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Rate Their Chances - Smash Ultimate Edition! Day 672: Five Most Likely First and Third Parties for Smash 6, and Final Goodbyes

Sari

Editing Staff
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Aug 3, 2014
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4,436
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Villager49
Switch FC
SW-2215-0173-2152
Some songs to get into the mood of dying over and over again:


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Arthur

Chance: 0.1%
The Ghosts 'n Goblins series is definitely a Capcom classic as it has memorable titles in the 80's/early 90's. Arthur being in both MvC3 and MvC Infinite shows that he isn't completely forgotten as well. That said however, the Ghosts 'n Goblins series hasn't had a new title in forever so the series future is in jeopardy. The last Ghosts 'n Goblins entry was a mobile game in 2010 while the series as a whole never really had a big hitting game since the 90's. Because of this I don't think Arthur would have priority over most other Capcom characters. Other Capcom names like Phoenix, Dante, and Monster Hunter to name a few just have much more going for them in terms of relevance and fan demand. DanganZilla also mentioned that the series has not done good in Japan which I think is a death sentence when it comes to character chances.

Want: 15%
While I never got to play Ghosts 'n Goblins, I know the gist of it and have seen Arthur fight in MvC3. It seems like a (frustratingly) fun game so I wouldn't really hate Arthur's inclusion. However there are just so many other Capcom characters I'd like to see make it in before Arthur. Some that come to mind are Frank West, Mike Haggar, and even characters that I don't fully support yet like Phoenix Wright and Monster Hunter. If one or two of those characters get in then maybe I'd be more open to Arthur but for now he's gonna wait in the already long Capcom line.

-----

Adol chance prediction: 17.65% (he's been getting a lot of talk lately so this should be interesting)

Nominations:
Concept: Fortnite Character x5
Concept: The remaining SSB4 DLC Mii Costumes return (or get the deluxe treatment) x5
 

BowserKing

Smash Lord
Joined
Feb 16, 2019
Messages
1,826
Location
winnipeg
Arthur

Chance: 5%. He would fit the retro character role and a Capcom Rep. Thing is, there are a lot of Capcom characters that are in the running as well, making things rather difficult. Also Capcom is quite well represented in Smash, but who knows what will happen.

Want: 50% Arthur would be fun to play as, and it would be fun if we see him fight Link, Bowser, Simon or Ridley in a fight. Overall, Arthur has some potential to be in Smash Bros.

Prediction: Adol (5%)

Noms: 5 for Boss: Ender Dragon
 

Mr. Stevenson

Smash Ace
Joined
Jun 5, 2018
Messages
735
Sir Arthur

Chance: 20%

While Capcom has certainly shown to be very accepting of having some of their most famous icons in Smash, it’s kinda mostly up to Nintendo and Sakurai to decide if they find him eligible or not, cuz I don’t really see Capcom approaching Nintendo for this matter, specially since there’s nothing modern to promote about the Ghosts ‘n Goblins (or Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, as you wanna call it) series.
On top of that, there are Capcom characters, like Dante, who unfortunately are more of a popular pick than Sir Arthur, which can make his chances even less likely.

Want: 86%

Even tho I’ve always had a personal vendetta with the Ghosts ‘n Goblins/Ghouls ‘n Ghosts games for obvious reasons, I can’t deny that I was always very charmed by its appealing visual style, its soundtracks and even its wacky sense of humor too.
Also ever since Ryu joined the roster, I’ve personally always seen him as the best option for a 3rd Capcom newcomer.
Another fellow NES/Arcade icon with quite a huge legacy and history with Nintendo, and on top of that, I think his cartoony art style makes him fit like a glove too.

I will say this tho, it’s a huge HUGE shame that there are no DLC Assist Trophies cuz I’d really dig having the series’ most iconic enemy, the Red Devils as one, should Sir Arthur join the battle... Oh well.
 

Ridrool64

Smash Lord
Joined
Jun 21, 2013
Messages
1,398
Location
New Jersey
This rating is an illusion and is a trap devusit by me.

Chance: 5%. Arthur is an old school NES era character when that line up of characters is stacked, boasting Ryu Hayabusa, Jason & SOPHIA, Bill Rizer and many others. Arthur is a Capcom character, which I am pretty sure will not be a part of Volume 2 due to getting out-of-season Mii Costumes. And is also a very, VERY stacked lineup, with characters like Dante, Phoenix Wright, and the Monster Hunter. Arthur isn't even the most likely character from a dead Capcom franchise, Morrigan "the Captain Falcon of Capcom" has him nicked there. Lastly, not only has there not been a game in the series in 10 years, there hasn't been a game that we are able to play today in 14. Arthur has missed an entire generation of gaming! That's something I gave Axel a low score for, and that's why I'm doing the same with Arthur. And apparently his series performed less than well in Japan, which is... not ideal.

Now, it isn't hopeless for the knight with the most useless yet useful armor ever. He may have done... mediocrely on the ballot, which is better than a sea of characters. Also, Marvel vs. Capcom helped keep him relevant after 2010, even though again I think Morrigan outperforms him on that front it may be enough to at least not be completely ignored by Nintendo. Still, he's probably going the way of the Skeleton when Capcom gets somebody else or turns up empty handed in roster spots.

Although, I don't think a Mii Swordfighter Costume for him is out of the question.

Want: 30%. All of it has to do with Stage 1's theme. Otherwise, this character wouldn't interest me per se but is somebody I think is not garbage. His inclusion when there are only four slots left would bug the **** out of me, but like in the base roster for the next Smash game I won't raise a fit. But I would not really care one way or the other.

Frisk (and Red if applicable) x 5. Adol is a member of the rumor mill now! 15.30%, since his series is still somewhat unknown in the west.
 

TCT~Phantom

Smash Master
Writing Team
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Dec 10, 2013
Messages
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TCT~Phantom
And I say hey, what a wonderful kind of day!

1% Chance

While Ghosts and Goblins is old school, it does not have the lasting legacy say, Ninja Gaiden or Castlevania did. The fact Capcom is getting Mii costumes outside of their pass suggests something negative for capcom characters in general, the main exception I see is Monster Hunter. Even with putting all that aside, his competition is fierce. Dante, Phoenix Wright, and Monster Hunter all loom big over speculation. Dead franchises like Viewtiful Joe and Amaterasu from Okami both also give him some stiff competition. Heck, I personally think Morrigan is a minor dark horse but not to the extent of other dark horses in my mind like Neku and Sol Badguy. This story is not happy end.

50% want

I would be down normally, but until we get some word from Nintendo we have more DLC after these 4 left, I am gonna be a bit more conservative with my want scores for characters. While I like Arthur, I have no emotional connection to Ghosts and Goblins. I recognize that it is cool and all, but I don't vibe with it. Unlike say, Ninja Gaiden, I do not like Arthur as much as Ryu if ya get my drift. The character would be fun and interesting and is an NES icon to a lesser extent than most, but I do not know if I can in good conscious say he would make me happy.

Coco as Crash's Echo/Costume x 10

Once this is done, I will be pushing League of Legends rep. I am gonna actually have to do research on that one, ugh.
 

amageish

Smash Master
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
3,558
Arthur

Chance: 2%. I'm usually the type to try and argue that there is a larger pool of "likely" picks and that frontrunners are less-front then we often think, but... uh... Yeah, I struggle to see the reason to pick Arthur honestly? He has some beloved retro platformers; however, there are just a lot of other franchises in that category not in Smash with a larger impact on the industry? Arthur's kind of just known as "that dude from the hard game where the guy ends up in his underwear" nowadays... He gets to appear in Capcom crossovers still, but I honestly think that he's not even the most likely character in the category of "Capcom reps who mostly survive on Versus appearances in the modern era."

Like, yesterday, problem is the obvious problem. We've got Devil May Cry, Monster Hunter, Ace Attorney, Okami, Darksiders, Dead Rising, Street Fighter or Mega Man growing in representation, etc.. Arthur could make a fun retro throwback, but I'm not sure if he would be chosen for that unless something new is happening with him as well... This also is all assuming we get a Capcom spot, which isn't neccessarily a safe prediction. They have some Mii Costumes MIA, but that doesn't inherently mean a spot either...

Abstain on want. No real opinion here. It's a retro throwback to a series I have no considerable attachment to.

Fun Fact: To be fully honest, I imagined he was in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale as Sir Daniel Fortesque's rival. I have no idea why I thought this was the case, but I was totally convinced of it until googling as a quick fact-check... I'm glad I googled it instead of making a joke about it.

Predictions: Wow, I think this is the first time I've seen a rumour and a RTC slot line up well! 15%.
Nominations: Concept: Fortnite Character x5 and Mii Costume: Monika x 5
 

Cutie Gwen

Lovely warrior
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Somewhere out there on this big blue marble
Huzzah! Fireball challenge run!

Chance: 1% Ghosts and Goblins is a very well respected NES classic, being one of the go to examples for diffucult NES games, so Arthur wouldn't be too surprising if that was all he needed, but he suffers the big issue known by all, competition. Arthur would cater to a specific niche which Mega Man kinda fills, but I don't see Arthur getting picked over the countless beloved Capcom characters, big or small. Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Monster Hunter, Okami, Darkstalkers and many more Capcom IPs all have a similar level of merit to GnG at minimum, but ultimately, Arthur doesn't stand a ... Ghost of a chance.

Want: 80%

Despite these issues, Arthur would make a right fine addition to Smash, he IS a Capcom character after all. While I don't care enough about his games to try them out, there's still stuff that can be done, even if a good 90% of the moveset would need to be made up, though I guess they'd pull some stuff from MvC too. He'd pretty much be a stubbier Belmont and hey, Belmonts are fun as hell to play, especially if your friends can't deal with projectiles even if they have reflectors. Also, I'd get another excuse to watch the SGB Ghosts and Goblins playthrough if Arthur happened, which I really can't complain about.

Miriam x10
 

Blankiturayman

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
459
Arthur
Chance: 2%
Ghosts n Goblins is one of the franchises in Capcom's repertoire that definitely became classics despite their age. While Capcom doesn't do much with the franchise itself, last game was an iOS game on 2010, they keep using Arthur in crossovers whenever they get the chance, so at least they hold the franchise in some proximity. This is not something that's faded with time as he even appears in Marvel vs Capcom Infinite (2017) as playable and Street Fighter V (2018) as a costume. That's good, but that's where the advantages end. Like many other characters, particularly those owned by big companies like Capcom, Arthur has a lot in his way. Be it from new series, old series, beloved series, or any combination of these. It's also up to Nintendo, but surprisingly enough they do have it in mind since Ghosts n Goblins is on the SNES NSO. Even with that in mind I think it's likelier they go for more thriving franchises, or ones with fan demand already. Or both, again.
Want: 70%
I'd be cool with it. Arthur really would fit into Smash no problem. Years ago I used to confuse Castlevania and Ghosts n Goblins for coming from the same thing due to the theming, but after playing both I realized they had many differences. This'd apply to Arthur too. He's already been in fighters so I think he'd have no problem being here either. The stage would be fun, and I'd love to have the classic theme in the game.

Nominations: Worms x10
Adol prediction: 18%. He got here quick didn't he?
 

waddledeeonredyoshi

Smash Lord
Joined
Jul 29, 2014
Messages
1,515
Location
Drenthe, NL
Ghosts that respawn in random locations
Chance: 1%
Ghosts and Goblins is a dormant franchise which Capcom likes to acknowledge but not give a revival. It also basically gets murdered by the competition from other Capcom and retro series. Arthur's methot of combat in the games also just doesn't seem interesting enough to appeal to Nintendo or Sakurai.

Want: 1%
Yeah I think Arthur would be pretty generic moveset wise. I haven't played the games but they sure don't look beginner friendly, especially not the first game.
Frankly there are better Capcom options out there. Would be a bit miffed if Arthur got the fighter treatment instead of Resident Evil.

Adol: 14.12%
The Knight x5
 
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3DSNinja

Smash Lord
Joined
Oct 30, 2018
Messages
1,390
CONGRATURATION.
Chance: 0%: Capcom just has many, many, other characters with better shots. Arthur's real only claim to fame is that he has some beloved retro titles, but so does Hayubusa, or hell Phoenix Wright. And the fact that he has Phoenix Wright and Dante as direct competition kinda ruins any chance he did have. Doesn't help that he hasn't had any recent games and his only notable recent appearances were in UMvC3 and MvCI. So I don't see the underwear knight happening in Smash, unfortunately.
Want: 70%: Which is a shame, because I really like the Ghosts and Goblins titles. They've got fun and unfair difficulty, cool enemy design, and great music! Plus, you could definently have a sick moveset with this guy, hell maybe incorporate the Armor mechanic? There's a lot of cool potential . . .but he loses points becaused I'd prefer Dante or Phoenix Wright, if I'm being 100% honest.
Noms: Hajimeme Hinata x10
 

GoodGrief741

Smash Legend
Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
10,169
BEING THE WISE AND COURAGEOUR
KNIGHT THAT YOU ARE YOU
FEEL STRONGTH WELLING.
IN YOUR BODY.

Chance: 7%
Ghosts 'n Goblins is a series of classics. For every console they're on, they're considered some of the finest games available. Obviously, when you're still remembered to this day, you've done something right. And Arthur continues to show up regularly on Capcom's crossovers. But Capcom's competition is fierce. I see Arthur as being on kind of a third tier of likelihood, beneath the trio of Phoenix, Dante and Monster Hunter, and also Amaterasu and Viewtiful Joe for whom I've seen much more support. Being irrelevant also hurts his odds, though to be fair the franchise would get in on historical importance without much regard for new games. There's also the persistent rumor (for, like, a ****ton of years now) that Capcom's trying to get a reboot off the ground, but who knows if that'll ever see the light of day.

Bottom line though, he isn't the likeliest Capcom character, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him get in. If he doesn't, then at least I hope he can get a Mii Costume, he's made for it (if they make a Mii Costume that shatters into underwear with damage I will gladly pay all the money)

Want: 90%
No surprise, retro geek likes retro characters. But, yeah, GnG are top-notch, nail-bitingly challenging games with great music and atmosphere that you should really give a try if you haven't (just remember: get the knife). Arthur has a great arsenal of weapons that he could use, movement unlike any character in Smash right now, and even the potential for an armor breaking mechanic. I have many Capcom characters I want more than him and yet I'd be nothing but happy at his inclusion.

Noms: Scorpion x10
Adol prediction: I actually plan to make a big write-up about him, should get on that now
Oh and, let's say 21%, I expect good things after the "leaks" and SNK's precedent
 

GoodGrief741

Smash Legend
Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
10,169
Wait, what? Did Adol get a fake leak?
Yeah, there was a post (don't remember where) that leaked the localizations and Switch ports of several Falcom games, and also claimed that a Falcom fighter, either Adol or Rean, would be getting into Smash.

According to people more knowledgeable on modern Falcom than me, most of those predictions aren't too impressive.
 

GoodGrief741

Smash Legend
Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
10,169
Impa (Age of Calamity) x200
Alex Mason x190
Concept: Coco as Crash's Echo/Costume x190
Concept: Fortnite character x175
[Rerate] Frisk x160
Concept: A Microsoft rep that isn't Steve or Master Chief x155
[Rerate] Chibi-Robo x145

150 - 101

Red (Angry Birds) x140
Miriam x140
[Rerate] Maxwell x140
Hajime Hinata x125
[Rerate] The Knight x125
Scorpion (Mortal Kombat) x120
D.Va x115
Concept: Second F-Zero rep x104

100 - 51

Cynthia (Pokémon) x100
Zero (Mega Man) x95
[Rerate] Arle Nadja x95
Don-chan x95
Mii Costume: Alex Kidd x93
Boss: Ender Dragon x93
Riptor x85
Stage: Bowser's Castle x81
Concept: Darksiders rep x80
Sackboy x80
Fulgore x79
Concept: More ATs as one new item x75
Dwight Fairfield (Dead by Daylight) x75
Concept: Rocket League rep x75
Boss: Rayquaza x75
[Rerate] Concept: Boss Rush x70
Giygas x70
Carl Johnson x65
Mii Costume: Monika x65
Concept: The remaining SSB4 DLC Mii Costumes return (or get the deluxe treatment) x60
[Rerate] Concept: League of Legends rep x60
T-Rex Runner x60
Echo (Olimar) x56
Concept: SNES-era Final Fantasy rep x55
Gooigi x55
Vi (Bug Fables) x55
[Rerate] Monokuma x55
Echo: Zeraora (Lucario) x55
[Rerate] Jin Kazama x55
Magolor x55
John Marston x55
Jin Sakai x55
Ghirahim x55
Crazy Dave x55

50 - 25

Worms x40
Qbby x35
[Rerate] Concept: New Zelda character x30
Tetra x25
Ryza (Atelier) x25
Echo (Bowser) x25
Concept: A 4X strategy rep x25
Vectorman x25

Under 25

Yarn Yoshi x15
Concept: A Challenger Pack with 2 Fighters x15
Billy & Jimmy Lee x15
[Rerate] Reimu Hakurei x15
Beat (Jet Set Radio) x15
Tetris x10
Concept: Rocket League content x5
[Rerate] Thrall x5
Stage: Tetris x5
[Rerate] Agumon x5
[Rerate] Lara Croft x5
Stage: Tetris 99 x5
[Rerate] Concept: Any new Xenoblade character x5
Concept: Raizing shmup rep x5

Concept: Fortnite character gets a whopping 85 noms, launching it straight to fourth place in the top seven. Unfortunately, this means that Red, Miriam, and Maxwell, who are all still tied, are left without a spot.

Scorpion gets over 100 noms.

Crazy Dave and Mii Costume: Monika uproot over 50 noms.

Concept: A 4X strategy rep and Vectorman conquer 25 noms.

Today's new concept is a rerate of League of Legends rep, with 60 noms.
 

Lyncario

Smash Ace
Joined
Dec 3, 2019
Messages
926
Location
Hell
Arthur, execpt it's the one from Capcom who fights Ghosts and Goblins intstead of other mythical characters.

Chances: 0.01%

Let's quickly look at his resume. Relevance? Almost none, with the tiny bit of it coming from apearing in Capcom's crossovers and having his game on the Nintendo Switch Online for the NES. However, the sequels are not nearly as known as the Nes title, and with the last one coming out in 2010, a decade ago, on phones rather than consoles, and there's nothing after it execpt the Virtual Console ports, but it's pretty safe to say that his series is dead and we'll only see him in Capcom crossovers and NSO. Fan demand? Very slim, I sometime see him on wishlist, but that's not often at all, and almost never at the top, and he's sometimes said that he would be a cool pick when he's an option in gamefaqs polls, but apart from that, I pretty much see almost no one campagning for him in Smash. Legacy? It's the point where he goes by the best, with Ghosts and Goblins being an old, classical, and famed NES game (even if it's in big part because it's amazingly hard), which also gives him ties to Nintendo. He's also extremly associated with the famous "Nes Hard" dificulty, as Ghosts and Goblins is one of the hardest games of the platform. Competition? Easily the point where he goes by the worst, with him having not only very high competition from Capcom, the company he originates from (Dante, Monster Hunter, Phoeinx Wright, Amateratsu, Jill Vlentine or Leon Kennedy for future Smash, really he only Capcom characters I don't see as way too much for him are Morrigan Aensland and Demitri Maximoff from Darkstalkers), and even from other Nes classic characters (Ryu Hayabusa and Billy and Lance are much more likely when it comes to classic Nes characters). He has some moveset potential, but really, nothing is saving him from his irrelevance and the extremly high competition he has, coupled with not being extremly demanded by fans unlike Banjo.

Want: Abstain

I don't know, I played his game once on the NSO and it did not stick with me at all, like it's not even the difficulty that rubs me off since I play Touhou, I'm just not interested in his games, and when it comes to him in Capcom vs games, he's just kinda there for me, and if I want one of the "I'm pretty much only alive because Capcom loves to put many of their characters in crossovers", I honestly prefer Morrigan (and once uppon a itme Amateratsu, though I think that Okami HD on Switch worked well enough so that she's kinda out of that zone nowadays). I just don't care very much about him.

Nominations

Cynthia x10

Predictions

Adol Christin: 18%
 
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Jomosensual

Smash Champion
Joined
Aug 13, 2018
Messages
2,014
Arthur

Chance 5% - With how good of terms Nintendo and Capcom are I think most series from there have good chances. Ghosts and Goblins is a fairly well known series from there from the NES days of Nintendo. It had a fairly long run but appears to be done now with no new releases since 2010. By far the biggest issue here is the competition with the likes of Dante, Phoenix, Ammy, Monster Hunter, and even outside shots for Resident Evil and Street Fighter although both of those are highly unlikely now. With all those characters and series in the way it feels like GnG is a pretty long shot. It does feel like Arthur would have a fun moveset though, so I could maaaaaaaaybe see him in as a surprise character. I don't feel high on the chances of that though.

Want 40 - Wouldn't hate it I suppose. There's a lot of Capcom series I'd like to get first. I feel like I would have played this game back when I owned an NES while also getting destroyed mercilessly. That being said, I never did actually play the games so I don't actually have any connection the the character or series. There's characters I'd like to see less though for sure.

Predictions:
Adol - 5.51

Noms:
TRex Runner x15
 

Phoenix Douchebag

Smash Lord
Joined
Mar 19, 2020
Messages
1,045
Location
ZE BATH
Should have rated this character last week instead.

Chance: 5%

Ghost and Goblins is iconic and an important series to Capcom, beign one of the earliest major successes in Arcades, predating both Mega Man and Street Fighter, and beign a mainstay in Capcom Crossovers.

The biggest downfall to this franchise is simply never adapting to modern times for Consoles after the Fourth Generation. Castlevania and Mega Man are also both popular 8 Bit/16 Bit sidescrolling action games, but they managed to evolve and kept going from the Fifth Geneartion onwards. GnG didn't, and became irrelevant after leap to 3D (Maximo spin-offs notwithstanding) and the only thing of note that GnG has done recently is the PSP Game Ultimate (heh) Ghosts 'N Goblins that was released over a decade ago, and again, being in recent Capcom Crossovers. I see as more likely than Sophia the 3rd and Morrigan, but that's not saying much.


ESPECIALLY when you compare him to Phoenix Wright and Dante, both who are more recent, have games that have come out in the last decade, and lastly are major popular requests in Smash circles. ( i don't think MH is likely for the time beign) With all of the above, should Arthur get in Smash he would be one of the most unexpected characters in Smash's history.

Want: 35%


I don't have a horse to bet on the Capcom Rep race. Phoenix Wright does not appeal to me and i don't like to play as characters who aren't fighters by nature in their own games, and Dante is a character that i have no attachtment or interest for. Same goes for their games.

But if i was forced to chose one, it would be neither of them, instead choosing this guy as the next character from Capcom's large cast. Ghosts and Goblins is really well known despite beign on hiatus for years, and deserves more love. Sir Arthurs weaponry would be really easy to translate to a Smash moveset, and i can picture myself playing as him for that very reason. Sidescroller characters translate the best into Smash in my opinion.

Also, he would make a great rival for Simon Belmont.
 

Sid-cada

Smash Lord
Joined
Jan 19, 2013
Messages
1,779
Arthur

Chance - 1.5% - Arthur makes a decent amount of sense, seeing as he's a somewhat well known classic icon. Another Belmont-esque situation would get him in. The problem is that there are other Capcom characters who are much more wanted than him, and are more recent and interested in promoting. Monster Hunter has a new Switch-exclusive game coming out, Dante is argued to fit in like a glove, etc. While he has his merits, just being an old classic does not get him very far when his completion is much more fierce and has more to claim than him.

Want - 60% - He's okay, as a classic character I can accept. It's just that I would rather have other characters from Capcom.


Nominations

Arle Nadja X5
 

TCT~Phantom

Smash Master
Writing Team
Joined
Dec 10, 2013
Messages
3,965
NNID
TCT~Phantom
This day is now happy end.

Today we got Adol Christian from Ys. Ys is an ARPG franchise that has been around for over 30 years. I also would like to note that there is the Falcom leak that has been floating around. Rate Adol Christian in chance and want.

Tomorrow we got concept: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon content. Predict it.
 

Cutie Gwen

Lovely warrior
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
Messages
63,047
Location
Somewhere out there on this big blue marble
The virgin Link loser vs Chadol.

Chance: 20% A surprisingly high rating from me, but I truly see Adol as a darkhorse candidate who'll end up being a surprise. Falcom has been growing a lot in recent years with Ys especially growing due to fantastic word of mouth despite being from the 80's. For those who don't know, Falcom really hit it big back in the day with PC gaming, having gotten so much success that they formed bands to play songs from their games back then. While this doesn't apply to Ys specifically, Falcom invented action RPGs with Dragon Slayer in 1984. This was huge back in the day and ended up influencing countless titles, including Zelda. Sakurai sees Smash as a celebration of gaming as a whole and especially values third party characters that ended up changing the industry in some way, so Adol, being Falcom's mascot, would end up being the kind of character Sakurai would pick similar to the likes of Terry and Mega Man. Not the hardest hitters out there, but showed people what kind of new ideas one could bring to the table back in the day.

Want: 100% I've only played Chronicles and Oath of Felghana but holy **** Ys is so ****ing good. Adol may not be the most complex character in terms of moveset from what I've played but he's got a really fast and flashy swordstyle from the one game I played with an attack button and footage I saw of other games, which hey, Smash has already proven that a character like that can be fun to play and just mash buttons like mad. Most importantly? The music. Holy ****, Ys' soundtracks are ridiculously good, my friends told me it was so good and when I first left Port Barbado and heard First Step Towards Wars, my jaw dropped. When I fought the first boss, I was absolutely floored when I heard the fantastic Holders of Power even if there's only 1 boss in the game that lets you hear the full track ingame. And there's no way to describe the feeling of determination when you're on the final stretch of Darm Tower and the song Tension starts up. And that's JUST the first game!

Miriam x10


SharkLord SharkLord get your butt in here and start typing
 

TCT~Phantom

Smash Master
Writing Team
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Dec 10, 2013
Messages
3,965
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TCT~Phantom

Sari

Editing Staff
Writing Team
Joined
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Messages
4,436
Location
New Jersey
NNID
Villager49
Switch FC
SW-2215-0173-2152
Some songs to get into the Ys mood:


Also while making the music post I learned that the first two Ys games had an OVA series in the late 80's/early 90's. I think this series can give people a good idea of how long both Falcom and the Ys series goes so I'll post a part of the first episode.

 

DanganZilla5

Smash Champion
Writing Team
Joined
Mar 5, 2019
Messages
2,369
Adol the Red

Chance: 20%

Yeah, I'm starting to believe the leak. It's not a guarantee, but it does have some things going for it and I could see Adol being the Terry of this pass. From what I researched, Ys is a long-standing franchise that is responsible for pioneering the action RPG genre. It even got some OVAs and some other associated merchandise so while I'm still unsure about it being very popular in japan and other other regions, it clearly has an audience and the fact that it has gone on for so long and is still getting games released and localized is a big deal.

Researching Falcom, they are one of the oldest game developers that are still active and they are responsible for introducing Japan to PCs. Not only that, but they have some history with Nintendo with them porting some of their PC games to the Super Famicom and they have been supporting the Switch. There are some Ys games on Switch and the most recent game is getting localized, including a Switch port. Overall, impressive resume.

So what do I think overall? I think Adol is a darkhorse pick. I don't think he is super likely, just because you are getting a localization and a Switch port doesn't mean you are guaranteed a spot on the roster. BUT I do give this character credit because Ys and Falcom are very important to gaming, especially the Japanese side of gaming so I can totally see Nintendo approaching Falcom for a character.

But a question to you Falcom fans, would it be possible that a character from Trails or Legend of Heroes could get in instead? Even going by research, it's kind of hard to tell who exactly could be Falcom's frontrunner.

Want: Abstain

I have not heard of Ys until very recently, but I did check out reviews and gameplay and I have to say I want to give the series a try. Adol's moveset potential looks rad and I have to give the series and Falcom respect for what they have done. Honestly even if Adol was announced tomorrow I would already be happy with his inclusion.

Prediction: PMD content - 11%

Noms: Vectorman x10
 

cashregister9

Smash Hero
Joined
Apr 4, 2020
Messages
8,582
Chance 50% Falcom is super prolific in the Japanese game development scene, BUT I think Trails (Another Falcom series) is likelier due to it being more popular in japan and it sells better than Ys

Want: 35% I'll take Adol if added but I REALLY want a Trails character.

Noms: Estelle Bright x10
 
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jamesster445

Smash Lord
Joined
May 7, 2015
Messages
1,133
Whys

Chance: 25%
Want: 60%

Not opposed to the idea, I loved Lacrimosa of Dana. Just dont see a Falcom rep as likely. And even in that instance I dont know if a Ys character would make it over other characters.

Noms: Zagreus mii
 

DrifloonEmpire

Smash Champion
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
2,219
Adol the Red

Chance: 20% -
The news of the ports does give him some kind of credibility, his company's games have been advertised on the Switch news page before, there are a few games on the Switch, and he has the history and Nintendo pedigree (games on Nintendo since the NES) so I can see why both Nintendo and Sakurai would be interested. It has its' historical place as a founder for Japan's ARPGs, so like many have said he could be the Terry of this pass. Nintendo has a positive relationship with Falcom, which is another major piece of the Smash 3rd party puzzle people often forget. So the stage HAS been set for him and he has the pedigree! What's in his way?

First there's his sister franchises, Legend of Heroes and Trails of Cold Steel, the latter having been advertised by Nintendo recently. Inter-company competition may give Adol some trouble, and unlike SNK there's no shared universe thing (as far as I'm aware, feel free to correct me) so Adol wouldn't be able to do what Terry did. It's basically a similar situation to Sol Badguy vs. Ragna, historical franchise vs. popular new blood. There's also only four slots left, so this naturally hurts any character. Furthermore, as far as I'm aware there's not much fan demand for him, at least not in the west, but company relationships usually make up for it.

So Adol has a solid foundation to stand on and good arguments have been made for him as a dark horse pick, but he's still far, FAR from a shoe-in.

Want: 10% - This guy's design bores me (he looks painfully generic), his gameplay didn't really grab me, and with only four slots left there are many other characters I'd much rather see. Including some more genres, JRPGs (a genre I'm already uninterested in, I really don't think story makes up for slow, often repetitive gameplay) already have plenty of representation in Smash DLC and so far it's nice to see FP2 branching out a bit. I also tend to prefer WRPGs/ Western ARPGs way more than their eastern counterparts. Though I will give Adol credit where credit is due. He has the history and the Nintendo pedigree (which is a big plus), and unlike certain other franchises Ys could be compared to, it has way more localization and it is actually being advertised worldwide by Nintendo. Now, there's no guarantee that the upcoming ports for Switch in Asia are being localized, but I don't see why they wouldn't. Either way, I don't care at all about his franchise (and I don't think I'd be too pleased if it was added to Smash) but I'm more than willing to give his franchise credit where it is due.


Nominations:
Don-chan x5
4x Strategy Rep x5

Predictions:
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Content - 5.27% - If this were base game some music or spirits may be possible, but Mystery Dungeon historically has never gotten good treatment in Smash. They typically focus on the main series games for content.
 
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BowserKing

Smash Lord
Joined
Feb 16, 2019
Messages
1,826
Location
winnipeg
Adol

Chance: 5%. Adol would fit as a long running rep, but the chance is quite slim, due to many other more familiar choices. With that said, it is not impossible for Adol to get in.

Want: 50%. I don’t know too much about him, but at the very least, he would be fun to play as. But overall, Adol would make a decent Smash Brsos Rep.

Prediction: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Content (10%)

Noms: 5 for Echo: Bowser
 

GoodGrief741

Smash Legend
Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
10,169
Captain Falcom

Alright y'all, it's time for another history lesson. Nihon Falcom is a Japanese game developer and publisher specializing mostly in RPGs. They've been at it since the 80s, so they're very much in the old school. It's understandable if you haven't heard about them, though, because most of their games are either old, unlocalized, on weird Japanese computers or kinda niche. If you're an NES geek, you're probably familiar with Xanadu and Faxanadu, and maybe Sorcerian and Dragon Slayer. If you're into deep cut JRPGs nowadays, chances are someone has recommended the Trails games to you, or maybe even Ys. So, yeah, Sonic this ain't.

With that frankly not very encouraging introduction, allow me to tell you why you should consider Falcom. Now, one game you probably do know is The Tower of Druaga. Either because of its status as a classic or because of its protagonist, Gil, showing up twice as a Mii Costume. What you might not know is that in Japan, it's considered one of the most influential games ever made. At the time considered a maze game (like Pac-Man, but with swords), it's regarded nowadays as the beginning of the action-adventure genre as we know it today, influencing Zelda, and leading to the creation of the Action RPG (for the sake of clarity we'll define ARPG as "Zelda, but with stats"). The first ARPGs are usually considered to be Dragon Slayer and Hydlide, which came out the same year. Dragon Slayer, the first of the two, was by Falcom. They followed up with Xanadu, and then Ys, refining the formula. Ys spawned a franchise that continues to this day, with 9 mainline titles all starring protagonist Adol Christin (took me quite a while to even mention him, huh?). Dragon Slayer spawned a ****-ton of spin-off franchises, with one of them, The Legend of Heroes, ditching the Action part in favor of being a straight JRPG. The Legend of Heroes itself spun-off into the aforementioned Trails series, which is also ongoing.

So, while most people have probably never heard of Falcom or even any of its games, its influence has rippled across the industry, starting out the genre that would lead to the likes of Secret of Mana. That's not a small feat. However, you might be thinking "okay, but there's many games in history that make their mark and are forgotten. Why should this Ys thing be any different?" You may also be wondering why, if I had to mention like 6 different game series, would Ys be the one chosen. Those are both valid questions, so I'll answer them to the best of my ability.

Why would Ys get a character and not, say, Dragon Slayer, or Trails, or Tower of Druaga, or Hydlide? Well, I think Ys has the perfect combination of attributes to be the ideal historical candidate. Simply put, I don't think either the modern Ys games or the Trails games would have much bearing on a Falcom character's inclusion. They're successful, sure, but they aren't a big deal. I think this is 100% a history pick and nothing else. So with that in mind I can't see them go for a Trails character like Estelle or Rean, because they don't represent the genre that gives Falcom its historical significance - they're from turn-based RPGs. At the same time, they can't exactly go for an old Dragon Slayer character because there isn't a recurring protagonist, nor is there one that is popular or recognizable to modern audiences to sell. In that aspect, Ys has the advantage, because Adol is the protagonist in every game and is still relevant nowadays. Hydlide is dead, aged poorly, has the disadvantage of coming second, is owned by a company that's no longer making games, and is most remembered as a pair of episodes of the Angry Video Game Nerd. And as for Tower of Druaga, aside from Gil being a Mii, it isn't technically an ARPG so I don't view it as competition.

"But GoodGrief, many games make an impact in gaming and don't get anything in Smash. What makes Ys different from, say, Ultima, or Joust, or Maniac Mansion, or Portopia Serial Murder Case?" Well, first off, I like the way you think, imaginary person. And, basically, the answer to that is basically relevance and ownership. Relevance because Ys is still getting games. As much as Sakurai might want to show off his gaming knowledge, you kinda have to sell the character to the masses. Rogue and Adventure and Tenchu are all influential games, but if people don't know who their reps are, Sakurai's explanation will only do so much. The second, ownership, is more pragmatic. Ultima is one of the most influential RPGs ever, but it's owned by EA. Do you really think they'd pick the Avatar when Commander Shepard is right there? And same with Maniac Mansion. As important as it might be, it's also owned by the people who brought you Sora. In contrast, even if you ignore the historical precedent, if you want to get a Falcom character, Adol will be one of the frontrunners.

I think that's all that needed to be said. Much will probably be made of the alleged leak that surfaced, which I don't really have any strong opinions on (though as DrifloonEmpire DrifloonEmpire pointed out to me, Nintendo has been air-tight about leaks recently). My goal with this post was to illustrate why this character is different than others who have been carried by leaks alone (won't name names, but you know who I'm talking about). There is merit to be considered here, even if you err on the side of caution in regards to the leak.

I'm gonna give Adol a 15% chance, I think by the end of the day we could see him join the great fray.

Want: 90%
Confession time. I've only played old-school Falcom games. None of that new stuff, which is probably obvious given how fast I was to dismiss Trails' potential. So I've no connection to modern Ys, and therefore don't even know how Adol would play. I'm not even a huge fan of the games I did play (I had fun with them, but if you have a hard time adjusting to most retro games you definitely won't like them) and prefer the Xanadus. But I'm a sucker for history, so, yeah, that's a sheepish 90%. The only thing stronger than me liking a character is me thinking they should be in regardless of my opinion.

Noms: Scorpion x10
PMD content prediction: 12.64%
 

YsDisciple

Smash Lord
Joined
Jun 14, 2019
Messages
1,242
Did someone say Adol "a.k.a. Adol the Red" Christin? 👀

Chance: 50%. Imo, Adol's chances, taking into consideration the history behind the Ys series (which made it first appearance back in the late 80s), it's developer Nihon Falcom who's been around the block since the early days of the gaming industry and pioneered the action RPG genre with titles such as Dragon Slayer (which eventually became The Legend of Heroes), and how it would seem Sakurai and his team prefer or can work more efficiently with other fellow Japanese game developers, his chances to be included in Smash Bros. Ultimate stand in a 50/50. He might be brushed off as another "swordfighter", but his playstyle could be made quite unique in comparison to the likes of said type of fighters (especially if they go the Ys Seven route, or a mix of this one and the Napishtim style). So far within this Fighters Pass (Vol. 2), there isn't a character that represents the RPG genre (although we got about three characters in the first pass), there are other strong contenders to fill in this spot such as Lloyd Irving from the Tales of series.

Want: 106%. Ever since I got into playing Ys (starting with Oath in Felghana), I got HOOKED with the series' lore. Besides me wanting Adol in Smash for how much I love the series, I believe it would be an appreciation to the series, and Nihon Falcom's contribution to the gaming industry within its early years. Something Falcom's been good at for its games has been story telling AND music. Especially the lore in Ys AND The Legend of Heroes (which is MASSIVE), it doesn't matter if the game's visuals aren't the latest state of the art, ray-tracing models and scenery we're seeing now. The narrative and engagement within the plot that Falcom weaves, and the necessary visual details make for an unforgettable experience (as well as the introduction to unforgettable characters). Then, there's the music. My.God. Ys music is hand down one of the best soundtracks (almost consistently) through the series. Of course, with the exception of the earlier games, Ys I & II Chronicles, Origins, Oath in Felghana, Ark of Napishtim, Memories of Celceta, Seven, Lacrimosa of Dana, and Monstrum Nox; bangers, pretty much all of them. To sum it up, I'd want Adol Christin in Smash for the music, its history in gaming, and to bring a fresh new take into the swordfighter playstyles. To add to this, let's take for example when Cloud was introduced to Smash. Fans of both The Legend of Zelda, and Final Fantasy (VII) would finally see their dream come true of seeing both Link and Cloud clash in battle. Adol's inclusion would be a similar scenario for Ys fans; seeing Link face off against a seasoned adventurer who may have just been through as many ordeals as a time-line of generations of Links. Oh, and with the awesome music of the Falcom JDK Band playing on the background (Ys I Chronicles - Final Battle).

Nomination: Slash Kamei (from Snowboard Kids)
 

Lyncario

Smash Ace
Joined
Dec 3, 2019
Messages
926
Location
Hell
Adol Christin

Chances: 30%

I give him really good chances by my standard, in fact, he's the 3rd likeliest character to be in the fighter pass in my opinion. Why? Well, first of all, let's look at some dates. Dragon Quest I came out in 1986. Megami Tensei as a video game came out in 1986. Final Fantasy I came out in 1986. Ys I came out in 1987, a year later than the 3 pillars of jrpgs, and is the first arpg. While it's not as big and influencial as them, it's still incredibly important, and very popular in Japan and China. Also, FF, MegaTen (trough Persona, even if Persona isn't SMT), and DQ all have a character in the game, so naturaly, Ys would be next by this logic. Howecer, it's also not nearly as popular as FF and DQ (with FF being the big mainstream jrpg worldwide, while DQ is one of the biggest piece of media in Japan's history), and it doesn't have a title that is nearly as much of a breaktrough to mainstream like Persona 5. However, it's still important to note that Ys is still extremly influencial and historical, which in my opinion, is a big thing as demontrated by Terry joining the roster in FP1, despite how for example Tekken is far more popular than KoF. Also a lot of Fatal Fury and KoF titles are on the e-shop, and this always help, and well, Falcom did ports on NIntendo recently. It could end up like with DQ11 where the Smash inclusion serves to promote the series in the west, even if DQ is a far bigger deal than Ys, it could still be done, even if I kinda doubt that they would do it since I don't think that there's an Ys that already came out on other system and that will get an enanced version on the Switch, though Adol in Smash would still promote Ys 9 on Switch, and he could also be like Terry and serve as a more overall representative of his company. Overall, Adol does amazing in being a lecgacy, historical, and promotional picks, with his only fault being not very poplar outside of the East, though that's not an unsurmontable obstacle.

Want: Abstain

I have yet to play any Ys games, and I'm pretty sure that my want rating would be too influenced by my bias of anting to be right, since he's in my opinion not only the most underated Smash candidate, but also one of the likeliest. Though I must say that the series has a banger ost, and it would be great to have it in Smash.

Nominations

Cynthia x10

Predictions

PMD content: 7.8%
 

amageish

Smash Master
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
3,558
Adol

Chance: 18%. Yeah, this is an SNK-esque gaming history pick if I've ever heard of one. We've got a genre-defining franchise owned by a company who has a past, present, and future with Nintendo consoles (even if they're largely PC-oriented). It's fairly big in Japan and, even if you haven't played one of them yourself, it's hard to have missed games that are influenced by it... It's kind of hard to get higher pedigree on the history side of things that being a founding franchise of a genre... There are other RPGs and ARPGs that could be selected instead in terms of demand/modernity, but this seems like the most obvious choice if we're going strict 100% historical value.

The potential rivals come through the Trials franchises. They're also successful and topical - though with less of a legacy. Also, Falcom could just be passed over - only four spots left, usual problems, etc etc.

As for the leak, it definitely does appear to be from someone with Falcom insider info (which could explain why it managed to get through even though Nintendo-side leaks haven't been happening lately) and it's more of a question of if the Smash info was added on as a fake bonus (a pattern we have seen in leaks before, but usually leaks that get proven right instantly and have only one piece of correct info in them, as a result of someone knowing one thing and instantly spinning a story around it for short-term attention) or not. I'm not remotely confidant in it, but it at least is one worth actually thinking about and considering...

Want: Abstain. My Falcolm experience begins and ends with the first Cold Steel game, which I continually stare at from a distance as I try to decide if I have time to dive head-first into another super-long JRPG franchise.

Nominations: Monika Mii Costume x 10 and Fortnite Rep x 10 (I think I have some noms I just forgot to use? 5 and 5 if not.)
Predictions: Let's say 12% here.
 

GoodGrief741

Smash Legend
Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
10,169
Impa (Age of Calamity) x200
Concept: Coco as Crash's Echo/Costume x200
Alex Mason x190
Concept: Fortnite character x185
[Rerate] Frisk x165
Concept: A Microsoft rep that isn't Steve or Master Chief x155
[Rerate] Chibi-Robo x150

150 - 101

Red (Angry Birds) x145
Miriam x145
[Rerate] Maxwell x140
Hajime Hinata x130
[Rerate] The Knight x130
Scorpion (Mortal Kombat) x130
D.Va x115
Cynthia (Pokémon) x115
Concept: Second F-Zero rep x104

100 - 51

[Rerate] Arle Nadja x100
Boss: Ender Dragon x98
Zero (Mega Man) x95
Don-chan x95
Mii Costume: Alex Kidd x93
Riptor x85
Stage: Bowser's Castle x81
Concept: Darksiders rep x80
Sackboy x80
Fulgore x79
Concept: More ATs as one new item x75
Dwight Fairfield (Dead by Daylight) x75
Concept: Rocket League rep x75
Boss: Rayquaza x75
T-Rex Runner x75
[Rerate] Concept: Boss Rush x70
Mii Costume: Monika x70
Giygas x70
Carl Johnson x65
Concept: The remaining SSB4 DLC Mii Costumes return (or get the deluxe treatment) x65
[Rerate] Concept: League of Legends rep x60
Crazy Dave x60
Echo (Olimar) x56
Concept: SNES-era Final Fantasy rep x55
Gooigi x55
Vi (Bug Fables) x55
[Rerate] Monokuma x55
Echo: Zeraora (Lucario) x55
[Rerate] Jin Kazama x55
Magolor x55
John Marston x55
Jin Sakai x55
Ghirahim x55

50 - 25

Worms x50
Vectorman x45
Qbby x35
[Rerate] Concept: New Zelda character x30
Tetra x25
Ryza (Atelier) x25
Echo (Bowser) x25
Concept: A 4X strategy rep x25

Under 25

Yarn Yoshi x15
Concept: A Challenger Pack with 2 Fighters x15
Billy & Jimmy Lee x15
[Rerate] Reimu Hakurei x15
Beat (Jet Set Radio) x15
Tetris x10
Concept: Rocket League content x5
[Rerate] Thrall x5
Stage: Tetris x5
[Rerate] Agumon x5
[Rerate] Lara Croft x5
Stage: Tetris 99 x5
[Rerate] Concept: Any new Xenoblade character x5
Concept: Raizing shmup rep x5

Concept: Coco as Crash's Echo/Costume skips over Alex Mason and ties with Impa for first place.

Cynthia catches over 100 noms.

amageish amageish You have 10 extra noms right now, yes.
 
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chocolatejr9

Smash Hero
Joined
Sep 30, 2018
Messages
8,261
Abstain. I've never played Ys. Though based on my research, I do think it's at least deserving of a spot in Smash.

Nominations: [Rerate] Monokuma x5
 

SharkLord

Smash Hero
Joined
Jun 20, 2020
Messages
7,318
Location
Pangaea, 250 MYA
I LIVE AGAIN

Goodness, Adol's been booking it up here. Coincidentally, I'm just wrapping up Ys VIII, my first experience with the Ys series. 50+ hours, done all the sidequests, maxed out everyone's approval, 100% everything...

Yeah, it's pretty good.

"adol christin might be the strongest contender for 'most chadlike protagonist in jrpgs'"
-A helpful Steam reviewer

Thank you, helpful Steam person. Now to business.

First off, a brief explanation on the early years of Falcom.
Falcom is an old Japanese company, small but influential. Beginning in 1981, they started by selling hardware and software for the Apple II computer, before shifting gears to the PC-88 and PC-98 when they started making games. They truly broke out with the release of Dragon Slayer in 1984. While very primitive by our standards, Dragon Slayer was one of the very first Action RPGs. The following year, they released Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu, which codified the ARPG genre and was the first metroidvania game (Though it didn't quite solidify until Metroid released the following year).

Adol's series, Ys, started in 1987, with the release of Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished - Omen. The series follows the chronicles of Adol, a self-proclaimed "adventurer." Technically, that's not an actual occupation, and he's closer to a traveler or a cartographer. That being said, those terms are underselling his skills a little. The plot of Ys is pretty easy to understand, and generally follows something along the lines of this:
ADVENTURE! -> Demon/evil god suddenly appears -> Get the magic final god sword -> As per JRPG tradition, kill the god -> Board boat to go to another continent to explore -> Crash the beat and lose all your gear -> Rinse and repeat.

Ys, like most long-running series, has changed up it's gameplay quite a bit. Originally, it used an overhead perspective with a "Bump system," where Adol dealt damage by walking into any side of the enemy that wasn't the front. This was made with accessibility in mind, as PC RPGs were becoming more complex and difficult at the time. This gameplay style was retained for Ys II and both versions of Ys IV, while also implementing magical spells as well. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, on the other hand, changed to a side-scrolling action game a la Zelda II. It was meant to be a spinoff, but was changed at the last second, hence the sudden shift in gameplay.

Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand marked a shift in gameplay, reimplementing the attack button from Ys III, as well as buttons for a jump and a guard. It was also deemed so easy that Falcom had to release a harder Ys V Expert only a couple months later. After that, Falcom suffered a major brain drain, leaving them stuck churning out countless remakes of Ys I & II, packaged together. This rut finally ended with Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, which improved upon the formula of Ys V, refining the controls and introducing a "three weapons" system, allowing Adol to swap between three different magical swords. This new style was perfected by Ys: The Oath in Felghana, a remake of Ys III, followed by a prequel in the form of Ys Origin.

A third style of Ys began with Ys SEVEN, where Adol fights with an active party of allies, various skills from a skill gauge, three different types of damage in slashing, striking, and piercing, a powerful EXTRA Skill with a gauge that fills up over time, and a Flash Gard system, where blocking at the right time gives you a boost in power. Ys IV was remade in this style as Ys: Memories of Celceta, adding a Flash Move system that slows down time after a correctly-times dodge. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana changed to a behind-the-back gameplay style instead, as well as adding a Break status; When enemies are hit with an attack they are weak to, they become weak to all attacks. The most recent installment, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, uses this gameplay style, while also introducing Monstrum powers for use in combat and exploration.

good golly I did not expect that part to take so long. I suppose this is what happens when you write about a 30-plus-year-old series. Anyways, onto Adol himself.

Born in a nameless mountain village in Garman (Re: Ys-verse Germany), Adol had surprisingly humble beginnings. He was born into a peasant family, but still lived a normal daily life. He was taught how to use a sword by his father, a skill he had a gift for and later honed on his own. His desire for adventure was sparked by the tales of an elderly travelling merchant, and he set off on his own at age 16. It should be noted that he began the cycle of adventure, god-slaying, and ship-wrecking in Ys I, where he was only 17.

At some point in his fifties, Adol returned to his village and wrote chronicles of his adventures, which is how the events of the game are told. Canonically, there are 100 travelogues, and we've only experienced eight so far (Counting Ys I & II together). Adol's last known adventure was at the North Pole at age 63, which he never returned from. It's believed he finally met his end there. Adol's adventures are so legendary that the chronology of the Ys timeline is marked as Before Christin and After Christin. Some wonder if such a man even existed, what with all the god-slaying. Nevertheless, Adol's adventures went on to inspire the travels of many other individuals, giving rise to an Age of Discovery.

Due to his travels, the cast and location of each Ys game is different. The only regularly recurring companion is Dogi, a giant but kindly man who travels alongside Adol. Originally, he was just a guy who busted Adol out of prison, but the fact that he busted through a wall to do so left quite a lasting impression, and now he's Adol's closest friend. Bearing the moniker The Wallcrusher, if Dogi appears in a game, chances are a wall's gonna be broken. His crowning moment was in Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys, where he crushes no less than six walls, some of which already have an unlocked door.

Besides that, Adol has amassed a large amount of love interests over his travels, to the point that the wiki has a list. However, Adol's one true love is adventure, and he always ends up leaving them to go on another quest. The only one Adol has explicitly returned the favor for is Feena, who's actually a goddess and had to ascend to heaven. Kinda out of his league there...

Of course, you simply can't bring up Falcom without mentioning the music. Due to the more powerful hardware of the PC-88 and PC-98, Falcom could manage more direct music than the bleeps and bloops of the NES, and by god, did they deliver. Falcom is one of the first companies to have a dedicated sound team, named Falcom Sound Team jdk (Or just JDK for short). They even have a separate group to play these songs live, JDK Band. Ys is also known for having way more rock songs than you'd expect from a fantasy RPG. They don't just break out the guitars for the boss themes, everything uses the guitars.

The usual three songs posted for RTC aren't doing it justice, so here's a list. A very long list. I can't pick just a couple, so instead I did 16.

Enjoy.


Something to note is that Ys used to have some issues with localization, but not anymore. With the help of XSEED, and now NIS America, Falcom's works are translated and released abroad. Ys VIII and Ys Origin are both on the Switch already, with YS IX being planned for a port next summer. If that's not enough for you, every Ys game is on Steam besides Ys V, which is one of the weaker entries anyways.

I'm gonna have to mention the Falcom leak, aren't I? Yeah, probably should.
Basically, there was a leak back in June that called for various Falcom ports and a Falcom character in Smash. Ys IX, Cold Steel 3 and 4, and recently Trails to Zero and Trails to Azure have been confirmed, so even if the leak's fake, they managed to get a fair bit right. I'm not usually one to bank on leaks and rumors, but it's still something worth noting.

And now, a brief rundown on what Adol could bring. There's a lot to pull from, what with how long the series has been going, so I'll just list off a few recurring elements.

  • Bump System - The gameplay style used in the early games, also given a callback with an item in Ys VIII. Adol could deal damage via dashing, though I think it would work best in an important Spirit like Dogi gave you Impact Run.
  • Attack Momentum - Adol's attacks have generally pushed him forward somewhat. While not exactly a gimmick, Adol's normals could have him moving forward at the same time, allowing him to close the gap better.
  • Three Weapons - In the Ark-styled games, Adol could change between three different weapons, something that would evolve into the three damage type system in the party games. The weapons vary between games; Basing them off of Ys VI, which uses them most prominently, there's the single-edged wind sword Livart, the double-edged fire sword Brilliante, and the thrusting thunder sword Ericcil. In Smash, Adol could use these as a stance system, or just use them for specific attacks like Byleth.
  • Flash Guard and Flash Move - As mentioned above, the party games give you a boost in damage or slow time by guarding or didging at the right moment, respectively. This could be implemented as passive abilities in Adol's moveset, though the timing might be a bit precise for such a fast-paced game.
  • Fireball - A recurring spell from the earlier games, when Adol has access to magical weaponry. Would probably act like a weaker version of Hero's neutral special, with the tradeoff of being faster to charge and not needing any MP.
  • Spinning slash-type skill - A recurring attack, both as a wind-based spell in the Ark-styled games and as a skill in the party games. It has a bunch of different names that could be used; Maelstrom, Tornado Slash, Aerial Spin, etc.
  • Rising Slash - A recurring skill from the party games, it takes the form of an upwards slash, sometimes propelling Adol into the air. Could work with any upwards attack.
  • Running Slash/Sonic Slide - Another recurring skill from the part games, it's pretty self-expandatory. The amount of momentum Adol gets seems to vary between games, so it could work as a dash attack or side tilt
  • Rapid thrusting-type move - Yet another recurring skill, with various different names. Works as a flurry attack.
  • Sword beam-type skill - Also a recurring skill, has gone through a lot of different names (Scud Sword, Sonic Wave, Arc Shot). Faster than Cloud's Sword Beam, but smaller. Works as a neutral special or side special.
All in all, I give Adol a 45% chance. He's definitely a Terry-type situation; Not as well-known as some of his contemporaries. but incredibly influential. Not only that, but his company is smaller and has the potential to give an expansive tracklist from across their entire catalogue of works, not just Ys. He's got some serious darkhorse cred under his belt.

It should be noted, however, that Adol has some competition from the Trails series, most notably Estelle. I don't know too much to go in-depth on this topic, but Trails is a very popular and profitable work by Falcom's standards, and shouldn't be underestimated. It's hard to tell which of them has a better shot; I'm tempted to give Adol a little extra, but that might be bias speaking, because I'm giving him a full 100% want. The gameplay is a blast, I can't help but love his character of being a mostly average guy who wrecks divine beings on a regular basis anyways, and the music. The guitars. The music was the first thing I truly learned about Falcom-Specifically, the Ys III version of The Strongest Foe, via SmashBoards, and I was hooked after that.

Funny story, I've actually got a game idea going that I've been adding to for a while, and it's uncannily similar to Ys VIII. Behind the back action RPG with a lock-on, a dodge, a parry, access to skills by holding a shoulder button and pressing the face buttons, and an emphasis on exploration. There's definitely a lot of differences so it's not a 1:1 comparison, but I had been building on this since the summer of last year and had never heard about Ys until that point.

The similarities were just so close, and I ended up getting Ys VIII less than a week afterwards. Usually I spend a while contemplating getting a game or just offhandedly mention it in a wishlist and end up getting it as a gift. Best snap decision I've ever made.

And that concludes my longest SmashBoards post up to now. Thank you for reading.
 
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Wunderwaft

Smash Master
Joined
Mar 21, 2019
Messages
3,458
Chadol the red

Chance: 35%
I think Adol could seriously happen. Falcom's long history is something that cannot be understated. It helped shape ARPGs and the company has been very impactful for the industry. It was the most notable Japanese PC developer at the time and the company still prospers to this day even though it doesn't work on PC development anymore. Now as for why Adol would be chosen, it would be because he is the closes thing the company has to a mascot, what with Ys being a very old franchise dating to the 80s and Adol being the single protagonist of the series all the way since it's debut.

If you want to see a more detailed explanation on Falcom's history then do watch this video:

There is also the Falcom leak that some have talked about above. The leak in question got some things right and it could be true which helps the chances of a Falcom character appearing in Smash. It's not a guarantee by any means and I myself have my suspicions on the legitimacy of the leak, regardless this is still something to take note of.

Adol does face two problems, one being is that Falcom isn't as well known as it could be (though this didn't really stop Terry) and that we could get a character from the Trails series instead, such as Estelle or Rean.


Want: 85%
I only got to playing Falcom games earlier this year but after researching it's history and library I really think a character from that company would be cool in Smash. I personally think Adol is the best fit to get in from Falcom and I think he can bring some unique ideas with him to Smash.
 
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