few more reps for the OG franchises. Starfox, Donkey Kong, and Kirby are sitting at 3 reps. Poor F-zero is sitting at one, which is now less than Castlevania. All of these could do with another character, even if it's echo's.

I mean, I'd welcome anything Sakurai gives us. Just a thought though.

With respect to those speculating, I will state my honest opinion and say that I always thought those character deaths in those (truly phenemonal) CGI scenes were present to highlight the severity of the villains' powers and make their arrival to the game all the more bombastic. I'm banking on the whole deal with the Monster Hunter creature and the environment in which you battle it being the most tangible evidence for a potential story mode.

I mostly just want unique levels in the story mode.

Marketing done right as I'm warming up to playing this

I think there may actually be some validity to this. But I'll wait to hear it from Sakurai

@Pineapple_Mohawk Ah, you're quite right. Thanks, I didn't catch that!

@Xaessya Yeah but Game Theory realised it meant Goku will be included. Purple, SIX letters. Yellow, SIX letters. Chair, SIx letters. 666, the number of the devil. The devil is also called SATAN. Like Mr.Satan, who was in Dragon Ball Z, which stars Goku. Game Theory have done it again!