It was 1999. I remember seeing a commercial where Mario, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong were skipping through a field of flowers before they suddenly started beating the absolute hell out of each other. It was weird. It was jarring. Honestly, at the time, we all thought Nintendo had lost their minds. Taking their most wholesome mascots and throwing them into a sumo-style wrestling ring shouldn't have worked, but Super Smash Bros N64 didn't care about what was supposed to work. It just felt right.
Most people look back at the N64 original as a "prototype" for what became Melee or Ultimate. That's a mistake. While the newer games have 80-plus characters and orchestral soundtracks, the 64-bit original has something they lost: weight. Every hit feels like a truck. When Captain Falcon lands a Falcon Punch in this game, the screen shakes with a visceral, chunky impact that the high-definition sequels can't quite replicate.
The Weird History of Project Dragon King
Masahiro Sakurai didn't even start this as a Nintendo game. It was originally a prototype called Dragon King: The Fighting Game. It had generic faceless characters. It was bland. Sakurai realized that no one would care about a new fighting game on a console where fighting games usually went to die, so he took a gamble. He swapped the generic dudes for Mario and Kirby without asking permission first.
He basically went rogue.
Nintendo eventually gave him the green light, but they didn't give him a budget. That’s why there are only 12 characters. That’s why the single-player mode is basically just a series of fights ending with a giant floating glove. Yet, that limitation is exactly why the game is so tight. There’s no "fluff" in the Super Smash Bros N64 roster. You’ve got the core eight (Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu) and the four unlockables (Luigi, Captain Falcon, Ness, and Jigglypuff). Every single one of them feels distinct.
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The Z-Cancel and the Birth of Competitive Play
If you play modern Smash, you know about "L-canceling." In the original, it was the Z-cancel. By hitting the Z trigger right as you hit the ground during an aerial attack, you could cut your recovery time in half. It changed everything.
It wasn't a bug, but it definitely wasn't intended to turn the game into a high-speed combo fest. Suddenly, Link wasn't just a slow zoner; he was a monster who could string together aerials into a ground game. The community that still plays this game—and yes, there is a massive competitive scene for the N64 version—relies on this mechanic to keep the pace lightning-fast.
Without the Z-cancel, the game is a fun party romp. With it, it’s a technical masterpiece.
Why the Sound Design Hits Different
Listen to the sound of a hit in Super Smash Bros N64. It’s a "crack." It’s sharp. It’s loud. The sound team at HAL Laboratory used specific Foley techniques to make sure that even a light jab sounded like it had consequences. Compare that to the "thud" or "sparkle" sounds in Super Smash Bros. Brawl or even Ultimate. The N64 sounds are aggressive.
Then there’s the announcer. Jeff Manning’s voice is iconic. "Free for all!" "Success!" It’s gravelly and enthusiastic in a way that feels like a 90s arcade game. It fits the low-poly aesthetic perfectly. When you’re playing on a CRT television, the scanlines and the fuzzy audio create this atmosphere of "digital chaos" that modern consoles are just too clean to capture.
The Stages are Actually Death Traps
Modern Smash stages are often "Omega" or "Battlefield" forms—flat platforms for fair fights. The N64 stages were designed by people who clearly wanted you to die.
- Sector Z: It’s huge. It’s way too big. You spend half the match just trying to find your opponent while Arwings shoot you in the back.
- Hyrule Castle: The tornado. That cursed tornado that spawns in the middle of a combo and sends you to the blast zone for no reason.
- Saffron City: The doors. You’re winning a fight, then a Chansey pops out and heals your enemy, or an Electrode explodes and ends your life.
It was unfair. It was chaotic. It was perfect.
The Ness Problem and Tier List Myths
If you talk to casual players, they’ll tell you Pikachu is the best character in Super Smash Bros N64. They aren't wrong. Pikachu’s recovery is broken, and his tail whip is a nightmare. But the real nuance is in characters like Ness.
Ness is arguably the hardest character to master because of his recovery. If you miss that lightning bolt angle by one degree, you’re dead. But his "DJC" (Double Jump Cancel) allows him to pull off combos that shouldn't be possible in a 1999 game. Expert Ness players make the game look like a choreographed dance.
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However, the game has a massive balance issue: the recovery. Most characters in the N64 version have terrible vertical mobility compared to modern iterations. If you get knocked off the stage in this game, you are probably not coming back. There’s no "wall jumping" for most of the cast. There’s no "tether recovery." It’s just you, your double jump, and a prayer.
The Legacy of the 64-Bit Brawl
We wouldn't have the modern crossover phenomenon without this game. Think about it. Before Smash, "crossover" games were rare and usually terrible. Sakurai proved that you could take disparate art styles—the realistic sci-fi of Metroid, the cartoonish Pokémon, the high fantasy of Zelda—and smash them together into a cohesive visual language.
They did it by making everyone look like toys.
That’s the secret lore. The intro shows a child's bedroom. The characters are dolls being played with by Master Hand. It explains why they can all exist in the same space. It's a brilliant narrative shortcut that gave Nintendo permission to be weird.
How to Play It Today (The Right Way)
You can play this on the Nintendo Switch Online service, but honestly? It’s not the same. The input lag on the emulated version is a buzzkill for a game that requires frame-perfect Z-cancels.
If you want the real experience, you need the original hardware and a CRT. There’s a specific "feel" to the N64 controller—that weird three-pronged trident—where the analog stick has a physical resistance that modern controllers lack. Pushing that stick to the side for a "Smash Attack" feels like you're actually throwing a punch.
Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Smasher
If you’re looking to go back and master Super Smash Bros N64, don't just mash buttons. Start with these specific steps to actually get good:
- Master the Z-Cancel: Go into Training Mode. Pick Link. Do a jumping down-air (the sword plant). Try to hit Z the millisecond you touch the ground. If you don't see the long "landing lag" animation, you did it. Do this 100 times until it's muscle memory.
- Learn the "Tech" Roll: When you get hit and are flying toward the ground, press R (or Z) right as you impact. If you don't, you'll bounce like a dead fish, and your opponent will punish you. "Teching" is the difference between winning and losing.
- Respect the Edge: Since recovery is so bad in this game, "edge guarding" is everything. Don't be afraid to jump off the stage to hit someone once. Often, one small nudge is all it takes to prevent them from making it back to the ledge.
- Find a Community: Look up the "Isai" matches on YouTube. Isai is widely considered the greatest N64 player of all time. Watching him play Jigglypuff will change your entire perspective on how the game works.
Super Smash Bros N64 isn't just a relic. It’s a fast, punishing, and incredibly rewarding fighter that rewards precision over "gimmicks." It’s the rawest version of the formula. No final smashes, no assist trophies, just you and your opponent trying to knock each other off a floating island in space.
Grab a controller. Find a friend. Pick Kirby (because he's low-key top tier). And remember: it's not about the percentage on the screen; it's about the psychological damage you do with a well-timed Taunt.
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Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
Check your local retro gaming stores for an authentic N64 "Tight" joystick replacement, as the original plastic gears wear down over time. For competitive online play, look into the Project64 emulator with the Kaillera plugin, which remains the gold standard for the underground N64 Smash community. Don't forget to investigate the "19XX" ROM hack, which adds quality-of-life features like hitbox visualizations and instant stage resets for practice.