Super Smash Bros. Ultimate announced not too long ago that Minecraft's Steve would be the next DLC character to join the fray. Now, the latest entry in the "Mr. Sakurai Presents" series breaks Steve down and reveals that he has some of the most complex and nuanced gameplay in Smash Bros. history. His mechanics revolve around his ability to mine and craft his tools, something unique to his character and reflective of the Minecraft universe he comes from.
Minecraft's most essential and prevalent aspects are mining materials, and then using those same materials to craft the tools necessary for exploring, building, and fighting. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has adapted that ability for Steve to use in combat, and before his release, Sakurai has given an in-depth explanation about how the whole system works. There's a lot to take in, so this writing will provide the gist of it.
Before Steve can craft anything, he, of course, needs to mine. There are five primary materials that the player needs to look out for when mining, as they determine the durability and power of the tools that Steve creates. From weakest to strongest, these materials are wood, stone, iron, gold, and diamond. The player will mine different materials depending on where they're standing on the stage when they press Steve's neutral special.
The only time Steve will not mine materials based on his environment is if the player picks Battlefield stages or Final Destination stages. In these situations, Nintendo recognizes that players are looking for a test of skill when they pick these arenas. Thus, to eliminate any chance of randomness, Steve will mine materials in a predetermined order.
To craft an item, players will need to visit the crafting table, which appears at Steve's spawn point or wherever the player summons it on the map. Every tool in Steve's Smash Bros. arsenal has limited durability and will break if the player doesn't use the crafting table to restore them throughout the match. Steve will automatically craft and fix all of his tools with his best materials whenever he visits a crafting table.
Crafting comes into play with all of Steve's moves and abilities, so the player will want to mash his neutral special whenever they're not attacking or defending, similar to Inkling and her paint. That said, though, they'll want to keep an eye on the material gauge just above Steve's damage meter because they'll throw away materials he's already holding onto if they try to mine while the gauge is full.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is on Nintendo Switch.