For the last week, one thing has been bugging me about the 3DS version of Smash: the controls.
I think, to some extent, this is a question thatās been on everyoneās mind. Does the 3DS version feel good to play? Should you try the game out on the 3DS, or should you just wait for the Wii U version, which will allow you to play with an actual gamepad? After playing the game for almost fifteen hours, I can concretely say one thing: I donāt like how the game handles on the 3DS.
One thing Iāve noted while playing is that the game requires the type of reflexes and input that the 3DS doesnāt seem to handle very well. Playing on the XL, Iāve found that my system will sometimes start creaking, as the frenetic pace of the game takes its toll on the plastic body. This is not something Iāve ever experienced on the 3DS before, and I donāt think itās because I mishandle the system or anything. Walk into any room with a few people playing Smash on a console, and youāll probably be able to hear the clack-clack-clack of the control sticks going wild before you even open the door. Thatās just the type of game Smash is, and the 3DS doesnāt seem built for it.
The circlepad is an issue, in particular. I donāt feel like I can be as quick or as responsive using the circlepad as I know I can be with a stick on a console. The telling thing for me is that Iāll sometimes try to pick up characters that Iām familiar with, only to find that I canāt quite move at the same speed as I do while playing on, say, Brawl with a Gamecube controller. And the 3DS version of Smash is even faster than Brawl.
Part of the problem, I think, is that the system sometimes just plain doesnāt record the proper input sometimes: (Edit: I urge you to keep reading after you watch these videos, as the text will delve into why inputting commands faster/flicking isnāt a solution here):
Hereās Stephen trying out the same stuff, as a comparison:
Iāve had lots of issues with my trying to do something basic, like dash or recover, only to have the game fumble on what Iām doing. Iāve also had issues with being precise when it comes to dashing and trying to pick up an item on the mapāIāll often overshoot, or fall short of where I want to stop. Finally, Iāve found some issues when it comes to being consistent with tilt moves. The commonality between all these issues is that they all require precise input from the circlepad.
Now, after watching this video, you may be thinking to yourselfāwell, your problem is that youāre trying to input movement too slowly. And sure enough, the gameās manual does say you need to flick in order to jump and dash. Two problems with that, though. Constantly flicking on the game means youāre constantly experiencing the gumminess of the circlepad, especially if youāre holding the circlepad in one direction and then changing the direction quickly, which occurs often in this game. At times, I could even feel a very slight click on the circlepad if I was playing too āvigorouslyā for the 3DS.(Again, this wouldnāt be an issue on a Gamecube controller.)
The second issue is with jumping. Traditionally in Smash, even slight āupā inputs were recordedāno need to flick. Your character will always jump if you press up, regardless of how fast you press it. This is why so many people turned off tap jumping. The fact the 3DS version doesnāt do the same is strange, though it does mean that people who donāt like tap jumping wonāt be prone to accidental jumps as much as they might have in previous games.
Part of why Iām experiencing these problems might be linked to the build of the XL itself. The way the circlepad feels on that system is different from what it feels like on the normal 3DS; thereās more resistance on the XLās pad. In fact, itās this resistance that could mess me up sometimesāI didnāt show it in the video, but sometimes Iāll flick the stick but not go far enough in any given direction, so the game wonāt actually register the command. Iāll hit the dead zone radius of the stick, where nothing is recorded. But itāll still feel like Iām inputting that direction, because Iām applying so much pressure.
The circlepad on the normal 3DS, meanwhile, is looser, doesnāt require as much pressure. I can see how playing Smash on the original 3DS might be a better experience because of this, but that system appears to come with its own set of problems. The non-XL handheldās looseness makes it easy to see how someone might completely destroy their circlepad while playing Smash Bros. on the 3DSāyouāll note that most of the systems that have been reportedly destroyed by people playing are the original 3DS model. I donāt think thatās a coincidence. The smaller system feels flimsier, cheaper, not as well-made.
Given how many people Iāve seen modding their 3DS to work with a GameCube controller to play Smash, I think others feel similarly. Thereās a reason people make mods in the first place, and I donāt think itās some feverish devotion to the Gamecube controller. The 3DS version just doesnāt feel as good to play. Almost everyone Iāve talked to says theyāll experience cramps after playing Smash 3DS for a few minutes, something which, again, does not happen if you play the console version of the game. You can alleviate some problems by making changes to the controls a bitāfor example, I found that swapping dodge and shield to be on R and L, respectively, felt better than how the game originally maps those buttons. But on the whole, itās not the best experience.
Weāll have more a more in-depth take on the game as a whole next week, when we run our full review. For now, though, I canāt help but wish the portable version of Smash Bros. felt better to play.
