Simon Belmont and K Rool revealed for Smash Bros Ultimate

In their most recent online Direct, Nintendo has shed a large amount of light on the Upcoming Super Smash Bros Ultimate, coming to the Switch this December. And it sure is a treasure trove: Simon Belmont from the Castlevania series and King K Rool, Donkey Kong’s arch nemesis has been added to the Smash roster! And that’s not all: in the near-30 minute video, game director Masahiro Sakurai shows off a treasure trove of additional info: three echo fighters, new stages, music, battle modes, and options. The full presentation is just below:

Simon fights using his whip, making him the character with the longest reach in the game. His other attacks will feature the items that can be found in his adventures: axes, crosses, and holy water. Joining Simon is Richter Belmont, who will be available as an echo fighter, and Alucard, who will be an assist trophy. A brand new stage, Dracula’s Castle, looks absolutely stunning and will feature Dracula’s cast of minions including mummies, medusas, and even major bosses like Death. Dracula himself might even appear, although there seems to be some secret about how and when he’ll show up.

K Rool doesn’t seem to have a shiny new stage to welcome him, but DK stages have been a staple in the Smash Bros series from day one so we’re not complaining. His moves are a combination of attacks from across the DK franchise, as well as a bunch of attacks that put his bulky frame to good use. K Rool is a character that’s been highly requested, so it’s great to see him finally included.

Also added to the roster is Metroid Prime’s Dark Samus and Fire Emblem’s Chrom, having missed his chance at a spot last time. They’re only echo fighters, which means they’ll play almost identically to already existing characters: Samus and Ike.

One of the stages brand new to Smash Bros Ultimate is New Donk City Hall, a tour through the urban level from Mario Odyssey. Touching the musicians and Mayor Pauline seems to  trigger the iconic song Jump Up! Superstar. There will be a whopping 103 stages in all, and a brand new option called ‘stage morph’ will allow the stage to morph into a different one mid-battle after a set amount of time.

There has been no news of a story mode yet beyond the Classic Mode that pitches your chosen character against others in sequential battles. However, Sakurai teased a mysterious, important option obscured in the main menu – looks like we’ll hear about that at a later time. In the meantime, you can check out the official Super Smash Bros Ultimate website to get more details about the new reveals.