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SMASH.NES

The Book

Four fighters. One platform. Get them off it.

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Your first match

Smash title screen showing a mode-selection box over a blue sky, with P1 VS P2 selected.
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  1. W / S picks a mode.
  2. Enter or J opens fighter select.
Choose the match.The title screen begins at the mode list.

Start a match

Section titled “Start a match”

Open Play, click the game for keyboard focus, then choose a title option with W / S and press Enter or J. In the lobby, choose the first fighter with A / D. In a CPU mode, choose the second with W / S. Press Enter or J to begin.

Fighter lobby showing Mario, Simon, Tommy, and Rizer in a two-by-two selection grid, with Simon selected in green.
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  1. The red frame is P1. A / D chooses a fighter.
  2. The green frame belongs to P2.
  3. Enter or J starts the fight.
Pick a fighter.The lobby holds all four fighters in one connected grid.

Choose P1 VS AI for a first game. Move with A / D, jump with W, jab with J, and use a special with K.

Read the battle

Section titled “Read the battle”
Opening battle screen with Mario on the left, Simon on the right, both at zero percent, and a single brick platform between them.
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  1. Damage is not health: a bigger % means a bigger shove.
  2. P1 starts on the left.
  3. Catch the top to land. Jump through it from below.
The round opens clean.Mario and Simon begin apart on one long platform.

The percentage below each name is accumulated damage: higher damage sends a fighter farther when hit. Leave an edge, turn back, and use your jumps to return.

Press Tab to leave the player. In the lobby, Select returns to the title; in battle, hold Start + Select. Continue with controls, fighters, or combat and recovery.

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Controls

Know yourButtons

Keyboard → NES

Tap. Release. Tap again.

Two jumps!

Mario throws a fireball.

Hold left or right.

Get close. Tap to hit.

An original Nintendo NES controller, photographed from directly above

DD-pad RightMove right

Mario rises over the left side of the platform while Simon stays grounded.
Save a jump for the way back.
Mario extends his kick on the left. Simon stands beyond its reach, at zero damage.
Too far. This kick misses.

In battle, A / D moves, W jumps, J jabs, and K uses your special. Release W and press it again in the air for the second jump.

Two jumps. Two fresh presses.

  1. 1Press W

    Mario leaves the ground after the first Up press. Simon remains on the platform.
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    1. Tap W to leave the ground.
    Press WThe first press lifts Mario off the platform.

  2. 2Let go!

    Mario falls after the first jump with Up released.
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    1. Let go of W. You still have a jump.
    Let go!Up stays released as the first jump ends.

  3. 3Press W again

    A fresh Up press sends Mario upward again before he lands.
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    1. Tap W again. Back up you go.
    Press W againThe second fresh press reverses the fall.

Holding W won’t spend both jumps. Land to get them back.

At the title, W / S chooses an option and Enter or J confirms. In the lobby, A / D selects P1; W / S selects the other fighter in CPU modes. Enter + ’ returns to the title during battle.

Why did held J stop after one jab?

Each press accepts one action. Release J before pressing it again.

On touch, Up jumps, A jabs, and B uses a special. Click or tap the game before playing; controls release when it or the browser loses focus. The keyboard map is P1 only.

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Meet the fighters

All four move and jump alike. Pick your attack.

Mario

Short jab. Bouncing fireball. Follow the shot.

Mario on the left with a small fireball between him and Simon on the right; both damage counters remain at zero percent.
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  1. K launches a fireball.
  2. Follow the shot. Use J when you get close.
A fireball crosses the gap.Mario’s projectile is visible between the two fighters.

Simon

Long whip. An axe that rises, then falls.

Simon stands on the left while his thrown axe rises above the platform.
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  1. K throws the axe up and forward.
Throw over their head.Simon’s axe climbs before it falls.

Tommy

No projectile. The longest kick.

Tommy holds a high extended kick on the left. Simon stands on the right.
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  1. Press K for the longer kick. Keep steering.
Put a foot through the gap.Tommy’s special is a kick.

Rizer

A fast, straight bullet. Fire from the air.

Rizer curls in the air with a small bullet to his right. Simon remains grounded.
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  1. W, then K: the bullet travels straight.
  2. He keeps the curl while airborne.
Shoot on the way through.Rizer fires without leaving his airborne curl.
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Spacing, damage, and recovery

Find the distance

Section titled “Find the distance”
Mario extends his kick on the left. Simon stands beyond its reach, at zero damage.
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  1. Too far! The kick misses.
  2. Simon is still at 0% — no hit spark.
This jab misses.The extended kick stops short; neither counter changes.

Get inside an attack’s reach before committing. A jab can miss when you are too far away; a special can cover more space.

Build damage

Section titled “Build damage”
Mario’s kick connects with Simon. A spark appears at contact, Simon rises in a hurt pose, and his damage reads 6%.
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  1. J connects. Look for the spark.
  2. Simon goes from 0% to 6%.
  3. The hit lifts Simon into his hurt pose.
That one lands.Close the gap: the same jab now hits.

Hits add percentage and knock fighters sideways. More percentage means farther knockback, so push an opponent toward an edge while protecting your own position.

Recover

Section titled “Recover”

Walk off an edge, turn inward, and tap W while falling. Release it and tap again only if you need the second jump. The platform catches you while you fall onto it; there is no ledge grab. Crossing a side or bottom boundary respawns you at zero percent.

For the exact rules, see physics and contact.

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You know the buttons. Go find the edge.

Play a match ↗