New Mechanic: Taunt Transform

[littlewolf]

How is Smash 4 going to stand out?

With a dwindling amount of Mainstream Nintendo characters left to add into then next Smash installment as well as word from Sakuari that the roster count would not greatly expand brawls how is Sakurai to make Smash 4 stand out from the other incarnations.

A vast single player mode? De-confirmed.
HD graphics? Expected.
Large selection of stages? Hardly groundbreaking.

With that predicament I give you my personal breakthrough to make this game standout as the definitive Smash Bros. installment.


Taunt Transformation!

The way this mechanic works is very similar to the way Zelda and Sheik switch between each other during battle. (Two characters that I will touch on later.)

Take Link for example. His move set has been very similar between each installment. How do we make him interesting again?

Make his boomerang have a wind effect? No.
Give him an entirely new move set? Step in the right direction, but that will definitely lead to a lot of fans lashing out.

What if we can have the best of both worlds.


Imagine this.

Link vs Fox. Two classic characters. Worlds apart on tier lists.

Mid match fox is overwhelming Link with his vast speed. Links projectiles can't seem to keep distance. All hope looks lost when with a quick down taunt Midna appears as Link is transformed into his wolf incarnation. Now with a whole new move set and greatly increased speed, Link has the tools to make a comeback.

Now that would definitely add some flair to the game! As well as rebooting an old character, making him new and still keeping his nostalgia.


Also by transformation I don't exactly mean a entirely new character appears in replace of the old. It could simply be a move set swap for characters that wouldn't normally change into someone different. That makes this function accessible to any character.


Many Fighters could benefit from this new mechanic.
Here's just a few from the top of my head.

Luigi - Vacuum Luigi
Mario - Dr. Mario
Pikachu - Raichu
Ganondorf - Sword Ganondorf
Marth - Roy
Zelda - Sheik?

Yes, Zelda - Shiek. With the recent announcement of Zelda with no sign of Sheik I feel like this mechanic or something similar could be announced soon. They wanted to announce Zelda due to the release of "A Link Between Worlds" but feel like its too soon to reveal such a mechanic. When it would definitely be better suited to a Smash centric Nintendo Direct.

This Mechanic would allow Zelda and Sheik to switch between each other just like before (Hopefully with faster loading times) but would free up each characters down special. Like Zelda's new Phantom attack. (Taking into account its not an Assist Trophy).



Would you like it? Would you hate it?
Could it make it in?

Let me know what you think.

 

[Spaceman]

Sounds pretty silly.

I mean if everyone transformed with a different move-set, the other character could easily do the same thing leading nowhere. Just think about how long it would take to balance all those moves out? Let's say 40 characters are in SSB4, that's practically balancing out 80 characters- implying everyone can transform.

It's a good thought, but realistically it would be a mess.

 

[JediLink]

Allowing Link to transform into Wolf Link could be interesting, but all of your other ideas are kind of silly. Vacuum Luigi? Why would you want him to transform rather than just using it in a special move like Fludd? If he has to transform to do use it, it's not going to be nearly as useful. Mario into Dr Mario? What, he'd just get some minor stat changes? Sounds kind of pointless. Pikachu into Raichu? How's that going to be balanced? Isn't Raichu just going to be a better Pikachu like how Pikachu was a better Pichu?

And Marth into Roy? What is this I don't even...

 

[littlewolf]

Spaceman: Yeah I definitely see where your coming from. If each character would be able to use the function balancing would take forever. I get that the mechanic would best be suited for possibly a few characters rather that the full set of them.

JediLink: Yeah those were just off the top of my head. The thought of the mechanic really stemmed from the my thinking how Zelda could switch to Sheik while still being able to summon the Phantom. That thought branched to how it would work with other characters and Wolf Link instantly came to mind.

As for the others I see how Dr. Mario - Mario would be kind of pointless.
I feel like a Vacuum Luigi and Raichu could have a whole new move set but that's up for debate.

Yeah and forget I said Marth and Roy. That's just kind of absurd.


Do you think it could work with specific characters though?

 

[CrossoverMan]

I don't think Zelda would summon a Phantom. This is Zelda's Twilight Princess incarnation, so why would she summon a Phantom from Spirit Tracks? I think the Phantom is going to be an assist trophy for that reason.

 

[XTheElegantShadowX]

Spaceman: Yeah I definitely see where your coming from. If each character would be able to use the function balancing would take forever. I get that the mechanic would best be suited for possibly a few characters rather that the full set of them.

JediLink: Yeah those were just off the top of my head. The thought of the mechanic really stemmed from the my thinking how Zelda could switch to Sheik while still being able to summon the Phantom. That thought branched to how it would work with other characters and Wolf Link instantly came to mind.

As for the others I see how Dr. Mario - Mario would be kind of pointless.
I feel like a Vacuum Luigi and Raichu could have a whole new move set but that's up for debate.

Yeah and forget I said Marth and Roy. That's just kind of absurd.


Do you think it could work with specific characters though?

Well, I think that Mario/Paper Mario would be a much more fitting transformation than Doctor Mario. And, as strange as it may seem, Toon Link/Toon Zelda would also make for an interesting pair, since they did fight Ganon together in WW, ~~and this just seems SO much better than Toon Zelda/Tetra~~ however. whether Toon Zelda's Moveset would mirror Zelda's or not, I have no idea.

This is an interesting idea, and could give some characters a few more options of how to go about fighting an opponent. However, as others have pointed out, it would require quite a bit to implement, and I'm sure that the Roster has, for the most part, already been thought out, so the chances of such a mechanic being added are very, very slim.

I don't think Zelda would summon a Phantom. This is Zelda's Twilight Princess incarnation, so why would she summon a Phantom from Spirit Tracks? I think the Phantom is going to be an assist trophy for that reason.

To be fair, Link, despite being his TP incarnation, can't transform into a wolf in Brawl, so I don't think that Sakurai is hellbent on complete, and total consistancy when it comes to a character/their Moveset. I mean, Zelda is still using moves from OoT, despite clearly having no direct ties to the game besides being Zelda. Hell, Zelda couldn't even use the Three Goddesses moves in OoT, so I don't see why it's out of the realm of possibility that she'd be able to somehow summon a Phantom Knight from a different game in the franchise.

 

[CrossoverMan]

I know Sakurai isn't exactly the god of consistency, but the Phantom has a more cartoony look about it. I'm just saying that it looks a little out of place next to the more realistically proportioned Zelda.

 

[Capybara Gaming]

I know Sakurai isn't exactly the god of consistency, but the Phantom has a more cartoony look about it. I'm just saying that it looks a little out of place next to the more realistically proportioned Zelda.

I'd rather it not be an assit... zelda as a series already got skull kid, why have two from it.

 

[ClubbyBear]

It's most definitely a Assist Trophy; From the MG forums;
"The Phantom from Spirit Tracks is probably an assist trophy considering that Zelda makes the exact same pose in another screenshot [Peach stealing Link away from Zelda] and the Phantom is nowhere to be seen."

 

[Conren]

Ganondorf - Magic Using Ganondorf
Ness - Psychokinitic Ness (uses mind attacking abilities rather than elemental abilities)

 

[CrossoverMan]

The Mario series had, what, four assist trophies representing it? And plus, Skull Kid and Phantom are technically from different universes according to the Zelda timeline, so it's definitely plausible,

 

[Capybara Gaming]

The Mario series had, what, four assist trophies representing it? And plus, Skull Kid and Phantom are technically from different universes according to the Zelda timeline, so it's definitely plausible,

4? The hell. 2.
Hammer Bro
Waluigi

and in Smash, Zelda is one series.

 

[CrossoverMan]

And Lakitu. And while Zelda is indeed one series, Skull Kid and Phantom are from parallel worlds.

 

[TORNADO BUS DRIVER]

4? The hell. 2.
Hammer Bro
Waluigi
and in Smash, Zelda is one series.

Lakku and spiney , three

 

[Niko Mar]

Lakku and spiney , three

Ummm, it's still a single assist trophy dude. It's not like you count "Advanced Wars" or "Kat & Anna" as multiple assist trophies.

 

[TORNADO BUS DRIVER]

Ummm, it's still a single assist trophy dude. It's not like you count "Advanced Wars" or "Kat & Anna" as multiple assist trophies.

I didn't said i did , i said i counted them as one

 

[Niko Mar]

I didn't said i did , i said i counted them as one

**** nevermind, I thought I saw Lakitu on his list .