Join the new world

As with its predecessors, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a departure from traditional fighting games, notably in its simplified move commands and its emphasis on ring outs over knockouts. It will include a deeper single-player mode than its predecessors. Known as The Subspace Emissary, this mode is a plot driven side-scrolling video game featuring Brawl's playable characters. Super Smash Bros. Brawl supports multiplayer battles with up to four combatants, and will be the first game of its franchise to support online battles through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

The cast of characters includes various returning characters from Super Smash Bros. Melee and a variety of newcomers. Some returning characters have been updated or refined since their last appearance, either in terms of appearance, fighting capabilities, or both. For example, Link and Fox McCloud, have taken on new designs from more recent titles, while Samus has gained the ability to change into a new form, "Zero Suit Samus", by using her Final Smash.

Some previously represented series have had more characters added to Brawl. Diddy Kong from the Donkey Kong series and Ike from the Fire Emblem series will make their first appearance in the Smash Bros. series. Other newcomers are the first to represent their series. These include characters such as Pit, representing the Kid Icarus series for the first time since the 1991 Game Boy game Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters; Wario, from Nintendo's highly successful WarioWare and Wario Land series and an occasional antagonist of Mario's. Solid Snake, the main protagonist of Konami's Metal Gear franchise, and Sonic the Hedgehog from Nintendo's former rival Sega are the first third-party characters to appear in a Super Smash Bros. game.