Smash 5 was recently revealed at E3 2018, and what we’ve seen so far is bound to make any Smash fan race for their GameCube controller.

Often described as the definitive Smash experience, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is often shorthanded by fans as Smash 5. From the presentation to the meta to the tiny details, the fanbase is eager to pick apart all of the aspects of the final build.

For now, we have the demo to work off of, which has given us a lot of great information. Some basic stuff has been announced officially by Nintendo, but other information is part of what the fanbase has dug up.

Until we have the final release of Smash 5 on December 7, 2018, here are the best things coming to the Switch’s Smash Bros..

1. Shorthop damage divider:

For those who don’t know, shorthopping is just what it sounds like: pressing the jump button quickly, as opposed to holding the jump button. It is a technique often used by pro gamers to get off aerial moves in a quick and “safe on shield” manner.

If any or all of that went over your head, then you’re in luck.

A self described “Smash 4 calculator” has the following to say about shorthop attacks:

What that all translates to is this: pro players are potentially at a disadvantage for using this somewhat advanced technique. This may even the playing ground, but also opens up for longer combo strings, as the knockback is also slightly lower on shorthop aerials. Our hope is that our next point prevents the longer combos altogether.

2. Faster blast animations:

The blast animation for all moves is incredibly fast. I’d venture to say that they are nearly as fast as Melee’s. This will increase the speed of gameplay, and give less time to recoveries.

A big part of the time spent in Smash 4 battles is waiting for opponents to make it back to the stage after a big hit. With the blast animations being so quick, I can only imagine that the speed of battles will increase tenfold.

Also, this may lead to a lessened ability to combo. If we’re not able to keep a player in the same place as we’re attacking them, the game will hopefully start to feel more balanced for all levels of players.

3. A more balanced cast:

I main arguably the worst character in Smash 4: Zelda. However, I am lucky enough to see her a lot in the limited demo gameplay, and damn, does she seem buffed.

This is major because Zelda has been pretty bad in the Smash Bros. series nearly since the introduction of her character in Melee. While this is majorly speculation, I feel I have the slight authority as a Zelda main to say that this may mean we have a more balanced cast of fighters this game.

Only time will tell, as we’re seeing some pretty intense matches from characters that were already pretty high in the tiers in the last game. While there are bound to be some characters that naturally rise above the rest, we can rest at ease seeing that the once very broken Bayonetta no longer seems to be the best character in Smash Bros..

4. Every character ever:

Being able to play as every character in Smash history is perhaps the most exciting part about Smash 5. We no longer have to worry and wonder about our favorite character returning, which comes as a great relief.

It was a shame when the Ice Climbers weren’t included in Smash 4 due to the title’s 3DS counterpart not being capable of processing that many characters on-screen (but isn’t Rosalina and Luma basically the same thing?).

Pichu was always so cute, and it was oddly fun playing as him in Melee. While he hurt himself with his electric attacks, it was a decent challenge to come up with ways to hurt your opponent without damaging yourself.

Snake will be great to pick up, as it’s said that he feels a lot like his Brawl counterpart. Also, the Pokémon Trainer is giving me back one of my old mains and all time favorite obscure Smash fighters: Ivysaur.

Any other characters that are announced will be the icing on the cake to the already revealed Ridley and Inkling fighters.

5. GameCube controller compatibility at release:

It was a bit shocking that the GameCube controller wasn’t compatible with Smash 4 for quite a while after the game’s release for the Wii U. This controller is often said to be one of the best fighting game controllers, with amazing button placement and unique shoulder button sensitivity.

Right off the bat, Nintendo announced that the Switch version of Smash Bros. would work with the GameCube adaptor. This immediately showed that the development team was taking the competitive scene seriously from the get-go, which honestly feels like first.

With this sort of support, we can only imagine how Smash 5 will deliver on being the Smash Bros. of our dreams.