Today’s Nintendo Direct was filled to the brim with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate goodness, from the announcement of its last two (at launch) fighters Ken and Incineroar to that epic reveal of the game’s ‘World of Light’ story mode. In addition to the exciting new content, Nintendo also went into great detail about the game’s Spirits Mode, which effectively acts as a support system for your fighters.

Revealed during the Nintendo Direct, Spirits are support characters from many of the video game series seen within Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. These can range from Hal “Otakon” Emmerich from the Metal Gear Solid series to Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey. Unlocking these spirits can be done in a few different ways, the simplest of which is by actually fighting them.

https://youtu.be/seT1Qs4-Y3s?t=143

As seen in the above trailer starting at about 2:23, players can acquire a large amount of Spirits by partaking in battles that pit them against a fighter whose abilities and personality are “kinda sorta similar” to the Spirit it represents. The first example given is for the Lakitu & Spiny spirit, which can be acquired by squaring off against Iggy and a group of tiny, red Bowsers. Another battle example is for the Guts Man Spirit, which can be obtained by battling an oversized Mega Man with a penchant for throwing fighters around the arena.

Another, more complex way of acquiring Spirits is by combining cores to summon new ones. Players have the ability to send Spirits “back to the real-world,” and doing so will leave behind the ‘core’ of the Spirit. These can be combined to summon new spirits, such as Micaiah from Fire Emblem as seen above.

The Spirits Mode system undeniably adds a massive layer of depth to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and it will be interesting to see the many fighter/Spirit combinations players will come up with over time.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate arrives on Nintendo Switch on December 7, 2018.

So, thoughts on the new Spirits Mode? Plan on sinking some time into it, or would you prefer to ignore it entirely? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!