If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to be the best Smash Bros. player in the world, you now have your answer.
Super Smash Bros. players are known for their dexterous controller inputs. And there’s no better way to get a sense for just hard playing Smash at the top levels can be than watching the best players in the world hammer away at Gamecube controllers.
Taken from the upper bracket finals at this year’s Evo tournament for Super Smash Bros. Melee, the video is from a set between Kevin “PPMD” Nanney and eventual champion Adam “Armada” Lindgren. Overlayed on the match footage is a Gamecube controller, with each of Lindgren’s inputs showing up on the screen.
It’s an impressive display. Lindgren’s character, Fox, requires deft movements and extreme precision to play at a high level. Some of his button presses are so quick that it’s difficult to see which move they correspond to before he’s on to the next one.
When the game is over, the final tally is impressive. Lindgren manages 708 inputs over the course of the game, making for an average of 250 inputs per minute. For those keeping score, that’s more than four inputs per second on the Gamecube controller, with each and every one of them having a specific purpose.
It’s not far from the keyboard-mashing demands at the highest level of StarCraft, where actions-per-minute, or APM, is a common point of reference. After seeing Lindgren’s flash display, fans may find themselves wanting to see the same measurements in Smash.
Screengrab via Shofu
