Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[PeridotGX]

Last night I dreamt that they added Ms Marvel (Kamala Kahn) and a generic Kangaroo to Smash.

You heard it here first, folks

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Here's a game.

Give every franchise with a playable character one more stage.

The catch? It has to be from a newer title from that franchise. Prioritize newer entries.

Hey I mean Splatoon still has its Wii U stage…

MC. Princess Diaries stage with Octo Expansion music please

 

[Chuderz]

Crash Bandicoot has so much moveset potential that I'm able to overstuff him with more than adequate references to his games and legacy. Truly can fit references into just his standard stuff. Anybody that says all Crash does is jump and spin is a hater. Crash does so much more and brings so many things to the table that only he could bring. I especially think my Down-Special and Down-Tilt ideas do him massive justice more especially the latter.

What I want from Crash is a mobile fighter to an extreme. A chaotic brawler that can from point A to point B in a stylish and possibly destructive way as intuitively natural as possible for the player.

Passive: https://youtu.be/wTE1DpyEhdM?t=1577

First and foremost I'd like to get Crash's passive gimmick out of the way. I think the most serviceable one would be an Aku Aku gimmick of course but what is it? It's a simple comeback mechanic but one that's true to Crash's games. in a 1v1 3 stock battle a single stock deficit (relative to Crash's opponent) will result in Crash spawning back in with an Aku Aku mask that'll act either as a total invincibility for a single hit or super armor. If you're down to your last stock without your opponent losing any of theirs then it'll be a golden Aku Aku mask that'll do the same thing as the normal Aku Aku mask except twice. This references how Aku Aku works in Crash's games and also how the game would provide these masks for you should keep losing lives at a specific checkpoint/boss battle. This will be calculated accordingly to account for multiple players and stamina/time matches accordingly. I know the comeback mechanic is like the counter of passive moves but it's nonetheless kind of why it works so well.

First Direct Crash Moveset Video Visual Reference:

Now then I'd like to share this video with you all. I want to use it as an example because the creator (Max Hamm) took the time to animate Crash's moves that he (Max) thought up for him and while there are several things I'd like to change there are also just as many I feel like he gets perfectly and again it's already animated so that helps everyone visualize Crash's moves. Please ignore his "Angel Crash" gimmick should you encounter it in the video. It sucks and I hate it and my passive ability is way better.

This is a link to the general video but I'll leave the relevant timestamps with hyperlinks to the direct references I'm making in my hypothetical moveset.

CRASH ...SMASH!?

for the first time in channel history: a video that people asked for.Source Gaming – Sakurai Discusses Isabelle, Echoes, and Newcomers https://sourcegaming.i...

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Jab: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=671

11:11 This Jab is perfect. I love it so much and feel like it just HAS to be Crash's jab. It'd be the most fun jab in Smash yet.

Forward-Tilt: 1st input Sweep Kick reference: https://youtu.be/bK4FAO04fMg?t=154 2nd input Generic Super Punch reference: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=700

It'll be like Snake and Pirhana Plant's Forward-Tilts. The first input is Coco's WOC sweep kick and then the second input is the generic super punch.

Smash attacks: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=777

All of his Smash attack ideas are perfect. Side-Smash is at 12:57, Down-Smash is at 13:15 and Up-Smash is at 13:20. Down-Smash should be a multi-hit just like Banjo's Up-Smash and violently slide the victim across the stage or platform. Since they're all being used as reference the hyperlink is to the start of the Smash attack segment of his video.

Side-Smash: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=777
Down-Smash: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=795
Up-Smash: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=799

Neutral-Air: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=832

I think his Neutral Air idea is about as good as it's going to get. I'd make it a multihit though like Mario's Down-Air is but less powerful. It'd be like getting multihit with Isabelle jabs or something but maybe a tad stronger? Hard to imagine I guess but it's just for building damage really. Anyways I like how he spins upside down actually. It's a nice little nod to his chaotic nature. The Neutral Air is at 13:52 . Obviously it doesn't reflect projectiles or slow aerial descent but I like the inclusion of the spin here. You don't want to not include it in more places but you don't want to overdo it either. Keeps it tasteful.

Down-Air: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=892

The properties of his Down-Air I think are good. Turns what could up being a useless mandatory move into a fun little cheesy tool instead. It's at 14:52 in the video. Really all the goofy properties he gives it make it a very fun move to use. If done off stage Crash is gonna go directly into the blast zone though.

Grab/Pummel/Throws: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=929

All the throws as is the pummel are perfect. Pummel is at 15:29. Forward-Throw is at 15:32. Back-Throw is at 15:37. Up-Throw is at 15:53. Down-Throw is at 16:17 . Again since they're all being used the hyperlink is for the start of the throw segment of his video.

Pummel: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=929
Forward-Throw: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=932
Back-Throw: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=937
Up-Throw: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=954
Down-Throw: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=978

Neutral-Special: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=408

I'm going into further and possibly redundant detail regardless of the reference. Crash's Neutral-Special is obviously his iconic spin attack. It's got super quick frame data and like no end lag. It's an amazing get-off-me tool. It also slows aerial descent (if mashed) and reflects projectiles. It's basically a shine and yeah it's supposed to be really good. A fundamental part of his kit. It's also in the video at 6:48.

The following are my extra additions to this move.

Like I alluded to you can also mash it for a triple spin on top of all of this but if you do this Crash gets sent into an endlag animation on the ground or in the air so it's punishable but the radius of the spin attack does extend outward some more just like it does in Crash 4. You could also hold it and if held long enough you'll get the Akano quantum mask spin power up! This is even more laggy after using it than the triple spin but if done in the air Crash will get a little extra verticality and it's obviously his most powerful spin variant.

Here's a visual reference of Crash doing the triple spin: https://youtu.be/jDav9A4CSmQ?t=83

Akano mask visual reference. This also visually aids in how the mask will help with Crash's rise in vertical momentum for a bit. Here is the visual reference: https://youtu.be/ulhZcmUHb3U?t=527


Up-Special: https://youtu.be/yvToUMXp-3c?t=519

His Up-Special is going to be a Jump TNT crate. Something like this should exist in the game already but sadly doesn't so it's basically just a TNT crate that Crash uses exactly like the jump crates in his game. It functions just like Sonic's spring except better because it's an explosive. If Crash spawns it from the ground it'll go through its usual 3-2-1 countdown cycle. If he spawns it in the air it'll fall very shortly before exploding. The radius of the explosion won't be any bigger than Crash's own games. Crash CANNOT use his Up-Special again if one of his TNT crates is anywhere on field AND if he hasn't touched the ground yet. Crash doesn't get put into a fall state after using this just like Snake, Banjo and Sonic so he can use his airdodge immediately afterwards for a better recovery just like all of them too. Also in the video at 8:39. Again I'm going into much further detail according to my own personal specifications for a dream moveset so the video is simply a visual reference. Crash can use his Wumpa-Bazooka mode (more details on that later on down) Up-Special (unique from his standard TNT jump crate special being detailed in this paragraph) while a TNT crate is on the field though.

Second Direct Crash Moveset Video Visual Reference:

Now I'd like to reference this guy's (BrawlFan1) video for some extra visual reference prebaked into youtube and the fandom already.

I'm leaving a link to the video but I'll timestamp the relevant part and hyperlink them accordingly.

What If Crash Bandicoot Was In Smash? (Moveset Ideas: 11)

LIKE, COMMENT, & SUBSCRIBE! It helps a lot!There are going to be a good amount of characters who unfortunately will not become playable characters in Smash.B...

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Up-Tilt: https://youtu.be/bK4FAO04fMg?t=148

A Crash of the titans inspired uppercut. It's just a goofy uppercut you'd expect from Crash's Up-Tilt. I linked a video demonstrating it next to the Up-Tilt marker. It's at 2:29

Forward-Air: https://youtu.be/bK4FAO04fMg?t=207

His Forward-Air will be what this guy used as his Neutral-Air in his video (referenced in the timestamp). It's his "double whammy attack" from Crash of the Titans. It's a double-fisted wild chaotic spike that does just that, spikes opponents. 3:28 for reference. Reminder that BrawlFan1 is using the move as a Neutral-Air in his video whereas I'm saying it should be the Forward-Air.

Back-Air: https://youtu.be/bK4FAO04fMg?t=227


His Back-Air would be just as shown in this guy's video. It's a backward somersault kick that was apparently cut from Twinsanity. 3:47 for those interested.

Now comes my own original alterations away from both of the videos:

Down-Tilt: Visual reference for Crash's slide: https://cdn.fanbyte.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Crash-4-Slide-Body-Slam.jpg?x72619

For Crash's Down-Tilt I'm going to go with a little bit of a standard and make it his slide (as opposed to his dash attack) similar to all the other slides like Sephiroth, Cloud, Joker and Min Min have. Except this is gonna be a little more fun because Crash has 3 unique options while in this sliding animation. If you hit the B (neutral special) button while sliding Crash will do his spin slide like he does in Crash 4. This slide spin will reflect projectiles. If you hit the attack or A Button (jab) you will do his Skylanders sliding flip kick. If you hit the jump button he'll jump-cancel out of the slide (using one of your jumps obviously) and he'll do his classic pose (legs split with one arm extended vertically above his head while in the air) which could also do a little damage but the output of the damage would be similar to Isabelle's jab attack in that it's extremely weak and does no knockback. When this happens Crash still gets all that sweet forward momentum that he can start some aerial combos with from that point but if you double jump you lose all your forward momentum because you'll instead be trading that for more verticality. A perfect mix of the slide mechanics from the classic Crash games and Crash 4.

Crash can slide off platforms (Crash CANNOT slide off the stage floor and the other sliding down tilts should also be able to slide off platforms if I'm being honest) and when he does slide off them he'll get some hangtime like he does in Crash 4.

An example of Crash 4 sliding off platform hangtime will be provided for in this video here with the relevant hyperlink at 9:46 : https://youtu.be/5yapbT_FgFQ?t=585

Also just as a quick aside this guy's video is just a partial reference for hangtime but I also agree with his general opinions on the slide jump and just feel the need to reference that. Basically the gist of is that the slide jump should have a nice arc and forward momentum when jump-canceled out of it but lose said forward momentum when double jumped because you're sacrificing that forward momentum and arc for the verticality. He goes into that stuff at 8:16 of the video used as a reference for the hangtime when sliding off platforms.

Here's a visual reference of Crash doing his spinslide: https://youtu.be/YOgKHFLo03c

Skylanders flip kick can be seen here: https://youtu.be/ulhZcmUHb3U?t=334

Jump-Cancel out of Down-Tilt pose visual reference: https://img.youtube.com/vi/bSFtiSB4Bpg/hqdefault.jpg


Dash Attack:

I'm going to go a bit crazier with this because EVERYONE uses the slide here which I don't like because I think my Down-Tilt idea does Crash way more justice and gives him way more thought as a fighter. So for his Dash Attack he's going to quickly summon his Crash Bash pogo stick and pogo himself (almost like a projectile) headfirst into the enemy player. I like this a lot better because it's more unique, keeps my Down-Tilt idea intact and also references the pogo stick from Crash Bash that I couldn't fit anywhere else into his moveset. This again references Crash's chaotic nature as a fighter. It's a really strong Dash Attack but when it connects it makes Crash dizzy for a second. It's kind of like how the Belmonts launch themselves after their second Down-Tilt input but with Crash it's his Dash attack and he's going headfirst. There's a nice little arc and sweet spot to the whole thing is what I'm saying and the trade off is the dizzy endlag. You don't get put into the dizzy animation unless the head portion of the attack connects. You can reverse Dash attack by landing the explosion at the bottom end of the pogostick's launch animation (it'll be like the pogostick is propelling Crash forward with the force of said explosion at the bottom end of the stick) but it's laggy because even when Crash misses this Dash attack he'll have a decent amount of endlag getting back up and readjusting himself after the attack. It's an entire animation is what I'm saying.

I'm going to add this link for visual reference. It's the Crash Bash minigame song on youtube but it's also a link to the cover of the game. Notice the explosion at the bottom of the pogo stick and have that coupled with the angle of the pogo stick as both elements are depicted in this artwork. It's kind of what I'm going for. Just thought I should add this.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

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Up Air: https://youtu.be/ulhZcmUHb3U?t=374

Crash's Up-Air will be his spinning Yo-Yo lasso attack from Skylanders. He twirls his Yo-Yo above him like a lasso multiple times. Maybe make it chargeable (as in hold the Up-Air input long enough) to more accurately portray the move? If you just tap the Up-Air he'll spin it once really quick but if you hold it he does the charged super variant where it glows green and goes for multiple spins? Idk just a thought. If it's too crazy just put the full move (his full Skylander attack animation) on the Up-Air tap. 6:14 of the video but I put the timestamp on it.


Side-Special: This is specifically a visual reference just for the CTR boost mechanic for those unfamiliar with it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTw2k-EZxg&t=7s

For Crash's Side-Special he'll summon Nitros Oxcide's hovercraft! You win this for beating the original Crash Team Racing game! That's a Naughty Dog game so it has to be directly referenced. Yes it should be the hovercraft over Crash's standard kart because 1. it's cooler, 2. it's the prize for beating the original game and remake just like I said so it has lore to it and 3. you don't have to animate wheels! Also the boosters are more pronounced for the additional mechanic I'm adding to it which is the CTR boost of course!

You can boost the hovercraft 3 times just like in the CTR games before you hit fullspeed by inputting either the Side-Special, Neutral-Special or Down-Special buttons but you have to time them just like the original game so it's kind of like an added rhythm mechanic to Wario's motorcycle. This hovercraft really is basically Wario's Side-Special (so you can reverse directions or stop then proceed to get out and pick up the vehicle just like Wario's) but better because it has the CTR boost mechanic. Here's where I think the concept really comes together though because if Crash Up-Specials out of the hovercraft it'll leave the TNT jump crate in the driver's seat and that'll add to the explosive impact of possibly getting hit with this attack! I think this is just the exact kind of chaotic energy Crash's moveset needs! The longer the TNT crate is in that driver's seat though the longer it takes for Crash's Up-Special functionality to return to him because remember he can't have more than 1 TNT crate spawned at a time. If you've ever played Crash's games you'd know that the TNT countdown is kind of slow so it'll be more than 3 seconds of opportunity for an opponent to punish a careless Crash player. Again if you switch to Wumpa-Bazooka "mode" you can use your Up-Special in that special attack state while a TNT crate is on the field.

This move has to recharge for a while after each use just like Wario's Side-Special.

You get 3 boosts per hovercraft usage and it's always automatic immediately upon summoning the hovercraft and all 3 boosts always go in immediate succession of one another similar to the games. You can boost early in the meter (or not at all) if you don't want the top speed and would just like to get rid of the boost meter as quickly as you possibly can. Side-Special, Neutral-Special and Down-Special all count as "boost inputs" during this window of opportunity but once your boost cycle is complete every one of those inputs will cause Crash to jump out of the hovercraft. You can get out of the hovercraft before using your 3 boosts and they will reappear upon re-entry. Just like with Wario only Side-Special will cause Crash to re-enter a hovercraft he's gotten out of. His Down-Special, Up-Special and Neutral-Special will all behave like they normally would even standing "on top" of an abandoned hovercraft. Only the Up-Special will do what it normally does when Crash is in the hovercraft and like I said it's for the awesome ability to leave the TNT crate in the driver's seat of a turbo-boosted hovercraft! If Crash hits a wall he'll get thrown out of the vehicle just like Wario. Physics will be the same for the two so just like the motorbike the hovercraft will ride off stage and platforms and can't jump.

As a quick aside Wario could have a similar feature to his bike as the CTR boost mechanic. I'd imagine it'd be a Smash original "Warioware" minigame of some kind that functions exactly the same as what I've laid out for Crash's CTR boost mechanic for the proposed hovercraft Side-Special of his. In the interest of fairness I'd say Crash's Side-Special shouldn't necessarily be better but different hence Wario being able to literally eat his motorcycle and this hypothetical Crash's TNT gimmick with his hovercraft.

Here's a visual reference for the hovercraft. Best I could find. Isn't Crash riding in it but you can either use it in-game or use your imagination just a little. Here's that is: https://youtu.be/fmo2_JWVlJ4?t=734

Down-Special: https://youtu.be/f8KCix9nXuA?t=332

Of course it's the Wumpa-Bazooka or Wumpzooka or whatever. Crash does a very laggy animation that summons the wumpa bazooka. This effectively puts him into a similar state as the Breagull Blaster puts Banjo in. That means Crash can also crouch or shield cancel out of it and he has to tap the Special button to shoot the Wumpa fruit. It's a little bit better than Breagull Blaster because Crash can charge a more powerful Wumpa shot in this state for added damage and bit more distance but other than that it's about as fast as the Breagul Blaster and the standard Wumpa only a bit more powerful and go only a little bit further than Banjo's eggs in Breagull Blaster mode. Inputting Down-Special again while in this state also cancels out of the Wumpzooka mode.

Thought some visual reference would help here too. I think the charged shot could throw Crash back some too. Maybe be a more direct reference to his Crash on the Run use of it.

General modern use of the Wumpa Bazooka: https://youtu.be/f8KCix9nXuA?t=332

Crash on the Run charge shot visual reference: https://youtu.be/f8KCix9nXuA?t=400

Also Decided to more fully realize the Wumpa-Bazooka mode and give it its own Up-Special and Side-Special and an extra jump. I'd also like to put forth the idea of the grab button being given a secondary repurpose in this mode (so obviously Breagull Blaster would hypothetically get this too in order to make it fair). Obviously you shouldn't and really can't be able to grab in the Breagull Blaster mode because Banjo's hands are being dedicated to holding Kazooie and the same logic would also apply to Crash holding his Wumpa-Bazooka too. Well currently in Breagull Blaster mode inputting the grab button will activate your shield which essentially shield-cancels you out of the special attack state. What if instead of that when you inputted the grab button while in these special attack states your character would instead be grounded in place by taking a knee to steady their aim/shot? Similar to when Snake uses his Nikita with his Side-Special. I think this would be ingenious really and would further justify what I'm going to standardize as the Side-Special in these special attack states. I should also say that Crash's Shield-Special in this moveset would supersede his Wumpa-Bazooka mode canceling him out of the special attack state but also forcing him to commit to the laggy move/guaranteed fall state I've balanced it to be.

When Crash goes into Wumpa-Bazooka mode he also equips his jet-pack and can jet boost (jump) 3 times before inputting Up-Special for his full recovery. The jet-pack will resemble his Skylander one more so than the classic one because he's more casual/less geared up without the goggles and vest. Here's a visual reference for that: https://www.crashmania.net/images/articles/iconic-mug/crash-bandicoot-jetpack-bazooka.jpg


Wumpa-Bazooka Up-Special: https://youtu.be/8k6PimmEZ8A?t=134

Crash will pull directly from his Skylanders appearance one more time for his 2nd recovery option here. Crash will fly directly into the air and fire multiple Wumpa fruit diagonally towards the ground in a flurry. Kind of like if Mythra's recovery was a wild marsupial shooting fruit instead. At the end of the attack sequence Crash goes into a fall state while his jet-pack flies off of him and away from him in a loop for a short distance before exploding just like as shown in the visual reference material. This entire sequence puts Crash back into his base state with the Wumpa-Bazooka automatically unequipped.

Wumpa-Bazooka Side-Special: https://youtu.be/f8KCix9nXuA?t=332

Crash's Side-Special while in the Wumpa-Bazooka mode will be a simple reticle aimer. It'll basically give the player a visual cue as to how far their Wumpa fruit shot will go and also allows for shots to be angled. A charged shot will go a little further and maybe as that extra distance is being gained in the charging animation sequence (holding the Special button) the reticle will simultaneously extend itself forward visually indicating to the player how far this extra distance will take the extra charged Wumpa shot. This special helps fully realize the Wumpa-Bazooka and goes great with the steading stationary character-placeholder-lock repurposed grab button mechanic I was talking about earlier and of course Breagull Blaster would get this too to make it fair.


Shield-Special: https://youtu.be/ulhZcmUHb3U?t=540

I decided to get a little crazier and give Crash a Shield-Special. I just had to get another quantum mask into his moveset and I think I found the perfect use for the gravity one. When you input the Shield-Special Crash will use the quantum mask Ika-Ika and do an upside-down rising double vertical kick! This crazy move animation can be justified using this mask! It's not exactly an attack Crash uses but it does use the mask in an inventive way for combat and is completely unique and chaotic so it just has to be done. It's very powerful and can reverse spike opponent to the blast-ceiling. The drawbacks are it's laggy, cannot be canceled out of at all and puts Crash in a fall state. Crash charges the attack regardless once you start it but if you hold it (the Shield-Special input) he'll go the maximum distance and apply the most power to the move. If just tapped he'll go the minimum distance and apply the least power to the move. There'll be a degree of power to the move in between the least powerful variant and most powerful variant and that will depend on how long the player held the input for. No matter what it's a full commit and Crash will always get put into a fall state after using the move.

The move is essentially Crash charges the appropriate looking quantum mask energy around him. He probably even makes a battle grunt while doing it as an audio signifier for both the player and opponent. Then he leaps upside down into the air while still somehow rising (the mask obviously) and performs this devastating double vertical aerial kick.

Final Smash:

I'm going to take a little inspiration from Steve on this one and just make it cool. Crash like punches the opponent into a cutscene and it's him nosediving with the triple Aku Aku invincibility mask on using his jetpack as a booster in the effort of "crashing" (yes that's the entire point) into the unfortunate opponent creating an explosion that'd make a room full of nitro crates going off look casual. The familiar Aku Aku invincibility run music will play. That frantic fast-paced drumming thing. This makes sense because Crash would be invincible in this state so he could go for something this destructive and dangerous just like you can in his games when you get 3 Aku Aku powerups.

Maybe combine the two and have Crash punch somebody into a room full of Nitro crates before he does this kamikaze attack? Make badboi Steve look like good boy Steven in comparison!

EDIT: Here's that invincibility theme for anyone that wants to be reminded of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miS5W8U-HuQ

Here's a visual reference for the Aku Aku invincibility: https://youtu.be/WG5DSBT35DM?t=554 & https://youtu.be/wTE1DpyEhdM?t=1303

And here's the Skylanders jetpack again: https://www.crashmania.net/images/articles/iconic-mug/crash-bandicoot-jetpack-bazooka.jpg

Playstyle/stats: https://youtu.be/p2cqzMFddNY?t=461

I'm lifting all of this from this guy's video. I don't understand enough about this stuff to really make my own and I think he sounds pretty justified in that he likely thought of balance when he conjured up these stats/attributes.

Bait and punish plus defensive. Keep himself safe and observes enemies' habits to find openings, then punishes with high-damage combos and strings. 7:41 of the playstyle and stats video to see the actual numbers and hear the guy out as to why he chose them. 6:50 for the beginning of his thoughts about the playstyle.

Shield: https://youtu.be/ulhZcmUHb3U?t=469

Crash's Shield will be a reference to the shield power-up in his racing games. Just make it look like that. I left a timestamp for reference.

Shield-Passive: https://youtu.be/Nq8LYrfj9ZM?t=74

Crash should get the Kupuna-Wa mask as a Foresight/Bats-Within equivalent! Yep just making his moveset accurate don't really care about the consequences haha but yeah it functions exactly like the two. You input a roll just before your shield gets hit Crash will trigger the Kupuna-Wa mask which will apply a slowdown debuff just like Foresight does but Crash will also receive half the damage from the attack just like with Foresight.


Spotdodge: https://youtu.be/Nq8LYrfj9ZM?t=165

Crash's spotdodge will be him phasing out using the Lani-Loli quantum mask! A cute little reference. It's basically just a very well animated and beautiful spotdodge of course. Sparks of beautiful bright blue light will envelop around Crash and he'll turn a somewhat darker transparent blue just as quickly and then phase back to normal suddenly.

Movement options:

Crash has a crawl and a wall jump.

EDIT: Crash Crawl visual reference: https://youtu.be/R4DMVUlCZZQ?t=311 & Crash Wall Jump visual reference: https://youtu.be/EDyKZnKXhUY?t=1090

Fundamental Weakness: He's very light. Not floaty though.

Taunts and victory animations:

1st taunt of course the classic turn to the camera with the thumbs up: https://youtu.be/haYxzRgN7oQ?t=989

2nd taunt will be the yo-yo wrapping around Crash: https://youtu.be/jtjuELrdOi8?t=661

Just a quick note about the 2nd taunt. So the spin at the end of the taunt (getting all the wound-up Yo-Yo string wrapped around Crash off of him) is essentially a scripted Neutral-Special input. That means it does damage and reflects projectiles just like a normal Neutral-Special input would. Just a funny little quirk to it like Luigi's taunt.

3rd taunt will be this swagger array of poses: https://youtu.be/jtjuELrdOi8?t=742

You're also probably wondering where his iconic dance would be but it'd definitely be a victory screen instead of a taunt. He also does his breakdance move into it and conveniently (wow I know right) it can be visually referenced by watching this entire sequence right here: https://youtu.be/jtjuELrdOi8?t=625 Basically what I'm saying is that from 10:25 to 10:35 is the entire victory screen. It's just so awesome like that I guess.

Next victory screen would be this entire animation sequence Wumpa hitting Crash's face and the iconic spin all. Maybe he'd spin some more in quick succession of each one (like 3) and into the tada pose! I like that. It's basically like he's proudly saying "tada!" to failing at the Wumpa fruit finger spin trick he had just tried earlier in the sequence. That's comical and being visually humorous is something I KNOW people love about the Crash Bandicoot series! Here's a visual reference to that: https://youtu.be/jtjuELrdOi8?t=614

Here's the "tada" pose I'm referring to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJXR67tf14U

Final Victory animation is a more simple and yet again it's perfectly set up visually in video form because Crash Bandicoot has so much source material to pull from. It'd start with the camera on Crash's back and then he spins around maybe even wildly like Taz does from Looney Tunes. He then does the pose he does after beating bosses in his classic games where he smiles while holding two peace signs. Here's the visual reference: https://youtu.be/bK4FAO04fMg?t=931

Alternative Costumes:

Crash's alts would be this. 1. Crash's default, 2. Dark Blue Ripper Roo colors, 3. Bright and Dark Green Nitrus Brio & Nitrus Oxcide colors, 4. Cyan and Bronze Ntropy colors, 5. Black and White with some Yellow Neo Cortex colors, 6. Purple Spyro colors, 7. Perfect mix between Crunch Bandicoot and Evil Crash (it'll basically be evil Crash but with Crunch camouflage pants and combat boots), 8. His iconic sunglasses and biker jacket from the cover of Crash Bandicoot 3.

1. Crash 4 Default reference: https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xEq...image/67570509/CB4_Screenshot_Reveal_13.0.png
2. Ripper Roo reference: https://cdna.artstation.com/p/asset...6/large/belen-cc-arsbin-ripper.jpg?1577192033
3. Nitrus Brio reference: https://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-40/cb4-n-brio-monster-forms.html
4. Ntropy reference: https://www.deviantart.com/bandicootbrawl96/art/Dr-N-Tropy-It-s-About-Time-Render-861585268
5. Dr. Neo Cortex reference: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/87/IAT_Neo_Cortex.png
6. Spyro reference: https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Loq...e/60425351/Running_Through_Idol_Springs.0.jpg
7. Evil Crash reference: https://twitter.com/austin_hodge/status/1225213562504830978/photo/1 Crunch reference: https://www.deviantart.com/nibroc-rock/art/Crunch-the-Bandicoot-render-863386911
8. Crash Biker Costume reference: https://twitter.com/thelightning8/status/1338794056814571520

It'd be a nice touch to allow the player to remove/put-on the shirt for the biker outfit with the Y-Button like for Pokemon Trainer Pythra and stacked echoes but if it defaults to anything it should be the shirtless variant. If you're curious about how the alts would look I'd suggest typing in "Crash Bandicoot Smash alts" and you'll see a lot of them. Of course I've love to give Crash 16 costumes with the other 8 being more significant costume changes from his Crash 4 game but for some reason Smash capped outfits to 8 and I wanted to keep them basic and believable while still being enjoyable and easy to notice for any Crash Bandicoot fan.

Here I googled Crash Bandicoot Smash alts for you if you want to check some out and get a better idea:

crash bandicoot smash alts - Google Search

This would truly be the representation in Smash Crash deserves. Bring in like 15-20 choice tracks on top of all of this! You gotta have the 3 original main themes and choice Twinsanity acapella!

Stage:

The stage should of course be Nsanity Island but I'll go into a bit more detail. The platform for the stage should be EXACTLY like the one used in the final boss battle between Crash and Neo Cortex in Crash Bandicoot 1 as seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmG4zMIE-IQ & here: https://youtu.be/UhO7oCT8GmA?t=529

You could really just have it be the entire blimp with that spoiler incorporated into the stage layout but it should be a traveling stage that goes around a bunch of the levels in Crash 1 and the outside of Cortex's lair. I think it should be set during dusk just like it is during the final boss fight is as shown in the visual reference material. It's really beautiful and I think it makes Insanity Island look more interesting.

Let Neo Cortex be a stage hazard in just the same way as he battles in this boss fight. Just shooting energy bolts at the players. With stage hazards turned off I could see a bunch of Crash friends and villains alike making cameos in the background.

Conclusion:

As a final note I'd like to say thank you very much to anyone that took the time to check this out/read the post! Should you ever encounter somebody that says Crash has little to no moveset potential or that all he does is "spin and jump" please feel free to link them to this post! I think I made everything convenient and digestible enough for anybody with a truly open mind to quickly change their tune should they have their doubts about Crash Bandicoot's Nsanely unique, fun and wild moveset that he and ONLY he could bring to Smash. I got everything in there. The pogostick, yo-yo, Skylanders/Crash of the Titans tools, Normal/TNT/Nitro crates, his CTR boost mechanic/hovercraft, his Twinsanity throws, the wumpzooka & the jet-pack together, all of the masks including Aku Aku without dedicating a special to any which one of them that didn't absolutely require it like was the case with the shield-B, all of his sliding properties (jump-cancel, slide-spin and slide-flip-kick), made sure his attacks represented his careless/chaotic nature, perfect stage idea, all the best taunts, victory screens and must-have alts etc. I think this is the pinnacle of Crash's potential representation in the game and I'm glad to have put it together for everyone!

I've actually kind of made myself sad because I think this is the perfect representation of Crash in Smash but I doubt it all comes to fruition. Maybe mods? Who knows? Oh well Crash4Smash of course! Someday soon!

Sorry that it's all over the place/out of order. I did my best but I'm not an animator so I had to use what reference I could and I really like a lot of the ideas put in these videos so it's nice I can use them as reference. Also sorry about the bold text and underlining like everything. I just wanted to migrate the old post from the Crash Ultimate spec thread over here and I just can't seem to turn off bold when I try to re-edit the copy and paste job I'm doing on some of this stuff. Idk just want the post here so forgive my annoying format if you will.

 

[Megadoomer]

Time for a new little game:

You're in charge of an Echo Fighters Pass consisting of 4 new Echo Fighters.

Here're the rules for each Echo you suggest:

• Which original fighter they are derived from?
• How they fit their original fighter's body type?
• Which gameplay difference(s) would they have?

Octoling - echo for Inkling (they play identically in the source material) that uses different weapons of the same type, resulting in minor statistical differences (some moves are slightly faster or slower, do slightly more or less damage, etc.)

Jeanne - echo for Bayonetta (they play almost identically in the source material), with similar differences to what she has in the Bayonetta games - her Smash attacks hit harder, but her Witch time requires tighter timing, and she's a bit lighter.

Tails - echo of Sonic (though more like a Ken or Chrom style echo, where some moves are different - not sure if this stretches the definition). He's slower than Sonic, and has slightly shorter range, but he has a different up special (using his tails to hover) and a few different animations that function identically to Sonic's attacks (ex. his up throw - since he can't stab people with quills like Sonic does, he smacks them with his tail). Tails feels like a bit of stretch, but he did play similarly to Sonic in the classic games, which is what Sonic's gameplay seems to be based on.

Brittany - echo of Olimar (I'm assuming that Alph can't be promoted from an alternate costume to an echo fighter), with the main difference being that she has Rock Pikmin instead of Purple Pikmin and Winged Pikmin instead of White Pikmin. Rock Pikmin are functionally identical to Purple Pikmin, while Winged Pikmin make the people that they're latched onto lighter.

 

[HyperSomari64]

Last night I dreamt that they added Ms Marvel (Kamala Kahn) and a generic Kangaroo to Smash.

If it's the Tekken one, fine.

 

[Sucumbio]

If it's the Tekken one, fine.

Agree should be Roger

But not tk6 Roger Jr cause that just creepy looking

 

[TCT~Phantom]

One gut prediction I am gonna share that I would put some stock into is that Alucard really seems to have a strong shot for the next game.

Castelvania is a big franchise, so it does not seem weird to rep Alucard as well. He already was almost chosen over the Belmonts for this game. He would rep the Metroidvania side of the franchise considering how SotN is the Metroidvania. It also helps that right now, Konami support seems to be fractured a good bit. You have Bomberman, but his fan demand is a shadow of its former self after that AT reveal. Outside of him, you have Bill Rizer who tbh has not had a strong support push yet. If we do get another Konami rep, I would bet on Alucard.

I also wanted to highlight a few characters that seem specifically hurt by Ultimate in some way. I think that the final predictions poll can add some credence to these observations.

Geno: Lets get the obvious out of the way, Geno definitely was the most hurt character for not getting into Ultimate. For having such a loud fanbase, the fact they sat out Smash 4 in cryrostasis likely was the death knell for Geno. If his fans actually were loud on the ballot, he likely would have been in the base game instead of just a spirit and mii costume. I doubt that for the next game, Geno support will be nearly as strong after Ultimate, where he was passed over twice. While Sakurai might be aware he is a popular pick, I think that with how the chips fell in Ultimate he will not be seen as nearly as likely a pick next time.

Rayman: Rayman has been in a rough spot in Ultimate. In 4, he was seen as this bastion of hope, a pretty big ballot pick. He was no Banjo, K Rool, or gonna be brutally honest Shantae, but he was one of those names that you heard a lot on the ballot. Heck, to this day his supporters still cling to the ballot. But Rayman seems to be in a uniquely bad situation. His series being dormant for the entirity of Ultimate has cooled his fan demand. It also does not help that Crash came back in a big way and stole a lot of the oxygen from Rayman. Crash was just a bigger series, and with Nintendo connections tossed out for the greater gaming sphere in terms of third parties in the eyes of the masses, Rayman just could not get enough oxygen. Heck, I personally was expecting a surge of Rayman support after Banjo got in...but it went to Crash. While Crash has not gotten a game this year save for his mobile game, his series still seems to be in a fine spot and his fan demand was arguably louder than Rayman's ever was save for when Omni made that one leak that Ubisoft thought was real.

Phoenix Wright: While probably not the first name you would think of hurt by Ultimate, Phoenix to me seems dead. He was clearly a fan favorite, doing ok on the ballot and having a solid, strong fanbase. But he got nothing in Ultimate. MH got spirits, a boss, Mii costumes, and spirits again. RE got a spirit event. Dante, a character that legit had their fan demand grow in 2019, was noted as a fan favorite but not Phoenix. The way that Ace Attorney got no content, not even a spirit event, to me says that he's done.

Elma/Decidueye/Celica: This one might be obvious, but imo most of these missed the boat in terms of timing. I think its safe to say that we will likely see them go the way of Zoroark, Deoxys, or Micaiah where they were reasonably large fan requests at one point, but they simmered down a lot after their window got closed. Elma to a lesser extent since an X remake or sequel does seem like a reasonable possibility, but I would say don't get your hopes up too much.

It is reasonably likely I might end up wrong on at least one of these. These are very early observations, but I would not be surprised if these do end up ringing true to an extent.

Not to me.

The Retronaut crowd really only focuses on one character at a time. First it was Mega Man. Then it was Simon. Now it's Hayabusa.

After we get Hayabusa, focus will shift to Rizer.

I concur. Hayabusa support has blossomed, to the point people are calling him the last NES all star left, warranted or not.


Just for fun, here is my 12 character newcomer roster if I had to guess, gun to my head. Maybe a new Xenoblade rep could squeeze in, but I think for the most part this is not too crazy. I also think if we do get an Ultimate port, seeing a few more characters is not too crazy. Consider how Ultimate had 6 base game newcomers, brought back cut vets like ICs, Snake, Wolf, and PT, and still made some semi clones like YL, Ken, and Pichu and a few echos. I do say this is on the higher side, but if I had to guess the roster right now, this is what I would go with.

• Waluigi
• Isaac
• Bandana Dee
• Officer Howard
• New Pokemon
• Ashley
• Octolings
• Ryu Hayabusa
• Alucard
• Dante
• Lloyd Irving
• Master Chief

 

[Dinoman96]

When it comes to third party guests, it should be noted that pretty much all of them have been either:

A. the top franchises from their respective companies
B. some of the most highly requested characters from the fanbase

Konami: Metal Gear, Castlevania
SEGA: Sonic, Bayonetta, Persona (Atlus)
Capcom: Mega Man, Street Fighter
Bandai Namco: Pac-Man, Tekken
Square-Enix: Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest
Microsoft: Banjo-Kazooie, Minecraft (Mojang)
SNK: Fatal Fury (Terry is SNK's mascot)
Disney: Kingdom Hearts (you can count this as Square-Enix if you want, I guess)

Pretty much all of these are either some of the biggest most popular IPs from their respective shareholders and/or were massively requested by fans, like Banjo-Kazooie and Bayonetta, and even those two have a special quirk of basically being Nintendo characters in everything but current ownership, as Nintendo co-owned the former IP with Rare during the N64 era and the latter has become an adopted series of theirs.

It's why I never really thought "smaller" series like Ace Attorney really had great odds. Obviously we still have Resident Evil and Monster Hunter for top series from Capcom, and below those two we have Devil May Cry/Dante, and I don't really see why Nintendo would skip all of them and go straight to AA/Phoenix, unless again, there was a specific level of fan demand for him, which I don't really think he has, honestly.

 

[Wunderwaft]

PushDustin is translating the final Sakurai famitsu column, and hoo boy is it quite juicy so far.

The Famitsu containing the last Sakurai Column is now out! As expected, the feature is quite in-depth but @KodyNOKOLO and I will be tackling it!

First up, is an interview focused on Smash Ultimate's DLC. This will take time, so stay tuned to this thread for updates. pic.twitter.com/0tfF92Cj2d

— Will (PushDustIn) (@PushDustIn) November 3, 2021

Significant info translated so far:

• The original project plan for Ultimate had you use Smash attacks in the air, but unfortunately it didn't get added since it was too complicated.
• Sora's reveal trailer had guidelines by Disney that Sakurai had to follow. He originally had Mario swing a keyblade to open a door, but that changed since Disney veto'd it and said only keyblade wielders can wield keyblades.
• Joker's concept was decided at a difficult time since Sakurai was just finishing the base game. (This could explain why Joker's moveset is the way it is)
• Banjo was number two on the ballot right after Sora.
• Sakurai wanted to make the coolest iteration of Terry Bogard. He knew some younger fans wouldn't know who Terry was but he didn't care. He felt he could make them understand the character via Smash.
• Byleth was worked on before Three Houses released. The build of Three Houses that Sakurai was given was top secret and he couldn't let other employees see him with the build.

 

[HyperSomari64]

When it comes to third party guests, it should be noted that pretty much all of them have been either:

A. the top franchises from their respective companies
B. some of the most highly requested characters from the fanbase

Konami: Metal Gear, Castlevania
SEGA: Sonic, Bayonetta, Joker (Atlus)
Capcom: Mega Man, Street Fighter
Bandai Namco: Pac-Man, Tekken
Square-Enix: Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest
Microsoft: Banjo-Kazooie, Minecraft (Mojang)
SNK: Fatal Fury (Terry is SNK's mascot)
Disney: Kingdom Hearts (you can count this as Square-Enix if you want, I guess)

Pretty much all of these are either some of the biggest most popular IPs from their respective shareholders and/or were massively requested by fans, like Banjo-Kazooie and Bayonetta, and even those two have a special quirk of basically being Nintendo characters in everything but current ownership, as Nintendo co-owned the former IP with Rare during the N64 era and the latter has become an adopted series of theirs.

It's why I never really thought "smaller" series like Ace Attorney really had great odds. Obviously we still have Resident Evil and Monster Hunter for top series from Capcom, and below those two we have Devil May Cry/Dante, and I don't really see why Nintendo would skip all of them and go straight to AA/Phoenix, unless again, there was a specific level of fan demand for him, which I don't really think he has, honestly.

Yeah, my favorite franchise from Atlus is Joker.

 

[Ivander]

• Banjo was number two on the ballot right after Sora.

I know it's been mentioned it's been somewhat translated, but like, wouldn't he have mentioned this after Sora was revealed shortly when he mentioned Banjo & Kazooie were high on the Smash ballot? I mean, that would be something if Banjo and Kazooie are Number 2, but like, I don't know, I think I need to see the translation and possibly it's context. I just think Sakurai would've mentioned it after Sora was revealed rather than continuing saying that Banjo & Kazooie were high on the Smash Ballot.

 

[Ramen Tengoku]

For Steve / Alex, adding the code for blocks on every stage was quite tough and took some time. Enderman also caused some trouble as they blended in with dark backgrounds. Sakurai made multiple quizzes asking the staff where Enderman was located on various screenshots. pic.twitter.com/rrOVxpEl7V

— Kody NOKOLO (@KodyNOKOLO) November 3, 2021

Where's Waldo Enderman?

 

[Dinoman96]

Yeah, my favorite franchise from Atlus is Joker.

meant Persona, oops

 

[TCT~Phantom]

When it comes to third party guests, it should be noted that pretty much all of them have been either:

A. the top franchises from their respective companies
B. some of the most highly requested characters from the fanbase

Konami: Metal Gear, Castlevania
SEGA: Sonic, Bayonetta, Persona (Atlus)
Capcom: Mega Man, Street Fighter
Bandai Namco: Pac-Man, Tekken
Square-Enix: Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest
Microsoft: Banjo-Kazooie, Minecraft (Mojang)
SNK: Fatal Fury (Terry is SNK's mascot)
Disney: Kingdom Hearts (you can count this as Square-Enix if you want, I guess)

Pretty much all of these are either some of the biggest most popular IPs from their respective shareholders and/or were massively requested by fans, like Banjo-Kazooie and Bayonetta, and even those two have a special quirk of basically being Nintendo characters in everything but current ownership, as Nintendo co-owned the former IP with Rare during the N64 era and the latter has become an adopted series of theirs.

It's why I never really thought "smaller" series like Ace Attorney really had great odds. Obviously we still have Resident Evil and Monster Hunter for top series from Capcom, and below those two we have Devil May Cry/Dante, and I don't really see why Nintendo would skip all of them and go straight to AA/Phoenix, unless again, there was a specific level of fan demand for him, which I don't really think he has, honestly.

Going by this logic, I am gonna try to outline who would likely be the main picks for each company going forward. In terms of new companies like Activision or Tecmo their big picks (Crash, Hayabusa) are also pretty solid fan requests in their own right so its kinda moot.

Konami: Aluacard is king. He is very popular and almost made it in Ultimate over the Belmonts. If we get someone, it would likely be him. Bomberman is a solid fan request but I would bet on Alucard.
Sega: This one is hard because you have a few smaller ring franchises in the grand scheme of things like Puyo and to a lesser extent Yakuza. I would say that SMT and Phantasy Star both make a lot of sense. Phantasy Star Online still rakes in money and the series has a strong legacy, so I would go with that if I had to guess. Either someone like Alis from Phantasy Star or Eggman. If you count Atlus alone, do something like Demi Fiend.
Capcom: It's Dante. RE and MH are both huge, but Sakurai nodded to the Dante demand. DMC is big enough and he has the fan demand. The Capcom crown is his for the taking.
Bamco: Lloyd. Tales is one of their biggest series, and he is a fan favorite. Similar to Dante he is in a good spot.
Microsoft: Chief. Yes Dovakhin and Doomguy are big, but Chief is massive. Halo legit is the mascot of Microsoft, if we get another Microsoft rep I would say Chief takes it even if I could see both Bethesda reps making it in.
SNK: Kyo most likely, he is probably their second biggest character.
Disney: Look, KH is weird and we wont end up with a Disney character themselves, so a second KH rep by default.

To be honest, the only real exception I could see is an Indie rep, but that crown is Undertale's for the taking imo and Undertale and Deltarune are massive.

 

[DarthEnderX]

What about the other NES/retro characters?

Saruman and Wormtongue, scouring the Shire while nobody is paying attention.

You're in charge of an Echo Fighters Pass consisting of 4 new Echo Fighters.

Black Shadow - Captain Falcon
Plays like Classicdorf

Black Knight - Ike
Plays like the Ganondorf to Ike's Falcon

Shadow - Sonic
Uses some custom moves from Smash 4, different run animation

Bass - Mega Man
Uses some custom moves from Smash 4, Different slide animation

 

[Goombaic]

So much information coming out. I guess he really wanted to tie up several loose ends we all had in mind.

Having Pyra and Mythra appear in 8 player Smash was difficult. If Sakurai had to pick one, he would’ve picked Pyra. There were several other considerations to make their fighter work, like one that was just Rex, Rex with Pyra sometimes, Pyra with Rex sometimes, just Pyra, etc. pic.twitter.com/c39q9AABsI

— Kody NOKOLO (@KodyNOKOLO) November 3, 2021

Surely Rex and Pyra can show up together in the next game, right?

 

[SKX31]

PushDustin is translating the final Sakurai famitsu column, and hoo boy is it quite juicy so far.

Significant info translated so far:

• The original project plan for Ultimate had you use Smash attacks in the air, but unfortunately it didn't get added since it was too complicated.

This would've been really interesting, but I have to imagine that a lot of Smashes (especially Down Smashes) would've been too time-consuming to adapt. It would've changed Ultimate quite significantly though (in particular I have to guess that people would start to look for confirms into air smashes). Min Min is interestingly the one character to retain this feature with the punches.

And confirming what a lot of people might've assumed:

For the Sakurai Presents videos, they came up after Joker’s introduction video cost a lot of $ and time to make. Nintendo came up with the idea of Sakurai presenting the fighters. Each character would introduce something unique, so it was important for them to have presentations. pic.twitter.com/ujJShcZLyD

— Kody NOKOLO (@KodyNOKOLO) November 3, 2021

 

[Wunderwaft]

I know it's been mentioned it's been somewhat translated, but like, wouldn't he have mentioned this after Sora was revealed shortly when he mentioned Banjo & Kazooie were high on the Smash ballot? I mean, that would be something if Banjo and Kazooie are Number 2, but like, I don't know, I think I need to see the translation and possibly it's context. I just think Sakurai would've mentioned it after Sora was revealed rather than continuing saying that Banjo & Kazooie were high on the Smash Ballot.

PushDustin later clarified about this

He doesn't explicitly state that Banjo and Kazooie were number two, just that they were placed under him (I guess it's implied they are the 2nd most requested character in the DLC pass?). Either way they placed very high (and in Japan as well!) https://t.co/b35SkxduDd

— Will (PushDustIn) (@PushDustIn) November 3, 2021

 

[osby]

This would've been really interesting, but I have to imagine that a lot of Smashes (especially Down Smashes) would've been too time-consuming to adapt. It would've changed Ultimate quite significantly though (in particular I have to guess that people would start to look for confirms into air smashes). Min Min is interestingly the one character to retain this feature with the punches.

Doesn't Robin also have something like that with his Levin Sword?

 

[DarthEnderX]

Surely Rex and Pyra can show up together in the next game, right?

I doubt it. Because now they've established what Pyra/Mythra play like in Smash. Adding Rex would completely change their moveset, and I don't see them doing that.

 

[Opossum]

Yeah, they don't tend to completely overhaul characters to that degree after their playstyles have been established. Usually changes are much more gradual.

Case in point, despite all they did to try to make the Ice Climbers work on 3DS, they still cut them instead of redoing how they work.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

He goes on to say that the whole “only I can do it for now” thing is true

just gotta wait for the remainder of the translation

 

[spicynun]

PushDustin is translating the final Sakurai famitsu column, and hoo boy is it quite juicy so far.

The Famitsu containing the last Sakurai Column is now out! As expected, the feature is quite in-depth but @KodyNOKOLO and I will be tackling it!

First up, is an interview focused on Smash Ultimate's DLC. This will take time, so stay tuned to this thread for updates. pic.twitter.com/0tfF92Cj2d

— Will (PushDustIn) (@PushDustIn) November 3, 2021

Significant info translated so far:

• The original project plan for Ultimate had you use Smash attacks in the air, but unfortunately it didn't get added since it was too complicated.
• Sora's reveal trailer had guidelines by Disney that Sakurai had to follow. He originally had Mario swing a keyblade to open a door, but that changed since Disney veto'd it and said only keyblade wielders can wield keyblades.
• Joker's concept was decided at a difficult time since Sakurai was just finishing the base game. (This could explain why Joker's moveset is the way it is)
• Banjo was number two on the ballot right after Sora.
• Sakurai wanted to make the coolest iteration of Terry Bogard. He knew some younger fans wouldn't know who Terry was but he didn't care. He felt he could make them understand the character via Smash.
• Byleth was worked on before Three Houses released. The build of Three Houses that Sakurai was given was top secret and he couldn't let other employees see him with the build.

Banjo number two is huge. I really hope this finally silences the large amount of Banjo opponents on twitter Ive seen recently. I just recently on twitter saw someone say after Sakurai said Banjo was high on the ballot say "He was probably no higher than 100, he only got in because of Steve". Its so silly

 

[Gengar84]

Banjo number two is huge. I really hope this finally silences the large amount of Banjo opponents on twitter Ive seen recently. I just recently on twitter saw someone say after Sakurai said Banjo was high on the ballot say "He was probably no higher than 100, he only got in because of Steve". Its so silly

I hope that helps the chances of getting another Rare character in the next game or down the line. I would love to see the Battletoads, Fulgore, and Joanna Dark make it into Smash one day. All of these series have had modern reboots or are getting one soon so that should help their odds as well.

 

[dream1ng]

The further removed we get from the ballot period, the more you will begin to see people try to speak with authority about an important event they weren't actually attuned to the scene during. You're already seeing people look at the ballot with a current day lens, forgetting how different the trends were back then.

But it should be obvious to anyone who was there that Banjo was extremely popular, and being second place is certainly within the plausible.

 

[Invisible Shiny Bulbasaur]

Banjo number two is huge. I really hope this finally silences the large amount of Banjo opponents on twitter Ive seen recently. I just recently on twitter saw someone say after Sakurai said Banjo was high on the ballot say "He was probably no higher than 100, he only got in because of Steve". Its so silly

I don't know about that. Anyone who genuinely believes Banjo and Kazooie were, at best, the 100th most requested fighter(s) on the ballot is not someone who can be reasoned with. They are either in serious salt-fueled denial, a troll, or a twelve year old who thinks 1998 was so long ago that the only people who remember a cult classic as obscure as Banjo-Kazooie are too old and senile to vote in an online poll.
Nothing Sakurai can say will make them stop hating on the bear and bird.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

Okay but Bayo won in reasonable terms so maybe the echo chamber around here isn’t all too reliable. No need to get all huffy over the idea that a character heavily dependent on the terminally online part of the fanbase might not have made it all the way to the top out of all video game characters ever.

 

[Shroob]

Guess this really does mean the the reason Kirby doesn't use a Keyblade is a Disney mandate.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Honestly given Sakurai and company's attention to detail, I wonder if the "most realizable" wasn't just a matter of getting rights, but also of sufficiently getting a fighter right to the point where they were satisfied.

I could easily see a scenario where they could have hypothetically gotten the okay from Microsoft and created Banjo for Smash 4 DLC, but that they felt they didn't have the time or resources to do complete justice to the character.

 

[Chuderz]

The further removed we get from the ballot period, the more you will begin to see people try to speak with authority about an important event they weren't actually attuned to the scene during. You're already seeing people look at the ballot with a current day lens, forgetting how different the trends were back then.

But it should be obvious to anyone who was there that Banjo was extremely popular, and being second place is certainly within the plausible.

Absolutely. I specifically didn't vote for Banjo on the ballot because I saw his groundswell of support at the time. I instead voted for Crash and am proud to have done so. I also voted for Cloud about a month before he got in hahaha. That was so satisfying. It was a big told ya so moment for me because everybody absolutely **** on Cloud at the time. Muh appearances on Nintendoconsoles hahaha.

 

[Shroob]

Really though


The question is where does the series go from this point forward, which is something that Sakurai's well aware of.



He's kind of designed himself into a corner all things considered. He knows that following up Ultimate will be difficult, and has even gone on to say that a future entry "May not make fans happy", or something to that extent, so it's definitely a bit of a strange scenario. And handing off the project to someone else, well, that's easier said than done, when his own name has almost become synonymous to Smash itself, and it carries soo much weight behind it.



Regardless, for now, I'd say be content with what we have. I think, after 3 years of insanity, it's finally time to put the speculation away and just, play the game.

 

[SKX31]

Doesn't Robin also have something like that with his Levin Sword?

Kinda? I'm not sure how to view him since the Levin also upgrades his normal Smashes (apparently the tilts are the ones that aren't upgraded) and Levin's a limited resource with recharge while Min Min can just throw those out at will.

Guess this really does mean the the reason Kirby doesn't use a Keyblade is a Disney mandate.

That doesn't stop though:



Him being a keyblade wielder is the only logical explanation why his D-Air is near-unbeatable from below (for most of the cast).

Honestly given Sakurai and company's attention to detail, I wonder if the "most realizable" wasn't just a matter of getting rights, but also of sufficiently getting a fighter right to the point where they were satisfied.

I could easily see a scenario where they could have hypothetically gotten the okay from Microsoft and created Banjo for Smash 4 DLC, but that they felt they didn't have to time or resources to do complete justice to the character.

Considering that Spencer did voice that wish rather late when it comes to Smash 4 (2014 IIRC) I wouldn't really be surprised if something like that was the case. Where Nintendo could've considered them and Steve (after all, the negotiations for him) but they and Sakurai instead deciding to prioritize the then-ongoing negotiations for Ryu, Cloud and Bayo first.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

It's not uncommon among certain series to have a mentality of "if you can't go bigger, go different". Smash doing the same wouldn't necessarily be surprising, especially if the successor Switch is backwards compatible, thus allowing a bit of safety net for fans that want the Ultimate kind of experience on the next system.

I have no idea what kind of new angle they could take with the core gameplay, but user-generated content is a well they could go further in. Much deeper stage creation, create your own break the targets/board the platforms, increased depth and types with Mii Fighters, and the real major canvas; create your own Spirit Battles and World of Light Campaigns.

 

[Ivander]

The further removed we get from the ballot period, the more you will begin to see people try to speak with authority about an important event they weren't actually attuned to the scene during. You're already seeing people look at the ballot with a current day lens, forgetting how different the trends were back then.

But it should be obvious to anyone who was there that Banjo was extremely popular, and being second place is certainly within the plausible.

This is a thing that doesn't just apply to the Ballot, but speculation in general. Trends always keep changing. The Brawl days were very different from today, where Nintendo characters were still focused on than just 3rd Parties since we were aware there were not going to be a whole lot, and we only got Snake and Sonic. But back then, you could talk about a whole bunch of Nintendo characters, even the lesser known ones, without getting looks, like Lip from Panel de Pon, Chibi-Robo, Ray 01 from Custom Robo, the Elite Beat Agents, even frickin' Starfy. Nowadays, you'd get Echo Chamber'd for even suggesting a Nintendo character that isn't Waluigi, Isaac, Bandana Dee or a recent addition.

And man do I miss the old Nsider forums during the Brawl days, and some of it's posters like Algus.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

This is a thing that doesn't just apply to the Ballot, but speculation in general. Trends always keep changing. The Brawl days were very different from today, where Nintendo characters were still focused on than just 3rd Parties since we were aware there were not going to be a whole lot, and we only got Snake and Sonic. But back then, you could talk about a whole bunch of Nintendo characters, even the lesser known ones, without getting looks, like Lip from Panel de Pon, Chibi-Robo, Ray 01 from Custom Robo, the Elite Beat Agents, even frickin' Starfy. Nowadays, you'd get Echo Chamber'd for even suggesting a Nintendo character that isn't Waluigi, Isaac, Bandana Dee or a recent addition.

And man do I miss the old Nsider forums during the Brawl days, and some of it's posters like Algus.

I’m not sure on my timeline, but Chibi-Robo, Ray and Starfy were a bit more relevant than they are today so they might very well fall under “recent additon”

 

[dream1ng]

I’m not sure on my timeline, but Chibi-Robo, Ray and Starfy were a bit more relevant than they are today so they might very well fall under “recent additon”

From my recollection, "recent addition" didn't really become as prominent until Smash 4, when most of the newcomers fit that descriptor. Beforehand people gauged characters largely on their overall impact, with recency being perceived as one quality among many.

It's not that recency wasn't part of what got characters included, it's just that back in the day the type of characters being included were largely ones either omnipresent in their series or as impactful as any other in their series, so recency wasn't seen as a particularly decisive factor. Most candidates had it, and those that didn't could be seen to fit the "retro spot".

Because if you think about it, during the Brawl era, Nintendo's output existed in a timeframe where things were either current or retro, there wasn't really the nebulous middle-ground an additional fifteen-ish years has provided.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

Sakurai more often than not undersells himself so I could see another “everyone is here” happening if he wanted. Is that what he wants to do though? Who knows? I will say that more often than not re-negotiations are much for fruitful than plain ole negotiations.

Also, Banjo at #2? Hell yeah!

 

[Ivander]

I’m not sure on my timeline, but Chibi-Robo, Ray and Starfy were a bit more relevant than they are today so they might very well fall under “recent additon”

To some extent, they were in Chibi-Robo and Ray's cases, but Starfy was Japanese-exclusive at the time. A game for Starfy didn't come out to the West until 2009, long after Brawl's release. But still, Chibi-Robo and Ray's games weren't exactly successful, which nowadays feels like an absolute requirement to be included in speculation whereas back then, nobody really cared about a character being from a game that wasn't really successful.

Also, Banjo at #2? Hell yeah!

We don't know. It's been confirmed he never explicitly stated it, but said something along the lines of that Banjo was behind Sora in the Ballot. Whether that means he was Number 2 or was one of the very high-placed characters behind Sora that was chosen(with the other chosen Ballot characters being behind Banjo) is yet to be confirmed.

 

[ZelDan]

Honestly, I don't know if the future of Smash has to be such a doom or gloom thing or a "we got ourselves in a corner" sort of deal though. If they don't go through with another "everyone is here" (which I'm not expecting at all though I suppose it's perhaps not technically impossible), they could just, ya know, just make another sequel like they did with Brawl and Smash 4.

-assuming there are cuts, just don't go crazy or extreme with the cuts and try to keep as many of the more popular/big characters as feasibly possible

-add a good chunk of newcomers to the game that range from fan favorites/demanded characters, to really popular characters in general, to big/iconic/legacy types/etc. There are still a ****LOAD of great gaming characters out there, so it's not like we don't have anymore exciting characters to potentially look forward to. At the end of the day, as long as a Smash 6 still has a bigger roster than Smash 4 did atleast and they bring some great characters, while ideally keeping a decent chunk of beloved veterans, then I could see us getting a roster that people could appreciate in its own right, and maybe one some people might actually prefer more depending on how the cuts vs. newcomers go.

-add some fun new gameplay stuff. Whether it be gameplay mechanics, game modes, going way more ham with character alts, making assist characters actually kind of cool and not just a "hey maybe a character I like has a 1/52 chance of showing up...yippee..." sort of deal, etc.

-have a story mode with actual story. if Smash 6 ends up having less characters, then just do more in terms of character interactions with the smaller roster than ultimate did with its bigger roster.

-Have an online mode that doesn't feel like Sakurai/Nintendo went of their way to butcher it.

 

[Shroob]

Sakurai more often than not undersells himself so I could see another “everyone is here” happening if he wanted. Is that what he wants to do though? Who knows? I will say that more often than not re-negotiations are much for fruitful than plain ole negotiations.

Also, Banjo at #2? Hell yeah!

I think the issue with "EVERYONE IS HERE" is it just doesn't seem sustainable forever.


People are worried about the next entry, well, what about the one after that, and the one after that?


This feels like an issue that can only be delayed, not stopped.