Everyone’s favorite Buster Sword jockey is joining the brawl in the latest installment of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. Cloud Strife, whose fame extends far beyond his 1997 introduction in Final Fantasy VII, was revealed in a trailer from Nintendo. He will be available as a DLC character. The Japanese language clip is the final segment in a 45-minute Nintendo Direct update.
The new challenger approaches with a range of moves and swordplay that includes Limit Breaks and an Omnislash Final Smash. Cloud also brings along a change of clothes from his Advent Children days, and more costumes are expected to be added. No word on whether or not players will have the option to dress Cloud in drag.
The summons make an appearance here as part of Cloud’s move set. We spotted Odin, Leviathan, Ramuh, Ifrit, and Bahamut. With these powers, Cloud can literally tear a stage in half.
Did you catch the Aerith reference in the clip? Hint: it involves a famous young lady from another series.
The city of Midgar is being added as a new stage, complete with original soundtrack and Mako reactor. The designers really captured the somber tone of the original world here.
The end of the trailer reveals a set of Mii Fighter costumes inspired by the Final Fantasy series’ Chocobos.
Cloud is the first character to be revealed since Streetfighter’s Ryu was announced in April. Cloud’s appearance is unexpected, as Final Fantasy VII was never officially released on any Nintendo systems. Cloud himself has appeared before in the Theatrhythm and Kingdom Hearts series.
We expect that the Amiibo tradition will continue, complete with a a hysterical scramble to obtain a Cloud figure.
Nintendo posted that the next update for Smash Bros. will be revealed in December.
