Arle Nadja, Puyo Popper Extraordinaire pops into Smash Bros.! (New Management!)

[Deleted member]

I'm honestly pretty curious, especially with a claim like that! I'll have to look into it a bit more some time - might not enjoy playing it if it's incredibly dark, but I'd like to know a bit more about it, at least. To be honest, I'm having trouble imagining how different it could possibly be, considering how cute and friendly Puyo is, so I'm very interested!

It does work to her benefit in terms of entering Smash, though! They've never had difficulty making good movesets for characters with limited things, so I'm sure they could make something fun if she only had Puyo-based things to work with, but having both puzzle games AND JRPGs to pull moves from definitely opens the options much further.

Oh yes, I’ve been really interested in Madou and its lore lately, and while talking about it in the Puyo Puyo English Community Discord, somebody linked this timeline that covers the entire Compile era, including the early Puyo games.

http://puyopuyouniverse.proboards.com/thread/43/shin-madou-timeline

I wish that SEGA would somehow acknowledge this sorta stuff more in their honestly safe-playing soft reboot, but at least they haven’t outright retconned any of it.

 

[smashkirby]

I'm honestly pretty curious, especially with a claim like that! I'll have to look into it a bit more some time - might not enjoy playing it if it's incredibly dark, but I'd like to know a bit more about it, at least. To be honest, I'm having trouble imagining how different it could possibly be, considering how cute and friendly Puyo is, so I'm very interested!

It does work to her benefit in terms of entering Smash, though! They've never had difficulty making good movesets for characters with limited things, so I'm sure they could make something fun if she only had Puyo-based things to work with, but having both puzzle games AND JRPGs to pull moves from definitely opens the options much further.

Oh, you'll be very surprised! Like I've said, the tone shift between both games is SO jarring, it's enough to really rack your brain! Still though, you're right that Smash could use Madou stuff for Arle, giving her a bigger movelist to work with.

Oh yes, I’ve been really interested in Madou and its lore lately, and while talking about it in the Puyo Puyo English Community Discord, somebody linked this timeline that covers the entire Compile era, including the early Puyo games.

http://puyopuyouniverse.proboards.com/thread/43/shin-madou-timeline

I wish that SEGA would somehow acknowledge this sorta stuff more in their honestly safe-playing soft reboot, but at least they haven’t outright retconned any of it.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. Seriously, I've had SO many questions about Doppelganger Arle (the TRUE main antagonist of the 4th mainline Puyo game), and they've ALL been answered on that website!! Again, THANK YOU.

Spoiler: Puyo Puyo 4 spoilers

Honestly, who would have thought that Arle as of the most recent Puyo game is STILL an incomplete being, just like Sig and Strange Klug?! Turns out that Doppel. Arle really IS Arle! As in, her other half that Satan totally forgot to attend to, and as a result left her beyond pissed off at him and the Arle we know today.

 

[FlareHabanero]

I legitimately want Arle in Super Smash Bros. because I am a big fan of Puyo Puyo and Madou Monogatari.

That being said, in terms of gameplay I actually struggle to think of a coherent moveset or playstyle. Not because of a lack of options, but because she's very flexible. A spell caster alone means that she's very flexible, but at the same time referencing gameplay mechanics from Puyo Puyo is also an option. Ideally she should be a character that references both to highlight the series best. Oh and of course having Carbuncle too.

I might have to draw up examples of what I'm talking about. But if you want anything clarified about Arle I can help out in the best way I can.

 

[smashkirby]

I legitimately want Arle in Super Smash Bros. because I am a big fan of Puyo Puyo and Madou Monogatari.

That being said, in terms of gameplay I actually struggle to think of a coherent moveset or playstyle. Not because of a lack of options, but because she's very flexible. A spell caster alone means that she's very flexible, but at the same time referencing gameplay mechanics from Puyo Puyo is also an option. Ideally she should be a character that references both to highlight the series best. Oh and of course having Carbuncle too.

I might have to draw up examples of what I'm talking about. But if you want anything clarified about Arle I can help out in the best way I can.

I take it I can add you to the support list, then? BTW, nice to see you here, Flare!

 

[Notshane]

I actually kind of hope she doesn't use Carbuncle in her actual moveset for the majority of it and he's simply walking around her and is in her taunts most of the time. Mage characters are still mostly an unexplored concept, so I'd be happy if she has tons of magic attacks and some hits here and there.

Hmu once you got this:

 

[FlareHabanero]

To incorporate Carbuncle there are mainly two options.

Make Carbuncle part of Arle's moveset. This can range from something on par with Duck Hunt or Rosalina and Luma. Either be a part of attacks or a separate character you can control. To play up Carbuncle's comedic slant, have unorthdox moves. Like one example is that Arle while ducking will have her lying on the ground with Carbunlce sleeping on her head, with her down tilt attck involving Carbuncle's snot bubble bursting with a deceptively large hitbox.

But if you want something more accurate, go the opposite route and make him not apart of Arle's moveset. A recurring element of Carbuncle in Puyo Puyo, Madou Monogatari, and DiscStation is that he doesn't get involved, instead being on the sidelines goofing around. However some games add a luck-based element to this, in the sense that Carbuncle will sometimes randomly help or even hurt the player. Even ignoring this, Carbuncle has a habit of randomly causing mischief by running off one his own and stealing items.

For a quick example of what I'm talking about, in Madou Monogatari Saturn normally Carbuncle doesn't do anything. Just wonders around aimlessly while the player selects commands.

However at a completely random chance, Carbuncle will decide to help the player by shooting a laser at a random enemy, inflicting heavy damage in the process.

In a setting like Super Smash Bros., I can see this translating into Carbuncle performing multiple action at complete random, such as firing off a powerful laser or stealing items from other players. But otherwise hanging around the background, sleeping, eating, walking, yawning, spinning, etc. like expected.

 

[majorb]

Well, Arle had a good run but I think it's time we all face reality. As of today, April 1st, this is now the Draco Centauros thread.

"You can't compete with me!"

Draco Centauros, born August 2, is a half-human, half-dragon martial artist who straddles the line between hero and villain in the Puyo Puyo multiverse. While most often she is a side character, Draco has served as protagonist of several stories in the Puyo canon. A tomboy with a streak of vanity, Draco's first appearance depicted her as a dungeon lackey willing to attack children, and over the course of the franchise her nuanced character development has seen her become one of the most well-accomplished individuals in the series.

For Draco, Puyo matches are a necessary distraction due to the obsession of the world around her. She has not bothered to master basic rules of the game such as rotating puyos. Getting them done and over with is a means to an end in spite of whoever is the victor; a way to suss vital information out of Arle, ensure she can enjoy a relaxing vacation or calm psychotic forest creatures. Instead of devoting her life to a game proven again and again to destroy the fabric of reality, Draco has focused on self-improvement. Her talents at physical combat are considerable even if they don't lend themselves to popping Puyos, meaning that Draco has been constantly honing her skills by beating up people offscreen while Arle has been playing connect four with slimes. Her hobby is entering beauty contests, and will go to great lengths at great personal risk to obtain legendary swimsuits for the slightest bit of a competitive edge. However, Draco is not all brawn and beauty. Her drive to go further has taken her to the farthest reaches of outer space, just on a whim, and while she may have run into Arle on this adventure (who, typically, got there second and only because something something Tetris), what she really found was herself.

Of course, being adept at physical combat makes her an excellent choice for Smash. She can unleash flurries of punches, roundhouse kicks and whip with her tail. Her wings can provide a hover mechanic, and of course being part-Dragon, she has several ranged fire attacks with a variety of firepower at her disposal. Perhaps even her horns can be utilized in a headbutt. Her aggressive, go-get-'em attitude, alternative hairstyle and stylish dress sense means that she will appeal to various cultures all over the world. Also, dragon person is basically Ridley so she might make those people happy too.

In short, while I apologize for such short notice, I hope you appreciate that Draco is the better choice over Arle and her dinky little not-Pikachu

 

[smashkirby]

To incorporate Carbuncle there are mainly two options.

Make Carbuncle part of Arle's moveset. This can range from something on par with Duck Hunt or Rosalina and Luma. Either be a part of attacks or a separate character you can control. To play up Carbuncle's comedic slant, have unorthodox moves. Like one example is that Arle while ducking will have her lying on the ground with Carbuncle sleeping on her head, with her down tilt attck involving Carbuncle's snot bubble bursting with a deceptively large hitbox.

But if you want something more accurate, go the opposite route and make him not apart of Arle's moveset. A recurring element of Carbuncle in Puyo Puyo, Madou Monogatari, and DiscStation is that he doesn't get involved, instead being on the sidelines goofing around. However some games add a luck-based element to this, in the sense that Carbuncle will sometimes randomly help or even hurt the player. Even ignoring this, Carbuncle has a habit of randomly causing mischief by running off one his own and stealing items.

For a quick example of what I'm talking about, in Madou Monogatari Saturn normally Carbuncle doesn't do anything. Just wonders around aimlessly while the player selects commands.

However at a completely random chance, Carbuncle will decide to help the player by shooting a laser at a random enemy, inflicting heavy damage in the process.

In a setting like Super Smash Bros., I can see this translating into Carbuncle performing multiple action at complete random, such as firing off a powerful laser or stealing items from other players. But otherwise hanging around the background, sleeping, eating, walking, yawning, spinning, etc. like expected.

Wow, this is a really interesting mechanic for Carbuncle!

Personally, I just thought of having him sit on Arle's shoulder sort of like how he mostly does, and be used via Arle's smash attacks, what with him firing his lasers in short, but large bursts like R.O.B.'s side smash attacks...and that would have been it. That being said, your idea of having Carbuncle even MORE involved is way more creative!

BTW, I added you to the support list. You're officially an honorary "Puyo Popper"! Congrats!

Well, Arle had a good run but I think it's time we all face reality. As of today, April 1st, this is now the Draco Centauros thread.

"You can't compete with me!"

Draco Centauros, born August 2, is a half-human, half-dragon martial artist who straddles the line between hero and villain in the Puyo Puyo multiverse. While most often she is a side character, Draco has served as protagonist of several stories in the Puyo canon. A tomboy with a streak of vanity, Draco's first appearance depicted her as a dungeon lackey willing to attack children, and over the course of the franchise her nuanced character development has seen her become one of the most well-accomplished individuals in the series.

For Draco, Puyo matches are a necessary distraction due to the obsession of the world around her. She has not bothered to master basic rules of the game such as rotating puyos. Getting them done and over with is a means to an end in spite of whoever is the victor; a way to suss vital information out of Arle, ensure she can enjoy a relaxing vacation or calm psychotic forest creatures. Instead of devoting her life to a game proven again and again to destroy the fabric of reality, Draco has focused on self-improvement. Her talents at physical combat are considerable even if they don't lend themselves to popping Puyos, meaning that Draco has been constantly honing her skills by beating up people offscreen while Arle has been playing connect four with slimes. Her hobby is entering beauty contests, and will go to great lengths at great personal risk to obtain legendary swimsuits for the slightest bit of a competitive edge. However, Draco is not all brawn and beauty. Her drive to go further has taken her to the farthest reaches of outer space, just on a whim, and while she may have run into Arle on this adventure (who, typically, got there second and only because something something Tetris), what she really found was herself.

Of course, being adept at physical combat makes her an excellent choice for Smash. She can unleash flurries of punches, roundhouse kicks and whip with her tail. Her wings can provide a hover mechanic, and of course being part-Dragon, she has several ranged fire attacks with a variety of firepower at her disposal. Perhaps even her horns can be utilized in a headbutt. Her aggressive, go-get-'em attitude, alternative hairstyle and stylish dress sense means that she will appeal to various cultures all over the world. Also, dragon person is basically Ridley so she might make those people happy too.

In short, while I apologize for such short notice, I hope you appreciate that Draco is the better choice over Arle and her dinky little not-Pikachu

Wow, this may be the first time in a while that I've seen such a detailed write-up for a Puyo character outside of Arle. I mean, I LOVE Draco. She's in my top 10 of favorite Puyo characters, but wow....

 

[Notshane]

To incorporate Carbuncle there are mainly two options.

Make Carbuncle part of Arle's moveset. This can range from something on par with Duck Hunt or Rosalina and Luma. Either be a part of attacks or a separate character you can control. To play up Carbuncle's comedic slant, have unorthdox moves. Like one example is that Arle while ducking will have her lying on the ground with Carbunlce sleeping on her head, with her down tilt attck involving Carbuncle's snot bubble bursting with a deceptively large hitbox.

But if you want something more accurate, go the opposite route and make him not apart of Arle's moveset. A recurring element of Carbuncle in Puyo Puyo, Madou Monogatari, and DiscStation is that he doesn't get involved, instead being on the sidelines goofing around. However some games add a luck-based element to this, in the sense that Carbuncle will sometimes randomly help or even hurt the player. Even ignoring this, Carbuncle has a habit of randomly causing mischief by running off one his own and stealing items.

For a quick example of what I'm talking about, in Madou Monogatari Saturn normally Carbuncle doesn't do anything. Just wonders around aimlessly while the player selects commands.

However at a completely random chance, Carbuncle will decide to help the player by shooting a laser at a random enemy, inflicting heavy damage in the process.

In a setting like Super Smash Bros., I can see this translating into Carbuncle performing multiple action at complete random, such as firing off a powerful laser or stealing items from other players. But otherwise hanging around the background, sleeping, eating, walking, yawning, spinning, etc. like expected.

I was waiting for somebody else to bring this up.

 

[ProfPeanut]

So here's a question that I can't seem to answer, despite all the internet sources I've looked through: what exactly is Bayoen?

It summons an explosion of flowers, it does tons of damage, but...why? Does "Bayoen" stand for something, or is it a random word? Why is it the strongest spell Arle has, as depicted by the Puyo Puyo games?

Mage characters are still mostly an unexplored concept, so I'd be happy if she has tons of magic attacks and some hits here and there.

Actually, there's already quite a few she has to contend with. Ness, Zelda, Mewtwo, Lucas, and Robin all incorporate a decent amount of magic into their movesets, with Zelda and Lucas using it the most for their basic attacks.

 

[FlareHabanero]

So here's a question that I can't seem to answer, despite all the internet sources I've looked through: what exactly is Bayoen?

It summons an explosion of flowers, it does tons of damage, but...why? Does "Bayoen" stand for something, or is it a random word? Why is it the strongest spell Arle has, as depicted by the Puyo Puyo games?

Bayoen's actual effect depends on the game. It either stuns the opponent or inflicts damage, but it's flavor text describes it as Arle overwhelming the enemy with a wave of strong emotions. She was taught that spell by one of the forest fairies in Madou Monogatari A, continuity wise.

Honestly I don't know why it's Arle's strongest attack in Puyo Puyo in particular.

 

[ProfPeanut]

Bayoen's actual effect depends on the game. It either stuns the opponent or inflicts damage, but it's flavor text describes it as Arle overwhelming the enemy with a wave of strong emotions. She was taught that spell by one of the forest fairies in Madou Monogatari A, continuity wise.

Honestly I don't know why it's Arle's strongest attack in Puyo Puyo in particular.

Ah, alright then. Is it really a random word, though, or does it mean something in Japanese that doesn't really get through?

I've been ruminating on an Arle set for a while now, so I'm hoping to learn more about her actual skillset in her original games. Like, are there any other noteworthy offensive spells that ought to be included aside from the three elemental spells and Judgement? And does Diacute only buff the damage of your next spell, or does it have a side effect? All instances I've seen of it being incorporated into a moveset make Arle more vulnerable for some reason.

 

[smashkirby]

Honestly, as big of a fan as I am of Puyo Puyo AND Madou Monogatari, I'm still not too clear on what Diacute is. Don't get me wrong, I'm not so out of it that I think it means "Diamond Cutie" or whatever the English version of Fever 1 called it.

But, that name wasn't even used in Puyo Tetris' English dub, so I can't help but wonder...

 

[FlareHabanero]

Honestly, as big of a fan as I am of Puyo Puyo AND Madou Monogatari, I'm still not too clear on what Diacute is. Don't get me wrong, I'm not so out of it that I think it means "Diamond Cutie" or whatever the English version of Fever 1 called it.

But, that name wasn't even used in Puyo Tetris' English dub, so I can't help but wonder...

It's supposed to convey that it's "doubling acuteness"

Di- is the prefix that means "double", "twice", or "two".

Acute referring to being keen, or alternatively being intense. Depending on your perspective, it can mean that the spell is making the user more focused or stronger.

 

[Notshane]

Actually, there's already quite a few she has to contend with. Ness, Zelda, Mewtwo, Lucas, and Robin all incorporate a decent amount of magic into their movesets, with Zelda and Lucas using it the most for their basic attacks.

Well, yes, you're right. Just those two use it for most of their basic attacks. But, Robin mostly has it in his special moves and simply has an enchanted sword.

And if we took Robin out of the equation, then Sm4sh did not really add too many magical characters. It's about 1-2 new mage characters with every new entry. And about one full mage character for every new one since Melee. There's only four Smash games, so they're still among the minority when all rosters combined have had roughly sixty characters. And not even half a dozen have much emphasis on magical movesets? Kind of sad. Arle is here to break that mold!

 

[FlareHabanero]

Just focusing on the magic aspect is kind of missing the point of Arle. There's also referencing the Puyo games themselves, referencing chaining and garbage for example. Best way I can describe it is mimicking the flow of a Puyo match, where typically a player tries to annoy the opponent while simultaneously trying to create a large enough chain to finish them off.

Also on a unrelated note, I want to see manzai styled interactions with Arle and the rest of the Smash cast.

 

[FamicomDisk]

Yeah, Arle's a wizard, but I feel like she's more known for Puyo than her other appearances, so that's where they might get the most inspiration from. In Smash, I imagine that she'd pull a little bit from her magic attacks, but most of her moveset would be probably be themed around Puyos and the mechanics of the Puyo Puyo games. I feel like a puzzle-based moveset would be a lot more unique than pulling from her magic.

For example - in Puyo, one of the central mechanics is clearing Puyos in combos, earning chains of points and giving your opponents obstacles to contend with. Since Smash isn't a puzzle game, maybe they could adapt that mechanic into her moveset? Maybe she could have a combo counter that counts how many consecutive attacks she gets, and then once the combo ends, the opponent takes extra damage as a reward, similar to the reward for chains in Puyo. There's a lot more they could do, of course, but it's not hard to see how she could be very different from the mage characters in Smash.

 

[Luminario]

Adapting Vs Puzzle games to Smash does seem like quite a struggle. Lip's Stick had the right idea by giving the flower-head effect that grew with every consecutive hit to do more damage, which mirrors Vs Puzzle gameplay pretty well, where you start the combos then passively let the garbage blocks do the work. I can't see Arle actually using the flower-heads as a base for her moveset though, as that gimmick is probably reserved specifically for Lip if she ever gets in.
I'm also on board with a combo counter gimmick as well, though I think it should be something that strengthens a smash attack or a special the more hits you get on opponents, and gets weaker with every hit you take.

 

[PsySmasher]

I’ll support. The concept of a magic-based, puzzle game fighter seems interesting and unique to me.

 

[FamicomDisk]

Adapting Vs Puzzle games to Smash does seem like quite a struggle. Lip's Stick had the right idea by giving the flower-head effect that grew with every consecutive hit to do more damage, which mirrors Vs Puzzle gameplay pretty well, where you start the combos then passively let the garbage blocks do the work. I can't see Arle actually using the flower-heads as a base for her moveset though, as that gimmick is probably reserved specifically for Lip if she ever gets in.
I'm also on board with a combo counter gimmick as well, though I think it should be something that strengthens a smash attack or a special the more hits you get on opponents, and gets weaker with every hit you take.

I could see an Arle moveset working in the puzzle mechanics by incorporating the main controls of Puyo. Since you flip the Puyos around a lot, why not give her a move that lets her flip over an opponent, knocking them over and locking them in place for a short time, and then she can follow up with another attack, like dropping garbage Puyos on them or a regular magic attack? I think it could be interesting to have a character whose moveset is primarily based on knocking opponents over and using projectiles on them, and it could work well with the combo mechanic too if someone got good with racking up hits in quick succession.

Maybe she could drop Garbage Puyos, and summon regular Puyos seperately that she can hold and throw?

 

[FlareHabanero]

I would go the route of having a passive charge of some sort. So here's an idea I came up with.

Puyo Puyo matches often involves the creation of chains, both large chains to overwhelm the opponent and small chains to annoy them, ultimately having a big risk and reward factor.

One option I've been thinking of is Arle having several "tiers" of charge that is influenced by defensive play, between levels 0 to 5. Arle's hands will glow different colors to dictate the level, in order Red➞Blue➞Green➞Yellow➞Purple. In addition, Arle will receive a small boost in overall power depending on the level, going 10%+➞20%+➞30%+➞40%+➞50%+. What influences the charge includes defensive plays like neutralizing a projectile or successfully pulling off a perfect shield, though it will also charge by itself slowly. Ultimately the purpose of the charge is to power up Arle's special moves, ranging from practically useless to incredibly destructive.

The catch being that once a special move is used, the charge resets back to zero, but each tier influences the specials in different ways. In particular this would reference the recurring Diacute spell, where in a lot of the games it powers up the next spell but resets after pulling off the attack. It would also reference the concept of offsetting, such as with the recurring Fever ruleset where offsetting fills up a gauge. The ultimate concept is to emulate that risk and reward mentality a Puyo Puyo match has. Do you stay conservative to power yourself up, or go on the offensive hoping to land that one devastating blow?

 

[FamicomDisk]

I would go the route of having a passive charge of some sort. So here's an idea I came up with.

Puyo Puyo matches often involves the creation of chains, both large chains to overwhelm the opponent and small chains to annoy them, ultimately having a big risk and reward factor.

One option I've been thinking of is Arle having several "tiers" of charge that is influenced by defensive play, between levels 0 to 5. Arle's hands will glow different colors to dictate the level, in order Red➞Blue➞Green➞Yellow➞Purple. In addition, Arle will receive a small boost in overall power depending on the level, going 10%+➞20%+➞30%+➞40%+➞50%+. What influences the charge includes defensive plays like neutralizing a projectile or successfully pulling off a perfect shield, though it will also charge by itself slowly. Ultimately the purpose of the charge is to power up Arle's special moves, ranging from practically useless to incredibly destructive.

The catch being that once a special move is used, the charge resets back to zero, but each tier influences the specials in different ways. In particular this would reference the recurring Diacute spell, where in a lot of the games it powers up the next spell but resets after pulling off the attack. It would also reference the concept of offsetting, such as with the recurring Fever ruleset where offsetting fills up a gauge. The ultimate concept is to emulate that risk and reward mentality a Puyo Puyo match has. Do you stay conservative to power yourself up, or go on the offensive hoping to land that one devastating blow?

That's a really cool idea! Reminds me of Cloud's limit break a bit. However, you said that her specials would go from "practically useless" to destructive... so resetting the charge every time a special is used will render her specials useless until charged, meaning that most of the fight will be done with half of her moves unusable. Maybe instead, she could lose the charge when she's hit, so if she can successfully dodge all of the attacks coming for her, then she can keep it going? Would be a good way to keep the theme of a chain in mind, rewarding you for doing a long chain of attacks without getting attacked yourself.

 

[FlareHabanero]

That's a really cool idea! Reminds me of Cloud's limit break a bit. However, you said that her specials would go from "practically useless" to destructive... so resetting the charge every time a special is used will render her specials useless until charged, meaning that most of the fight will be done with half of her moves unusable. Maybe instead, she could lose the charge when she's hit, so if she can successfully dodge all of the attacks coming for her, then she can keep it going? Would be a good way to keep the theme of a chain in mind, rewarding you for doing a long chain of attacks without getting attacked yourself.

Like let me give you an example.

Say that Arle's side special would be Ojama/Nuisance Puyo.

It's exactly what it sounds like, she drops a pile of garbage onto the field from above. The purpose of the move is that it inflicts damage, and can act as a makeshift barrier by blocking attacks like projectiles. Each charge would add a new row of Nuisance Puyo, maxing out at 30 nuisance puyos or 5 rows. This mimics how Nuisance Puyo function in the games by hindering your opponent.

Another example I have is her neutral special being "Owanimo", which functions like 5 different specials depending on the charge itself. Referencing the main spells Arle has in the Puyo Puyo games, Fire, Ice Storm, Brain Dumbed, Jugem, and Bayoen. So Fire would be a ground based projectile where fire swamps the field, Ice Storm would be a airborne projectile that guarantees the opponent will be frozen if it connects, Brain Dumbed causes the opponent to be stunned, Jugem is a very powerful move that detonates after a few seconds covering the field in a burst of intense light that causes consecutive damage, and Bayoen is Arle's move damaging attack with very high damage and knockback, and ignores shields.

As for your proposal, that sounds like a smart idea. The big question though is how all of this would be balanced in a practical sense.

 

[FamicomDisk]

Ohhh, I see! So the moves themselves are actually affected by the charge in terms of what they do. Makes sense! There are definitely a lot of fun ideas that could be done with that concept.

 

[NintenZ]

She’s literally my most wanted SEGA character period, she fits into Smash seamlessly and could be unique with her magic and all the Puyo she could use, sign me up.

 

[ProfPeanut]

Just focusing on the magic aspect is kind of missing the point of Arle. There's also referencing the Puyo games themselves, referencing chaining and garbage for example. Best way I can describe it is mimicking the flow of a Puyo match, where typically a player tries to annoy the opponent while simultaneously trying to create a large enough chain to finish them off.

I mean, the bolded is basically Smash Bros. in a nutshell. You already rack up damage in a similar way that you set up Puyo chains.

I would go the route of having a passive charge of some sort. So here's an idea I came up with.

Puyo Puyo matches often involves the creation of chains, both large chains to overwhelm the opponent and small chains to annoy them, ultimately having a big risk and reward factor.

One option I've been thinking of is Arle having several "tiers" of charge that is influenced by defensive play, between levels 0 to 5. Arle's hands will glow different colors to dictate the level, in order Red➞Blue➞Green➞Yellow➞Purple. In addition, Arle will receive a small boost in overall power depending on the level, going 10%+➞20%+➞30%+➞40%+➞50%+. What influences the charge includes defensive plays like neutralizing a projectile or successfully pulling off a perfect shield, though it will also charge by itself slowly. Ultimately the purpose of the charge is to power up Arle's special moves, ranging from practically useless to incredibly destructive.

The catch being that once a special move is used, the charge resets back to zero, but each tier influences the specials in different ways. In particular this would reference the recurring Diacute spell, where in a lot of the games it powers up the next spell but resets after pulling off the attack. It would also reference the concept of offsetting, such as with the recurring Fever ruleset where offsetting fills up a gauge. The ultimate concept is to emulate that risk and reward mentality a Puyo Puyo match has. Do you stay conservative to power yourself up, or go on the offensive hoping to land that one devastating blow?

I think a mechanic like this for Arle should also be powered up by offensive plays. If she lands a hit on the foe, then lands another non-consecutive hit within about 3.5 seconds or so, her charge temporarily jumps up a tier. She can keep increasing her charge by landing non-consecutive attacks (ex. Jab -> FTilt -> DTilt -> FTilt -> FAir), after which it either caps out or waits 3.5 seconds without her landing a hit. Then it'd reset back to where she'd initially charged it. (It might be possible to also make specials continue this chain by keeping the charge around for about 1 second after using the special, allowing Arle use even more empowered attacks.)

How I'd balance that to not spit out 0% Bayoens, of course, would be to make it so that most of Arle's big combos would only work at mid-to-high percentages. So while she has one or two low-percent one-two hit combos, she won't be able to chain longer strings of attack together unless the foe flies out far enough.

The big question though is how all of this would be balanced in a practical sense.

I think a fitting Arle set would be balanced similarly to Falco or another combo-based character (without going as heavy as Bayo), while taking a few strengths from Jigglypuff. Someone with a good follow-up game to any juggles she can set up, and an amazing offstage game to either close out a launch into a KO, or to recover from a big hit and convert it to your advantage. Consequently, her neutral game would be centered on damage-racking, and no easy way to land grounded one-hit KOs like Ganondorf or Little Mac - she'd have to either rely on her chains or get lucky with landing a special attack.

Protip: Unless it's a deliberate command grab, it's usually a bad idea to make atttacks that ignore shields.

 

[FlareHabanero]

I like a lot of Arle's sprites since they're pretty expressive. In a way I want to see that sort of expressiveness applied to her general animations.

 

[smashkirby]

I’ll support. The concept of a magic-based, puzzle game fighter seems interesting and unique to me.

And you, my friend, are officially an honorary Puyo Popper"! Congrats!

She’s literally my most wanted SEGA character period, she fits into Smash seamlessly and could be unique with her magic and all the Puyo she could use, sign me up.

Wait, NintenZ ? Um...I've actually added you before...?

 

[FamicomDisk]

Wait, NintenZ ? Um...I've actually added you before...?

Did a quick search and it seems like he lent his support for Arle in the previous thread for her.

 

[DNeon]

You know what, this is just unique enough to get my vote too.

 

[smashkirby]

Did a quick search and it seems like he lent his support for Arle in the previous thread for her.

Yeah, I remember. I was just wondering how Nintenzilla was wording that, since I added him to this support list already.

You know what, this is just unique enough to get my vote too.

And you, my friend, are officially an honorary Puyo Popper"! Congrats!

Man, I'm just now starting to take in how Puyo Tetris has really helped the Puyo Puyo franchise as a whole. I mean, people actually have Arle on their 3rd party wants for Smash now, and some even believe she should have been the 2nd SEGA rep instead of Bayo.

For the record, I'm not hating on Bayo. I've LONG gotten over the salt of that whole thing.

 

[FlareHabanero]

One quirky idea I've been thinking of is making several of Arle's alternate costumes reference her alt cards in Puyo Puyo!! Quest.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

One quirky idea I've been thinking of is making several of Arle's alternate costumes reference her alt cards in Puyo Puyo!! Quest.

Puppy Arle would be the perfect outfit in Smash.

 

[FamicomDisk]

One quirky idea I've been thinking of is making several of Arle's alternate costumes reference her alt cards in Puyo Puyo!! Quest.

As adorable as those are, now I’m going to be disappointed if Arle gets in and they don’t show up.

 

[smashkirby]

Personally, I had a similar idea, but with Arle using the different variations of what she wears in the "mainstream" games. Specifically:

Spoiler: Puyo Tetris (default outfit)

Spoiler: Pre-Puyo Puyo~n outfit

Spoiler: Puyo Puyo~n

Spoiler: Puyo Puyo 7

 

[FlareHabanero]

Personally, I had a similar idea, but with Arle using the different variations of what she wears in the "mainstream" games. Specifically:

Spoiler: Puyo Tetris (default outfit)

Spoiler: Pre-Puyo Puyo~n outfit

Spoiler: Puyo Puyo~n

Spoiler: Puyo Puyo 7

An inherent problem is being able to tell the different costumes apart during a frantic match. A lot of those outfits emphasize blue and white colors, which at a glance can create confusion.

Though I do like the idea of one of the costumes referencing Doppelganger Arle in particular. Being based on the Puyo Puyo~n design and having that blood red coloring instead of blue, maybe with slightly different facial expressions to make her look mischievous.

 

[smashkirby]

Though I do like the idea of one of the costumes referencing Doppelganger Arle in particular. Being based on the Puyo Puyo~n design and having that blood red coloring instead of blue, maybe with slightly different facial expressions to make her look mischievous.

Is it worrisome that I can easily see the Smash dev team adding Doppelganger Arle in a way that they added Dark Pit to Smash 4?

Honestly, I've made a point of this in a couple of previous posts, but one thing I've sort of been gunning for (as much as I know this outfit is probably outdated in regards to recent Puyo games) is for Arle to utilize her Puyo Puyo~n outfit as her default look.

As I've said before, I'm not wholly expecting it due to it not being used as a design for her since 1999, and SEGA's WAY more likely to ask Sakurai to give Arle her 20th Anniversary/Puyo Tetris outfit than anything else.

 

[Spazzy_D]

Suprised no one posted this

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Suprised no one posted this

I'd say it's because of smashkirby being busy with school.

But this is a very interesting video that talks about Arle's potential as a fighter. She's without a doubt one of the more underlooked Sega choices.

 

[FlareHabanero]

Is it worrisome that I can easily see the Smash dev team adding Doppelganger Arle in a way that they added Dark Pit to Smash 4?

Can't see that happening with a third party character.

Though now that you mention it, it's kind of funny you bring up the comparison between Dark Pit and Doppelganger Arle. Dark Pit is a personification of Pit's bad side but is merely neutral due to being incomplete, but Doppelganger Arle is a whole trainwreck of circumstances with hints of slipping sanity because of it.

Suprised no one posted this

I never took those videos seriously because it's purely fan speculation. Though I'll admit that 70% is surprisingly generous.