Super Smash Bros. Melee is 23 years old later this year, which is ridiculous to think about. How many times have you flipped through the manual, perusing its pages and reliving the nostalgia of playing Smash with friends? And when did you notice that, on page 48, of the manual, the date 02.01.24 is written down?
Yep, yesterday's date — 1st February 2024 — is written on page 48 of the North American manual for Super Smash Bros. Melee. We checked our UK copy to make sure, but the manual here is only 45 pages!
Many fans, including Nintendeal on Twitter, spotted the text, which lists an important achievement — "You've cleared 100-Man Melee for the first time!". In 2024? C'mon, Nintendo, you can do better than that!
The real question is — does "02.01.24" mean anything? Given that today is 2nd February, and nothing Smash-related happened yesterday, we think not. It's just a random date, guys — no need to panic!
Still, when Nintendo of America was putting the manual together for the GameCube classic, the staff probably thought nothing of that date. But now, over 22 years after the game's release in America, we're here in the year of our lord 2024, still fighting, carrying on, etc.
We're sure Nintendo didn't expect Smash to become such a gargantuan hit, either, or have as big a roster as it eventually got in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.