In the fourth edition to the Super Smash Brothers series, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (or more commonly called Smash 4) was a step in the right direction for Nintendo for the competitive scene. Smash 4 brought back the competitive feel of Smash and introduced even more characters. New stages, different frame data, and the introduction of DLC characters to add more characters past what is included when the game comes out so that Nintendo can introduce new playstyles without having to create a new game just yet.
Smash 4 introduces new characters to the Smash community, including paid DLC characters. The unlocked characters include: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Yoshi, Rosalina & Luma, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Link, Zelda, Sheik, Toon Link, Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Pit, Palutena, Marth, Ike, Robin, Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight, Little Mac, Fox, Pikachu, Charizard, Lucario, Greninja, Captain Falcon, Villager, Pikmin & Olimar, Wii Fit Trainer, Shulk, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Sonic, and the Mii Fighters. Unlockable characters include: Ness*, Falco, Wario, Lucina, Dark Pit, Dr. Mario, R.O.B., Ganondorf*, Mr. Game & Watch, Bowser Jr.*, Duck Hunt, and Jigglypuff*. (* indicates that they're unlocked from the start in the Wii U version, however not unlocked in the 3DS version) DLC include Mewtwo, Lucas, Roy, Ryu, Cloud Strife, Corrin, and Bayonetta.
A new, quite large edition to the Wii U version of Smash 4 is the ability to have up to eight players fighting at the same time, while in previous games this was not possible. Amiibos were introduced as well, with the ability to learn by playing against other players, and using custom Mii fighters was introduced, allowing players to create themselves in the game of Smash and customize your moveset. The story mode was removed from this edition, online play is back but is still not as stable.
The stages unlocked on the Wii U version are: 75m, Battlefield, Big Battlefield, Boxing Ring, Bridge of Eldin, Castle Siege, Coliseum, Delfino Plaza, Final Destination, Gamer, Garden of Hope, Gaur Plain, The Great Cave Offensive, Halberd, Luigi's Mansion, Lylat Cruise, Mario Circuit (Brawl), Mario Circuit, Mario Galaxy, Mushroom Kingdom U, Norfair, Onett, Orbital Gate Assault, Palutena's Temple, Pilotwings, Port Town Aero Dive, Pyrosphere, Skyloft, Skyworld, Temple, Town and City, Wii Fit Studio, Wily Castle, Windy Hill Zone, Woolly World, Wrecking Crew, Wuhu Island, and Yoshi's Island (Melee). Unlockable stages on the Wii U are: Duck Hunt, Flat Zone X, Kongo Jungle, Pac-Land, Pokémon Stadium 2, and Smashville. DLC stages are: Dream Land (64), Hyrule Castle, Peach's Castle, Pirate Ship, Super Mario Maker, Suzaku Castle, and Umbra Clock Tower.
The stages unlocked on the 3DS version includes: 3D land, Arena Ferox, Battlefield, Boxing Ring, Brinstar, Corneria, Distant Planet, Final Destination, Find Mii, Gaur Plain, Gerudo Valley, Golden Plains, Green Hill Zone, Jungle Japes, Living Room, Mushroomy Kingdom, Paper Mario, PictoChat 2, Prism Tower, Rainbow Road, Reset Bomb Forest, Spirit Train, Tomodachi Life, Tortimer Island, Unova Pokémon League, Wily Castle, and Yoshi's Island (Brawl). Unlockable stages on the 3DS version are: Balloon Fight, Dream Land (3DS), Flat Zone 2, Magicant, Mute City, and WarioWare, Inc. DLC Stages include: Dream Land, Duck Hunt, Hyrule Castle, Midgar, Peach's Castle, Super Mario Maker, Suzaku Castle, and Umbra Clock Tower.
The competitive scene is brought back into action in this version of Smash, not on the 3DS, as this is purely a casual, non-competitive game meant for a game to play on-the-go. The Wii U version created a large audience, new and old, from Melee to completely new players to even people dating back to 64. Tons of competitions were held, and this game lasted for 4 years, 2014-2018. It ended as soon as Smash Ultimate came out. ZeRo dominated Smash 4, and Diddy Kong dominated much of early Smash 4. Bayonetta added into the game through DLC in the following year led to another character being more dominant than Diddy. Bayonetta was even thought to be broken to the point where some entire countries banned her: Spain, Russia, and parts of the United States. ZeRo retired in early 2018, leading to the #1 spot being vacant. MkLeo won the final large tournament of 2018. Once Ultimate was released, Smash 4 tournaments were completely stopped.
