Sephiroth ‘Smash Ultimate’ Release Date Announced, Early Access Available Now

Nintendo has announced when Sephiroth will join the roster of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and is giving early adopters a chance to play as the Final Fantasy boss days before his official release.

Sephiroth will be available starting December 22. The character will be free for those who purchased the Fighters Pass 2, but players who want to buy Sephiroth individually can also do so.

However, if you’ve already purchased Fighters Pass 2, then starting December 17 at 6 p.m. EST, a brand-new, limited-time mode will appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. “Sephiroth Challenge” will allow players to challenge the villain as a boss character.

Nintendo

There will be three difficulty modes to choose from: Easy, Normal, Very Hard. Defeat Sephiroth in this mode just once and you’ll gain access to the character ahead of time. However, only those who’ve purchased Fighters Pass 2 will have access to this mode and will be able to unlock Sephiroth before his official release date.

Unlocking Sephiroth will also unlock the new Northern Cave stage that was showcased during the stream. This new stage is based on the final battle of Final Fantasy VII.

All of this info was delivered during Thursday’s special Sephiroth Super Smash Bros. Ultimate stream, during which series director Masahiro Sakurai also broke down how the villainous character plays in Ultimate.

Sakurai also explained that the initial plan was that, if you failed to defeat Sephiroth in the difficulty that you first chose, you won’t be able to unlock the character until its December 22 release date. They wanted to make it challenging for those who chose the Very Hard difficulty, but the team ultimately decided to cancel that plan.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players only have until December 22 at 8 p.m. EDT to try and unlock Sephiroth early.

To participate in “Sephiroth Challenge,” players will have to pre-order Challengers Pack 8, which contains Sephiroth, or purchase Fighters Pass 2. Fighters Pass 2 includes Min Min from ARMS! and Minecraft Steve, along with Sephiroth and three more characters who are to be determined at a later date.

The Fighters Pass 2 also includes special custom items for Mii Fighters and much more. Fighters Pass 2 is available now for $29.99. Pre-orders for Challengers Pack 8 are up now and cost $5.99.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch.

How do you think Sephiroth looks in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? Let us know in the comments section.