Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Grounded 2
  • The Fantastic Four: First Steps
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 Starter Pack
Recommended reading
Splatoon 3
Co-op Games The 25 best multiplayer Switch games you can play today
Banjo and Kazooie next to the Duck Hunt Duo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Super Smash Bros Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch 2 has fixed the most annoying bit of loading the fighting game has to offer, even without a proper next-gen update
Street Fighter 6 screenshot on Switch 2 showing Mai going up against a truck on normal difficulty
Fighting Games I've played 200 hours of Street Fighter 6, and the Switch 2 version is a perfectly fine companion piece – even if it could never be the ideal platform
Key art for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, showing fighters including Mario, Link, Bowser, and Inkling.
Super Smash Bros "Everyone is here": the three magic words that made Super Smash Bros. Ultimate one of Nintendo's greatest achievements
Elden Ring Nightreign screenshot of three characters walking side by side
Action RPGs Marathon and Elden Ring Nightreign have a common problem: the solo experience is way worse, and I can't help but think nailing your game to teams of 3 is a mistake in 2025
Mii fighter in smash ultimate
Super Smash Bros Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Nintendo Switch 2 journey isn't going too smoothly as Nintendo asks "please avoid using Mii Fighter in online play as much as possible"
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Puzzle Games Best local multiplayer Switch games to play in 2025
  1. Games
  2. Fighting
  3. Super Smash Bros
  4. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS

Super Smash Bros. 3DS might be more fun solo than in multiplayer

News
By Henry Gilbert published 11 June 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Born to run

Born to run

Played side by side, its difficult for the 3DS version of Smash Bros. to keep up with the Wii U iteration. Smashing on consoles means HD visuals on a large screen, all playable with multiple controller types. Despite the advantages of portability, how can the 3DS release even compare? Well, at E3, the handheld iteration of the fighter is easily the most fun to play in single player.

The E3 2014 demo of Super Smash Bros. 3DS has the expected four player matches over wifi, which are enjoyable even if the screen feels a little cramped. But things get more unpredictable when I entered the Smash Run mode. Played solo, Smash Run begins by dropping you into the a massive sidescrolling stage thats randomly generated. Your chosen character searches out treasure to collect and opponents to fight, gaining items that boost your characters stats. It becomes a lengthy platfomer filled with well-known Nintendo enemies like Shy Guys and Dodongos getting wiped out by the likes of Samus and Mega Man. If you dreamed of seeing Little Mac knock out one of Super Marios Hammer Bros., this is your chance.

Beating up enemies earns boosts to stats like strength and speed, making your fighter uniquely skilled by the time they reach the end of Smash Runs five minute time limit. At that point, your uniquely skilled version of Fox McCloud or whoever faces off against other altered characters in a brief battle with somewhat random rule sets. The previous exploration defines your character and makes you extra invested in the outcome but even if you lose, Smash Run is still great solo fun for the time invested. Smash Run is exclusive to the 3DS version, so it looks like youll have something beyond multiplayer to keep you company while waiting several weeks for the Wii U version.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
Smash Run allows for some very surprising battles

Smash Run allows for some very surprising battles

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
I never expected to see Samus dodging projectiles from an Ocktorok

I never expected to see Samus dodging projectiles from an Ocktorok

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
The randomness of Smash Run means you can get surrounded by enemies with little warning

The randomness of Smash Run means you can get surrounded by enemies with little warning

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Mario doesn't seem all that fazed by this dangerous situation

Mario doesn't seem all that fazed by this dangerous situation

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
One of the more dangerous final match variations

One of the more dangerous final match variations

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
My Smash Run ended with this take on New Super Mario Bros. 2. You win by grabbing more coins than anyone else

My Smash Run ended with this take on New Super Mario Bros. 2. You win by grabbing more coins than anyone else

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
CATEGORIES
Nintendo Platforms
Henry Gilbert
Henry Gilbert
Social Links Navigation

Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts. 

See more Nintendo News
Read more
Splatoon 3
The 25 best multiplayer Switch games you can play today
Banjo and Kazooie next to the Duck Hunt Duo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch 2 has fixed the most annoying bit of loading the fighting game has to offer, even without a proper next-gen update
Street Fighter 6 screenshot on Switch 2 showing Mai going up against a truck on normal difficulty
I've played 200 hours of Street Fighter 6, and the Switch 2 version is a perfectly fine companion piece – even if it could never be the ideal platform
Key art for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, showing fighters including Mario, Link, Bowser, and Inkling.
"Everyone is here": the three magic words that made Super Smash Bros. Ultimate one of Nintendo's greatest achievements
Elden Ring Nightreign screenshot of three characters walking side by side
Marathon and Elden Ring Nightreign have a common problem: the solo experience is way worse, and I can't help but think nailing your game to teams of 3 is a mistake in 2025
Mii fighter in smash ultimate
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Nintendo Switch 2 journey isn't going too smoothly as Nintendo asks "please avoid using Mii Fighter in online play as much as possible"
Latest in Super Smash Bros
Princess Peach winks at the screen in Super Smash Bros mod Smash Remix
Massive Super Smash Bros. mod adds the N64 fighting game's actual announcer, and its new 15-minute trailer rivals Masahiro Sakurai's best work
Masahiro Sakurai with his dead Xbox 360
"We must change our methods": Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai says game development has become "too time consuming and unsustainable"
Banjo and Kazooie next to the Duck Hunt Duo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch 2 has fixed the most annoying bit of loading the fighting game has to offer, even without a proper next-gen update
Mii fighter in smash ultimate
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Nintendo Switch 2 journey isn't going too smoothly as Nintendo asks "please avoid using Mii Fighter in online play as much as possible"
Fox from Star Fox surfs on a space ship against a cloudy sky
Super Smash Bros. Melee pro loses $2k tournament final to a glitch after falling through the stage: "There's just no way"
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Isabelle
I regret to inform you that the unofficial Smash Bros. dating app has been shut down, a day before its open beta
Latest in News
An orange car in The Crew.
Ubisoft CEO addresses Stop Killing Games after overseeing the deaths of The Crew and XDefiant: "Support for all games cannot last forever"
Secrets of the Silent Witch Monica crying face
By some miracle one of my favorite niche novel series has an amazing anime adaptation competing with My Dress-Up Darling, Gachiakuta, and Kaiju No. 8 for best summer 2025 anime
Madelyn Cline in the I Know What You Did Last Summer trailer
I Know What You Did Last Summer director says this whole thing could have been avoided "if men went to therapy," because "if you have the right tools, that pain is maybe not then turned into a murder spree"
Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan MacGregor) prepare for a lightsaber duel in Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Qui-Gon Jinn actor Liam Neeson admits he's "lost track" of Star Wars spin-offs when asked about Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 rumors
Link falling during one of the best Switch 2 games The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 2 Edition).
"3,660 hours" in, Zelda's strongest soldier is farming max stacks of everything in Tears of the Kingdom by hand for a world-first: "You'll find me to be a man of my word"
Alan Ritchson showing off his massive muscles as Jack Reacher
James Gunn addresses DCU Batman casting rumors, says he's a "big fan" of potential Bruce Wayne actor Alan Ritchson, but "let's just wait and see what happens"
  1. DK and Pauline look surprised in Donkey Kong Bananza
    1
    Donkey Kong Bananza Review: "Destruction isn't just a flashy gimmick for the Minecraft generation, it's one of the best inventions Nintendo has had in years"
  2. 2
    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: "A nostalgic, must-play hit for fans"
  3. 3
    College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf”
  4. 4
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  5. 5
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...