Nintendo Details Smash Bros. Ultimate's World Of Light Adventure Mode

If it wasn't clear enough that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Switch was set to be the biggest entry of the series, then the recent Nintendo Direct showcasing the new game modes and massive roster offered the most comprehensive look at the game yet. In addition to the new Spirits gameplay, we finally saw the game's new story mode, which aims to tie together everything that Ultimate offers. In this new adventure called World of Light, players will explore a large world in order to save friends and foes alike from mysterious corruption.

During the closing trailer for the Direct, we saw the entire lineup of 75 fighters preparing to face off against a new threat. However, things don't go over well for our heroes, and every character is overtaken by this new foe--all except for Kirby. After recovering from the chaos, the sole survivor sets out to find his allies and cure them of their newfound corruption, all the while collecting the spirits of many supporting characters and friends who will aid him in combat.

From the trailer, World of Light looks very similar to a board game, a la Mario Party. However, it eventually expands into a broader adventure, where you'll see new sights and face off against evil versions of popular characters. Many of these battles also introduce some strange conditions, like facing off against oversized versions of fighters. These situations will make engagements a bit more challenging, which will gradually escalate into more intense fights.

While similar to the Subspace Emissary mode from Super Smash Bros. Brawl and the adventure mode from Smash Bros on 3DS, World of Light also incorporates the new Spirits gameplay--support characters that offer buffs and other attributes to your main fighter. Over the course of your journey, you'll trek across land, sea, and even the depths of outer space to fight and collect new Spirits and fighters to play as. It definitely aims to showcase many diverse locales and references to several past Nintendo games, including Kid Icarus, Star Fox, and even the Pokemon series.

Over the course of the extended Nintendo Direct, we also got to see the debut of upcoming fighters including Incineroar, Ken--Ryu's echo character--and the surprise appearance of the Piranha Plant, who will be the first post-launch fighter. Furthermore, the Direct also offered a breakdown of how online battles will work, which includes access to elite battles for the more skilled players, and along with a new companion app for the game called Smash World. If you had any worries about Nintendo's upcoming fighter being an update of the previous game, then this Direct should definitely put you at ease.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is set for launch on December 7 for the Nintendo Switch. If you want to know more about the game, including just how the online mode will function, who Incineroar is, and what the upcoming Season Pass for post-launch DLC will offer, be sure to check out our news round-up of the Direct.