Decoding Smash Ultimate’s Apparent New ‘Spirits’ Mode

In the last Nintendo Direct, which was all about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, game director Masahiro Sakurai said that there’s still one more game mode that he can’t talk about yet. Fans think they’ve figured out what it’s called, but they still don’t know what it actually is. I’ve got a few ideas.

At the end of the last Nintendo Direct, we got a look at the menu screen for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. One portion of the screen was blurred out to hide the name of this new mode:

At least one clever fan has found a way to decipher the blurry text. Twitter user L’attardé said that because the pixelation ends at the bottom of the screen, some parts of the characters are still visible at the edges. Using photoshop, he was able to zoom in on the characters, change the contrast and reveal the word “Spirits.”

CLOSER. pic.twitter.com/GzzpCyHySd

— l’attardé (@noctulescent) August 8, 2018

Now, we have no idea what “Spirits” means. It could be another single-player mode like Brawl’s Subspace Emissary, some amiibo bullshit, or even just a red herring from Nintendo.

Still, fans are speculating that this has to do with Dracula from Castlevania, or the fact that Luigi is 100% dead. I’ve got my own theories.

It’s The Return Of The Animal Crossing-Esque Game Magician’s Quest

I’ve begged for Animal Crossing on Switch for what feels like several lifetimes, so maybe Nintendo decided to kill two birds with one stone and package it with Ultimate.

That doesn’t make sense, but neither does not releasing Animal Crossing on Switch for so long. It’s called “Spirits” because it’s actually a version of the magic-themed Magician’s Quest, where instead of befriending animals you befriend a guy with a tomato for a head and a humanoid cell phone. It’s a great game.

When You Defeat Other Players, Their Characters Go To Hell And This Is Where You Visit Them

With 75 characters in the game, it’s gonna be hard to keep track of them all. Now, when characters get defeated in-game, Nintendo has crafted a version of hell for them to inhabit. You won’t be able to use them again, but you can listen to the sweet, sweet sound of their screams.

Guess you better hope you’re good at playing your favourite character right out of the gate, too, or else you won’t ever get to play with them again. That 75-character roster would be so overwhelming otherwise, though, right? This is for the best.

An Official Smash Drinking Game

No, you won’t be drinking. This is a family friendly game, after all! When you play, every character you choose will be drunk. The more the damage percentage goes up, the drunker they get.

Your goal is to get everyone else to black out levels and be the last man or princess or inhumanoid abomination standing. It’s kind of like college, but with even more fights.

The Spirits Of Smashes Past, Present, and Future

After making Smash 4, Sakurai said it might be his last game, since the experience had been so tough. What convinced him to continue? Was he visited by the spectres of Melee and Smash 4, inspired by the splintered competitive community for Smash and determined to make a game that could please everyone?

In this mode, you’ll be personally haunted by the ghost of Luigi as the spirit of Smash Past, Kirby as the jolly ghost of Smash Present, and Ridley as the Ghost of Smash-Yet-To-Come. I assume they will also sing some songs, because the only version of this story I’m really familiar with is the Muppets one.