I’m hoping that the Smash design of Ridley inspires some boss battles in future Metroid games.

[Drclaw411]

Let me first say I don’t want the traditional gigantic Ridley to be gone for good. But I do think his inclusion in Smash could open the door for some interesting boss fights in the future.

Imagine a boss fight against Smash-size Ridley, with him agile, quick, powerful, and always on your tail. Rather than the tradition “avoid and hit” situation we’ve seen in a good amount of Ridley fights, this could potentially make for a fresh new way for an intense Ridley fight to go down.

 

[AustarusIV]

I mean, you could probably hand wave in an explanation for a “smaller” Ridley by saying that he’s at his peak strength when he’s his traditionally big size. Whenever he’s defeated by Samus, he loses a lot of body mass from the burnt energy he spent fighting her and he’s forced to consume other life forms so that he can be “big” again.

Of course, just because he’s smaller and weaker doesn’t mean he’s any less dangerous. He still has decades of experience as a Space Pirate general.

 

[Reila]

I would absolutely love a fight against smaller Ridley in the vein of the Dark Samus fights. Those fights are by far my favorite in the Metroid series. Being smaller and faster is, if anything, an advantage rather than a bad thing. Size doesn't mean more powerful, or else Dark Samus wouldn't be so much more powerful in her Samus-like form when compared to her original, Metroid Prime self.

Thousand of hours of playing the Souls games taught me that small, humanoid (or not) bosses are the most dangerous ones.

 

[majorasmaskfan]

I hope they play up his ability to talk and fly ships and being an expert in robotic science.

 

[soviet prince]

maybe he is like a phoenix every time he dies he gets reborn.

 

[vVv Rapture]

It probably depends on where it happens in the series. It probably wouldn't make sense to have a smaller Ridley if it happens before Super. But since Ridley is dead, they could probably have a smaller clone Ridley or another Ridley-X in the future.

I'd like Ridley to stay fast and nimble, but still really big in the Metroid games, since that's the appeal of him being a boss. I don't need him to be smaller in the actual Metroid games bc he was smaller in Smash to make him work as a fighter.

 

[SmashKeks]

maybe he is like a phoenix every time he dies he gets reborn.

I misread your post at first as "maybe he is like Phoenix Wright" and I was wondering if I missed some deep lore in the Ace Attorney series.

 

[TriforceBun]

Smaller, agile boss fights have their place in Metroid games. Some of the (Zeta?) Metroid battles in Samus Returns come to mind, as do Samus's fights against the SA-X in Fusion and Dark Samus in Prime 2 and 3. Not sure if Ridley himself needs to be shrunken down though.