Based on his game output, Sakurai seems to value a gameplay experience that newcomers can jump into and enjoy, but has plenty of added wrinkles and complexities that the more dedicated player can utilize. Three genres he helped to present in a new light over the years were fighting games, racing games, and shooters. Those games would respectively be represented by the Super Smash Bros. series, the Kirby Air Ride series, and Kid Icarus Uprising.
Super Smash Bros. is often described as the “antithesis” of traditional fighting games, even by Sakurai himself. Instead of relying on combos and strings, Smash uses the damage percentage system to add dynamicism and improvisation to fights. Each fighter in Smash is essentially their own toolbox, with a set lineup of attacks and abilities that can produce endless match combinations given the aforementioned damage percentage framework. Any professional Smash match you see either in person or online will do the rest of the talking.
Kirby Air Ride takes the drifting-centered gameplay that was essential to racers at the time and reworks the drifting and brake mechanics into something new. It combines brake and drift into a single action and gives you a burst of speed upon release. The game also adds depth and complexity with the various vehicles themselves, each coming with their own unique control quirks. While the original GameCube game was a little bare in terms of content and depth, likely due to Sakurai completing the game in only 3 and a half months, the Switch 2 sequel was given ample time to realize the original’s full potential.
And last but not least, Kid Icarus Uprising was conceived by Sakurai after he observed the proliferation of casual-oriented games in the DS generation. He wanted to make a more hardcore-oriented game, plus he wanted to make something that Nintendo’s in-house team likely wouldn’t make themselves (remember this was before Splatoon was even a thing). Sakurai opted to make a shooter, not least of which because he wanted to challenge himself while also coming up with something that would take advantage of the 3DS’s stereoscopic 3D effect. The game’s controls, while not quite as simple as something like Smash or Air Ride, offer near-mouse-like precision with the touchscreen. The breadth and depth of Uprising comes in the various weapon types, goddess powers, and stat bonuses you can find and forge. And those loadouts will come in extra handy in the game’s shockingly robust multiplayer mode.
by Asad_Farooqui