Knight Dude
Keeping it going.
I suppose I should throw in a few ways Ridley can be unique. While it is true that some characters could possibly have similarities to him, I'll mostly focus on the positives of Ridley's inclusion. Since that's what this thread seems to be going for.
Ridley
Positives:
- Air Based Heavyweight: While we do have Jigglypuff, Peach and Meta-Knight as some air based fighters, they are all lighter weight characters. What Ridley can do is offer a heavier alternative to this playstyle. That alone makes him standout from the rest. It's not often you get to see characters mix and match two different types of playstyle archetypes. I would say that this is the preferred playstyle many had in mind with Ridley, as it fits the character rather well.
- Command Grabs: Ridley has been seen in a few games to snatch his opponents and toss them around in various ways. As seen in games like Super Metroid, Metroid Other M, and even Super Smash Bros Brawl. So it's something that a few fans recognize him for. Not many characters in Smash have command grabs, with Bowser, Ganon, Falcon coming to mind. But Ridley could take this to the next level. Perhaps acting as the grappler of Smash.
- Glass Cannon: Another possible playstyle that Ridley could take advantage of is the "Glass Cannon" playstyle. Ridley, like most villain characters, is seen as a powerful threat. So it would make sense that he'd be a strong fighter. But most of his incarnations show him to be a skinny dragon, with his ribs and other bones still being somewhat visible. So a "scrawny" looking dragon like him might not be able to take a hit all that well. So a "Glass Cannon" playstyle would fit the character visually. Sort of like "He can dish it out, but he can't take it" mentality.
- Killer Keep-away: Smash has no shortage of projectiles and often some characters take liberties to ensure a more unique or perhaps more balanced moveset. What I'm suggesting for this playstyle is that Ridley could use projectiles from his many incarnations if he was made into a heavy Keep-away fighter. His most common form of projectile are fast, bouncing fireballs, not unlike Mario's or Luigi's. I would suggest that these are made weaker, but faster than the Mario Bros. Fireballs. In Metroid Prime, Ridley can shoot a flurry of missiles at his enemy, this could have him shoot a quick burst of missiles, that go after each target on the stage. Again, this should be a weak attack. Also in Metroid Prime, Ridley can unleash a powerful beam of Kinetic Energy straight forward. This attack would be a slow, but devastating finisher. One last projectile I would mention was seen in Metroid Other M. Where Ridley charges up a large Fireball that sets the entire stage ablaze. This would work well as a Final Smash for Ridley. It's powerful, and it's simple to understand.
Negatives:
Heavyweight: It isn't so much that Smash has too many of these, rather that many of them, aren't really good. Ridley most definitely fits into the category of heavyweight, despite his boney figure. So if he were to be included, it's possible that he might have a hard time competing with the rest of the cast, much like Bowser, DK, or Brawl Ganon tend to do.
Fire Breathing Lizard: Both Bowser and Charizard shoot fire from their mouths and are giant, heavy lizards. Ridley could also fit into this category. One issue that comes from this is that Ridley could end up borrowing moves from either of these characters. Which in turn, makes it harder for some to warm up to him. Now, this isn't a garuentee, but it's still something I felt like it needed noting as whether or not Ridley would be unique.
Overall: I'd say that Ridley would be a "A-" in terms of uniqueness.
Ridley
Positives:
- Air Based Heavyweight: While we do have Jigglypuff, Peach and Meta-Knight as some air based fighters, they are all lighter weight characters. What Ridley can do is offer a heavier alternative to this playstyle. That alone makes him standout from the rest. It's not often you get to see characters mix and match two different types of playstyle archetypes. I would say that this is the preferred playstyle many had in mind with Ridley, as it fits the character rather well.
- Command Grabs: Ridley has been seen in a few games to snatch his opponents and toss them around in various ways. As seen in games like Super Metroid, Metroid Other M, and even Super Smash Bros Brawl. So it's something that a few fans recognize him for. Not many characters in Smash have command grabs, with Bowser, Ganon, Falcon coming to mind. But Ridley could take this to the next level. Perhaps acting as the grappler of Smash.
- Glass Cannon: Another possible playstyle that Ridley could take advantage of is the "Glass Cannon" playstyle. Ridley, like most villain characters, is seen as a powerful threat. So it would make sense that he'd be a strong fighter. But most of his incarnations show him to be a skinny dragon, with his ribs and other bones still being somewhat visible. So a "scrawny" looking dragon like him might not be able to take a hit all that well. So a "Glass Cannon" playstyle would fit the character visually. Sort of like "He can dish it out, but he can't take it" mentality.
- Killer Keep-away: Smash has no shortage of projectiles and often some characters take liberties to ensure a more unique or perhaps more balanced moveset. What I'm suggesting for this playstyle is that Ridley could use projectiles from his many incarnations if he was made into a heavy Keep-away fighter. His most common form of projectile are fast, bouncing fireballs, not unlike Mario's or Luigi's. I would suggest that these are made weaker, but faster than the Mario Bros. Fireballs. In Metroid Prime, Ridley can shoot a flurry of missiles at his enemy, this could have him shoot a quick burst of missiles, that go after each target on the stage. Again, this should be a weak attack. Also in Metroid Prime, Ridley can unleash a powerful beam of Kinetic Energy straight forward. This attack would be a slow, but devastating finisher. One last projectile I would mention was seen in Metroid Other M. Where Ridley charges up a large Fireball that sets the entire stage ablaze. This would work well as a Final Smash for Ridley. It's powerful, and it's simple to understand.
Negatives:
Heavyweight: It isn't so much that Smash has too many of these, rather that many of them, aren't really good. Ridley most definitely fits into the category of heavyweight, despite his boney figure. So if he were to be included, it's possible that he might have a hard time competing with the rest of the cast, much like Bowser, DK, or Brawl Ganon tend to do.
Fire Breathing Lizard: Both Bowser and Charizard shoot fire from their mouths and are giant, heavy lizards. Ridley could also fit into this category. One issue that comes from this is that Ridley could end up borrowing moves from either of these characters. Which in turn, makes it harder for some to warm up to him. Now, this isn't a garuentee, but it's still something I felt like it needed noting as whether or not Ridley would be unique.
Overall: I'd say that Ridley would be a "A-" in terms of uniqueness.
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