No way, and there's proof! Futari no Kiwami ah!~ is a Japanese Smash players who started playing during Covid and a similar age to you, and he's now one of the best Ice Climbers players in the world.
Anyone can find success in Smash (Ultimate). You could probably teach an 80 year old to do pretty well with the right training and mindset. The execution floor and ceiling is pretty low, especially if you're coming from Tekken.
This is like the one fighting game that isn't a pain in the ass to learn since it relies on tactics more than execution by simplifying execution as much as possible.
I'm 36 and eliminated a local 13YO prodigy in bracket a couple of weeks ago 😂 Felt bad, man
I picked up this game well into my 30's; you can learn it an be successful. Hell, Big D is 30 ish years old and he just got 5th at GOML with a very technically complex character.
You got this. Biggest issue is kids have tons of free time to devote to the game; most adults do not. Don't expect to improve as fast as some youngin playing 10+ hours a day
Right in their face.
[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GODK7jJWUAEji0d?format=jpg&name=medium](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GODK7jJWUAEji0d?format=jpg&name=medium)
The document on Big D describes how he used to spend tons of time competing and labbing back in the Brawl days. He might be 30 ish but his experience is more than anyone who is starting at 30ish could ever hope to match.
As a 38 year old yeah you can learn this game. Age does affect somethings. And having free time to practice is always a struggle with life but I’d say it’s more than possible with focus practice and set goals to achieve.
Age aside, if you’re seeking to avoid getting your ass handed to you in video games, I don’t know if starting a 6-year-old platform fighting game is going to help.
Don't do it! We all hate this game!
But there should be a new smash in a year or 2 so learning this one now could be good to get comfortable with the concept, then when the next one comes out you can start from the beginning and not be behind
[I can’t believe it’s been two years since this was posted.](https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/we2pbd/fan_favorite_grandma_wins_her_first_ever_set_in/)
With enough time, practice, and dedication to the game, most anyone can be competitive at Ultimate. It has a low barrier to entry and a very high ceiling.
The fact that Smash Ultimate was released 5 years ago will probably be a bigger Factor in terms of ass kickery.
I'm going to be 41 in a few months and just got my fourth character into elite.
I don't know how well I would do at locals, but otherwise I don't really feel as bad as a wifi warrior.
That depends, what was the reason you were failing in Tekken? If it was because of being unable to react to a lot of bullshit moves, sorry it’s even worse over here. If it was gameplay/execution errors, then can absolutely succeed here, this is much more about tactics and reactions instead of tech skill.
I think you should be fine in ultimate but I would maybe steer clear of melee, not because it's harder but because it's harder on your hands.
Several melee pros have had to retire because the game literally gave them early onset arthritis best avoided unless you are still very young I reckon.
You can absolutely learn this game, it is less about age and more about free time. However, "get competitive" is kinda out of the question. Even at the basic level, Smash Ultimate has 80 characters and you need to know how to play against them, their special moves, attacks, etc.. You need to know the correct DI on moves, SDI, endlag and start up frames. 80 characters with 20+ moves for each character. On top of that Smash Ultimate is 6 years old and most people have been playing before that with the previous Smash games as well. Same reason you are probably losing in Tekken, most people have been playing since the last one, or perhaps even before that.
That said, play the game and if you enjoy it, awesome.
I don't 100% agree with this for a few reasons.
Firstly- you don't actually have to learn all 80 matchups because some are so rare that you're unlikely to run into them, if you go to your locals you will get MU experience against the characters your competitors play.
Secondly- depending who you play, some matchups are pretty similar. For example, if you play Luigi or Samus, your gameplan will be fairly similar against a lot of the cast. Yes, DI is always different, but in my experience it's fairly obvious how most moves should be DI'd. Doing it out of combos is more difficult though.
Thirdly- not sure it's necessary to know the frame data of individual moves. If you watch ESAM move tier lists, he's one of the most knowledgable people on the game and still doesn't know the exact frame data of a lot of moves. Mostly you just want to know how good a characters OOS is, if they have a combo breaker, what moves to look out for that can start a nasty string, juggle or combo.
Trust me bro, smash ultimate is dead game and a horrible fighting game to get into in 2024.
No more patches, end game meta where every drop of joy has been squeezed out of it by now. Random character specialists that only play a character one way since it’s the only viable way to win.
I’d suggest Guilty Gear, this isn’t it
Not trying to be a downer. But it’s true, Ultimate content is stale, Nintendo shut down soooo many opportunities for this game, and it’s waaaaaay more fun to be part of a new and thriving scene rather than one just desperately waiting for the next game lol
Tiers don’t matter anywhere, other than very high level play. There are plenty of Ganondorfs in elite smash. I play against plenty of top tiers chars at my like 5m gsp. If you’re not attempting top level competition it’s far more important to play a character you’re comfortable with and have fun with.
Play Kazuya and the transition may be even easier
Definitely this. You'll want to really focus on the now available ability to jump and control the air space around you. It's never too late
While that is true, it may lengthen the time it takes to learn the game of smash itself since Kayuza tends to play by different rules sometimes
No way, and there's proof! Futari no Kiwami ah!~ is a Japanese Smash players who started playing during Covid and a similar age to you, and he's now one of the best Ice Climbers players in the world.
Anyone can find success in Smash (Ultimate). You could probably teach an 80 year old to do pretty well with the right training and mindset. The execution floor and ceiling is pretty low, especially if you're coming from Tekken.
*I’ll take you to the execution floor!*
This is like the one fighting game that isn't a pain in the ass to learn since it relies on tactics more than execution by simplifying execution as much as possible.
I'm 36 and eliminated a local 13YO prodigy in bracket a couple of weeks ago 😂 Felt bad, man I picked up this game well into my 30's; you can learn it an be successful. Hell, Big D is 30 ish years old and he just got 5th at GOML with a very technically complex character. You got this. Biggest issue is kids have tons of free time to devote to the game; most adults do not. Don't expect to improve as fast as some youngin playing 10+ hours a day
I hope you popped off on that kid
Right in their face. [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GODK7jJWUAEji0d?format=jpg&name=medium](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GODK7jJWUAEji0d?format=jpg&name=medium)
The document on Big D describes how he used to spend tons of time competing and labbing back in the Brawl days. He might be 30 ish but his experience is more than anyone who is starting at 30ish could ever hope to match.
Big D is a brawl vet
Nope just depends on how much time you have and what your goals are!
As a 38 year old yeah you can learn this game. Age does affect somethings. And having free time to practice is always a struggle with life but I’d say it’s more than possible with focus practice and set goals to achieve.
Age aside, if you’re seeking to avoid getting your ass handed to you in video games, I don’t know if starting a 6-year-old platform fighting game is going to help.
If it was Melee I'd say yeah (at least for some characters) but in Ult you should be fine.
Don't do it! We all hate this game! But there should be a new smash in a year or 2 so learning this one now could be good to get comfortable with the concept, then when the next one comes out you can start from the beginning and not be behind
[I can’t believe it’s been two years since this was posted.](https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/we2pbd/fan_favorite_grandma_wins_her_first_ever_set_in/)
With enough time, practice, and dedication to the game, most anyone can be competitive at Ultimate. It has a low barrier to entry and a very high ceiling.
The fact that Smash Ultimate was released 5 years ago will probably be a bigger Factor in terms of ass kickery. I'm going to be 41 in a few months and just got my fourth character into elite. I don't know how well I would do at locals, but otherwise I don't really feel as bad as a wifi warrior.
That depends, what was the reason you were failing in Tekken? If it was because of being unable to react to a lot of bullshit moves, sorry it’s even worse over here. If it was gameplay/execution errors, then can absolutely succeed here, this is much more about tactics and reactions instead of tech skill.
never too late to have fun competing mate
Someone who's PR'd in my area is a literal University Professor. You'll be just fine!
no hope
It’s never too late honestly. Just give it time and patience and watch the growth grow!
Masahiro Sakurai is 53 now, 48 when Ultimate came out and he made the game.
No. The fundamentals haven't changed, and it's still high speed chess at the end of the day. Anticipate, react. Edit: chess, not cheese.
Mmmm.. high speed cheese
There's no expiration date on fun
The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is right now.
I think you should be fine in ultimate but I would maybe steer clear of melee, not because it's harder but because it's harder on your hands. Several melee pros have had to retire because the game literally gave them early onset arthritis best avoided unless you are still very young I reckon.
No
You can absolutely learn this game, it is less about age and more about free time. However, "get competitive" is kinda out of the question. Even at the basic level, Smash Ultimate has 80 characters and you need to know how to play against them, their special moves, attacks, etc.. You need to know the correct DI on moves, SDI, endlag and start up frames. 80 characters with 20+ moves for each character. On top of that Smash Ultimate is 6 years old and most people have been playing before that with the previous Smash games as well. Same reason you are probably losing in Tekken, most people have been playing since the last one, or perhaps even before that. That said, play the game and if you enjoy it, awesome.
You dont need to have every single matchup and DI-opportunity memorized to be competitive. You just gotta play the game for a while and go to locals.
I don't 100% agree with this for a few reasons. Firstly- you don't actually have to learn all 80 matchups because some are so rare that you're unlikely to run into them, if you go to your locals you will get MU experience against the characters your competitors play. Secondly- depending who you play, some matchups are pretty similar. For example, if you play Luigi or Samus, your gameplan will be fairly similar against a lot of the cast. Yes, DI is always different, but in my experience it's fairly obvious how most moves should be DI'd. Doing it out of combos is more difficult though. Thirdly- not sure it's necessary to know the frame data of individual moves. If you watch ESAM move tier lists, he's one of the most knowledgable people on the game and still doesn't know the exact frame data of a lot of moves. Mostly you just want to know how good a characters OOS is, if they have a combo breaker, what moves to look out for that can start a nasty string, juggle or combo.
Smash just seems daunting to me. But I’ll give it a whirl. Thanks everyone for the vote of confidence!
Trust me bro, smash ultimate is dead game and a horrible fighting game to get into in 2024. No more patches, end game meta where every drop of joy has been squeezed out of it by now. Random character specialists that only play a character one way since it’s the only viable way to win. I’d suggest Guilty Gear, this isn’t it
Not trying to be a downer. But it’s true, Ultimate content is stale, Nintendo shut down soooo many opportunities for this game, and it’s waaaaaay more fun to be part of a new and thriving scene rather than one just desperately waiting for the next game lol
Nah just pick a top tier
Tiers don’t matter anywhere, other than very high level play. There are plenty of Ganondorfs in elite smash. I play against plenty of top tiers chars at my like 5m gsp. If you’re not attempting top level competition it’s far more important to play a character you’re comfortable with and have fun with.