Two decades after its release, Super Smash Bros. Melee continues to evolve. Just this October at Big House 10, the Japanese-born player aMSa won his first major tournament after nine years of being a pro. What’s more, he won with a low-to-mid tier character who has similarly never won a major before: Yoshi. Shake-ups for a competitive game this far into its life-cycle are few and far between. But for Melee, the future only seems to hold more change and growth.

A major reason for this is the 2020 release of Project Slippi. Being a 21-year-old GameCube game, Melee did not come with the quality of life perks expected of its sequels like Smash Bros. Ultimate. Fans have attempted to make their own mods and versions of the game to modernize Melee, specifically by integrating an online multiplayer system. Most attempts have failed due to the lag, but Project Slippi changed that. Its implementation of rollback netcode made online play as smooth as offline, regardless of how far apart players were. This modification has enabled anyone around the world to play Melee and practice against real people at all levels of play.

Related: Super Smash Bros. Melee's Poké Floats Aren't Actually Balloons

The changes Project Slippi has brought to Melee are beginning to show, and Big House 10 serves as a showcase of this. Of course, aMSa’s big win with Yoshi was the biggest tale of the tournament, but many other players from around the world also caused huge upsets with lower-tiered characters. The top ten featured American, Canadian, Swedish, and Japanese players, and low-tiered Smash Bros. characters Pikachu and Dr. Mario even made their way into the top twenty. Beyond the top players, the tournament also had one of the highest number of participants Big House has ever had. With such a strong outing for Melee, it seems like it's only on the rise.

How Super Smash Bros. Melee Continues To Change

Super Smash Bros. Melee is the best it’s ever been for the larger, casual player base. Though the game’s technicality and high skill ceiling can intimidate newcomers, the amount of accessible mods and players online makes practicing simpler than ever. Famous mods like 20XX have broken down each mechanic and situation in the game and created modes where they can be practiced individually. On top of this, the smoothness of Project Slippi allows players to get fulfilling experiences when fighting online.

Furthermore, the top Super Smash Bros. pros beginning to win with low-to-mid tier picks has made Melee more inviting. For the longest time, it seemed only around five characters were viable in the game. But with Yoshi, Pikachu, and even Dr. Mario scoring big, it appears the game has opened up new doorways for lesser picked fighters. This should be even more appealing for those who play the series’ later installments, as Steve is currently ruining Smash Bros. Ultimate’s meta by limiting the amount of playable characters. Meanwhile, Super Smash Bros. Melee only appears to be growing stronger and more appealing as a game players can push themselves to the limit in by mastering the mechanics and their favorite characters.

Next: Underrated Nintendo Franchises The Next Smash Bros. Game Can't Ignore