Top 10 Blatant Super Smash Bros Copycat Games

Top 10 Blatant Super Smash Bros Copycat Games As hard as they may try, these games just can’t compete with Nintendo’s beloved franchise. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today, we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Blatant “Super Smash Bros” Copycat Games. For this list, we’re looking at “Smash-like” games, both good and bad, that are trying (or have tried) to step out of the shadows of Nintendo’s biggest franchise.

#10: “Shrek SuperSlam” (2005)

Over the years, everyone’s favorite ogre has been the subject of numerous games, including a kart racer, a 2D fighting game, and numerous adventure titles. So really, a Smash Bros. type game seems like a foregone conclusion. “Shrek SuperSlam” may not have been a direct carbon copy of Nintendo’s all-star brawler, but the fundamentals are still there. You have your basic controls to pull off special attacks and a variety of different characters to choose from, even some that were never in the movies! However, “Shrek SuperSlam” suffered from framerate dips, poor sound design, and the controls were sometimes irksome.

#9: “Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion” (2011)

When you think about it, Cartoon Network was a great candidate for a “Smash-like” fighting game. With all those classic shows, they had a solid roster of characters to work with. Alas, characters alone don’t make for a good game. “Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion” is bad in every sense of the word. Gameplay is broken and unbalanced, and the frequent audio bugs are annoying. Plus, every character feels like a clone of Smash Bros. character in terms of moves. Except… the specials are too hard to pull off so you instead stick to basic attacks. Apparently the only thing they couldn’t rip off from Smash Bros. was making the game any fun.

#8: “DreamMix TV World Fighters” (2003)

Riddle us this - where else can you find Bomberman, Solid Snake, Simon Belmont, and Optimus Prime in ONE video game? Nowhere but “DreamMix TV World Fighters”! As much as we’d jump at the idea, the game only ends up being an expanded version of “Smash’s” Coin Battle mode, which first appeared in 2001 in Melee. Simply beat the crap out of each other to nab the most heart coins until one player reaches the limit. Granted, there’s enough here for this game to differentiate itself from “Smash Bros”, but it’s not enough for us to hunt down a copy of this Japan-exclusive.

#7: “Digimon Rumble Arena” (2002)

For those of us that grew up as “Digimon” fans, this was a dream come true. “Digimon Rumble Arena” played just like “Smash Bros” except it featured some of our favorite Digimon characters. It even had a neat mechanic where characters could transform into more powerful creatures over the course of a fight. Unfortunately, the game fell short with its stiff controls, which caused many of us to start button-mashing. “Digimon Rumble Arena” was decent at best, yet that didn’t stop some of us from getting the sequel, which was admittedly a significant improvement.

#6: “Slap City” (2018)

One of the many indie titles trying to break into the competitive “Smash Bros” scene, “Slap City” is among the few that don’t take themselves too seriously. One look at the unfortunately small roster will have you giggling. You’ve got a ruby that dresses up like Zorro (among other costumes), a businessman that thinks everyday is Casual Friday, and a muscled duck-platypus-fish thing! While the game has a unique charm to its art style, some players may find it a little too basic for their tastes. No matter which side of the coin you’re on, “Slap City” has a promising future, just not promising enough to to really compete with “Smash Bros.”

#5: “Indie Pogo” (2018)

If you’re the type of “Smash Bros” player that tends towards aerial attacks, then “Indie Pogo” might be right up your alley. Players are forced to constantly think about their positioning as you can get spiked or sent flying at any given moment. Of course, we can’t forget about the cast of characters. “Indie Pogo” stars some of the most iconic characters in indie video games like Shovel Knight, Octodad, Commander Video, and Lilac from “Freedom Planet”. Yes, it’s clearly doing its own take on the “Smash Bros” formula and does it well, but it’s similar enough to deserve a spot on this list.

#4: “Brawlhalla” (2017)

Developed by Blue Mammoth Games, “Brawlhalla” has succeeded in finding its own competitive scene, but the“Smash Bros.” comparisons are still inevitable. While the game does have a sizeable roster, the appearance of each character is where the diversity stops. You’ll often find movesets to be far too similar to that of another character, which could turn off those looking for unique playstyles. On a more positive note, the stages are well-designed and the items aren’t generally unbalanced enough to frustrate anyone. Unfortunately, with the announcement of Rayman’s debut in “Brawlhalla”, it looks like our hopes of having him in “Smash” are dashed.

#3: “Rivals of Aether” (2015)

And here we have yet ANOTHER indie game trying to go toe-to-toe with “Smash Bros”! “Rivals of Aether” is one of the few “Smash-like” games that actually manages to stand on its own two feet. Not only does it boast excellent character animations and exciting action, but the game also manages to shake up the formula by adding in elemental abilities. These attacks can affect the stage’s layout as well as a status effect on your opponent. Our complaint with the game is the relatively small roster of fourteen characters, six of which are DLC. But if roster size doesn’t bug you too much, you might really enjoy “Rivals of Aether”.

#2: “Brawlout” (2018)

Watch out Nintendo, it seems as if the indies as gunning for you. To its credit, there is some appeal to “BrawlOut” that makes it worth checking out. The game features an original cast as well as a few guest fighters such as Juan from “Guacamelee” and Yooka & Laylee from “Yooka-Laylee”. Unfortunately, the uninspired stages and modest roster of twenty-four fighters is where it falls short. It also doesn’t help that unlocking stuff feels like it takes an eternity! Just like every other game on this list however, it can briefly fill the void in our life between “Smash Bros” instalment.

#1: “PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale” (2012)

When it comes to “Smash Bros” carbon copies, “PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale” almost always comes up. There’s plenty of reasons it’s been called “Smash Bros for PlayStation. For starters, you have an all-star roster of PlayStation icons in addition to a few third-party characters. Then, there’s the actual gameplay and stage layouts, both if which are very reminiscent. To its credit, the game did try to distinguish itself by focusing on building meters to score KO’s rather than having players knock each other off the stages. Sadly, this concept was off-putting for some players, and it was frustrating that patches barely changed the unbalanced gameplay. Please, don’t pick Kratos!