Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a quirky gem carnival

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a blockbuster release for fans of all sorts of levels of commitment and skill, but it, like the releases before it, is a particular joy for those who love the sort of quirky properties that never leave Japan. In the past, it came through the collectible trophies, but those were limited by resources and (often) availability of 3D models. As a result, the number that came from the more obscure releases was understandably limited. Ultimate‘s Spirits system changes this in very real ways.

Of course, with the full roster of characters returning, there are still even playable fighters that hail from realms undiscovered in the West: Lucas (Mother 3) and Roy (Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade). At this point, one would think their level of exposure would have resulted in localizing their originating titles, but… that’s a talk for another day.

Instead, let’s talk about the profoundly weird, Michibiku-tastic stuff that can be found. So Michibiku-tastic that, um, we’ve definitely covered them! Check these out:

Marvelous: Another Treasure Island: Dion, Max and Jack
This is a gem of a title, and a must-play for fans of Zelda games! Check it out in our SNES imports guide.

Jam with the Band: Barbara the Bat
We played the Europe-only English version of the game for you to watch! It made our DS import recommendation list, and its Japan-only sequel made the 3DS one.

Tomato Adventure: DeMille, Tomatrio
We explain this game’s role as the predecessor to Mario & Luigi here.

Napoleon: Alessandro Inzaghi
It’s a great GBA import!

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan: Ouendan, Ouendan Cheerleaders
You may already know about these Japanese games that were modified to become Elite Beat Agents in the West. They’re great options for your DS!

Sennen Kazoku: Cupid
Sutte Hakkun: Hakkun
These are some of those pretty good indieszero games you probably didn’t play. We played Sutte Hakkun! It’s a lot of fun.

Giftpia: Mappo
A quirky title from the makers of Chibi-Robo, it’s part of our GameCube imports guide.

And-Kensaku: Ando Kensaku
Google and Nintendo made a video game! It’s weird. See it in action.

Kuru Kuru Kururin: Helirin
This series about rotating craft navigating small spaces has wonderful, import-friendly entries for both GBA and GameCube.

Joy Mech Fight: Sukapon
It’s a really novel fighting game that gets around the limitations of Nintendo’s 8-bit hardware in creative ways. It has cool robots. It’s a great Famicom import, and it’s on 3DS Virtual Console.

Devil World: Tamagon, Devil
It takes the Pac-Man formula and gets way more fiendish. We didn’t get it because of, you know, the devil thing.

Disaster: Day of Crisis: Raymond Bryce
It’s one of those games you can grab from Europe and play in English.

ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat: Aisya
Soma Bringer: Welt, Idea
You can read about these games here!

Panel de Pon: Lip
We know this series in the West as Puzzle League and Tetris Attack! The Japanese games actually have original characters. It’s as well-crafted and accessible as other Nintendo puzzlers. The GameCube version is stellar.

We’re still hoping to introduce you to even more cool import games that made an appearance in Smash, so don’t be surprised to see the ones below on the site in the near future.

Captain Rainbow: Captain Rainbow, Nick
Zangeki no Reginleiv: Frey & Freya
For the Frog the Bell Tolls: Frog & Snake, Prince of Sable, Prince Richard
Nintendoji: Kageshira Kurabe
Kurikin Nano Island Story: Kurikin
Card Hero: Satoru, Maruo Maruhige
Nintendo Pocket Football Club: Pocket Football Player
Nonono Puzzle Chailien: Li’l Blue
Slide Adventure MAGKID: Magkid