A Case for Sheriff
Sheriff is a very underrated choice for a new retro, historical, "WTF", or whatever label you prefer, combatant. His game was released in 1979, predating all series represented with playable characters so far. As a very early, simplistic arcade game, there isn't much to pull from in terms of moveset variety. However, I'm willing to make the case that lack of variety can actually make Sheriff unique, as he'd be so reliant on the small handful of abilities he has that he'd be forced to make due with what he has, which can open up a lot of room for creativity, as well as offer him the chance to be unique as a "super minimalist" fighter.
1. How many diverse options does this character have?
Very little. This can actually work in his favor, however. If Sheriff is brought into Smash as an explicitly historical character, rendered either as a sprite or as I'd prefer, in 3D pixel art, then of course, what makes more sense than a minimalist, archaic moveset to go along with him? Sheriff's abilities are not so limited as to make him a one-trick pony, however. His most basic ability is his gun, which, if it remains pixelated, is literally just 5 white squares assembled in an L-shape, with equally unrealistic bullets, so there's no need to worry about his firearm being deemed too realistic. The original arcade game from which Sheriff hails is notable for its experimental control scheme (Nintendo was pushing boundaries even all the way back then), which features an input delay allowing for Sheriff to shoot in one direction while moving in another.
In the title screen of the game, Sheriff is seen riding a steed. This could be worked into the moveset as a mount that Sheriff can use to ram into enemies with. One gameplay feature, flying vultures which can be shot for bonus points, can be adapted as a recovery. It is possible to use score counters as a shield or for projectile absorption of some kind. The majority of Sheriff's other moves can make use of his pistol, whether to shoot bullets or short-ranged blasts, or use for whipping. It'd also be possible to play up Sheriff's Western influences and allow him to use his pistol in more tactical ways, such as to threaten enemies by pointing it forward and causing anyone in close range to put their hands up in fear and/or pace forward, or by using a quick-draw move as a sort of counter.
2. Are their moves or abilities diverse from the rest of the Smash cast?
Yes, actually. Sheriff's pistol is unlike any other projectile in the game, as if his moveset is true to his origins, he'd be able to shoot in any direction while also moving. No other character has a projectile with this extent of utility.
3. Has the concept of the character been done before?
It would really depend on what kind of playstyle Sheriff is given. If he's rendered as a 2D sprite and makes use of a lot of props, then see section 3a.
If rendered in 3D pixel art/given a redesign and/or or given more focus on his projectiles, then he'd be much more unique. I prefer the idea of a 3D Sheriff that's still made of blocks (
like this) because that'd play up his archaic nature and make him stand out, while also still "translating" him into the 3D realm, as has been done with other sprite-based characters like Ness. Anyway, a mobile projectile user with the ability to fire in any direction is something we haven't really seen. Extending that concept to include a playstyle based on clever spacing through the use of moves like a "reach for the sky" gun threat would help give the character more unique definition and identity as a fighter. We've never seen a Western-influenced character in the series before, and while Dillon fits the same sort of mold, he doesn't use traditional cowboy techniques, like horse-riding or pistol-toting. In
Sheriff, a lot of emphasis is placed on precise aim with the pistol in order to kill enemies, since the bullets are so thin. Likewise, Western cowboys are infamous for their sharpshooting skills. Sheriff could serve the role of a sharpshooter: a fighter heavily focused on a singular projectile with a simple function but a large amount of aim and control. He could introduce a new mechanic, exclusive to him, that determines damage done to an enemy based on where they are shot; this would be possible due to how thin his bullets are. While body types in Smash are a little too diverse to make this a mechanic that would be equally applicable on a universal level, it could still work against every character to some degree. The fact that some would be affected more than others would simply provide for more interesting match-ups for Sheriff players. It would also require the player to understand character hurtboxes more than they would when playing other characters, and Sheriff's own hurtbox, easily defined by his block-by-block shape, would play up this aspect of the playstyle.
Assuming Sheriff can make use of the horse and vulture (horse for Side Special and vulture for Up Special, for example), he could be able to use his Neutral Special pistol to shoot while moving, giving him a versatile approach and retreat game. As he'd likely be slow and somewhat heavy/large, this would make for an interesting combination in a slow/heavyweight character with poor melee strength but an excellent spacing and projectile game. He'd be over-reliant on his pistol, but this sort of minimalism would actually make him unique. This emphasis on long-range sharpshooting and the ability to move in many different ways while shooting would give Sheriff a "Mexican standoff/Western duel" sort of playstyle that would be very in-character, as well as highly unique, while still being simple, which is another trait that this archaic character would want to deliberately play up. Simplicity in movement would also result in many of his moves being difficult to discern from one another, and it'd be difficult for opponents to tell exactly when hitbox frames become active, lending further depth to a possible "quick draw/high stakes/forced guessing" playstyle.
3a. If it has been done before, is the character's way of doing it unique on its own?
If Sheriff takes a more "sprite-based, Game & Watch" approach, then he wouldn't be nearly as unique as he could be, but he'd still be different from G&W in his focus on long-range combat, and he'd probably be much slower and weaker, as well as heavier. Entirely different, stat-wise.
He's also somewhat similar to Mega Man, as they both rely heavily on shooting, but Sheriff could have much more melee attacks due to the ability to pistol whip.
4. Do the character's abilities and moves provide enough to be entertaining?
I'd say so. The pistol could be simple but very unique and technical in application. While most of his other moves wouldn't be that different from the norm, the overall image they'd convey, that of a very dated character from the earliest days of video games, would be pretty entertaining and would provide a nice clash with the more modern characters in the cast.
5. How visually different is the character in terms of body shape and looks?
Sheriff would stick out like a sore thumb, and in a good way. This is one of the reasons I'd prefer he not be given a redesign. Either keep him as a sprite or model the sprite in 3D. This would clearly and loudly make the statement that Sheriff is a historical character, meant to represent Nintendo's early days in the arcades, back when they were a third-party developer. Keeping Sheriff in block form would allow him to ooze personality in his every movement. Every action he'd perform would resemble early sprite movement. Instead of having a complex series of jump frames, for example, he'd simply rise off of the ground without so much as bending his knees. When roll dodging, his entire body would just spin 360 degrees along the ground. When tumbling in the air, the same sort of animation would happen: simple rotation with no signs of complex movement or bodily reaction. Because he'd be rendered as a 1-to-1 replica of his original sprite, the animations he did have in his source game could easily be recreated in Smash. When in his prone state, for example, he'd mimic his
"shot down" pose from the original game. It may seem boring that Sheriff would have so little personality, but that lack of personality would exude so much retro goodness that it'd be hard not to find it a fresh new direction for a Smash character. It's never really been done before, except for G&W, but he shows plenty of reaction through frame-by-frame motions, whereas Sheriff would convey limited emotion through basic, pre-NES sprite motion.
6. Does it fit the character well enough?
Of course. In fact, Sheriff's visual uniqueness would basically define the character. They go hand-in-hand.
While he doesn't have enough diverse options to give him a super-crazy, complicated moveset, playing Sheriff's simplicity to his advantage can create a character that is potentially unique enough in terms of gameplay as to be different from everyone else, while also giving off a very unique aesthetic vibe that no other plausible character can really offer.
Grade: A
FirstBlade
and @Young Horsetail's ideas Lip has the potential to become one of the most unique characters in Smash history, not being similar to one character.
Arcadenik
was really interesting, and the idea of a puppet character not unlike Rosalina is intriguing, but not incredibly unique. So DHD is going in low A Tier.
