It’s time to smash some stuff on the 3DS.

Nintendo started the year on a rough note as its flagship console, the Wii U, lagged far behind the Xbox One and Playstation 4 in sales despite a large head-start on the market. Yet the house that Mario built is prepared to recover a big share in the marketplace as its latest “Super Smash Bros.” title will soon be released.

“Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS” looks to be one of the best 3DS games to come out in 2014. Nintendo released a demo for the game on Sept. 19, and it’s still an incredible take on a tried-and-true game format.

The “Super Smash Bros.” series, like “Mario Kart” before it, is popular among teens and adults for its deceptively simple-looking gameplay. It’s another game that will teach you new swear words when you play around your friends. It’s an addictive, family-friendly game with a lot of great qualities to it.

You play as one of a number of classic Nintendo characters, or even a few guest characters like Sonic the Hedgehog and the Wii Trainer from “Wii Fitness.” Your goal is to hit or use items on your foes and eventually knock them off a platform.

Players can go through various game modes for hours online and never tire. Nintendo hopes to use that fervor to attract even more gamers to “Super Smash Bros.” on its Wii U and 3DS consoles.

The Wii U shipped almost 800,000 Wii Us worldwide during the first six months of 2014, largely due to the success of “Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze” and the highly anticipated “Mario Kart.” Preliminary estimates suggest a similar surge in interest over the next few months because of “Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U,” though Nintendo hasn’t set a hard date to release the game over the holiday season. “Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 3DS” is set to hit shelves on Oct. 3. And Wii U sales are reportedly beating PS4 sales in Japan this month.

It remains to be seen whether Nintendo will have as much success with third-party games on the Wii U console, but for now, the Wii U could be well on its way to making an impact in the console game.