For years, many have considered Super Smash Bros. Melee to be the best Smash game for competitive play, and with a competitive scene going on for almost 20 years now, it's not hard to see why. And although many subsequent Super Smash Bros. games have been well received, for quite some time fans of the series have modded newer Smash games in order to make them play and feel more like Melee, such as the Project M mod for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
In Smash mods like Project M, not only did fans and modders alike change the physics of Brawl to match those of Super Smash Bros. Melee, but alternate costumes, new stages, and even new characters were added to the game as well, like Knuckles the Echidna. However, one team of modders has now found a way to bring new content and even new characters to Melee itself through modding with The Akaneia Build.
Over on Twitter, the Team Akaneia account announced The Akaneia Build, a mod for Super Smash Bros. Melee which brings new "viable and authentic" content to the game. In a thread of Tweets, the modding team led by Smash modder UnclePunch announced the mod, along with new alternate costumes for characters, past stages from the original Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64, a new Volleyball mode, and most notably, the addition of Wolf from Star Fox as a playable character.
Although the iconic Star Fox villain wasn't officially added to Super Smash Bros. until Brawl in 2008, Wolf quickly became a fan favorite for many, being a heavy hitter with incredible mobility at the same time, and translating the character's moveset into Melee makes Wolf look like even more of a threat. Professional Super Smash Bros. Melee players quickly took to testing out the modded character, like 2018 Evo champion Leffen, who even exclaimed that this new mod stands as proof that the Melee modding scene is evolving. Although Wolf can currently be downloaded and played with The Akaneia Build, the mod's patch notes state that the character is currently still in development.
The Akaneia Build is considered by many to be groundbreaking for the Melee modding scene. This brand new mod uses the special m-ex system, and is compatible with many popular Game Cube emulators like Dolphin and Nintendont. The Akaneia Build can even be played online with Slippi, which adds online play to Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Although Wolf made his return to Smash in 2018 with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it is certainly exciting for many to see new life being breathed into an older Smash game. It will be interesting to see what else The Akaneia Build and other Melee mods bring to the game in the future.