The Bell Tolls for Prince Sable as an Assist Trophy in SSB4! (Now with Footage of Sable!)

[Pieman0920]

Prince Sable (or the Sable Prince, since Sable apparently was never his name) was always one of the more interesting retro characters to me since he had a lot of unique properties unlike a bunch of the other potential retro characters. That being said, I don't really think condolences are in order, since given the game's relative obscurity, this was actually a very good outcome. Really, even an AT is quite surprising, and by the description, will be really interesting. If the Prince of Sable was ever going to get in, I was under the impression it would be due to being unique, but this will certainly help awareness, since its the next best thing. Heck, it may even help lead to his game being localized, which personally I think would be even better than him being in Smash...though I suppose if he had just gotten into Smash proper, the chances for localization would be higher, but whatever.

Either way, I can't wait to see him in action.

 

[Bowserlick]

Sorry you guys.

I never heard of Prince Sable until BluePikmin took over a flavor-ranking thread of possible new-coming characters.

After that Prince Sable reminded me of Little Nemo (which I discovered as a very difficult but awesome video game; and later discovering that it was a comic and animated film first).

Little Nemo would ride animals or wear animal costumes. Prince Sable with his ability to morph into a frog or snake rekindled old good memories.

There is always next time. But in the meanwhile, more people will be introduced to this charismatic hero.

 

[Shin F.]

I've like Prince Sable ever since I heard of him, but I actually decided to play his game last night. I can't say I was disappointed it. It was short, but very satisfying.

For fun, I wrote out a moveset for Project M's Clone Engine thread, and I thought I should share it here, as well. It was written with the idea he wouldn't be able to transform Zelda/Sheik style where each form has its own moveset, but that he could still us his forms for a couple of specials.

Spoiler: May contain actual spoilers for those playing the game or planning to.

And that's it. I hope this moveset does him justice as a character. I only played and beat this game in less than 24 hours, but it's without doubt one of the best and most charming I've ever seen. It gives me the same great feeling I get when playing Earthbound, and that's not something I can say about many games. I used to support this character as an interesting possibility, but not one I would fight for. Now, I'd say Sable's one of my favorite possibilities. Although he's not playable in Smash 4, I hold out hope that he'll make it to playable eventually.

Incidentally, I can't wait to see his Assist Trophy model in the Wii U version! (I think they're the same between versions, right?)

 

[Speculator]

I do hope we (and especially Japan) gets a good, Japanese related retro rep soon and I personally wish it was Takamaru but you all have seen where that went . I'm not sure who's really left for a Japanese related retro rep besides Lip but even she could be disconfirmed by the Lip's Stick item returning.

Then there's also Donbe/Hikari; who would potentially be included separate from the other. Though the game stressed in text that they were inseparable; they could potentially be tag-team characters. Think a blend of switching from Zelda/Sheik moveset with having the other sibling out and visible in the field a la ice climbers

These are literally the only exclusive retro japanese characters left.

Well both Lip and Donbe/Hikari are pretty good I suppose. It's a little sad that these two (three technically) are all we have left. this isn't the place for this so I'll leave it at that.

But hey, Mach Rider, Muddy Mole, Bubbles and Duck Hunt Dog are still around, right?

And Jumpman.
But yes, they are too, but don't forget Urban Champion, the ExciteBiker, and Balloon Fighter!

Poor Sukapon. He's even more forgotten than I thought.

 

[smashkirby]

Poor Sukapon. He's even more forgotten than I thought.

Don't worry. I still care about Sukapon. I've supported him since pre-Brawl. I hope he also least appears as an AT. Or playable character.

 

[dezeray112]

At this point I'm just eager what Nintendo does to the franchise after this AT reveal.

If there is fan demand for a new Prince Sable (as well as Takamaru's) game after his inclusion as an AT in Smash Bros Wii U/3DS, then I think Nintendo could consider something.

EDIT: You could probably consider this as a stepping stone for Prince Sable.

 

[BluePikmin11]

@ Shin F. I like the Chump Change idea, but there should also be an additional weakness to it, if you reach a certain point to where the bag gets full, Sable should temporarily lie down and be dazed temporarily, letting go of the cash bag. The cash bag should then become a bomb, only it explodes coins spreading them around the battlefield with minor damage from each coin.

As for the last special move you described:

Spoiler

It's also weird that his heavily suggested dust cloud counter move is nowhere in sight,I truly have no problems with the moveset after that. Also, are you actually going to make Sable for the clone engine, or was it just really for fun?

If there is fan demand for a new Prince Sable (as well as Takamaru's) game after his inclusion as an AT in Smash Bros Wii U/3DS, then I think Nintendo could consider something.

EDIT: You could probably consider this as a stepping stone for Prince Sable.

If a new game does come out, the real demand will start from there, I'm just patiently worried if they are making a remake or a sequel of the game at all, because I'm pretty much thinking that it won't happen.

 

[dezeray112]

@ Shin F. I like the Chump Change idea, but there should also be an additional weakness to it, if you reach a certain point to where the bag gets full, Sable should temporarily lie down and be dazed temporarily, letting go of the cash bag. The cash bag should then become a bomb, only it explodes coins spreading them around the battlefield with minor damage from each coin.

As for the last special move you described:

Spoiler

It's also weird that his heavily suggested dust cloud counter move is nowhere in sight,I truly have no problems with the moveset after that. Also, are you actually going to make Sable for the clone engine, or was it just really for fun?


If a new game does come out, the real demand will start from there, I'm just patiently worried if they are making a remake or a sequel of the game at all, because I'm pretty much thinking that it won't happen.

Well, I guess all I can say is we'll find out what the future unfolds.

 

[Shin F.]

@ Shin F. I like the Chump Change idea, but there should also be an additional weakness to it, if you reach a certain point to where the bag gets full, Sable should temporarily lie down and be dazed temporarily, letting go of the cash bag. The cash bag should then become a bomb, only it explodes coins spreading them around the battlefield with minor damage from each coin.

As for the last special move you described:

Spoiler

It's also weird that his heavily suggested dust cloud counter move is nowhere in sight,I truly have no problems with the moveset after that. Also, are you actually going to make Sable for the clone engine, or was it just really for fun?


If a new game does come out, the real demand will start from there, I'm just patiently worried if they are making a remake or a sequel of the game at all, because I'm pretty much thinking that it won't happen.

I love the idea of the bag becoming a bomb when he stuffs it too full! I was mostly trying to make it seem different from Ike's with the angle, so it could just as easily be going straight forward still. I actually didn't think of using the dust cloud, but I probably should have, lol. I'm still pretty new to him even though I knew him in passing before.

I would love to make him for the Clone Engine, but I don't actually know how, so it was just a theoretical moveset for fun. If I ever figure out how to really make PSAs, though, I would want to give it a shot.

 

[CaptainCrisb]

Quick question, I actually started playing For the Frog the Bell Tolls several months ago. I too wanted him in Smash for a while, it's a shame he's an assist trophy. Anyways, the question, how long is the game? Googling it hardly gives me results...

 

[BluePikmin11]

Quick question, I actually started playing For the Frog the Bell Tolls several months ago. I too wanted him in Smash for a while, it's a shame he's an assist trophy. Anyways, the question, how long is the game? Googling it hardly gives me results...

It's actually pretty short you can easily beat the game in less than 1-2 days if you're really into playing it.

 

[CaptainCrisb]

It's actually pretty short you can easily beat the game in less than 1-2 days if you're really into playing it.

Wow.... last I played it I think I got the Snake powerup thingy, how far is that about?

 

[BluePikmin11]

Wow.... last I played it I think I got the Snake powerup thingy, how far is that about?

I think you are about 2/9 of completing the game, you get both the frog and snake power ups pretty early in the game.

 

[CaptainCrisb]

I think you are about 2/9 of completing the game, you get both the frog and snake power ups pretty early in the game.

hah! Can't wait to finish it then :D

 

[BluePikmin11]

Any chance we'll be seeing Kaeru no Tame ni wa Naru content in this stage?

 

[Marakatu]

Any chance we'll be seeing Kaeru no Tame ni wa Naru content in this stage?

I wonder about the music. We know each stage have two music tracks. One of them could be from KnTnKwN.

 

[Speculator]

I really hope this is a Flat Zone 2 for GB games kind of thing. There's a real chance we could see some KnTnKwN stuff briefly. I'm guessing side-scrolling stuff to better work within Smash, so maybe Eclair Palace interior or the Nantendo Island centipede fight?

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

I kinda imagined all this same, but I somewhat doubt it. I dunno what all games it'd cover but we can hope.

 

[Zzuxon]

I'd say there is a decent chance of seeing some Bells references in a medley on that stage.

 

[Pieman0920]

Any chance we'll be seeing Kaeru no Tame ni wa Naru content in this stage?

I suppose if there's going to be any stage references to it, that's the best place for it, but its up against some stiff competition if it only has like 3 or 4 transformations (assuming it transforms). And if it does cycle between various games, there's no way that Kirby's Dreamland and one of the Super Mario Land games won't show up, so there's probably only going to be one or two other "slots" for it to potentially take.

 

[Speculator]

I suppose if there's going to be any stage references to it, that's the best place for it, but its up against some stiff competition if it only has like 3 or 4 transformations (assuming it transforms). And if it does cycle between various games, there's no way that Kirby's Dreamland and one of the Super Mario Land games won't show up, so there's probably only going to be one or two other "slots" for it to potentially take.

On the other hand, it might go in the opposite direction and not include games from any series already present in SSB. This would be a good opportunity to utilize elements from games that don't get characters, such as Mole Mania or Tetris or X.

 

[BluePikmin11]

I'm thinking it might be Hanenbow in a sense, there's no music track, but the gameplay of Kaeru no Tame ni Wa Naru, Mole. Mania, Super Mario Land 1/2, X plays while you are in the stage.

 

[Pieman0920]

If it really does take from multiple games, I would assume that it would get some special music treatment in that it would take music from each game represented as its being represented in the stage. That or a GameBoy Remix track similar to that NES one from Brawl.

 

[BluePikmin11]

I do remember there being a Famicom medley for the Brawl soundtrack, so now I actually see the two of them happening if Sakurai wants to open up many songs as possible, there's some good Gameboy tracks that deserve to be listened to.

 

[Marakatu]

I'm afraid the prince may be exclusive to the 3DS version. He was the only Assist Trophy that was revealed with a 3DS screenshot. And then we had this:

The 3DS version will have roughly the same types of Assist Trophies and Pokémon. Just roughly...

I originally though this meant that the 3DS version would get less ATs and Pokémon, but I don't know what to think anymore.
But I don't want this to happen, since I will only get the Wii U version.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Isabelle is an AT for both versions of the game, but now the types of ATs is the one that is getting to me though.
I still think it means we'll get almost every AT in the 3DS version.

 

[Pieman0920]

I'm under the impression that the difference in the ATs are based around technical limitations, rather than excluding characters from portable games from the Wii U version and console games from the 3DS. And to that end, I'm guessing the 3DS has less, because there's 1 or 2 ATs/Pokemon that do something really weird or are too numerous (think Excitebike I guess) that the 3DS can't handle them.

 

[Marakatu]

I'm under the impression that the difference in the ATs are based around technical limitations, rather than excluding characters from portable games from the Wii U version and console games from the 3DS. And to that end, I'm guessing the 3DS has less, because there's 1 or 2 ATs/Pokemon that do something really weird or are too numerous (think Excitebike I guess) that the 3DS can't handle them.

That makes sense. Also, Dillon never had games released on a home console and still he appears in the Wii U version.

 

[BluePikmin11]

A very nice video about Prince Sable, I never thought this would happen:

He might be gaining popularity slowly...

 

[Marakatu]

I'm not going to lie, I'm playing KnTnKwN for the first time. When I first became interested in the game, the fan translation wasn't even in the works yet. So, while I knew about the game and was curious to play it, I ended up not playing the game after all.
The reveal of the assist trophy gave me the motivation I needed to play the game. I'm taking a long time to finish the game, mostly because I like to explore a lot. I walk everywhere and talk to every character whenever I get a new item. I try to walk in dungeons using every transformation in every route. It's worth it. The enemies and the NPCs react differently to each transformation.

So, I can say that the game is very fun. It is very exploration-focused. The puzzles are clever and the transformations remind me of the last dungeons of Majora's Mask, but in 2D.

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

A very nice and informative video about Prince Sable, I never thought this would happen:

He might be gaining popularity slowly...

Um..., did he even research the game at all?

- Claims that the game switched to a 2D sidescroller when becoming a frog (not true, only in areas that are designed for it)
- Says that Richard has pet frogs, though not specifying if in FTBTB.
- And while a personal nitpic, like once in this thread, uses a picture I had requested from my sister's friend from Tumblr few years ago (as ShurikenRun). The artist is currently in this blog. The existing source art is here.


And while I respect people's opinions, I find it kinda funny how after the above misinformation, he dismisses this game in words of "nothing Nintendo", saying any company would have done this game. Well, I would have loved that game regardless, due it's immense charm.

Spoiler

 

[BluePikmin11]

Actually looking at the video again, it does have it's few mistakes like Young Horsetail has mentioned, I'm sure the "pet frogs" were one of Richard's soldiers in the game.
Though I highly disagree with the "nothing Nintendo" part of his opinion, IMO the music and humor of the game is Nintendo perfection in a simplified manner.

Also a new remix I found:

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

So today we got info on 3DS-composers. No mention of Kazumi Totaka though. Can we hope for FTFTBT-tunes?

 

[Marakatu]

I finished the game yesterday. It is awesome. And I loved the references to the Disk Writer and the Disk Fax.

 

[Reila]

So today we got info on 3DS-composers. No mention of Kazumi Totaka though. Can we hope for FTFTBT-tunes?

The composers are for both versions actually.

 

[BluePikmin11]

So today we got info on 3DS-composers. No mention of Kazumi Totaka though. Can we hope for FTFTBT-tunes?

Maybe, at least for the Wii U version, given how limited the soundtrack is with only two songs per stage.
Maybe his theme will be in a Gameboy medley.

 

[Marakatu]

Fellow user @Hayzie did an amazing job at removing the background of the pictures with the prince.

You can see more of her work here: http://smashboards.com/threads/transparent-backgrounds-for-character-and-item-requests.364855/

 

[BluePikmin11]

Now I finally have a transparent avatar that I can use! :D
(As soon as I'm done with Risk Roster editing first.)

 

[BluePikmin11]

I've been reading some articles about the game recently
http://www.gamesradar.com/8-amazing-things-super-smash-bros-will-teach-you-about-nintendo/

Get an assist from Sable Prince, star of the Japan-only The Frog For Whom The Bell Tolls

Nintendo is one of the most internationally-minded publishers around, releasing virtually all of its games worldwide every year. But two decades ago, Nintendo wasn't as eager to translate all of its catalogue, especially not oddball Game Boy titles. 1992's Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (translated as The Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls) is such a title and, despite being made by the same team as original Metroid and Kid Icarus, the game is a virtual unknown in the US and Europe. The next Smash Bros. might change that.

The Assist Trophy for protagonist Sable Prince looks ripped straight from the box art, and he uses several of his power-ups from the game (not that most western fans will recognize them). His snake and frog transformations will appear during his attacks, as does the resulting dust cloud that also pops up in the prince's own game. Clearly Sakurai is a fan of the forgotten title, so perhaps this is signaling plans for his next game to be The Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls: Uprising.

It kinda got me pretty hopeful for a future release, honestly though, it's the same for every Nintendo character who had a great design.

Also some fanart and articles:
http://retrovolve.com/for-the-frog-the-bell-tolls-is-zelda-for-frog-lovers/

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

I'm still most happy to Sable being around in Smash. He certainly seems crafted with love from Sakurai, and I hope it has him see new adventures someday. Besides, he has to be one of the cutest and personality-filled of Assists.

I hope what they described his attacks being won't let us down in action.