Mortal Kombat X-styled Variations in Super Smash Bros.

[Blue Sun Studios]

Hey all, it's been a while hasn't it? I've got nothing groundbreaking but I'm sort of hoping to provoke thought and stimulate ideas—myself or otherwise.
I'm a pretty big fan of both Super Smash Bros. and Mortal Kombat, and after having spent lengthy time playing with the custom special moves in the 3DS/Wii U installment of SSB I am naturally hoping they return for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. On a related note, I've only barely played Mortal Kombat X but still had a blast with its multiple variations system and similarly wish to see it in future installments.
Naturally, I started thinking about "what if Super Smash Bros. had a variation system like Mortal Kombat X" and started inventing ideas of variations for each character. I have a few example characters below showcasing how I'd handle the Custom Variations:
Bowser:

• Hothead: Expands versatility of Fire Breath and enhances its capabilities (Fire Stream, Fire Shot, Fire Roar, etc.); hair and eyes glow with fire while mouth constantly spews ember particles and light smoke.
• Big Bully: Empowers and expands hand-to-hand techniques (punches, kicks, grapples, headbutts, etc.) with ludicrously high shield-damage output; spiked anklets and a horned crown are added and spikes are lightly barbed or serrated.
• Tough Guy: Improves defensive abilities with increased super armor frames and the addition of hyper armor, higher shield power, weight, and Tough Guy armor threshold, and decreased overall damage; shell is adorned with an extra casing over it and his plastron has armor plating covering it.

Lucina:

• Foreseer: Intangibility from dodges are lengthened and are included in other moves along with increased Counter utility and counterattack windows the earlier the timing; the Brand of the Exalt in the left eye and the central gap in Parallel Falchion emit a bright blue glow.
• Exalt: Most thrusting attacks are abandoned in favor of wide-arced swinging hitboxes that boast higher overall power, especially outside of tipped hitboxes; right arm's sleeve is missing save for a single glove and armband with the Brand of the Exalt.
• Descendant: Most swinging attacks are abandoned in favor of long-distanced trusting hitboxes that weaken and incapacitate enemies with great power when struck with the tip of the blade; hair length is shortened and a butterfly mask is worn over the face.

R.O.B.:

• Sentry: Improves capabilities of arm-based techniques along with expanded Gyromite and Stack-Up utility; default color scheme is white-and-red and arms are more advanced with bladed attachments added on to them.
• Blaster: Improves and expands both power and utility of the Robo Beam with far wider firing-angles and additional types of beams available; default color scheme is light gray and dark gray with a digitized set of optical sensors that are tinted violet-and-cyan in color—the Robo Beam and LED light are also colored similarly.
• Launcher: Trades in beam capabilities for a missile launcher and the Robo Burner is enhanced in both power and fuel capacity; default color scheme is green-and-brown with a blue cord and the head features a single missile-launcher tube—the flame emissions from Robo Burner are also colored differently while the LED light is green colored.

I'm primarily focusing on the character's in-universe abilities, personalities, lore, so-on and so-forth as the basis of the variations but ultimately I want to have fun with this idea (who knows, maybe in the future I'll make my own fangame or whatever). I'd like to hear any ideas anyone else may have on the subject. Or not. Up to you.

 

[Izanagi97]

Sounds like an interesting idea (though Lucina could use different weapons for different variations because she is also known to use Lances and/or Bows) but would likely be a pain in the ass to execute due to how much time would be needed considering the amount of characters in the game (that and it being hard to come up with ideas for some fighters)

 

[Blue Sun Studios]

Sounds like an interesting idea (though Lucina could use different weapons for different variations because she is also known to use Lances and/or Bows) but would likely be a pain in the *** to execute due to how much time would be needed considering the amount of characters in the game (that and it being hard to come up with ideas for some fighters)

I am totally sorry for the late reply, but I'm actually really glad you took the time to give feedback on this anyhow. On Lucina using different weapons, I could see her using bows in one variation given her access to the archer class in Fire Emblem: Awakening proper (that and she now has a bow-wielding variant in Fire Emblem: Heroes), though I'd have saved the lance specifically for a "Super Smasher" variant of her, like she'd have one by default as a Great Lord for when she uses Smash Attacks but it'd break if she uses it too much. There's still so much I'd do for a Super Smash Bros. game that maybe it's a little too unrealistic to think of but not something I'd discount entirely. Given the deadlines that the employees under and including Masahiro Sakurai (and pretty much all contracted game developers) deal with, I don't see it happening particularly soon.
I've got a few more of these variation ideas to entertain you with (hopefully):

Samus:

• Shinespark Suit: gains the ability to activate the Shinespark Mode (activated by fully charging the Screw Attack) - a held Shinespark charge increases mobility and agility (dashing grants super armor and damages others it contacts but does not cause flinching), and body-blow attacks increase in power with electrically-charged properties (the dash attack outright destroys projectiles with no damage taken but removes half of a charge) - the Screw Attack is changed into the Shinespark Jump, a powerful invincible charge launched in multiple directions from pure horizontal to pure vertical; power suit's visor and lights change into a golden hue.
• Beam Suit: substitutes missile capabilities for enhanced beam capabilities (including empowered and lengthened grapple beams) that can be charged - charged shot is moved to the side special slot and neutral special changes between multiple beams: power (default), wide, spazer, wave, ice, and plasma; power suit is more streamlined and slimmer in appearance, and the visor and lights of the suit change color depending on the beam equipped (unchanged for power, blue for ice, purple for wave, pink for wide, light green for plasma, and light yellow for spazer).
• Bomb Suit: substitutes beam capabilities for enhanced incendiary weaponry capabilities - charged shot is replaced with a missile system (normal missiles v.s. ice missiles), explosive attacks are empowered, all missiles can home in on opponents, and diffusion missiles and super bombs can be produced; power suit is bulkier and blockier in appearance, and the visor and lights of the suit change color depending on the missile equipped (unchanged for normal, blue for ice).

Kirby:

• Essential: Kirby's copy abilities are stored after their initial copying throughout the entire match and can be rotated through, but Kirby requires less damage to be knocked out of one; a Copy Essence Deluxe functions as Kirby's powerless hat and his copy ability hats emit a blue glow.
• Copycat: Kirby replaces his native copy abilities shared between multiple fighters for distinct copy abilities based directly on the foe he copied; Copy's visor is situated over his eyes until a copy ability is gained.
• Bad Breath: Kirby is unable to copy his enemies but his (Super) Inhale, Star Bullets, Air Bullets, double jumps, and effects triggered through consuming items are empowered/enhanced greatly, Kirby can now hold inhaled items in his mouth for an extended period of time, and he can place inhaled items atop his head to throw at enemies; either a Mint Leaf (international) or a Sweet Potato (Japanese) with sparkles and a gust of wind about it is placed on Kirby's forehead.

Ganondorf:

• Warlock: replaces sword-based techniques with darkness-based hand-to-hand techniques that can be attuned with fire, ice, or lightning - Dead Man's Volley increases in size, strength, travel distance, and travel speed and Ganondorf's mobility and agility are improved; standard Gerudo cape is replaced with a red and gold cape that billows and Ganondorf aesthetically levitates with a colored magical aura surrounding his forearms and shins (dark for unaltered, red for fire, blue for ice, and yellow for lightning).
• Chieftain: sword-based techniques are empowered and replace a few hand-to-hand techniques - Dead Man's Volley is replaced with the Skyward Strike that increases in size, strength, travel distance, and travel speed based inversely on Ganondorf's damage/health; two asymmetrical swords are present on Ganondorf's back.
• Phantom: sword-based techniques are replaced with trident equivalents, providing higher range and extreme lightning damage with the tips of the trident's prongs but lower paralytic damage otherwise - Dead Man's Volley is replaced with the Trident Toss, a throw-then-teleport attack that can be angled slightly upwards and downwards, and Dark Dive involves throwing the trident skywards before teleporting after it; face is covered in a horned skull mask and the sword is replaced with a trident.