While new information on the new Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS trickles in, we already know a large portion of the roster. With 29 characters revealed at this point, we split this feature into multiple parts to cover what we know about each character as we inch closer to the release of the new Smash Bros. game.
Greninja
Greninja is a new addition to the playable roster of Smash Brothers. While few have played as Greninja, we can learn quite a few things by taking a closer look at his gameplay from the reveal trailer. He has a quick forward smash attack, with good range compared to the rest of the cast. From the look of his up smash, it will have a considerable amount of recovery after the attack hits, so it may be best used after his up tilt (which seems to juggle), or only when it’s guaranteed to connect and no players are in close proximity.
His forward tilt attack has good range and seems to execute quickly, which will definitely come in handy against the faster characters on the roster. In addition, his standard attack and neutral air attack hit multiple times, and you may even be able to use them to combo after his up tilt attack.
One interesting note is that his down air attack seems to knock opponents into the air as Greninja follows them. It seems possible that you should be able to follow this with another aerial attack at most damage percentages. Not quite as effective as a down air spike, but it should still be quite useful.
Greninja’s main special attack is a throwing star projectile, which can be charged up to grow in size and hit multiple times. He also has a teleport that may double as a counter attack (or the counter attack may be a separate attack). Finally, his recovery (up special) looks to be very useful if he’s knocked off the stage.
Rosalina
Rosalina shares similarities with Olimar in that she controls Luma (the star). We’ve seen five different colors for Luma, which may mean there are five versions of it (once again similar to Olimar’s Pikmin). However, at this time we’ll assume this is the same Luma with alternate colors.
From the gameplay trailer, the Luma adds to Rosalina’s special attacks, or mimics them depending on the attack used. This feels somewhat similar to the Ice Climbers, but it’s too early to determine if Rosalina and Luma will have the same advantages as the two Ice Climbers.
We know that Luma has to be summoned, which means that Rosalina won’t have an invincible partner to help out in battle. The Luma can be attacked and even defeated, just like the Ice Climbers duo. Luckily, once Luma is defeated, Rosalina can summon another one.
Outside of the Luma, Rosalina has a down air spike attack that should be extremely useful, just like many of the other down air spikes. In addition, her recovery attack covers a great deal of distance, which is always helpful in Smash Brothers. Her down special moves items toward her (not particularly useful in competitive play), and seems to give her protection against some projectile attacks.
Pikachu
Pikachu is another Smash Brothers veteran who has been around since the first installment in the series. Pikachu looks fairly unchanged for the most part. We see many returning attacks, such as his up special (quick attack teleport), down special (lightning) and dash attack. He also retains his side special from Melee and neutral air attack from Brawl. So far, like most of the returning cast, not a lot has changed when it comes to Pikachu. We should have quite a bit more information when we get our hands on the game at E3.
Villager
The Villager from Animal Crossing is a new entry into the Smash Brothers series. While we haven’t seen much gameplay footage, we do have a decent amount of information based on the few clips that have been shown. The Villager’s normal attacks use a boxing glove, umbrella, weeds pulled from the ground, a stick that he waves in the air and a plant pot that he smashes on the opponent as his dash attack.
His down smash hits players on both sides of the Villager, which could come in handy during team play or in a free-for-all battle with three or more players. He also has some unique special moves, most notably his neutral special move, which pockets items and projectiles and allows the Villager to use them later. His down special move is a combo attack that plants a seed, waters the seedling until it grows into a tree and then chops it down to damage nearby opponents.
From what we’ve seen, the Villager will excel when it comes to recovery. His side special move is the Lloid Rocket that travels a decent distance, but in the air, the Villager rides the rocket instead of simply shooting it. This should make it useful when trying to recover after being knocked off the stage. In addition, his up special floats upward thanks to the use of two balloons. In order to render the Villager helpless in the air, an attacker must pop both balloons.
Wii Fit Trainer
At first glance, you may be wondering how the Wii Fit Trainer fits into the Super Smash Brothers world, but after taking a good look at the Trainer’s attacks, she (or he) looks to be quite formidable. First and foremost, you don’t have to play as the female Wii Fit Trainer. There’s also a male variant which is the exact same height (and presumably the same hit box) and attack power as the female Trainer. So if you’d rather play as a male character, you have that option.
The most interesting aspect of the Trainer’s fighting style is the use of Deep Breathing (down special). This is a buff that powers up the character and makes all of her attacks inflict more damage. When you couple this with her Sun Salutation, which is a charge shot attack, it can be quite a devastating combination. Finally, taking a quick look at her normal attacks, her forward tilt hits in front and behind, and her neutral attack is a combination of quick hits.
