Character Exploration Thread - Day 79: Axel Stone (Streets of Rage)

[Paraster]

Since Cave Story is a Metroidvania style game, I’m curious if Quote has any interesting alternate outfits in the same vein as Samus’ different power suits? I’m always looking for an opportunity to have cool alternate outfits for characters in place of simple palate swaps. Is there anything that could work for an alternate outfit or would he likely just have palate swaps?

The only "alternate costume" Quote has is the Mimiga Mask briefly lategame.

Though he does have alternate color schemes in Easy and Hard mode.

 

[amageish]

...And once again I am late with the schedule. First off, I'm gonna see if there's anyone who's interested in helping out with the schedule and noms and all that, because I think I might need some help in that regard. Anyways...

I'm willing to help with the schedule half and counting noms, though I think I'm on this website less then you if anything, so idk if I'd be helpful for that task haha.

Anyway, Quote! I don't know about this gameplay thing, but the best way to accurately represent Quote is obviously to make his character pack free!

(/s, naturally)

What would people expect for a spirit board for quote?

Noms: Farmer x 15

 

[Paraster]

I'm in a bit of an awkward situation, here, because I know enough about Cave Story peripherally and from the movesets already posted to not really have many questions to ask, but I don't know enough to really share any ideas. I felt the same way about Tom Nook.

Uh... Hey, what would Quote's movement be like? Like, his dash speed, air traction, weight and all that? Could he walljump, or crawl, or anything like that, do you think?

Quote's jumps are actually rather floaty in the original game, so I imagine that'd carry over. Other than that, I guess he'd have average weight and slightly slower than average speed. I don't think he'd be able to walljump; he might be able to crawl.

What would people expect for a spirit board for quote?

I actually made this a while back:

Spoiler: Quote Spirit Board (Large Image Size)

A few notes that aren't apparent from the image:
Toroko can be enhanced into Rabid Toroko.
King's unique trait would be "Glass Cannon," which increases attack and speed but decreases defense (inspired by Armor Knight).
Ikachan and Kaeru aren't from Cave Story (though Ikachan cameos), instead being the protagonists of other Studio Pixel games (Ikachan and Kero Blaster, respectively).

 

[Perkilator]

Lemme just say, I'm SUPER excited to talk about Sora tomorrow. I'm a KH stan, so I'm about to show you guys the love I put into my Sora Challenger Pack.

 

[Pillow]

I'm in a bit of an awkward situation, here, because I know enough about Cave Story peripherally and from the movesets already posted to not really have many questions to ask, but I don't know enough to really share any ideas. I felt the same way about Tom Nook.

Uh... Hey, what would Quote's movement be like? Like, his dash speed, air traction, weight and all that? Could he walljump, or crawl, or anything like that, do you think?

Weight and proportions would be similar to Villager with slow ground speed. I imagine he’d be rather floaty but have lots of air control and medium air acceleration. No to walljump/cling/crawl.

 

[SharkLord]

So I've been wondering, anyone got a list of Quote's weapons and how they work? I'm curious as to his full potential.

 

[PeridotGX]

oh, this is an easy one. https://www.cavestory.org/download/cave-story.php, you can literally download cave story here. It's also on the Eshop for $30, which seems a tad steep but what do i know.

 

[ZelDan]

Man, it's been so long since I played Cave Story that I don't really remember alot about it beyond pretty basic gameplay and story stuff.

If we ever did get Quote in Smash, It would be great to have Curly be playable as well, whether as an alt costume or maybe even an echo.

 

[Pillow]

So I've been wondering, anyone got a list of Quote's weapons and how they work? I'm curious as to his full potential.

There's really not that many, the wiki has all of them here. Designing a moveset for him should be pretty easy.

Honestly in terms of gameplay and puzzles, Cavestory is a very straightforward game (other than a few symptoms of being an indie game by a solo developer that make you really question how anyone was expected to know you needed to do [x] to get past [y]). Its legacy is its real strength as a Smash candidate.

 

[Paraster]

A concept I had for a side special but eventually cut was the Snake. Since the Snake's projectile can go through walls, I figured that could carry over, but I also eventually added a property that allowed it to pierce through reflecting and absorbing moves.

Obviously the Snake would be much weaker in that case, but I think it could be a clever method of incorporating its canon attributes in a new way, making the attack unique, and supplying a small counter to what would be two of Quote's biggest obstacles.

 

[ShrimpScampi]

Hoo boy it's been a busy week so I haven't had much chance to discuss, but goshdarnit I've put all my noms into this character, so I'm gonna make time to make a discussion post about Quote if it's the last thing I do

Quote would definitely be a projectile-based zoner, which as I mentioned back on Reimu's day is an archetype this DLC hasn't really had yet. The weapon experience mechanic from Cave Story would be rather interesting to balance, considering it's a positive feedback loop. With a lot of other character-specific mechanics (Aura, Arsene, Terry's Go, Sephy's wing), you get the boost when you're behind, but I can't think of any existing mechanics where your attacks get buffed for landing hits and nerfed for getting hit. It would make Quote's advantage state really good, while making it harder to get out of disadvantage.

How Quote is represented visually is an interesting question to consider too. Nicalis put him and Curly in their crossover fighting game, Blade Strangers, complete with anime-ish redesigns. Plus, there's their Cave Story 3D designs, which are chibi but still 3D:

Or they could go full-on retro and go with their sprite designs (left is from the original freeware version, right is from Cave Story+):

I'd be happy with more or less any of the design approaches, but tbh I think it would be really charming if they used sprites somehow. A lot of Cave Story's appeal (in addition to being a dang good game) is its legacy, so they could definitely lean on that when designing the visuals, if not with Quote/Curly themselves then with the stage.

Actually, when typing this up I realized an inclusion in another game that's handled visually just like how I'd want to see Quote handled in Smash: Asha from the freeware game Iji in Slap City. Asha's reveal trailer is here, and you can see some of Iji's in-game graphics at the very beginning of the trailer:

Asha gets his own Slap City 3D redesign, but the stages from Iji (the ones in the trailer with the same orange sky as the Iji in-game segment) heavily lean on the original game's pixel art style. Doing that for Quote's stage, whether it's Mimiga Village, the Outer Wall, or somewhere else, would be a really great homage to the original game's art style.

Those are my thoughts on Quote's visuals, but what do you think would be a good visual design for him (and potentially Curly)?

 

[Paraster]

Hoo boy it's been a busy week so I haven't had much chance to discuss, but goshdarnit I've put all my noms into this character, so I'm gonna make time to make a discussion post about Quote if it's the last thing I do

Quote would definitely be a projectile-based zoner, which as I mentioned back on Reimu's day is an archetype this DLC hasn't really had yet. The weapon experience mechanic from Cave Story would be rather interesting to balance, considering it's a positive feedback loop. With a lot of other character-specific mechanics (Aura, Arsene, Terry's Go, Sephy's wing), you get the boost when you're behind, but I can't think of any existing mechanics where your attacks get buffed for landing hits and nerfed for getting hit. It would make Quote's advantage state really good, while making it harder to get out of disadvantage.

How Quote is represented visually is an interesting question to consider too. Nicalis put him and Curly in their crossover fighting game, Blade Strangers, complete with anime-ish redesigns. Plus, there's their Cave Story 3D designs, which are chibi but still 3D:

Or they could go full-on retro and go with their sprite designs (left is from the original freeware version, right is from Cave Story+):

I'd be happy with more or less any of the design approaches, but tbh I think it would be really charming if they used sprites somehow. A lot of Cave Story's appeal (in addition to being a dang good game) is its legacy, so they could definitely lean on that when designing the visuals, if not with Quote/Curly themselves then with the stage.

Actually, when typing this up I realized an inclusion in another game that's handled visually just like how I'd want to see Quote handled in Smash: Asha from the freeware game Iji in Slap City. Asha's reveal trailer is here, and you can see some of Iji's in-game graphics at the very beginning of the trailer:

Asha gets his own Slap City 3D redesign, but the stages from Iji (the ones in the trailer with the same orange sky as the Iji in-game segment) heavily lean on the original game's pixel art style. Doing that for Quote's stage, whether it's Mimiga Village, the Outer Wall, or somewhere else, would be a really great homage to the original game's art style.

Those are my thoughts on Quote's visuals, but what do you think would be a good visual design for him (and potentially Curly)?

During the Smash Ballot, Nicalis shared a Quote model that adhered to his appearances in the game's credits artwork pretty closely. I'm most partial to something along these lines.

With regards to the stage, I think you could make the game's locations look beautiful in a more detailed 3D artstyle, but making them pixelated does have its own charm (and Smash has done that before; I don't think a Cave Story stage would clash any worse than Mario Bros., Dream Land, or Balloon Fight). I would prefer Quote himself still be a 3D model, though; it'd provide more flexibility in animation and make him clash less.

A note on Quote's moveset: the Blade has been mentioned before by at least one person, but I don't think anyone has brought up the potential for it to act as a proper melee weapon. Heck, you could take inspiration from Blade Strangers with regards to the animations if you wanted. I think this'd be a decent way to fill out some regular attacks (my own moveset uses the Blade as a melee weapon in 5 attacks, and as a throwing weapon specifically for the forward and up smashes).

 

[SharkLord]

Y'know, Quote's status compared to the last indie we covered, Reimu, is pretty interesting. They're both considered very big for indies, are a good decade or two older than most of their indie peers, and they're made in Japan... But on the other hand, their main merits are opposite to each other. Quote's selling point is his legacy for indie gaming; Reimu's is the fans pushing the series far beyond just the games. They make interesting foils to each other when you put 'em under the Smash lens.

 

[Pillow]

During the Smash Ballot, Nicalis shared a Quote model that adhered to his appearances in the game's credits artwork pretty closely. I'm most partial to something along these lines.
View attachment 315832
With regards to the stage, I think you could make the game's locations look beautiful in a more detailed 3D artstyle, but making them pixelated does have its own charm (and Smash has done that before; I don't think a Cave Story stage would clash any worse than Mario Bros., Dream Land, or Balloon Fight). I would prefer Quote himself still be a 3D model, though; it'd provide more flexibility in animation and make him clash less.

A note on Quote's moveset: the Blade has been mentioned before by at least one person, but I don't think anyone has brought up the potential for it to act as a proper melee weapon. Heck, you could take inspiration from Blade Strangers with regards to the animations if you wanted. I think this'd be a decent way to fill out some regular attacks (my own moveset uses the Blade as a melee weapon in 5 attacks, and as a throwing weapon specifically for the forward and up smashes).

Yeah a character can’t have only projectiles it just doesn’t work. I also envision the blade to be used for normal attacks, and perhaps the lvl 3 version with the king spirit can be the Smash attacks.

Y'know, Quote's status compared to the last indie we covered, Reimu, is pretty interesting. They're both considered very big for indies, are a good decade or two older than most of their indie peers, and they're made in Japan... But on the other hand, their main merits are opposite to each other. Quote's selling point is his legacy for indie gaming; Reimu's is the fans pushing the series far beyond just the games. They make interesting foils to each other when you put 'em under the Smash lens.

For Smash chances specifically I think I’d personally rate Quote much higher than Reimu. They’re both influential series but 2hu’s influence was much more self-contained while Cave Story pretty much spawned the modern indie genre, not to mention the specific affiliation the game has had with Nintendo consoles.

 

[Commander_Alph]

Okay, I have my own experience with Cave Story, I used to have friend that always bring his PlayStation Portable to school which they prohibit, he's actually a really geeky guy and is in love with metroidvania game (and also Fnaf), I've never gotten the chance to play them because he never lend me his PSP but it was a fun time.


Now, I just booted up Cave Story on my PPSSPP app and from playing a little bit I'm thinking "does a gimmick like a weapon upgrade is a common thought for making his moveset?"

 

[Paraster]

Now, I just booted up Cave Story on my PPSSPP app and from playing a little bit I'm thinking "does a gimmick like a weapon upgrade is a common thought for making his moveset?"

I've seen multiple people (including myself) decide to incorporate the experience/level-up mechanic in their moveset concepts for Quote.

Usually it's streamlined into having a single bar that affects all his moves and gaining experience automatically when landing attacks, though I've seen one moveset that flat-out brings in the experience crystals to effectively make Quote always be playing Coin Smash.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Speaking of movesets:

 

[Commander_Alph]

Speaking of movesets:

I never really like Brawfan1's moveset, he always took their fighting game appearance and just go with it, this also happened to Reimu which deeply saddened me because other than the Yin Yang Orb everything are all a callback to the fighting game, even how the moves work. I know that it is easier because they lack valuable asset in their game but man..


Also I noticed that there's Cave Story 3D on the 3DS is there any difference or does the game have additional content?

 

[PeridotGX]

What could a Cave Story AT be?

Noms: Masked Man x15

 

[Cutie Gwen]

What could a Cave Story AT be?

Noms: Masked Man x15

Either Curly assuming she's not an alt or Balrog, the first boss

 

[ShrimpScampi]

I just realized, even the SmashBoards posts want to add Quote to the roster

During the Smash Ballot, Nicalis shared a Quote model that adhered to his appearances in the game's credits artwork pretty closely. I'm most partial to something along these lines.
View attachment 315832
With regards to the stage, I think you could make the game's locations look beautiful in a more detailed 3D artstyle, but making them pixelated does have its own charm (and Smash has done that before; I don't think a Cave Story stage would clash any worse than Mario Bros., Dream Land, or Balloon Fight). I would prefer Quote himself still be a 3D model, though; it'd provide more flexibility in animation and make him clash less.

I like that model, something like that could definitely work for Quote in Smash. I suppose even if the stage is done in a more detailed 3D style, they'd still have an opportunity to call back to the original pixel art in Quote's Spirit board. So I guess I'd be more flexible with art style there -- I just really love the pixel art and would like to see it incorporated in some way, whether that's on the stage or in the Spirit board.

What could a Cave Story AT be?

Noms: Masked Man x15

I think Balrog or Misery would make a good AT, although Misery would probably be the more interesting choice gameplay-wise. Curly would be cool too, although ideally I'd want to see her as an alt (since you can play as Curly in some versions of the game with only minor dialogue changes).

Balrog could just burst in and start charging people, whereas Misery can teleport around and use some of her attacks from her boss fight, including:

• Summoning bats
• Dropping stone blocks on people
• Shooting energy orbs
• Summoning floating energy orbs that turn into fast-falling lightning bolts when someone gets below them

Maybe the AT could be both at once? Balrog can be the brute-force guy who tries to ram into people, while Misery sits in the background and does her summoning/magic to help him out.

 

[Paraster]

Also I noticed that there's Cave Story 3D on the 3DS is there any difference or does the game have additional content?

Cave Story 3D's new stuff:

• Debuted the "Remastered" soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky, which was carried over in the PC/Mac and Switch versions of Cave Story+
• 3D graphics (the character models aren't generally well-liked by CS fans, though the locations can look pretty neat)
  • Also includes a mode where characters are represented by their original sprites while keeping the 3D world
• Additional Life Capsules added which are not present in other versions
• Additional rooms added which are not present in other versions (including an area where you can get a hat based on Disgaea)
• Uses the touchscreen for the inventory
• Stereoscopic 3D
• It's apparently more glitchy than other versions

Generally, 3D isn't well-regarded due to its aesthetics, but from what little I've played of it, the gameplay is mostly intact (though it can sometimes be hard to discern stuff like doors from the background).

That said, the 3DS also has another version of the game on the eShop which is basically the original with touchscreen inventory, stereoscopic 3D, better character portraits, an altered HUD, a better framerate (60 FPS while the original is 50 and 3D is 30) and some bonus features (a jukebox, challenges, and an alternate story mode where Curly and Quote swap places). The eShop version is the first one I played, and it has the highest Metacritic score of all the versions, for what it's worth.

Also, if anyone decides to go for the freeware version, I should note that there's a lot of mods for it, including ones that can enhance the graphics by increasing the resolution, boosting the framerate to 60, or altering the HUD to be more like the 3DS version. I use this pack, but there seems to be at least one other mod/modpack that does this stuff.

 

[Sari]

So if both Quote and Curly got in, what do you think their voices would be?

Quote is generally mute so I imagine that he'd have no voice, but do you think Curly would have a voice and if so by whom? I know they both have voices in Blade Strangers though I don't think they fit them too well.

 

[Paraster]

So if both Quote and Curly got in, what do you think their voices would be?

Quote is generally mute so I imagine that he'd have no voice, but do you think Curly would have a voice and if so by whom? I know they both have voices in Blade Strangers though I don't think they fit them too well.

I think that Quote would be silent, and Curly would at most have some occasional vocalizations (though she could also be silent herself). I think her Blade Strangers/Crystal Crisis voice was fine myself, especially if it's pared back like I suggested.

Maybe in lieu of voice acting, they could give the two some illegible robotic sounds? For Quote in particular, I like the idea of him just "saying" static, as if his lack of speech is the result of a damaged voice box.

 

[Yiptap]

Question: Would Curly work better as an alt or an echo?

 

[Paraster]

Question: Would Curly work better as an alt or an echo?

I have her as an alt (mostly because I'm certain she'd be that if Quote got into Ultimate DLC), but you could argue she'd work better as an Echo. It would allow for more distinct animations (reflecting her cheery and energetic personality as opposed to Quote's stoic nature) and you could make a clean divide between Quote using the Polar Star and Curly using the Machine Gun.

 

[Sari]

Question: Would Curly work better as an alt or an echo?

I'd prefer her as an echo but her best chance would probably be as an alt.

 

[Gengar84]

Speaking of movesets:

I wish more people would make these kinds of videos because I think they are a great way to introduce people to characters for Smash and show what they could bring. I think Delzethen probably makes the highest quality of these videos but he tends to play it pretty safe as far as character selection.

 

[SharkLord]

Quick note, Quote's been getting some pretty consistent activity so we're extending his day. I suppose it's to be expected, seeing as he's gotten the highest amount of noms so far.

 

[TheThingamajigRayman]

Quote would be awesome. Preferably with a Curly skin as well.

Cave Story is a phenomenal indie game, and I'd love to see some kind of Cave Story representation.

Question: Would Curly work better as an alt or an echo?

She'd most likely be an alt, but I'd like an echo more. I imagine that Quote would use the Polar Star, and Curly would use the Machine Gun as an echo, and she attacks faster and has more mobility compared to Quote.

But an alternate skin for Quote would work as well.

 

[Paraster]

Do you think Quote would go the Mega Man approach of neutral attack, forward tilt, and neutral aerial all being shots from his basic weapon (the Polar Star in this case), or would he have more traditional attacks for all of those?

(Personally, I think he would go that route, though I've toyed with making them melee focused in the past.)

 

[TheThingamajigRayman]

Do you think Quote would go the Mega Man approach of neutral attack, forward tilt, and neutral aerial all being shots from his basic weapon (the Polar Star in this case), or would he have more traditional attacks for all of those?

(Personally, I think he would go that route, though I've toyed with making them melee focused in the past.)

Probably similarly to Mega Man.

 

[Pillow]

What could a Cave Story AT be?

Noms: Masked Man x15

I agree with others on Misery/Balrog.

Do you think Quote would go the Mega Man approach of neutral attack, forward tilt, and neutral aerial all being shots from his basic weapon (the Polar Star in this case), or would he have more traditional attacks for all of those?

(Personally, I think he would go that route, though I've toyed with making them melee focused in the past.)

Honestly, I'd rather they kept that gimmick unique to Megaman, since it really feels like a mechanic tailor made for him. Quote can just use the blade / short range blaster shots like mii gunner for tilts / aerials. If they want to set Quote apart they can implement the weapon leveling system.





I could probably talk about Quote for a while, though I'm also pretty down to start the next day whenever.

 

[SharkLord]

Ooh, not sure if we've asked this yet:
What would Quote's stage be? I know Cave Story is a metroidvania, albeit a somewhat linear one, and that it seemingly takes place under ground, but that's the extent of my knowledge. What places would be idea for him?

 

[Gengar84]

Ooh, not sure if we've asked this yet:
What would Quote's stage be? I know Cave Story is a metroidvania, albeit a somewhat linear one, and that it seemingly takes place under ground, but that's the extent of my knowledge. What places would be idea for him?

It was the first question I asked but I’d love to hear some more ideas. Would the stage have any fun gimmicks and unique layouts or would it be more simple and straightforward like most of the other DLC stages?

 

[Perkilator]

Lemme just say, I'm SUPER excited to talk about Sora tomorrow. I'm a KH stan, so I'm about to show you guys the love I put into my Sora Challenger Pack.

Not too sound impatient...but I'm getting impatient but I'd like to talk abour Sora now, if that's okay with you guys.

 

[SharkLord]

Not too sound impatient...but I'm getting impatient but I'd like to talk abour Sora now, if that's okay with you guys.

Each character can get two extensions, both for 12 hours. Quote was still getting discussion when the initial run ran out, so we gave him 12 extra hours. The extension should run out in an hour or two.

 

[Perkilator]

Each character can get two extensions, both for 12 hours. Quote was still getting discussion when the initial run ran out, so we gave him 12 extra hours. The extension should run out in an hour or two.

Oh, okay. That's fair.

 

[Paraster]

Ooh, not sure if we've asked this yet:
What would Quote's stage be? I know Cave Story is a metroidvania, albeit a somewhat linear one, and that it seemingly takes place under ground, but that's the extent of my knowledge. What places would be idea for him?

I'm partial towards Mimiga Village, the hub area, myself. Mostly because it's a fairly important and memorable location and adheres to the "cave" theme.

Alternatively, you could pick the Egg Corridor, which would be a unique combination of a cave and a lab setting, and it's also an early location you visit more than once.

Lastly, the Outer Wall is an option. I'd prefer to go with a cave stage, but the Outer Wall could look really pretty and it's iconic in its own right.

It was the first question I asked but I’d love to hear some more ideas. Would the stage have any fun gimmicks and unique layouts or would it be more simple and straightforward like most of the other DLC stages?

I think all of these options would be pretty basic, though you could add enemies to the latter two if you really wanted.

 

[AEMehr]

I love Cave Story.
If Quote broke the laws of physics and got into Smash I'd lose it probably lol. Especially if Curly got half the palette swaps.

I would imagine him to function similarly to Mega Man and Min Min where he can run and gun with/ftilt/nair/jab/etc.
The big thing to consider is if they would incorporate a weapon switch, like Min Min's ARMS for example, or instead allow him to utilize all of his equipment for set attacks.
There is a custom workshop character someone made of Quote in Rivals of Aether, that centers on the latter concept. They designed him so he has a level up system as well, and every attack is affected by it.

I figure the more "Sakurai" approach would be trying to give Quote access to weapon switching with a couple key ones. Maybe like the: Polar Star (a Standard Projectile), Fireball (affected by gravity), and Machine Gun (automatic fire but probably weaker with limited ammunition as a result). So moves like Jab, Ftilt, Up Tilt, Nair, Up Air, and Down Air are specifically used to fire these weapons. That way we also have access to Machine Gun's jump boosting at level 3 which I think is absolutely necessary lol.
Then using other weapons for specific other attacks.
Objectively speaking I think a Level Up system would also be required, probably similar to how it was pulled off in the Rivals of Aether custom character, where it's increases or decreases depending on damage done or taken. But I'd assume it would be just limited to these three projectiles, or maybe each one has a separate meter? It might be too complex if you gave them individual meters imo.

I figure the character would rely very heavily on projectiles meaning characters with means of reflecting and absorbing projectiles would be dangerous. He would also lose to characters that can apply pressure easily since he'd would have pretty notable blind spots in close quarters (similar to Min Min).

So if both Quote and Curly got in, what do you think their voices would be?

Quote is generally mute so I imagine that he'd have no voice, but do you think Curly would have a voice and if so by whom? I know they both have voices in Blade Strangers though I don't think they fit them too well.

It's generally tradition for actors to reprise roles in Japanese culture, so I'm doubtful the actors from Blade Strangers would be outright replaced. That said, I think it makes more sense for them to be mute, and to pull a lot of sound effects from the original game. Maybe a hurt sound could simply be the damage sfx that plays.

Ooh, not sure if we've asked this yet:
What would Quote's stage be? I know Cave Story is a metroidvania, albeit a somewhat linear one, and that it seemingly takes place under ground, but that's the extent of my knowledge. What places would be idea for him?

I think the Outer Wall would be the most interesting option. It's arguably the most iconic local and it's technically the title screen so it's pretty recognizable as a result.

The most interesting thing about it, as the video thumbnail displays, is that the left side is literally a wall, with smaller platforms on the right side of stage existing to allow the player to scale it.
In Smash I figure it wouldn't be 1 to 1 in terms of platform placement, but I figure the layout is unique enough for them to give it some real consideration.