Welcome to the sixth article of Smashboards Character Analysis! These articles will not be looking at why a character is or isn’t likely, so please do not expect that going in. Instead, they will focus on how a character might play in Smash and how their series might be represented within the boundaries of the Fighter’s Pass.
”Jonesy Drops In” Smashboards’ Jonesy and Fortnite Character Analysis
Introduction to Fortnite and Jonesy
Fortnite is an online third-person action/shooter game that combines elements of the open-world, sandbox, battle royale, and survival genres. The game was developed by Epic Games who were also behind famous titles such as Unreal Tournament, Gears of War, Infinity Blade, and the Unreal game engine. The game was initially released with a Player versus Environment (PvE) game mode where teams of players fought against approaching monsters called Save the World. This would eventually move to a paid model while a new freemium Player versus Player (PvP) mode, Battle Royale, was released. This mode was well-received among fans and critics alike. In Battle Royale, players can either do solo, pair, or team matches. The goal is to “parachute” to the main island from the Battle Bus and to establish a secure location by harvesting resources, collecting weapons and obtaining healing items. However, a toxic storm is circling in on the island so players must make their way to the “eye of the storm” or risk getting killed under the storm's toxic effect. This was implemented in order to force players into tighter areas together and give a sense of urgency.
The allure to Fortnite was its ease of access, availability, customization, culture, and the general aesthetic appeal. Despite the game featuring firearms, swords, and explosions; the game is rated ages 12 and up according to the ESRB but it manages to rope in even younger players. This is due in part to the lack of blood and gore that often comes with shooters. Customization is a huge feature in Fortnite and one particularly unique feature that was added is Fortnite Creative where players could customize and build their own maps, design their own matches, and share them with friends or with everyone. Epic Games also releases yearly events including holiday-themed events, items, seasonal updates, and more. This helped lead the series to becoming insanely popular and encouraged players to collect and create. On top of all that, the series also has a growing esports scene which draws in thousands of players.
Jonesy appears in both Save the World and Battle Royale but it wasn’t until later that he started getting more important to the franchise. Fortnite has many characters to choose from with some appearing more often in Save the World while others appear mostly in Battle Royale. In Save the World, Jonesy was given a bit more backstory. He is a character in the Soldier class which is a balanced class focusing on damage output and mobility. He has largely become the face of the franchise though he shares this distinction with a number of other characters, enemies, and even skins (cough cough Peely cough cough).
Jonesy Character Overview
Jonesy isn’t the sole Fortnite rep but, rather, it’s a Hero situation where he’s joined by three alternate characters as costumes. These costumes are Jonesy, Ramirez, Spitfire, and Wildcat. Jonesy and Ramirez were chosen as they are poster characters in Battle Royale. The other two representatives are Spitfire and Wildcat who have a larger role in Save the World. This creates a character balance between these two main game modes. These characters were also chosen as they differ greatly from each other. Ramirez and Spitfire would be the first characters of Hispanic and African heritage respectfully. Wildcat, while Caucasian, has red, auburn-ish hair. I did consider characters like Banshee, Rio, and Headhunter but then we would have three characters with darker hair color. Spitfire was added to keep the hair colors diversified.
Each one has the same character attributes including weight and size. Jonesy stands just under Captain Falcon. In terms of weight, he would come in at around 102 which makes him heavier than Hero (101) yet lighter than Ryu and Ken (103). This is because, unlike other characters laden with gear, the Fortnite characters aren’t that heavy in their home games. Jonesy’s dashing speed isn’t the best though since, in Fortnite, you can't actually dash. His dash is around 1.72 which ties him with the Plant and Terry. His walking speed is actually better and more consistent with a rating of 1.210. This would make it faster than Wolf, Corrin, Roy, Chrom, and Yoshi (1.208) but slower than Duck Hunt (1.213). Jumping in Fortnite is a slightly floaty affair and this translates to Smash so he has a high and floaty jump. His jump rating would be tied with Mii Brawler, Fox, and Sonic with a rating of 35. This makes him jump higher than Ice Climbers (34.69) but less than Squirtle (35.35). His airspeed as a result would be 1.19 which places him below Inkling, Sonic, Little Mac, Mario, and Donkey Kong (1.208) yet higher than Mr. Game & Watch (1.176). His gravity rating would be .073, making him fall slower than Samus (.074) but faster than Pac-Man (.072). Finally, Jonesy has the ability to hover in air like Peach and Daisy by holding up on the control stick while in the air. This will cause the Glider to be deployed which decreases his falling speed for a moment before vanishing. Jonesy is also capable of crawling like Snake along the ground.
All in all, Jonesy is a well-balanced fighter much like how the avatars are in Fortnite. He deals varied damage output due to the weapons he uses and has excellent range thanks in part to those firearms as well as his ever-trusty Pickaxe. His walking speed allows him to quickly approach opponents without needing to enter into a dash while his floaty jumps allow him to gain a height advantage against other opponents. However, his large frame and relatively low weight make him a literal punching bag. This play style is based on Fortnite which requires to think and strategize in order to out-maneuver their opponents. Knowing when and where to use his abilities to gain an edge against the opponents is the key to victory.
Jonesy Specials and Final Smash
Neutral Special: Build
Constructing things is a huge part of Fortnite with players building walls, ramparts, flooring, and more to gain an edge in the battle royale. By holding down the special button, it brings up a schematic blueprint and a selectable menu above the character. Hitting attack spawns a platform, up attack summons a ramp, down attack spawns a triangular roof, and side special spawns a wall. Hitting the neutral special attack deactivates the Build command but inputting any other special such as the up special also does the trick. Once the construct is summoned, it’s interactable as it takes form much like in the original game. Each construct can take up to 100% and will begin flashing the closer it is to being destroyed.
In order to create a construct, materials are needed which can be found by using the Pickaxe. This is mapped to the neutral attack, side neutral, and neutral aerial. Hitting an opponent, an item, or a stage element with this rewards the player with “materials”. These materials can be used to build these constructs. Completely destroying an item or KO’ing an opponent with the Pickaxe rewards with more materials than normal while dying causes the player to lose all their materials. Each construct requires 10 materials in order to be constructed. If the player doesn’t have any materials on hand, the Neutral Special is automatically changed into the Pickaxe until they have at least ten materials. From there, they can access the Build Blueprints. While the Pickaxe is needed to gather materials, it isn’t a sure-fire way to get them and, even when attacking opponents, materials are always a guarantee. The Pickaxe is capable of dealing 5.2% damage by itself and suffers from start up lag. Players can view how many materials they have above the HUD portrait with a number and material graphic visible.
Build has a number of useful applications such as zoning, stage control, defense, mindgames, and helping with mobility. The walls can be used to limit and prevent approaches, floors can help with aerial mobility, and ramps can be used to coax an opponent onto it and then destroy the ramp from under their feet. However, there are weaknesses to them. Only ten structures can be built at one time so having more than ten causes the special to not work. If Jonesy is hit while selecting or right when he begins “building” the object; the move is canceled and there’s a significantly larger amount of hitstun than normal. Should Jonesy be KO’d, he doesn’t just lose all his materials, all of his structures are also destroyed. Finally, he doesn’t regain the materials back should he destroy the structures himself.
Side Special: Use Weapon/Inventory
Another important aspect of Jonesy is his ability to access the weapon selection. This allows Jonesy to take out one of five weapons and use it to attack opponents. Each weapon has a set amount of ammo and, once it’s empty, must be reloaded. This is done by pressing down while shielding much like how the Inklings refill the ink tanks. The number of ammo available is visible in the weapon wheel menu and also next to the material icon above the HUD portrait. Due to it being mapped to the Side Special, he can move forward and backwards like Banjo and Kazooie’s Neutral Special, Egg Firing. Inputting Side Special will cause the firearm to be brought up which then transitions into the firing mechanic that allows for movement. Hitting the neutral special during this state ends the firing and causes the weapon to be holstered.
To prevent players from sticking to one gun, Jonesy has a durability mechanic like Robin. Overusing a weapon consecutively causes the weapon to “break” and need time to repair itself. This is shown as the weapon flashing red when it’s close to breaking. Using the Pistol over and over and reloading after ending each clip is a sure way to break the weapon after the 4th time. Finally, while five weapons are initially available, a sixth weapon is available under certain circumstances. Like Villager, Jonesy can “pocket” items though, unlike Villager, he uses it through the Grab animation rather than the Neutral Special. This is to reference how most items and weapons are found on the ground. Again, unlike Villager, he can’t pocket incoming projectiles such as Mario's Fireball. These character-based items have to be on the ground for him to pick up so items such as R.O.B.’s Gyro, Link’s Remote Bombs, Snake’s C4, and Banjo and Kazooie’s Rear Egg are all examples. Technically, Olimar’s Pikmin and Rosalina’s Luma could also be pocketed.
The following weapons are selectable and each as its owndamage output and ammo capacity which will be listed below.
Pistol: A small firearm that deals little damage, has a small impact radius, but is very quick, can be spammed, and has a quick reload. It’s quick to draw and holster making it ideal for racking up damage. It has a 10 second cooldown time after breaking which makes it the go-to gun in times of need. It does 5.8% damage up close and 3.5% further away and holds up to ten shots before needing to be reloaded. This gun doesn’t negatively impact speed due to its lightweight and compact nature.
Auto Rifle: This rifle fires a steady stream of firepower that has less damage output but fires at a higher rate. While the gun won’t hinder movement when it’s not being used, it has some kickback which slightly pushes Jonesy backward while firing. This effect is largely small though and it’s hard to notice it when not paying attention. Each shot does1.3% damage and it has 25 rounds total. However, the longer the Auto Rifle is firing, the more damage it deals with a max of 2.8% per shot. It has a longer reload period and a 30 second cooldown time when broken.
Shotgun: Unlike the first two, this weapon has tons of stopping power. It fires a large shotgun blast where the initial projectile deals more damage than the other weapons but has a smaller hitbox. However, this hitbox grows larger the further it travels, but the downside is that it deals significantly less damage the further it goes. The windbox slightly pushes Jonesy back - especially in the air. This allows Jonsey to technically push himself in the air which could aid (or hinder) his recovery options. It does 13% damage up close and 9.2% further away. It has the longest reloading time of any weapon and the cooldown time is 45 seconds.
Sniper Rifle: The Sniper Rifle functions similar to the Staff item from Kid Icarus in that it deals more damage further away. Unlike the earlier weapons, this gun doesn’t allow Jonesy to move and fire. Instead, he remains stationary while firing and can only move afterward. It holds five shots before having to reload which is longer than the Auto Rifle but less than the Shotgun. Holding and charging the input increases the possible damage output. Up close, it does 7% uncharged and 9.1% charged. When the furthest possible distance, it does 17.3% uncharged and 22% charged. It has a 38-second cooldown timer after it breaks.
Rocket Launcher: Jonesy pulls out a Rocket Launcher and fires it. This powerful explosive payload flies forward in a straight line before exploding. It deals 15% damage when it hits directly with 8.2% damage outside the initial blast radius. While it’s a strong attack, it has a predictable trajectory. The launcher has a long cooldown period that requires around 40 seconds should it break. It can hold three rounds before needing to be reloaded.
Up Special: Launch Pad
Jonesy pulls out a launch pad that catapults him into the air. This functions similarly to Banjo’s Shock Spring Jump and Sonic’s Spring Jump mechanically. There is a slight delay between Jonesy pulling out the pad and the launching animation. This is important as Jonesy can quickly move out of the way before being launched which causes the Launch Pad to be left idle on the floor until he or someone else walks past it. This feature isn’t included if Jonesy performs this in the air. If performed in the air, the pad will fall to the ground and whack any opponents underneath. This adds 6% to grounded opponents and 8% to aerial opponents with the chance of meteor smashing them.
Down Special: Remote Explosives
It functions similar to Snake’s Down Special, C4. Players can attach this explosive device onto any object, stage element, or even an opponent. By inputting down special again, the device explodes. When it explodes, it deals up to 24.2% damage for those standing directly over, by the device or if the device was attached to an opponent. The damage decreases the further away the opponent is from the blast with the lowest possible amount of damage being 14%. If someone hits the remote explosive with a projectile, this counts as damage dealt by that opponent.
Final Smash: The Storm King
Jonesy looks to the sky and the Storm begins to conjure itself before Jonsey exits the stage. The storm presents itself as a purple haze and will damage any opponents who find themselves within the field of effect. This acts similarly in theory to Bowser Jr's Final Smash, Shadow Mario Paint. The storm won’t induce hitstun but will greatly damage opponents inside of its area of effect. It will appear on either side of the stage near the side blast lines and will progressively travel inward; pushing opponents and forcing them to come into the “eye of the storm” where they won’t be damaged. The storm’s effect will deal with 1.5% per hit with a hit every .5 seconds. There, it deals with 3% per second. Shortly following the start of the Final Smash, the Shadow King appears far in the background. He will fire off randomized toxic laser blasts. A warning will appear at the location where the laser blast will land. He will fire around four to six blasts before vanishing along with the storm.
Jonesy Smash Attacks and Other Notable Attacks
Standard Attack: Jonesy uses the Pickaxe and swings it forward. This doesn’t have a jab combo and Jonesy just swings the Pickaxe back and forth. Hitting with the Pickaxe generates materials Jonesy can use to create objects and structures through Build. The attack doesn’t deal too much damage with each hit only doing 3.7% damage. However, the general speed and reach of the attack makes it an effective jab attack. Due to its low damage output and lack of notable knockback, it's perfect to get materials from.
Forward Tilt: This attack functions just like the jab but does a bit more power and knockback. This version does 6% damage which makes it good to use as a theoretical jab finisher after harvesting enough materials using the jab.
Forward Aerial Tilt: This attack functions similarly to the forward tilt with a bit more damage output and knockback. It does 12% damage.
Side Smash: Jonesy takes the STOP Axe, heaves it over his head, and smashes down with it. Its animation is similar to Byleth’s Down Special, Aymir. The attack can meteor smash opponents hanging from the ledge. It has excellent range and damage output but suffers from heavy start-up and ending lag. It does 14% damage uncharged and 28.8% charged.
Up Smash: Jonesy lights up a Bottle Rocket which causes it to shoot upwards into the air. Charging up the attack increases both the damage output and the length of the attack. Once it reaches a certain height, it explodes with a beautiful display of pyrotechnics. Getting hit by this attack before it reaches its peak height triggers the explosion. It deals 12.4% damage uncharged and 19.1% charged. It is a good anti-aerial Up Smash attack that functions similarly to Villager’s Up Smash.
Down Smash: Jonesy constructs a retractable spiked floor trap and sets it down on the ground. While most Smash attacks launch opponents, this one stuns the opponent and also deals damage. When the opponent strays into the trap, the retractable spikes spring up and pierce into them. This does heavy damage and also induces hitstun which is dependent on how much the attack was charged up. Uncharged, the attack does 10.8% damage while doing 17.6% charged. This attack is great at trapping opponents while adding a large amount of damage output and then laying into an attack better suited for killing like the Side Smash.
Grab/Tether: Jonesy fires out the Harpoon Gun which acts as both a long-distance grab like the Hookshots but also can add in recovery as a tether. What’s more is that it does damage upon contact with an additional 3% to the grab animation before entering into a throw or a pummel.
Classic Mode: Battle Royale
The title references the Battle Royale mode where people airdrop onto the island. Each match is a Stamina Match and a free-for-all which is again a nod to the series. Finally, opponents are characters who also have a particular alternate costume fighting alongside them, for example, Pikachu and Libre Pikachu. This is to reference the fact that Fortnite has a plethora of skins available for players to wear. Finally, the stages are loosely based on actual locations found within the Battle Royale Island map.
Round 1 - Vs., (Builder), , (Libre)
Saffron City
The stage is based on the many city-like locations found in Fortnite like Lazy Lake.
Round 2- Vs., , , (Radiant Dawn), Wario, Wario (Classic)
Delfino Plaza
The stage is based on city, Sweaty Sands.
Round 3 - Vs., , , (Wireframe), , (Advent Children)
Tortimer’s Island
This stage is based on the many tropical islands found on the map including the event-specific boss lair, The Shark.
Round 4 - Vs., (Vampire Garb), , (Pirate), , (Special Forces)
Pilotwings
This stage is a direct reference to the Battle Bus, the vehicle that brings in players and drops them to the map below.
Round 5 - Vs., (Winter Outfit), , (Meta Ridley), , (Boy)
Midgard
This stage is based on Steamy Stacks.
Round 6 -Vs. , , , , ,
or if Fighter’s Pass Vol 1 was downloaded with all content made available
, , , (Shunji Academny) , , (Femyleth)
Onett
This stage is based on the town, Pleasant Park.
Final Round Vs. Ramirez, Ramirez (Recon Specialist), Spitfire, Spitfire (Funk Ops), Wildcat, Wildcat (Psion)
Battle Royale (The stage, Battle Royale, will be featured in Part 2)
Entrance Animation
Jonesy glides down to the ground while riding on the Glider. In the distance following the start of the match, the Battle Bus can be seen flying away.
Taunts
Jonesy is unique in that he has more than three distinct taunts with, technically, ten taunts total. This is due to the sheer amount of Emotes in Fortnite. He has four taunts instead of three for each directional input. In addition, the Down Taunt has multiple versions available based on dance emotes.
Up Taunt: Jonesy pulls out a wad of cash and starts swiping it forward; scattering the cash everywhere. The cash will vanish shortly after being thrown out and can’t be picked up by other players. Based on the “Make it Rain” emote.
Side Taunt: Stretches out both hands in front of him and slightly waves them. This is the “Behold” emote from the game. This comes complete with the sound effect.
Side Taunt Left: A microphone appears in his hands. He takes it, taps on ktand drops it which makes it land with a sudden thud on the ground. This is based on the “Drop the Mic” emote. The microphone can even damage the opponent with 1.3% when it connects.
Down Taunt: Like Bayonetta’s down taunt, players can perform a dance by holding down the down taunt input. Jonesy has an added bonus of being able to perform a number of dances taken from Fortnite. The dance Jonesy performs is randomized each time.
Idle Animations
Does the Brush Your Shoulders emote and, smugly, brushes off both shoulders.
He stands up straight and snaps his finger loudly. Based on the Snap emote which, possibly, is based on the legendary Thanos finger snap from Avengers Infinity War.
Victory Animations
Along with the three victory animations, Jonesy also has an additional victory animation featuring the dances seen in his Down Taunt.
Grabs a bag from his pocket and takes out a pinch of salt. He then sprinkles it slowly in front of the camera. This is based on the “Pure Salt” emote.
Holds up a gold trophy and begins thrusting it up and down in the air in jubilation. While he does this, confetti falls down from the sky. Based on the “Kiss the Cup” emote.
Pulls out a Saxophone and starts soulfully playing it while swaying his hips to the music. Based on the “Phone It In” emote.
Defeat Pose
He will either appear performing the “Slow Clap” emote, “Face Palm” emote, or the “Rage Quit” emote.
Stamina KO
When KO’d in a Stamina Match, a device that collects the defeated player in Fortnite appears.
Victory Theme
0:00 to 0:06
Alternate Costumes
Conclusion
Fortnite has taken the video game industry by storm and greatly redefined how games are developed and released. The game continues to bring in new players due in part to the game being available on many platforms including the Switch and mobile. The game supports itself through paid content like Save the World as well as additional content including cosmetics, weaponry, and more. It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that Fortnite has more than earned its spot at one of the greatest crossover games ever. That being said though, the series certainly has its fair share of haters and detractors. Getting Fortnite content could be a controversial inclusion that might not be received as well as earlier content.
Feel free to read other Character/Series Smash Analysis Articles
Author’s Note: What do you think? Do you think Fortnite deserves to be in Smash? Would Jonesy and his ability to wield firearms and build things be an interesting choice? What skins do you personally want to see? Let us know below!
”Jonesy Drops In” Smashboards’ Jonesy and Fortnite Character Analysis
Introduction to Fortnite and Jonesy
Fortnite is an online third-person action/shooter game that combines elements of the open-world, sandbox, battle royale, and survival genres. The game was developed by Epic Games who were also behind famous titles such as Unreal Tournament, Gears of War, Infinity Blade, and the Unreal game engine. The game was initially released with a Player versus Environment (PvE) game mode where teams of players fought against approaching monsters called Save the World. This would eventually move to a paid model while a new freemium Player versus Player (PvP) mode, Battle Royale, was released. This mode was well-received among fans and critics alike. In Battle Royale, players can either do solo, pair, or team matches. The goal is to “parachute” to the main island from the Battle Bus and to establish a secure location by harvesting resources, collecting weapons and obtaining healing items. However, a toxic storm is circling in on the island so players must make their way to the “eye of the storm” or risk getting killed under the storm's toxic effect. This was implemented in order to force players into tighter areas together and give a sense of urgency.
The allure to Fortnite was its ease of access, availability, customization, culture, and the general aesthetic appeal. Despite the game featuring firearms, swords, and explosions; the game is rated ages 12 and up according to the ESRB but it manages to rope in even younger players. This is due in part to the lack of blood and gore that often comes with shooters. Customization is a huge feature in Fortnite and one particularly unique feature that was added is Fortnite Creative where players could customize and build their own maps, design their own matches, and share them with friends or with everyone. Epic Games also releases yearly events including holiday-themed events, items, seasonal updates, and more. This helped lead the series to becoming insanely popular and encouraged players to collect and create. On top of all that, the series also has a growing esports scene which draws in thousands of players.
Jonesy appears in both Save the World and Battle Royale but it wasn’t until later that he started getting more important to the franchise. Fortnite has many characters to choose from with some appearing more often in Save the World while others appear mostly in Battle Royale. In Save the World, Jonesy was given a bit more backstory. He is a character in the Soldier class which is a balanced class focusing on damage output and mobility. He has largely become the face of the franchise though he shares this distinction with a number of other characters, enemies, and even skins (cough cough Peely cough cough).
Jonesy Character Overview
Jonesy isn’t the sole Fortnite rep but, rather, it’s a Hero situation where he’s joined by three alternate characters as costumes. These costumes are Jonesy, Ramirez, Spitfire, and Wildcat. Jonesy and Ramirez were chosen as they are poster characters in Battle Royale. The other two representatives are Spitfire and Wildcat who have a larger role in Save the World. This creates a character balance between these two main game modes. These characters were also chosen as they differ greatly from each other. Ramirez and Spitfire would be the first characters of Hispanic and African heritage respectfully. Wildcat, while Caucasian, has red, auburn-ish hair. I did consider characters like Banshee, Rio, and Headhunter but then we would have three characters with darker hair color. Spitfire was added to keep the hair colors diversified.
Each one has the same character attributes including weight and size. Jonesy stands just under Captain Falcon. In terms of weight, he would come in at around 102 which makes him heavier than Hero (101) yet lighter than Ryu and Ken (103). This is because, unlike other characters laden with gear, the Fortnite characters aren’t that heavy in their home games. Jonesy’s dashing speed isn’t the best though since, in Fortnite, you can't actually dash. His dash is around 1.72 which ties him with the Plant and Terry. His walking speed is actually better and more consistent with a rating of 1.210. This would make it faster than Wolf, Corrin, Roy, Chrom, and Yoshi (1.208) but slower than Duck Hunt (1.213). Jumping in Fortnite is a slightly floaty affair and this translates to Smash so he has a high and floaty jump. His jump rating would be tied with Mii Brawler, Fox, and Sonic with a rating of 35. This makes him jump higher than Ice Climbers (34.69) but less than Squirtle (35.35). His airspeed as a result would be 1.19 which places him below Inkling, Sonic, Little Mac, Mario, and Donkey Kong (1.208) yet higher than Mr. Game & Watch (1.176). His gravity rating would be .073, making him fall slower than Samus (.074) but faster than Pac-Man (.072). Finally, Jonesy has the ability to hover in air like Peach and Daisy by holding up on the control stick while in the air. This will cause the Glider to be deployed which decreases his falling speed for a moment before vanishing. Jonesy is also capable of crawling like Snake along the ground.
All in all, Jonesy is a well-balanced fighter much like how the avatars are in Fortnite. He deals varied damage output due to the weapons he uses and has excellent range thanks in part to those firearms as well as his ever-trusty Pickaxe. His walking speed allows him to quickly approach opponents without needing to enter into a dash while his floaty jumps allow him to gain a height advantage against other opponents. However, his large frame and relatively low weight make him a literal punching bag. This play style is based on Fortnite which requires to think and strategize in order to out-maneuver their opponents. Knowing when and where to use his abilities to gain an edge against the opponents is the key to victory.
Jonesy Specials and Final Smash
Neutral Special: Build
Constructing things is a huge part of Fortnite with players building walls, ramparts, flooring, and more to gain an edge in the battle royale. By holding down the special button, it brings up a schematic blueprint and a selectable menu above the character. Hitting attack spawns a platform, up attack summons a ramp, down attack spawns a triangular roof, and side special spawns a wall. Hitting the neutral special attack deactivates the Build command but inputting any other special such as the up special also does the trick. Once the construct is summoned, it’s interactable as it takes form much like in the original game. Each construct can take up to 100% and will begin flashing the closer it is to being destroyed.
In order to create a construct, materials are needed which can be found by using the Pickaxe. This is mapped to the neutral attack, side neutral, and neutral aerial. Hitting an opponent, an item, or a stage element with this rewards the player with “materials”. These materials can be used to build these constructs. Completely destroying an item or KO’ing an opponent with the Pickaxe rewards with more materials than normal while dying causes the player to lose all their materials. Each construct requires 10 materials in order to be constructed. If the player doesn’t have any materials on hand, the Neutral Special is automatically changed into the Pickaxe until they have at least ten materials. From there, they can access the Build Blueprints. While the Pickaxe is needed to gather materials, it isn’t a sure-fire way to get them and, even when attacking opponents, materials are always a guarantee. The Pickaxe is capable of dealing 5.2% damage by itself and suffers from start up lag. Players can view how many materials they have above the HUD portrait with a number and material graphic visible.
Build has a number of useful applications such as zoning, stage control, defense, mindgames, and helping with mobility. The walls can be used to limit and prevent approaches, floors can help with aerial mobility, and ramps can be used to coax an opponent onto it and then destroy the ramp from under their feet. However, there are weaknesses to them. Only ten structures can be built at one time so having more than ten causes the special to not work. If Jonesy is hit while selecting or right when he begins “building” the object; the move is canceled and there’s a significantly larger amount of hitstun than normal. Should Jonesy be KO’d, he doesn’t just lose all his materials, all of his structures are also destroyed. Finally, he doesn’t regain the materials back should he destroy the structures himself.
Side Special: Use Weapon/Inventory
Another important aspect of Jonesy is his ability to access the weapon selection. This allows Jonesy to take out one of five weapons and use it to attack opponents. Each weapon has a set amount of ammo and, once it’s empty, must be reloaded. This is done by pressing down while shielding much like how the Inklings refill the ink tanks. The number of ammo available is visible in the weapon wheel menu and also next to the material icon above the HUD portrait. Due to it being mapped to the Side Special, he can move forward and backwards like Banjo and Kazooie’s Neutral Special, Egg Firing. Inputting Side Special will cause the firearm to be brought up which then transitions into the firing mechanic that allows for movement. Hitting the neutral special during this state ends the firing and causes the weapon to be holstered.
To prevent players from sticking to one gun, Jonesy has a durability mechanic like Robin. Overusing a weapon consecutively causes the weapon to “break” and need time to repair itself. This is shown as the weapon flashing red when it’s close to breaking. Using the Pistol over and over and reloading after ending each clip is a sure way to break the weapon after the 4th time. Finally, while five weapons are initially available, a sixth weapon is available under certain circumstances. Like Villager, Jonesy can “pocket” items though, unlike Villager, he uses it through the Grab animation rather than the Neutral Special. This is to reference how most items and weapons are found on the ground. Again, unlike Villager, he can’t pocket incoming projectiles such as Mario's Fireball. These character-based items have to be on the ground for him to pick up so items such as R.O.B.’s Gyro, Link’s Remote Bombs, Snake’s C4, and Banjo and Kazooie’s Rear Egg are all examples. Technically, Olimar’s Pikmin and Rosalina’s Luma could also be pocketed.
The following weapons are selectable and each as its owndamage output and ammo capacity which will be listed below.
Pistol: A small firearm that deals little damage, has a small impact radius, but is very quick, can be spammed, and has a quick reload. It’s quick to draw and holster making it ideal for racking up damage. It has a 10 second cooldown time after breaking which makes it the go-to gun in times of need. It does 5.8% damage up close and 3.5% further away and holds up to ten shots before needing to be reloaded. This gun doesn’t negatively impact speed due to its lightweight and compact nature.
Auto Rifle: This rifle fires a steady stream of firepower that has less damage output but fires at a higher rate. While the gun won’t hinder movement when it’s not being used, it has some kickback which slightly pushes Jonesy backward while firing. This effect is largely small though and it’s hard to notice it when not paying attention. Each shot does1.3% damage and it has 25 rounds total. However, the longer the Auto Rifle is firing, the more damage it deals with a max of 2.8% per shot. It has a longer reload period and a 30 second cooldown time when broken.
Shotgun: Unlike the first two, this weapon has tons of stopping power. It fires a large shotgun blast where the initial projectile deals more damage than the other weapons but has a smaller hitbox. However, this hitbox grows larger the further it travels, but the downside is that it deals significantly less damage the further it goes. The windbox slightly pushes Jonesy back - especially in the air. This allows Jonsey to technically push himself in the air which could aid (or hinder) his recovery options. It does 13% damage up close and 9.2% further away. It has the longest reloading time of any weapon and the cooldown time is 45 seconds.
Sniper Rifle: The Sniper Rifle functions similar to the Staff item from Kid Icarus in that it deals more damage further away. Unlike the earlier weapons, this gun doesn’t allow Jonesy to move and fire. Instead, he remains stationary while firing and can only move afterward. It holds five shots before having to reload which is longer than the Auto Rifle but less than the Shotgun. Holding and charging the input increases the possible damage output. Up close, it does 7% uncharged and 9.1% charged. When the furthest possible distance, it does 17.3% uncharged and 22% charged. It has a 38-second cooldown timer after it breaks.
Rocket Launcher: Jonesy pulls out a Rocket Launcher and fires it. This powerful explosive payload flies forward in a straight line before exploding. It deals 15% damage when it hits directly with 8.2% damage outside the initial blast radius. While it’s a strong attack, it has a predictable trajectory. The launcher has a long cooldown period that requires around 40 seconds should it break. It can hold three rounds before needing to be reloaded.
Up Special: Launch Pad
Jonesy pulls out a launch pad that catapults him into the air. This functions similarly to Banjo’s Shock Spring Jump and Sonic’s Spring Jump mechanically. There is a slight delay between Jonesy pulling out the pad and the launching animation. This is important as Jonesy can quickly move out of the way before being launched which causes the Launch Pad to be left idle on the floor until he or someone else walks past it. This feature isn’t included if Jonesy performs this in the air. If performed in the air, the pad will fall to the ground and whack any opponents underneath. This adds 6% to grounded opponents and 8% to aerial opponents with the chance of meteor smashing them.
Down Special: Remote Explosives
It functions similar to Snake’s Down Special, C4. Players can attach this explosive device onto any object, stage element, or even an opponent. By inputting down special again, the device explodes. When it explodes, it deals up to 24.2% damage for those standing directly over, by the device or if the device was attached to an opponent. The damage decreases the further away the opponent is from the blast with the lowest possible amount of damage being 14%. If someone hits the remote explosive with a projectile, this counts as damage dealt by that opponent.
Final Smash: The Storm King
Jonesy looks to the sky and the Storm begins to conjure itself before Jonsey exits the stage. The storm presents itself as a purple haze and will damage any opponents who find themselves within the field of effect. This acts similarly in theory to Bowser Jr's Final Smash, Shadow Mario Paint. The storm won’t induce hitstun but will greatly damage opponents inside of its area of effect. It will appear on either side of the stage near the side blast lines and will progressively travel inward; pushing opponents and forcing them to come into the “eye of the storm” where they won’t be damaged. The storm’s effect will deal with 1.5% per hit with a hit every .5 seconds. There, it deals with 3% per second. Shortly following the start of the Final Smash, the Shadow King appears far in the background. He will fire off randomized toxic laser blasts. A warning will appear at the location where the laser blast will land. He will fire around four to six blasts before vanishing along with the storm.
Jonesy Smash Attacks and Other Notable Attacks
Standard Attack: Jonesy uses the Pickaxe and swings it forward. This doesn’t have a jab combo and Jonesy just swings the Pickaxe back and forth. Hitting with the Pickaxe generates materials Jonesy can use to create objects and structures through Build. The attack doesn’t deal too much damage with each hit only doing 3.7% damage. However, the general speed and reach of the attack makes it an effective jab attack. Due to its low damage output and lack of notable knockback, it's perfect to get materials from.
Forward Tilt: This attack functions just like the jab but does a bit more power and knockback. This version does 6% damage which makes it good to use as a theoretical jab finisher after harvesting enough materials using the jab.
Forward Aerial Tilt: This attack functions similarly to the forward tilt with a bit more damage output and knockback. It does 12% damage.
Side Smash: Jonesy takes the STOP Axe, heaves it over his head, and smashes down with it. Its animation is similar to Byleth’s Down Special, Aymir. The attack can meteor smash opponents hanging from the ledge. It has excellent range and damage output but suffers from heavy start-up and ending lag. It does 14% damage uncharged and 28.8% charged.
Up Smash: Jonesy lights up a Bottle Rocket which causes it to shoot upwards into the air. Charging up the attack increases both the damage output and the length of the attack. Once it reaches a certain height, it explodes with a beautiful display of pyrotechnics. Getting hit by this attack before it reaches its peak height triggers the explosion. It deals 12.4% damage uncharged and 19.1% charged. It is a good anti-aerial Up Smash attack that functions similarly to Villager’s Up Smash.
Down Smash: Jonesy constructs a retractable spiked floor trap and sets it down on the ground. While most Smash attacks launch opponents, this one stuns the opponent and also deals damage. When the opponent strays into the trap, the retractable spikes spring up and pierce into them. This does heavy damage and also induces hitstun which is dependent on how much the attack was charged up. Uncharged, the attack does 10.8% damage while doing 17.6% charged. This attack is great at trapping opponents while adding a large amount of damage output and then laying into an attack better suited for killing like the Side Smash.
Grab/Tether: Jonesy fires out the Harpoon Gun which acts as both a long-distance grab like the Hookshots but also can add in recovery as a tether. What’s more is that it does damage upon contact with an additional 3% to the grab animation before entering into a throw or a pummel.
Classic Mode: Battle Royale
The title references the Battle Royale mode where people airdrop onto the island. Each match is a Stamina Match and a free-for-all which is again a nod to the series. Finally, opponents are characters who also have a particular alternate costume fighting alongside them, for example, Pikachu and Libre Pikachu. This is to reference the fact that Fortnite has a plethora of skins available for players to wear. Finally, the stages are loosely based on actual locations found within the Battle Royale Island map.
Round 1 - Vs., (Builder), , (Libre)
Saffron City
The stage is based on the many city-like locations found in Fortnite like Lazy Lake.
Round 2- Vs., , , (Radiant Dawn), Wario, Wario (Classic)
Delfino Plaza
The stage is based on city, Sweaty Sands.
Round 3 - Vs., , , (Wireframe), , (Advent Children)
Tortimer’s Island
This stage is based on the many tropical islands found on the map including the event-specific boss lair, The Shark.
Round 4 - Vs., (Vampire Garb), , (Pirate), , (Special Forces)
Pilotwings
This stage is a direct reference to the Battle Bus, the vehicle that brings in players and drops them to the map below.
Round 5 - Vs., (Winter Outfit), , (Meta Ridley), , (Boy)
Midgard
This stage is based on Steamy Stacks.
Round 6 -Vs. , , , , ,
or if Fighter’s Pass Vol 1 was downloaded with all content made available
, , , (Shunji Academny) , , (Femyleth)
Onett
This stage is based on the town, Pleasant Park.
Final Round Vs. Ramirez, Ramirez (Recon Specialist), Spitfire, Spitfire (Funk Ops), Wildcat, Wildcat (Psion)
Battle Royale (The stage, Battle Royale, will be featured in Part 2)
Entrance Animation
Jonesy glides down to the ground while riding on the Glider. In the distance following the start of the match, the Battle Bus can be seen flying away.
Taunts
Jonesy is unique in that he has more than three distinct taunts with, technically, ten taunts total. This is due to the sheer amount of Emotes in Fortnite. He has four taunts instead of three for each directional input. In addition, the Down Taunt has multiple versions available based on dance emotes.
Up Taunt: Jonesy pulls out a wad of cash and starts swiping it forward; scattering the cash everywhere. The cash will vanish shortly after being thrown out and can’t be picked up by other players. Based on the “Make it Rain” emote.
Side Taunt: Stretches out both hands in front of him and slightly waves them. This is the “Behold” emote from the game. This comes complete with the sound effect.
Side Taunt Left: A microphone appears in his hands. He takes it, taps on ktand drops it which makes it land with a sudden thud on the ground. This is based on the “Drop the Mic” emote. The microphone can even damage the opponent with 1.3% when it connects.
Down Taunt: Like Bayonetta’s down taunt, players can perform a dance by holding down the down taunt input. Jonesy has an added bonus of being able to perform a number of dances taken from Fortnite. The dance Jonesy performs is randomized each time.
Idle Animations
Does the Brush Your Shoulders emote and, smugly, brushes off both shoulders.
He stands up straight and snaps his finger loudly. Based on the Snap emote which, possibly, is based on the legendary Thanos finger snap from Avengers Infinity War.
Victory Animations
Along with the three victory animations, Jonesy also has an additional victory animation featuring the dances seen in his Down Taunt.
Grabs a bag from his pocket and takes out a pinch of salt. He then sprinkles it slowly in front of the camera. This is based on the “Pure Salt” emote.
Holds up a gold trophy and begins thrusting it up and down in the air in jubilation. While he does this, confetti falls down from the sky. Based on the “Kiss the Cup” emote.
Pulls out a Saxophone and starts soulfully playing it while swaying his hips to the music. Based on the “Phone It In” emote.
Defeat Pose
He will either appear performing the “Slow Clap” emote, “Face Palm” emote, or the “Rage Quit” emote.
Stamina KO
When KO’d in a Stamina Match, a device that collects the defeated player in Fortnite appears.
Victory Theme
Alternate Costumes
- Jonesy
- Ramirez
- Wild Stream glider
- Lucky Pickaxe
- Spitfire
- Hyper Glider glider
- Tech Axe Pickaxe
- Wildcat
- Rose Rider glider
- Rose Glow pickaxe
- Blue (Based on the skin, Star-Spangled Trooper)
- Glider becomes Fuel.
- White (Based on the skin, Recon Specialist)
- Glider becomes Googly
- Yellow (Based on the skin, Funk Ops)
- Glider becomes Get Down
- Pickaxe becomes Disco Brawl
- Black (Based on the skin, Psion)
- Pickaxe becomes Psionic Edge
- Glider becomes Ion
Conclusion
Fortnite has taken the video game industry by storm and greatly redefined how games are developed and released. The game continues to bring in new players due in part to the game being available on many platforms including the Switch and mobile. The game supports itself through paid content like Save the World as well as additional content including cosmetics, weaponry, and more. It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that Fortnite has more than earned its spot at one of the greatest crossover games ever. That being said though, the series certainly has its fair share of haters and detractors. Getting Fortnite content could be a controversial inclusion that might not be received as well as earlier content.
Feel free to read other Character/Series Smash Analysis Articles
Author’s Note: What do you think? Do you think Fortnite deserves to be in Smash? Would Jonesy and his ability to wield firearms and build things be an interesting choice? What skins do you personally want to see? Let us know below!
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