Rhythm Heaven is among one of the biggest Nintendo franchises in Japan. Ever since the franchise's late debut on the Gameboy Advance's life cycle in 2006, the franchise has gained a large, Japanese fanbase. It continued to grow bigger with the debut of the sequel Rhythm Heaven on the Nintendo DS in 2008. Due to the success of the first game in Japan, the sequel managed to receive a global localization. The DS iteration managed to sell over 3 million units total, which marked the peak of the franchise. Rhythm Heaven continued to perform greatly with the Wii sequel (Rhythm Heaven Fever) and the 3DS sequel (Rhythm Heaven: Megamix). The cult fanbase for Rhythm Heaven outside of Japan grew greatly around the time of Fever, spawning hundreds of fan-remixes and memes on YouTube thanks to the mini-game of
Ringside. The dedication of Rhythm Heaven fan-content still happens to this day. With all of the fan-content and Japan success, you would think a Rhythm Heaven character would get in Smash by now. Well, not exactly, but there is a ray of hope that a RH character was planned way back in Smash 4.
Before E3 2014 came, there was a
Gematsu leak that would leak a second batch of newcomers for the roster. One of these choices were the Chorus Kids. Since the leak, there have been many debates and controversy on the inclusion of Chorus Kids. The negative reception soon spread like wildfire once they were not present in Smash 4's base game and DLC selection. With such reception, the Smash fanbase soon grew silent on the possibility of Chorus Kids, even in Smash Ultimate speculation to this day. But, ever since that leak came, there has been a growing amount of supporters for multiple Rhythm Heaven characters in general. Fan-content would soon multiply thereafter. Thanks to the leak, a bigger Rhythm Heaven fanbase outside of Japan soon sprouted.
I am of the specific camp that believes the Gematsu Leak was the original roster draft for Smash 4 before changes got made due to 3DS limitations or moveset potential matters (Robin chosen over Chrom for example). I also believe that due to 3DS limitations, it kept ‘duo’ characters like Chorus Kids and Ice Climbers from getting in the game. With the hidden files of a Rhythm Heaven symbol and Sneaky Spirit in Smash Run, it all points to Chorus Kids’ potential inclusion in Smash.
Sakurai
already sees merit in Rhythm Heaven getting a character. He already saw the potential of utilizing these specific characters, likely utilizing moves inspired by several rhythm mini-games with a play-style that involves rhythmic timing. The main question is mostly
if technical difficulties will become an issue again. I doubt it will this time. I also highly doubt that any other character from RH would get in. Because if there were going to be a RH character, Sakurai would have chosen another candidate like Karate Man to be in Smash 4 by now. The lack of a RH character in Smash 4’s base game
and DLC selection suggests to me that Sakurai wants to keep the character idea of Chorus Kids and try to make them work in the Switch version of Smash this time around. Sakurai likely had a full move-set concept of the Chorus Kids way back in Smash 4,
based on this article here:
"
Nintendo Dream: When not you are not developing and there is a new title or character released, you are not thinking about “How about that one in the next Smash Bros?”, right?
Masahiro Sakurai: Absolutely not! I’m always thinking that doing Smash Bros. again will be impossible. Impossible, impossible…is what I always think, but I ended up making it again (laughs). But once I decide to do it, I’m very fast about creating moves and such. For example Greninja, even before his name was decided I received several illustrations. I took them home in the evening and around midnight I had already done all his actions, normal moves, special moves and pose-pictures and sent them around asking “What do you think?”.
Nintendo Dream: That’s incredible speed! By the way, when deciding on which characters to use, are you looking into unreleased new games?
Masahiro Sakurai: At the very beginning I did that. This time our project-proposal is dated May 2012, at that time all characters were decided already. Then as production moves on we will say “We won’t put that character in” and cut out low-priority-characters."
Assuming he made concepts for move-sets for every Smash 4 newcomer planned, I feel it is EXTREMELY likely that the Chorus Kids concept will be revisited to be implemented for Smash Ultimate (Basing it on the Gematsu leak being true). I personally think a Rhythm Heaven character is an
inevitability, with Chorus Kids as the most likely candidate chosen to represent RH as a whole. With Rhythm Heaven’s staggering popularity/impact/sales during the DS era, the mini-games that gained a huge amount of parodies in meme culture, their massive gameplay potential with incorporating rhythm mini-games into a cohesive move-set, Smash Ultimate including Ice Climbers (Making multi-characters like Chorus Kids a possibility), and Megamix's JP release being nearby the time the first Smash Ultimate proposal in December 2015, now would be BEST time to include them.
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I will be honest with you. I went back and forth on this choice multiple times before E3 began. I thought that an ARMS character’s best scenario of getting in the game is DLC, but then I went back to him possibly being base game. With ARMs being a new IP from last year, Sakurai would most likely wait until the IP has a notable degree of success before being added in Smash Ultimate. But, considering the game was announced to be a huge hit on
July 2017, there is a chance that Sakurai would look at that news and be comfortable with adding Spring Man, allowing an ARMs character to be in the base game in the
middle of Smash Ultimate’s development to help keep ARMs promotion coming (
Noting Nintendo’s competitive support for ARMS as a relevant example). However, I do think this would put Spring Man as a lower priority unique newcomer, in the same sense as Bowser Jr., who was
nearly cut from Smash 4’s roster due to time constraints being an obstacle.
This scenario would be a similar situation to
Sonic back in Brawl. However, Sonic was added late for very different reasons like immensely high popularity that would call for an urgent development schedule change. Would Spring Man be worth the cost of more development time to get him in the base roster? Or would an ARMS character be something that is better saved as a DLC addition? Perhaps Sakurai’s flexibility and skills for making Smash games will allow a “New IP getting its own character in the middle of development” case to happen. Sakurai could be convinced by Spring Man's potential as see that as one of the primary reasons to add him late in the game. These kinds of additions can happen even if the chances are rare, based on this
statement here:
Sakurai: It really depends on the situation. For example, Roy and Robin were included for completely different reasons. It also depends on luck, of course. Industry trends around the time when development begins is a pretty big factor. I started development on
Smash for 3DS/ Wii U right after I’d wrapped up
Kid Icarus: Uprising, and
Fire Emblem Awakening was released one month after
Uprising. So what’s popular around the time when I begin designing the game is important.
Characters are almost never added after I’ve completed the project plan for Smash.
This statement gives a very small opening, but it gives enough room for Spring Man to be added. Otherwise, Spring Man can still be added as DLC. Spring Man will be in Smash Ultimate’s roster, it is just a matter of when and if we get Smash Ultimate DLC at all. In this case, I am banking on Sakurai not having enough development time to implement Spring Man in time for the base roster. The 2015 project plan just makes me think that an ARMS character was never considered at all.
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x5 Hanafuda character
TCT~Phantom
, I know life has been busy. Just wondering if the page 1 rankings will be updated soon? I've missed a lot and have missed basically every rerating this past month.
Any others will just be extra fluff...
