Super Smash Bros first unofficial PC port is now available

Super Smash Bros’ first unofficial PC port has arrived

Native PC ports of Nintendo 64 classics have become increasingly common, and it was only a matter of time before Super Smash Bros got an unofficial PC version.

Using AI, a developer called JRickey has created a working PC version of Super Smash Bros called “BattleShip“. This project was built on top of the VetriTheRetri/ssb-decomp-re decompilation, using libultraship for PC-native rendering / audio / input, and Torch for extracting assets from the ROM at build time. In other words, this PC version’s creator didn’t simply give an AI a Super Smash Bros ROM and ask it to build a PC version. This project builds on the work of others and highlights how AI coding can accelerate certain projects.

It’s worth noting that the decompilation project that this port is based on is 99.7% complete. While this PC version will launch and 1-player (1P) Classic Mode is playable, it is in beta and is by no means fully playable or bug-free. It is also only functional using an NTSC-U v1.0 ROM for Super Smash Bros.

(Video from Video Games Esoterica)

Nintendo can’t sink this “BattleShip”

Since this native PC version uses no Super Smash Bros assets, Nintendo has no legal grounds to take it down. Like other native PC ports of Nintendo 64 games, Nintendo has no legal right to take it offline.

Given its heavy reliance on AI, this project is likely to be superseded by a human-made version in time. AI has no shortage of haters, and there are undoubtedly developers who will want to create a human-crafted PC version of Super Smash Bros. Once Super Smash Bros is fully decompiled, we will likely see a range of native PC porting projects emerge. This could include versions with 16:9 widescreen support, support for higher framerates, and more. It could also result in the creation of modded game versions with more characters and features.

You can join the discussion on Super Smash Bros’ PC port on the OC3D Forums.