It was an outstanding year of sublime post-launch support, but inevitably, we’re reaching the end of the line with new content set to come to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Development head, Masuhiro Sakurai headlined one last Nintendo Direct dedicated to the two games, revealing the final batch of new fighters, costumes and other such content to expect, up to early 2016.
It was a simple Nintendo Direct that got right to the good stuff, but plenty of exciting announcements were still had for Super Smash Bros. fans! As usual, we’re here with the news you need to know coming out of the broadcast, so if you missed the presentation, or just want a handy recap of the highlights, we’ve got you covered in our latest Nintendo Direct Roundup!
Without further ado then, let’s get to it!
Things got started with a most unexpected new DLC fighter announcement, of two rather unexpected new DLC fighter announcements, when Corrin, the main protagonist of 2016’s upcoming, two-version strategy-RPG, Fire Emblem Fates for Nintendo 3DS, was announced to be joining the game, bringing the Fire Emblem character total to a rather large six personalities in the Super Smash Bros. roster! As with Robin and Wii Fit Trainer, Corrin will also be available in both a male and female variation.
Corrin bears some similarities to the Fire Emblem characters that came before, but has an entirely unique moveset all his/her own! Predictably, the inclusion of Corrin came from Nintendo wanting to deliver a strong marketing initiative for Fire Emblem Fates in the West (the game was already released in Japan earlier this year), and Corrin was the logical choice to represent the upcoming Nintendo 3DS blockbuster in the Super Smash Bros. DLC fighter catalogue. As you can imagine, Corrin teases several exciting story elements for his/her character through his/her moveset, such as a shapeshifting sword that can gain powerful new forms, and the ability to morph both partially and completely into a dragon-like form, due to possessing dragons’ blood!
Corrin is all about flexibility, with attacks like a far-reaching Side Smash, and the ability to sprout wings that can boost his/her forward recovery momentum when he/she uses a Back Air Attack. Corrin’s standard B Button special can also cause temporary paralysis, with a suggestion of a special Dragon Bite attack that can be charged by holding B, to deal heavy damage as a great combo option. Corrin’s Side Special also allows him/her to maintain altitude in the air, and can even stick opponents in place if positioned right, giving the player the choice of a Front Kick, Back Kick, Jump, or Cancel. Corrin’s Up Special is Dragon Ascent, another move that utilizes his/her wings, both for recovery, and for possibly knocking two adjacent opponents upward, offering great control range as well. Corrin’s Down Special meanwhile, is a Counter Surge, a similar maneuver to other Fire Emblem fighters like Ike, which allows Corrin to dodge and counter with a powerful strike, which attacks from both the left and right sides, and can launch opponents upward, thanks to Corrin morphing into his/her dragon form. Finally, Corrin’s deadly Final Smash, Torrential Roar, allows him/her to draw in opponents, then blast them away with a powerful vortex of water.
Along with the inclusion of Corrin, will be several all-new music tracks for those who purchase him/her, including the main theme song of Fire Emblem Fates, “Lost in Thoughts All Alone”, which will come in both an original (with lyrics) and remixed (without lyrics) format, both of which will be exclusively available in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Unfortunately though, Corrin will not get a tie-in stage in either game. That said though, the new Fire Emblem Fates music that comes with Corrin will be added as BGM options to the previously existing Fire Emblem-themed stages in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS isn’t being left out however, as the handheld game will get two exclusive trophies for Corrin purchasers, Xander and Ryoma, the Nohr and Hoshido brothers that Corrin can have between the two games, respectively. Corrin also gets awesome Challenger Art on the Super Smash Bros. website from Yusuke Kozaki, the character designer for Fire Emblem Fates, who also previously did the Challenger Art for Robin.
Corrin will be released as paid DLC for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in February, presumably on or around the same date that Fire Emblem Fates launches in the West. The exact date will be announced later on the Super Smash Bros. website. Corrin will cost $4.99 USD to download individually for one of the two games, and $5.99 USD to download for both games simultaneously. Corrin will also receive an Amiibo figure for the Super Smash Bros. set, though its release window has not yet been decided.
After his shocking reveal at the end of the previous Nintendo Direct, this broadcast finally went into detail about what we can expect for the addition of Final Fantasy VII protagonist, Cloud Strife, who will join the Super Smash Bros. roster due to the overwhelming volume of fan demand, despite Final Fantasy VII not currently being available on a Nintendo platform! Nintendo admitted that putting Cloud in Super Smash Bros. initially seemed impossible, but they made it happen. They also reveal that numerous Final Fantasy characters got votes for inclusion in Super Smash Bros., but Cloud got the most by a sizable margin.
Cloud will continue to wield his massive Buster Sword as a key weapon in Super Smash Bros., though despite the sword’s size, he’s also a deceptively quick fighter! Cloud’s Side Smash Attack is a quick three-hit chain slash, complete with sound effects taken directly from Final Fantasy VII’s original PlayStation build! Cloud will also get two variations, one with his classic Final Fantasy VII costume, and the other with the more modern Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children costume, which also offers sleeved and sleeveless variations, complete with the Geostigma on Cloud’s arm from that movie.
Cloud’s Limit Breaks will be a distinct way that he separates himself from other fighters, being the only other fighter besides Little Mac that has a gauge build whenever he takes damage or attacks opponents successfully, only this time, the gauge can’t be directly seen. Cloud can also charge up the gauge manually with his Down Special, which allows you to see how full it is. When the Limit Break meter is full, Cloud will be coated in a blue aura, and his stats will slightly increase. Each of his special attacks will also be replaced by a one-use-only Limit Break special when the gauge is full as well! Final Fantasy VII fans will be quite happy with the outstanding faithfulness to Cloud’s unique Limit Break arsenal from the classic RPG too.
Cloud’s standard special is Blade Beam, which sends a shockwave with a wide attack range traveling along the ground, or the air, though the wave is slightly stronger when used on the ground. If this is used with a full Limit Break charge, the wave will provide multiple hits, and will launch opponents further away. Cloud’s Side Special is Cross-Slash, which can be used up to three times to spell the Japanese word, “Kyo.” The Cross-Slash has high attack power, but it will leave Cloud vulnerable before the end of the combo, if the target puts up their shield. Once again, the Limit Break version of the attack does more damage, and launches targets further. Cloud’s Up Special is Climhazzard, which allows Cloud to strike upward and launch opponents upward before slamming them back down again, though only if the player presses the button again, which should not be done if Climhazzard is being used for recovery! The Limit Break variation of this attack launches Cloud much higher, creating a potential strategy to save full Limit Break gauges for when players need to make a dodgy recovery after a big hit from an opponent. If your Limit Break gauge is fully charged, the Down Special goes from Limit Charge to Finishing Touch, which only causes 1% damage, but can launch opponents extremely high in the air. Lastly, Cloud’s Final Smash is, inevitably, his strongest Limit Break, Omnislash, which clobbers opponents with a massive combo, before swinging them into an instant KO!
Those who purchase Cloud in either game will get a free stage along with him, on both Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Midgar, the opening area from Final Fantasy VII, complete with Shinra Building and Mako Reactor visible! The stage will feature Summon Materia floating around for players to grab, featured in both the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games, which will allow them to call on a variety of randomized summon beasts from the Final Fantasy franchise, which don’t directly attack players, but instead alter the terrain. These include: Ifrit, who will tilt the stage with an inferno, complete with the flames damaging the player; Ramuh, who charges the floating platforms with lightning that damages anyone who touches it, even if they jump through the platform, excluding the fighter that summoned him; Odin, who will slice the stage down the middle, instantly KO’ing anyone hit by the slash, and splitting the ground in two, which will later smash back together, again, instantly KO’ing anyone between the pieces in the process; Leviathan, which will flood the area surrounding the stage with rushing water, instantly KO’ing anyone who touches the water, and granting points to the fighter who summoned Leviathan in the process; And finally, Bahamut ZERO, who will launch a Tera Flare that gradually moves toward the stage, giving any fighter time to knock opponents into the flare’s range for when it hits, with any KO’s awarding points to the one who summoned Bahamut ZERO.
You can view Challenger Art for Cloud on the Super Smash Bros. website, which was drawn by Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura, the original designer of Cloud from Final Fantasy VII’s initial release in 1997. Better still is that Cloud is being made available today, and went live on both the 3DS eShop and Wii U eShop a short while after the broadcast! Nintendo warns of potential issues with accessing the Cloud Strife DLC to start, due to high server traffic. Cloud will be available for $5.99 USD to download individually for either Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS or Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, or $6.99 USD to download for both games simultaneously. Cloud will also be receiving an Amiibo figure for the Super Smash Bros. set, though the figure currently has no release information set.
Shortly after confirming Cloud’s launch today, Sakurai then discussed the final wave of Mii Fighter costumes that are set to come to both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. These are being headlined by two offerings approved by Square Enix, namely new Chocobo Hats from the Final Fantasy series to commemorate Cloud’s addition to the game today, as well as a Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars tie-in, in the form of a Geno costume for the Mii Gunner!
Also on offer will be Bionic Armor for the Mii Brawler, a Takamaru costume for the male Mii Swordfighter from Japanese Famicom Disk System game, The Mysterious Murasame Castle (which is actually available in the West now, via the 3DS eShop), an Ashley costume from the WarioWare series for the female Mii Swordfighter, a Gil costume for the male Mii Swordfighter from Namco arcade classic, The Tower of Druaga, and finally, two Sonic the Hedgehog-inspired costumes, a Tails costume for the male Mii Gunner, and a Knuckles costume for the male Mii Brawler. Nintendo also clarifies for fans that, should they want their Mii Fighters to more closely resemble the exaggerated features of their costumes’ characters, they can scan them via QR Codes on the Super Smash Bros. website. Unfortunately, no release information was offered for these final costumes as of yet.
With a dramatic announcement of the so-called, “Climax” to the announcements of new DLC fighters, Sakurai then unveiled a reveal trailer for the final DLC fighter to be added to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. We see a scene of Pit interacting with Palutena about conquering the other fighters, before a sultry, and very familiar female voices talking about fighting angels, and apparently having missed one. Yes, after another batch of overwhelming fan demand in the Smash Ballot, Bayonetta, from PlatinumGames’ hit duo of action games (the second of which is completely exclusive to Wii U!), is being added to the Super Smash Bros. roster, making her the sixth third-party fighter to be featured in both the latest games! Bayonetta was apparently the #1 most requested fighter in the Smash Ballot from Europe, and was in the top five in North America, though averaged out to be the #1 worldwide pick, when all territories’ votes were counted, if you exclude characters that couldn’t be negotiated, or weren’t reasonable for Super Smash Bros. That includes the futile requests for Dragon Ball Z’s Goku, FYI.
Once again, Bayonetta’s moveset is being crafted to be remarkably faithful to her original duo of action games from PlatinumGames. This means that Bayonetta is primarily being designed as a combo fighter, with her Neutral Attacks, Strong Side Attacks, Front Air Attacks, and the rest, are all designed with speedy, overwhelming combos of hits in mind. The combos are a bit slow to start however, which is the best opening for opponents to attack Bayonetta and cancel her moves. Each of Bayonetta’s special moves also strike multiple times however, allowing you to chain together a series of elegant attacks in any form, even from mid-air!
When you press and hold the attack button, Bayonetta will unleash an unending flurry of bullets, similar to her original games, which don’t stop opponents, but do gradually damage them. These Bullet Arts, also taken directly from the original games, are programmed into almost all of Bayonetta’s attacks, allowing players to fire streams of bullets, even in the middle of a combo, keeping in mind that Bayonetta is vulnerable to counterattacks while shooting. As usual, Bayonetta has guns on both her hands and feet, allowing her to shoot while punching or kicking. It’s even possible to hit opponents from a long range with Bullet Arts, or steal points by striking a target with Bullet Arts, right before they’re KO’d. Both the Love is Blue guns from Bayonetta 2, and the Scarborough Fair guns from the original Bayonetta, are offered in the duo of Super Smash Bros. games, along with costume options for both Bayonetta’s Bayonetta design and Bayonetta 2 design. Bayonetta even has a Madama Butterfly-shaped shadow when featured in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Bayonetta’s Smash Attacks also incorporate Wicked Weaves, another attack element that should be familiar to Bayonetta fans, once again using the attacks where she conjures her hair into massive striking limbs, inspired by the demon, Madama Butterfly. Bayonetta’s Down Smash attack is pretty much an instant KO if used on the edge of a stage, and is particularly effective amongst the Smash Attacks, particularly against heavily damaged foes.
Yet another mainstay in the Bayonetta games is also being included in the Super Smash Bros. games, that being Witch Time. This is activated as a Down Special Attack, and can react to opponents’ attacks by having Bayonetta dodge, and if she does so right before an attack connects, the opponent will be temporarily slowed down, leaving them open to a huge reprisal combo! Unlike the original Bayonetta games, the entire game won’t slow down when Witch Time is successfully used, and instead, only the target will be temporarily slowed. Witch Time’s length is also determined by several factors, with the time being longer as opponents sustain more damage, and the time decreasing as Witch Time is continually used, to avoid people spamming it. If you use Witch Time a bit too late, it also becomes Bat Within, which has Bayonetta temporarily turn into bats and re-appear, slightly reducing damage done by opponents, even if Bayonetta’s dodge attempt fails. Visual flourishes from the game will also be maintained with these attacks and others, as butterflies will appear when Bayonetta lands from a jump, roses will fall when she takes damage, and jumps will have Bayonetta temporarily sprout butterfly wings. Unique magic circles will also appear when Bayonetta fires guns.
Most cheeky of all is the fact that Bayonetta’s Taunt move can be continually used for as long as the player wishes. The Taunt is extremely long, but can be cancelled at any point. It involves a stylish dance, which should be familiar to Bayonetta fans who have at least played the original game through to the end credits. Bayonetta also has a colour variation inspired by Jeanne, her rival and occasional ally in the Bayonetta games.
Bayonetta’s series of Special Attacks include her Standard Special, Bullet Climax, which allows her to fire guns from her hands and her feet, as continuously as the player wishes, and the bullets can even be charged and unleashed with greater power if the player holds the button down, though bear in mind that the bullets fire on a slight upward tilt. On the ground, Bayonetta’s Side Special is the Heel Slide, which allows her to slide at opponents, and can add a kick if you hold the button down, turning this into a combo option. In the air however, Bayonetta’s side special is the After Burner Kick, marking the first instance where a move’s name will change, depending on where it’s used. The After Burner Kick hits enemies with a jump kick, and a second one can be used if the player uses the attack again shortly afterward. Pressing Down can also angle the attack diagonally downward, potentially opening the way for a mid-air juggle combo. Bayonetta’s Up Special is Witch Twist, which sends Bayonetta spinning skyward, though she can move immediately after using it, allowing for an additional mid-air jump, along with another Witch Twist, for recovery purposes, along with allowing players to shoot from this position. Juggle combos are also available with Witch Twist, though longer combos leave Bayonetta vulnerable for a longer period of time, as soon as she lands.
As much as Bayonetta is an ornate fighter with tons of attacks however, none hurt more than her Final Smash, Infernal Climax. When the attack is used, the entire screen slows down, and Bayonetta has to do a certain amount of damage to her opponents. When the gauge is full, the infernal demon, Gamora will be summoned, attacking any opponents who helped to build the gauge, and once she’s finished chewing, any opponent with over 100% damage at that point, is instantly KO’d! It’s also possible to strike multiple opponents at the same time, for an extra deadly Gamora attack on several foes!
Bayonetta will also come with a tie-in stage for anyone who downloads her, the Umbra Clock Tower, the falling chunk of clock from the intro sequence of the original Bayonetta, which only seemed to be shown for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The stage is one small flat platform, but chunks of debris occasionally float by to serve as smaller platforms themselves. Periodically during the match, the arena will also enter Purgatorio, leading to angels attacking the arena for one instance as long as it lasts. These include recognizable Bayonetta foes like Inspired, and boss angel, Fortitudo. The stage will also come with several hand-picked music tracks from both Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, most of which are untouched in composition, though some are newly remixed for Super Smash Bros. There will also be Bayonetta, Jeanne, Rodin and Cereza trophies added to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as well, for anyone who downloads Bayonetta as paid DLC.
Bayonetta’s expected piece of Challenger Art comes from PlatinumGames’ own Eiji Funahashi, and can be viewed on the Super Smash Bros. site. Like Corrin, Bayonetta won’t be made available until 2016, and also like Corrin, she’s currently targeting a February release window. The exact date will be announced later on the Super Smash Bros. website, with Bayonetta costing $5.99 to download individually for either Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS or Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, or $6.99 to download for both games simultaneously. Bayonetta will naturally be getting an Amiibo figure for the Super Smash Bros. set, though no release information has yet been set for it.
In a final added bit at the very end of the broadcast, an update was given as to the status of some of the remaining Super Smash Bros. set Amiibo figures that have yet to be made available. The Roy and Ryu Amiibo figures, previously announced alongside their own reveals in a prior Nintendo Direct, will officially launch in North America on March 18th next year! Along with this announcement, it was also confirmed that an altered version of the R.O.B. the Robot Amiibo figure, formerly only available in an NES-style rendition within the EB Games/Gamestop-exclusive Retro 3-Pack bundle, with the Duck Hunt Dog and Mr. Game & Watch Amiibo figures, will be sold separately as ‘Famicom Rob’ on March 18th as well. This figure will resemble the altered architecture of the Japanese NES equivalent, the Famicom! Nintendo also appears to imply that certain retailers may allow pre-orders of the figures, but this is bound to vary from retailer to retailer, especially when some or all of these figures may end up being exclusive to certain stores in North America.
It’s been a long, fruitful road of post-launch offerings for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and the additions of Fire Emblem Fates protagonist, Corrin and fan-demanded inclusion of Bayonetta, are a great way to cap off the games’ final round of DLC offerings. Sakurai recaps the final, complete product of both games, which, between them, feature a total of 58 fighters with the DLC fighters included, 84 stages between the two games, again with DLC stages included, 99 costumes and 97 hats for the combined male and female wardrobes for the Mii Fighters, 743 trophies to earn on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 707 trophies to earn on Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, 507 music tracks between the two games, with DLC songs included, excluding victory jingles and fanfares, no doubt setting records for action games and fighting games alike! Sakurai also stressed that none of the content was developed before the game’s launch, and all of it was developed after the game had launched in all territories. Looks like we can safely consider these games’ customers justifiably satisfied!
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