Super Smash Bros. Melee

Build damage, then send rivals flying

Melee brings Nintendo characters together on stages where attacks build a damage percentage before sending opponents flying. That gives positioning a different role from a conventional health-bar fighter: a dangerous hit is also a question of where it sends someone. The original game offers character and stage choices, items, versus battles and solo challenges.

Nintendo · Melee’s original game overview (Japanese)

Choose the engine for what you want to play

The main Source Port compiles the Melee decompilation to native code. The separate Static Recomp engine keeps a route for mods that need the original game code. Both keep the game simulation at 60 Hz; higher display rates use intermediate animation poses instead of changing the pace of the match.

For the Melee 3D mod, version 0.9.1 specifically requires Static Recomp on Windows. That mod is a separate choice, not the default Melee ruleset, and its Source Port support is postponed. Start with the ordinary game before selecting an engine for a particular mod.

Melee Unlocked · project setup, controls and saves · Melee Unlocked · v0.9.1 packages and limitations

Bring the right disc and prepare the first launch

Use your own Melee NTSC 1.02 ISO; the download supplies no game data. For Windows v0.9.1, extract MeleeUnlocked-0.9.1-win64.zip and open MeleeUnlockedLauncher.exe. Drop the ISO onto the Build tab so the launcher can check it and prepare graphics pipelines, then press Play. It remembers the disc’s path without copying the ISO, so keep the file where the launcher can find it.

The documented alternative skips the launcher: drag the ISO onto MeleeUnlocked.bat, or put it beside the batch file as melee.iso. First launch prepares the graphics pipelines before play. In game, F1 opens PC settings; a GameCube controller can use Start + D-pad Down + Z. The settings page lets you inspect and change bindings before a match.

Melee Unlocked · project setup, controls and saves · Melee Unlocked · v0.9.1 packages and limitations

Accounts, saves and the experimental Linux build

On Windows, the creator documents Slippi online play against Slippi Dolphin using your Slippi Launcher login. That is a separate account step from selecting the game ISO. Melee Unlocked is independent of the Slippi team, and compatibility claims here come from its own documentation.

Windows memory-card saves use .gci files in Dolphin’s GCI-folder format. The creator says an in-place update keeps settings, saves, mods and replays; close both the game and launcher before extracting the update.

The v0.9.1 release also contains an experimental Linux Source Port and launcher for x86-64 CPUs with AVX2 and OpenGL 4.5 graphics. Static Recomp, Melee 3D and several rendering options remain Windows-only in the release notes. Choose the Windows release if those features matter to your setup.

Melee Unlocked · project setup, controls and saves · Melee Unlocked · v0.9.1 packages and limitations