Super Smash Bros. BREAK (Late 2023~Early 2024)
My latest and "greatest" SSB fanwork thingy. I wanted to make a Super Smash Bros. RPG with Persona-inspired gameplay. So after fantasizing about making this cool game, I downloaded and booted up Godot, realized I don't have the skills to even make this damn game, tried writing a web novel instead, then just gave up.
The hypothetical game/novel would've featured Tabuu, who has come back from the dead as "Khaos" after using Galeem and Darkhon's dead corpses to revive himself. Using his newfound powers, he transforms the the world into the “Kingdom of Sublimity”, reducing everyone to unwilling servants called "Crystalums" But thanks to Crazy and Master Hand sacrificing themselves, a few select video game characters stay alive at the cost of losing their memories and now must journey across the brave new world in order to save everyone and stop Khaos.
The "BREAK" in the title comes from a new ability the characters would've had, "Smash BREAK", which I described as a "long Final Smash" that occurs when one takes in more "Smash Energy" than usual. This project was also called "Super Smash Bros. Rise", as in "rise up" (against one's oppressors) at one point.
The Gameplay(?)
Setting
BREAK largely takes place in the “Kingdom of Sublimity”, A world that Khaos made in his image, inhabited by Spirits turned unwilling royal subjects called “Crystallums”. His kingdom is divided into 9 distinct areas. You can travel to any area out of order, but you cannot visit The Castle until you’ve proven yourself by defeating the boss that resides in each of the 8 other areas.
An area called “Base Camp” acts as a hub area for your party.
Worshipper’s Forest Levels: 5~10 Boss: The Minotaur A forest filled with shrines and creepy statues dedicated to the supreme ruler. Even the wildlife looks uncomfortable.- Terry
- Wario
- Olimar
- Palutena
- Fox
- Isabelle
- Yoshi
- Villager
- Young Link
- Jigglypuff
- Duck Hunt
- Pac-Man
- Ryu
- Dr. Mario
- Ness
- Mii Brawler
- Falco
- Sheik
- Lucario
- Palutena
- Ridley
- Ice Climbers
- Ken
- Banjo & Kazooie
- Mewtwo
- Richter
Only the most affluent subjects can even dream of living here. Everything down to the sewer system is covered in gold and precious gems.
- Bayonetta
- Joker
- Kazuya
- Steve
- Zelda
- Peach
- Daisy
- King K. Rool
- Bowser Jr.
- King Dedede
- Mii Gunner
- Mr. Game & Watch
- Greninja
- *Samus
- Meta Knight
- Robin
- Olimar
- Chrom
- Inkling
- Hero
- Simon
- Mii Swordfighter
- Mario
- Sonic
- Link
- Pikachu
- Kirby
- Captain Falcon
- Pokémon Trainer
- Lucas
- Sora
- Cloud
- Marth
- Lucina
Ruby Cave
Levels: 75~80
Boss: The Dragon
A winding system of underground caves.
- Bowser
- Incineroar
- Corrin
- Min Min
- Setheroth
- Pyra & Mythra
- Captain Falcon
- Ganondorf
Emerald Jungle
Levels: 85~90
Boss: The Serpent
- Donkey Kong
- Diddy Kong
- Little Mac
- Piranha Plant
*Due to plot reasons, Zero Suit Samus and Samus are the same character.
Once you defeat Khaos, the world is permanently restored to what it once was. You still have the opportunity to train up underleveled party members and capture any Spirits you missed by battling “Lingering Evils” that roam the post-game map.
Far Tundra (Difficulty: ★★★~★★★★)
Floating Islands (Difficulty: ★★★~★★★★)
Magma Wastelands (Difficulty: ★★★~★★★★)
Poison Forest (Difficulty: ★★~★★★)
Midair City (Difficulty: N/a)
Vibrant Falls (Difficulty: ★★~★★★)
Mushroom Canyon (Difficulty: ★~★★)
Origin Mountain (Difficulty: ★~★★)
Tropical Resort (Difficulty: ★~★★)
Midair City is home to many activities. The Master’s Building is home to “Century Smash” where you battle against teams of 1~4. Every opponent is Lv. 100 and have powerful Spirits on their side. Luckily, you can heal your party and change what Spirits you have equipped in between floors.
There’s 100 floors in total, beating all of them gifts you an exclusive Spirit.
Character Rescue
One of the main goals of BREAK is freeing all 72 fighters from Khao’s brainwashing. To free a fighter, you must engage in battle with them, just like old times. You can rescue the characters in any order. Some characters are stronger than others. If one battle is too tough, you just can come back when you’re stronger, but you must rescue all 72 of them before the final battle with Khaos, or you won’t get the good ending.
Spirits
The Spirit system in BREAK is slightly different from the one in Ultimate. Unlike Ultimate, you can only get one of each Spirit. You can also only carry a set amount of Spirits at one time (Although this amount goes up the more characters you rescue.)
When you release a Spirit, they give you their “Heart” and some SP as a gift of appreciation for freeing them. Hearts act similarly to Cores in Ultimate because can be used to summon more powerful Spirits. You can always obtain released Spirits again later.
Unlike the 72 characters, you don't have to rescue every Spirit to get the good ending. Although getting every Spirit in the game gives you a handsome reward.
Smash BREAK
Smash BREAK is essentially a long Final Smash. When a fighter takes in more Final Smash energy than usual, they transform into an enhanced version of themselves. Watch out though, because being in BREAK form for a prolonged amount of time takes a toll on the user’s body.
Character Classes
Every character is sorted into a general class. Defense, Mage, Sword, Fist, Shoot, and Support.The document ends at the section on Character Classes because, say it with me, I ran out of ideas.
This is a mockup of what a Spirit Battle in Rise/BREAK would've looked like. This image is from November 2023. Very close to what a Spirit Battle looks like in Ultimate at first glace, but this was meant to be a turn-based RPG, so the actual battle would look different. There's no mockup for that though.
Looks like we're up against a Ness Puppet Fighter possessed by Pawapuro-kun, a Neutral Ace-level Spirit with 9500 base power. Luckily, Incineroar, who is leading the party, appears to have a Defense Spirit with 9000 base power; so it should be a fair fight. I'm still quite proud of this image, not only because it took a lot of time and effort to make but also because it was made a few months before Nintendo actually added a Power Pros Spirit to Ultimate.
The Plot(?)
If Kingdoms was a cake that was 99.9% fondant, then BREAK was a cake that's missing one crucial ingredient and tastes like absolute shit because of it and also it's undercooked and also there's an entire baseball in it.
It's going to be incredibly painful for me to talk about this, because I was 19 going on 20 while writing this. 19 GOING ON 20!!! I was a grown ass adult who was STILL writing corny slop like this! But there is no changing the past, and the only way to confront my demons is by picking them apart as I've done for my other Smash fanprojects.
So...
BREAK would've centered around Spring Man and Pawapuro-kun. Admittedly, a very random and strange selection of characters, but I was head deep in a PawaPuro hyperfixation while writing and just had to make him one of the two protagonists. My brain demanded it be so.
Episode 1: Familiar Voice
The first chapter is a prologue of sorts, but there is no buildup to the climatic event. It immediately starts with the Hands struggling to keep Final Destination together while Khaos is currently wiping the universe. Using what little strength they have left, they break their souls into several peices and send them off to various video game characters right before they get wiped by Khaos. Then Final Destination and the rest of the video game worlds crumble into nothingness. End scene.
A battered Spring Man wakes up in the "Kingdom of Sublimity”, the new world created in Khaos' vision. He's been woken up by a strange yet familiar-sounding voice in his head. Which would've been later revealed to be Crazy Hand.
Here's an excerpt from the document describing his current enviroment that I still think is kinda cool.
Looking around, he saw that he was in some sort of mountainous plain, the sky was a featureless gray slab and judging by the position of the sun, it must’ve been midday. The landscape around him gave him a strange feeling. The grass beneath his feet felt like AstroTurf. The leaves on the trees had an unnatural shine to them. Even the sun felt more like a giant light-bulb fixed in the sky than an actual sun. Something was seriously wrong.
The reason why he's still alive and intact and not reduced to atoms (somehow) is because Crazy Hand, or a least a part of him, is now a part of Spring Man, this prevented him from being erased along with the rest of his world (somehow). However, he has lost most of his abilites and memories, including of the events leading up to/during Khaos erasing the world. One second he's just chilling in his apartment and the next he's in middle of bumfuck nowhere with heartburn, amnesia and a disembodied voice in his head.
There was a burning feeling in his chest as that voice from earlier came back again. “Go there. Go over there to where the trees are. There, you will find another piece of me. Don’t disappoint, my little puppet.” The voice cackled manically as it faded away.
Okay mysterious voice in my head, whatever you say.
It's also worth noting that Crazy Hand apparently also managed to put a fragment of his soul in Spring Man's gym bag.
Miraculously, the stuff he was sleeping with just earlier was there when he woke up. A gym bag and his 2 equippable ARMS. Dual Toasters, the same ones he was known for.
After walking for a while, he finds a derelict barnhouse where Pawapuro-kun, another owner of one of Crazy's soul fragments, is living.
After a while, he came across a derelict-looking barn sitting by the edge of a cliff that faced the ocean. The wood that made up its exterior had faded and its tin roof had streaks of reddish-brownish rust all over it. Despite its appearance, there were clearly signs of someone living there.
There are a bunch of abandoned buildings/structures in the Kingdom of Sublimity and they're supposed to be holdovers from the old worlds that didn't quite go away when Khaos erased the world, leaving a slim but hopeful chance of the orignal world possibly being restored. I guess erasing the entire universe is like uninstalling something on a computer, there's some residual files that get left behind.
Spring Man accidently startles Pawapuro-kun by stepping on a twig, which causes him to freak out and run away, spurring Spring Man to run after him. There's a short chase scene before Pawapuro-kun falls off a cliff and into a puddle. Mr. Power Pros, who is still trying to run away dispite hurting his legs, accuses Mr. Man of being a Crystalum Mimic here to capture him.
Spring tries to explain himself, only to be cut off by a clearly on edge and sopping wet Pawapuro-kun who tries to run away again, which causes him to impulsively extend his ARM towards him in an attempt to grab him, which freaks him out even more and causes him to think he's some sort of mutant cyborg monster. To which Spring Man says:
“It’s not because I’m a cyborg or anything. It’s because I have the ARMS Ability.” He says this like it’s a universally known fact. The kid stopped shivering as their fear morphed into utter confusion. “Eeeh? Arms… Ability?”
This causes Pawapuro-kun to stop being scared and start being confused and slightly scared. Looking back now, I think he calmed down too quickly in this scene. If I was Pawapuro-kun in this senario, and this bright cyan toothpaste hair guy who has me cornered started waffling about some "ARMS Ability" I think I'd be even more scared.
The two talk it out, explain who they are to each other. Spring Man reveals his real name is "Samuel" to this random kid he's never met before until now, then night falls and they immediately go to take refuge in the barnhouse.
Episode 2: Memories of a Prisoner
Next chapter. They're heading over to the barnhouse, making some small talk. Samuel asks Pawa how long he's been living here, to which he responds:
The kid scratches his chin, or rather, where his chin would be if he had one. “About… twelve days? Or so? My phone doesn’t work, so I just keep track of the days by scratching tally marks into my floorboards.”
Firstly, I have a lot of questions, but no answers.
Why was Spring Man seemingly unconscious for twelve days? Why did Pawapuro-kun wake up twelve days before Spring Man? Why didn't they all wake up at once?
Most importantly, how has Pawapuro-kun not gone completly insane from living alone in what is basically post-apocalypse liminal space video game purgatory, being hunted by crystal monsters that mimic people, and hearing voices in his head for almost two weeks??????
The only things up there were the kid’s backpack, various scavenged goods, books, and a pillow and blanket neatly set up on the floor. The room was lit up by way of a single ceiling light fixture.
How is there running electricity in this abandoned building? And how did Pawapuro-kun manage to get all this stuff? Don't worry about it. This is the Kingdom of Sublimity after all! Our generous King Khaos has provided us with a variety of goods, including abandoned buildings that still have running water and electricity and aren't filled with asbestos and chipping lead paint.
Since he's seemingly the only person who lives at this barnhouse, Spring Man asks Pawapuro-kun if he ever gets lonely.
Baseball Kid is like "Nah, bro" then immediately pulls out somebody's disembodied soul from his chest and shows it to him like it's a cool rock he found outside. Maybe he has gone insane!
Spring "Samuel" Man immediately clocks it as a Spirit (which is implied to be Ninjara's) and asks Pawapuro-kun where the fuck he even got that, to which he explains that he got it from killing a Crystalum that attacked him.
This information unlocks something in Spring Man's brain and he starts having severe heartburn and flashbacks to the last time the world was erased by a tyrannical god, refrencing the events of World of Light.
The burning feeling came back again, this time, it was unbearable. He clutched his chest in agony as a flood of memories, painful memories, began rushing in like a dam inside his mind had just burst. The beams of devouring light, the endless armies of puppet fighters, the sense of hopelessness that never seemed to end, all of it. All of it was giving him a severe feeling of déjà vu.
Samuel comes to the grim conclusion that the reason why they're both here all of a sudden is because the world they once knew has ended and that all of their freinds and loved ones have been turned into helpless Sprits made to pilot the crystal monsters that hunt them both.
This revalation soon becomes too much for the both of them and they both start bawling their eyes out.
Pawapuro glanced at the Spirit, then back at Spring Man. His eyes wide as saucers.
“I’ve been in this situation before. Me and my friends were vaporized, placed into puppets and made to do a tyrannical god’s bidding.” Spring Man fought long and hard to not break down multiple times while recounting his experience, but eventually, it was too much for him to bear and he burst into tears. Sobbing loudly as he clutched Pawapuro tightly in his arms.
“I can’t live knowing my friends are out there, trapped in those putrid husks against their will, and that I’m not there to save them.” He tried his hardest to comfort him as he cried.
“I know how you feel… I can’t live knowing my teammates are out there in that state either.” With that, he began weeping too. “Please don’t cry, Pawapuro. I hate seeing you upset.” Spring Man cried even harder. They both cried it out for a long time.
This is meant to be a very hearbreaking and emotional scene, and ngl I got a little sad while reading it myself. But it's ruined by the amateurish dialog and also I just can't help but think of that image of Louis Griffin crying in a dark supermarket while Stewie watches on every time I read this excerpt.
After there are no more tears left to cry, they both fall asleep, but not before Spring Man lets the Spirit into his heart. This is a suprise tool that'll help him later.
Episode 3: Diamonds in the Rough
The next day (chapter), Spring Man wakes up from a nightmare about being a attacked by a giant Crystalum, then they immediately both get attacked by a giant Crystalum. Speak of the devil.
The Crystalum, which Samuel Man describes as a "A GIANT TURKEY", destroys their shelter and traps Pawapuro-kun in a heap of rubble.
Spring Man starts having heartburn again and starts walking towards the Crystalum out of need to free whatever Spirit is inside it while Pawapuro-kun screams at him to get the fuck away from the giant crystal bird monster that just destroyed their house in one fell swoop. Then Spring Man activates his Smash BREAK and turns that mofo into ash.
Suddenly, there was a burst of light and colors. Something huge had just happened. Spring Man’s whole body was wrapped in an intense colorful aura. His eyes were an intense yellow. His pupils, a blinding white. “I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU GET AWAY!” He hollered as he threw a flurry of supercharged punches at the bird’s face, the sheer force of and heat produced by the repeated impacts caused it to violently explode into a heap of charred crystal fragments.
It is never really explained how Spring Man activated Smash BREAK. Either he was empowered by the Spirit he let into his heart that night or Khaos forgot to turn off the FS Meter in the Rules menu. The former makes more sense but the latter is funnier.
A Spirit with "an intense reddish glow to it" flies out from the remains and into Pawapuro-kun's chest. With their barnhouse now destoryed, they pack up and decide to find shelter elsewhere.
The barn was totally beyond repair. He walked back over to its ruins to fish out more supplies since it looked like they were going to spend the next few hours walking to the next suitable shelter.
Note these three words, "next few hours". This just begs the question: If Crazy Hand (and presumably Master Hand) can point people who have a fragment of his soul in them towards other owners of his Soul Fragments, and apparently it only took them a few hours of walking to find the base camp where Terry, (Master) Wario (Master) and Joanna (Crazy) are. Why have none of the other owners of Crazy/Master Hand's soul fragments gone looking for Pawapuro-kun/Spring Man?
The fourth chapter would've involved the duo meeting up with Wario, Terry Bogard, and IIRC Joanna Dark at their base camp for the first time, but I had given up on BREAK entirely around that point. This is all that I wrote:
“Say, who's the little kiddo behind you?” Wario said while gesturing towards Pawapuro, who glared at him in response. “He says his name is Pawapuro-kun. Uh, I found him living in a barn and now he's with me.”
“Samuel, who is that?”
“This is… What was your name again?”
“The name’s Wario. Don’t forget it.”
“Wario. He’s a friend of someone I knew.”
As for Chapter 5 and onwards... I didn't think to write down a basic plot outline for BREAK before writing all this, so even I don't know what would've happened afterwards.
I invite you to guess.