Nintendo recently revealed that a new installment in its Super Smash Bros. fighting series would be coming to the Switch in 2018. It’s the first game in the franchise since Super Smash Bros. for Wii U back in 2014, and we can’t wait to dive in and start wailing on our favorite characters with smash attacks.
We already know the Inklings from Splatoon will make their debut in the game, and that series staples Mario and Link will return, but Nintendo always manages to surprise us with a few unexpected additions in each Super Smash Bros. game. Brawl had Solid Snake. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U had Greninja. We’re hoping to get surprised by some of the new faces coming to Smash for Switch. Here are some of the characters we hope to see, ranging from new Switch-era faces to characters long overdue for a Smash appearance.
1. Pauline – ‘Super Mario Odyssey’
Before Mario started chasing after Peach, he was trying to save Pauline. The damsel in distress captured by Donkey Kong in the original Donkey Kong arcade game, Pauline has never had much agency. She’s forced to wait for Mario (then known as Jumpman) to come to her rescue.
In Super Mario Odyssey, we found out that, since Donkey Kong, she’s become the most powerful person in New Donk City. As mayor, Pauline could have access to an entire city’s fiscal resources for any fight, and with a jazzy band backing her up, her music could be make for some interesting mid- to long-range attacks.
2. Midna & Wolf Link – ‘The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess’
In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Link can turn into a vicious wolf in certain areas, with the imp-like creature Midna at his side as he investigates the dark Twilight Realm. Smash Bros. has always had a fondness for Zelda characters: We’ve already had a Link and “Toon Link …” What about Wolf Link?
We’ve seen pairs of characters take up one spot on the roster in the past, such as Rosalina & Luma and the Ice Climbers, but they lack the aggression and damage output of an actual wolf. Link would be capable of bolting toward his target to deliver damage before jumping backward, with Midna always around to mess with enemy players.
3. Rabbid Peach – ‘Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle’
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle surprised Nintendo fans with its ability to seamlessly weave Ubisoft’s high-energy Rabbids characters into the Mushroom Kingdom. We loved nearly all of the additions, such as Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Yoshi, but one new character stood out from the pack — Rabbid Peach. Sassy, quick-thinking, and stylish, she is an entertaining and often hilarious character that can hold her own against Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Bayonetta.
Rabbid Peach makes use of sentry mines, shields, and healing abilities, preferring to stay out of direct combat whenever possible. This would make her an ideal support character in team battles, and with her cell phone always out to take selfies, she could even briefly stun her enemies with some kind of “star-struck” ability.
4. Rayman – Rayman series
Yes, Nintendo might be seen as playing favorites among developers if it uses two Ubsioft characters in the new Super Smash Bros., but Rayman feels like a long-overdue addition at this point. The limbless wonder has starred in some of the best platforming games of all time, and his punches and kicks are powerful enough to take down any foe who stands in his way. He’s also blazing fast when he gets moving, which could make him a difficult target for bigger characters to hit.
For Rayman’s “final smash” attack, he’d have to make use of the musical racing levels featured at the end of Rayman Legends. Beating the sense out of Jigglypuff while “Eye of the Tiger” plays on a kazoo in the background seems like the greatest idea in the entire world, but we hope to see this done in 2D — though Rayman has made the jump to three dimensions in the past, his flatter form is the one we love the most.
5. Waluigi – Mario Kart/Mario sports/Your dreams
How could Nintendo possibly leave Waluigi, the most underappreciated character in the Mario-verse, out of another Super Smash Bros. game!? Waluigi was created for Mario Tennis nearly two decades ago, butt the sneering, lanky bizarro plumber has been absent from most story-focused Mario outings, never getting the respect his bizarre persona deserves.
He’s already appeared in several Mario sports titles, so Waluigi’s smash move-set should probably highlight what a sportsman he truly is. From tennis racquets to golf clubs and even soccer balls, he’s ready to leave it all on the field. But when his opponent is down for the count, Waluigi will bring in the big guns — a Mario Kart – to squish them into the pavement.
6. Toad – Mario series and ‘Captain Toad’
Toad has been sort of included in past Super Smash Bros. games as a thing to be used by Princess Peach. She pulls him out to use as a means of self-defense, never allowing him to show any sort of autonomy. But that time has come and gone. Toad deserves to stand on his own two feet, and he’ll fight every other warrior in the entire Nintendo-verse to prove it.
As we’ve seen in Super Mario Bros. 2, Toad is deceptively strong, allowing him to easily grab other characters and chuck them across the stage. His small frame will also make him an incredibly difficult target to hit, and when it’s time to unleash the real pain, Toad can rip off the top of his head – which is not a hat – and launch it at his opponent. Toad plays to win.
7. Pearl & Marina – ‘Splatoon 2’
The “Squid Sisters,” Callie and Marie from the original Splatoon, were icons in their own right, but they don’t hold a candle to Splatoon 2’s Pearl and Marina. Marina instantly became the talk of the Nintendo community for her cheery personality and Octopus-like design, and a different group fell in love with Pearl for her gangsta-rap chops. Combined, the two make a fighting duo that could be even more feared than the Ice Climbers.
We think they’d operate a little like the Pokémon Trainer character from Brawl – Marina would stay in the background spinning her turntable while Pearl does the heavy lifting, knocking opponents off the map as she spits sick bars. Even if the two can’t knock out every enemy, they can at least force them to stop what they’re doing and dance for a few seconds.
8. Krystal – ‘Star Fox Adventures’
Star Fox characters Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, and Wolf O’Donnell have all been included in past Super Smash Bros. games, but the characters play almost identically to each other. If Krystal from Star Fox Adventures were included, however, she would be much more than a pallet swap. With her trusty staff and martial arts prowess, Krystal could function as an up-close-and-personal fighter, delivering the pain without having to resort to blasters.
And did we mention that Krystal is friends with dinosaurs? Imagine battling three other characters before you see a giant stegosaurus or triceratops jump onto the stage, ready to follow Krystal’s orders. And Krystal is a master pilot, giving her the opportunity to annihilate her enemies from an Arwing if things get too hairy.
9. Cyberdemon – ‘Doom’
Most of the characters in Super Smash Bros. are family-friendly, whether they originally came from a Nintendo franchise or a third-party company, but there have been exceptions. Solid Snake isn’t exactly meant for the kids, nor is Bayonetta, and now Doom was recently ported to the Nintendo Switch, delivering the opportunity to feature characters from one of gaming’s most iconic franchises. The Cyberdemon, one the most famous enemies from Id Software’s gloriously addictive shooter, is known for its toughness, and taking players out in just one or two hits.
Naturally, the level of violence seen in Doom would have to be toned way down in order for the Cyberdemon to make an appearance, but it would represent a very real threat to the big baddies like Bowser. The Mushroom Kingdom has nothing on Hell itself.
10. Helix – ‘Arms’
Fans seem convinced that Arms character Spring Man will join the Super Smash Bros. on Switch roster, as he’s featured on the game’s cover art and is a well-rounded choice for beginners. However, he’s also extremely boring, and we don’t need another jack-of-all-trades taking up a roster spot that could go to someone truly deserving. Instead of Spring Man, we nominate Helix, the strange, gooey DNA boxer that Nintendo thinks is gross.
What is Helix? Why does he look like that? Is he an affront to humanity? No one knows these answers definitively, but the green mass of goo is a force to be reckoned with, using balloon-like “Blorb” fists to defeat his enemies. He’ll likely also defeat many enemies through sheer confusion as they attempt to process how such a beautiful creature could exist.
For your consideration: An SNES Classic
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or “SNES Classic,” is nearly impossible to find either in retail stores or online, with the console disappearing from listings mere seconds after it’s made available. This makes it the perfect choice for inclusion in Super Smash Bros. for Switch. Enemies will rush at the console, hoping to grab it, only for it to see it disappear right before their eyes. A moment later, it appears behind them, its damage percentage lower than before.
Should someone manage to grab the SNES Classic, they’ll find they can’t throw them more than a few feet due to the short cable length on the controllers. Even worse: The SNES Classic can automatically save its location and transport back there with the simple press of a button, and since its library contains games featuring many other Super Smash Bros. characters, it knows all of their moves.
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