Ever since the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game launched for the Nintendo Switchsystem in 2018, players have put more than 2.2 billion hours into the game’s many modes, composed of 11.7 billion offline matches and 7.8 billion online multiplayer battles. The all-star game has also welcomed numerous additional fighters, stages and pieces of legendary music from all throughout video game history as part of the robust Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters Pass DLC.* On Oct. 18, standing next to fighters like Mario, Zelda, PAC-MAN, Sonic, Snake, and Cloud, the next beloved hero from the world of video games takes his place as the final addition to this historic lineup.
Sora Super Smash Bros Ultimate renders:
In a video hosted by Masahiro Sakurai, the Super Smash Bros. series director revealed that Sora from the KINGDOM HEARTS series will be the final DLC fighter added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Oct. 18, completing an extraordinary, nearly three-year journey of new fighters across video game history joining the game’s roster. Sora is part of the Challenger Pack 11 DLC*, which also includes a new stage and a selection of music tracks from the KINGDOM HEARTS franchise. The video presentation provided a deep dive into the new fighter’s move set, as well as a detailed look at the newly added Hollow Bastion stage. To view the video in its entirety, visit https://www.smashbros.com/en_US/.
Challenger Pack 11 is part of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters Pass Vol. 2*, which can be purchased for a suggested retail price of $29.99 and also includes Min Min from the ARMS game, Steve & Alex from Minecraft, Sephiroth from FINAL FANTASY VII, Pyra/Mythra from the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 game and Kazuya from the TEKKEN franchise. Challenger Pack 11 can also be purchased separately for $5.99.
“Having a fan-favorite character like Sora join the ranks of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the perfect way to close out the Fighters Pass expansions,” said Nick Chavez, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Communications. “With a dozen fighters added since the game launched, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate now boasts 86 total fighters spanning the entire history of video games, giving players an unprecedented amount of gameplay choices and options.”
The protagonist of the KINGDOM HEARTS series is Sora, a young boy who wields the iconic Keyblade and traverses Disney and Pixar worlds, battling enemies known as the Heartless to overcome darkness and restore peace to the realms. His signature look and airborne moves from the KINGDOM HEARTS games transition perfectly to the battlefields of Super Smash Bros Ultimate, offering an approachable fighter with a unique feel that helps Sora stand out on his own.
Inspired by his moves in KINGDOM HEARTS, Sora excels at fighting in the air when playing him in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. His jumps are high and his movements are light and soft. While he is easily launched by opponents, Sora’s powerful, combo-based attacks using his mighty Keyblade make him a formidable challenger.
Using a series of intuitive button presses, Sora can perform all types of different combos with his Keyblade, be it straight-on attacks, aerial moves or side smashes. He can also use Magic, just like in KINGDOM HEARTS. Fans will recognize the Firaga, Thundaga and Blizzaga spells, which can be unleashed in various ways to cover the battlefield with a volley of impressive hits. Sora can also activate his Final Smash, called “Sealing the Keyhole,” to send his worthy opponents flying.
The new stage that players will receive in Challenger Pack 11 is Hollow Bastion. Fans of the KINGDOM HEARTS series will immediately recognize this familiar location, featured heavily in many of the franchise’s games. The dynamic stage contains one platform in its center, and, as the battle nears its close, players will travel to a special area inspired by Dive to the Heart with visuals featuring some familiar faces from the KINGDOM HEARTS series.
After downloading Challenger Pack 11, players will also receive nine music tracks from the KINGDOM HEARTS series. An additional music track, Dearly Beloved -Swing Version, will be added to this game for those who have played KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory. A new Spirit Board starring characters from KINGDOM HEARTS like Riku, Kairi and Roxas will also be added. Additionally, new paid in-game costumes for the Mii Fighter, including Doom Slayer, Octoling Wig and Judd Hat, will be available to enjoy separately.
Finally, the presentation also included a surprise announcement that several games in the KINGDOM HEARTS series will be coming to the Nintendo Switch system as cloud titles, including KINGDOM HEARTS – HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX – Cloud Version, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Cloud Version and KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind Cloud Version. More information about these games, including their release dates on Nintendo Switch, will be announced at a later date.
Source: Nintendo of America
Shove them where the sun doesn’t shine SquareEnix! You good for nothing lazy ********!
All the flavours in the world to choose from, and you chose to be salty.
So you think cloud versions aren’t lazy?
I think it’s a cloud version because of KH3. If Nintendo gave us a Switch Pro instead of an 0LED model we probably wouldn’t have this issue.
Yeah but SE is just being lazy. They couldve ported the PS3 games and done 3 on cloud. Oh well, im personally passing on it now.
Yeah I’m going to stick my PS4 versions myself. They could probably port 1.5 and 2.5 just fine, but I can understand why they didn’t for 3 since my vanilla PS4 still lags in certain areas, and the Switch would lag even more. Not gonna deny SE being lazy at times though, the way they handle their old FF games by porting them to mobile and forgetting about the consoles is just downright lazy.
Cloud versions are the easy way out for sure, but just for KH1.5+2.5, they would have to essentially rebuild 6 games (well, 4 really) and compress what’s already there down enough to fit on a cart (down from the ~50 GB of the PS4 version). And even then, SE wouldn’t want to only release KH1.5+2.5 after they’ve made it a point to put as many games as possible into one collection, and KH3 just wouldn’t work well enough on Switch hardware.
Overall, I’m past the point of caring about playing KH on Switch anyway for portability because of the pandemic (I can play it on the same TV with my PS4 at 60fps), so I’m not too overly upset about getting cloud versions.
Embrace the darkness
Shove them where the sun doesn’t shine SquareEnix you lazy cashgrabbing ********!
There were really not many character that could’ve disappointed me; I would’ve even been fine with a Gen. 8 Pokémon (as boring as it would have been).
But Sora man… yeah, it really was the most lackluster thing that they could have shown, for me personally.
I’m sure I’ll enjoy playing as him occasionally, and of course it doesn’t detract from the rest of the game and how amazing the entire premise of Everyone Is Here is.
I’ll be over it come the end of October (or maybe once Metroid Dread distracts me when it releases on Friday) but right now I have the most apathy I’ve ever had towards a Smash announcement, and it really sucks…
I was hoping Metal Sonic, Eggman, or Decidueye to join in on the action, but now it’s been turn down due to Sora inclusion in the series.
I wanted to try the Kingdom Hearts games for a long time. But then I read a story summary and I thought… NOPE.
The story isn’t that bad…. until after Birth By Sleep when you get to the end of Dream Drop and into all the Mobile games. But that still leaves 1,2, Days and BBS with decent story. Especially 2 and Days.
Am I the only one that thought sora was over due and is happy he made it? I also wish crash made it.
And I was not for sora because I’m a huge fan. I never played a game in the franchise but sora is so iconic. Just like crash
I’m happy because I know how many players wanted this and it’s great to see how happy they are about it. Some people need to realise that just because they don’t care for a character, doesn’t mean others don’t either. Not everything is gonna be for everyone. I’m happy for the people who have been clamoring for this for years
I would have preferred Crash Bandicoot over ANY of those ultra boring Fire Emblem characters.
I wish 1.5 and 2.5 were digital not cloud. My bad internet can’t get these games running on a cloud service.
Very, verrrrry lazy of SE to not port 1.5 and 2.5 natively. They are ps2 games, were also on ps3, and could very easily run on Switch. Blah.
I’m glad I can still play kh re coded and dream drop distance on my 3ds. I was 15 when kh 2 came out in North America. I rented it from blockbuster and I couldn’t beat the timeless river stage. If it was a proper digital download for switch then I would give it another go. I watch cutscenes of the games I missed out on via youtube.
That world was actually my favorite. I wish we could’ve seen some of the organization members in the timeless river. Seeing one of them rant about darkness in that vintage audio would’ve been hilarious.