Transitioning from Melee to Smash 4

[Deleted member]

I've been playing Smash 4 since Wii U launch, and have played every smash game including Project M, but I never seemed to be able to entirely transition my skill level from Melee into Brawl and Smash 4. I've been improving much more with Smash 4 than I did with Brawl, but I think at times a lot of of my play style is more tailored towards the mechanics in Melee and I'm trying to figure out if there are any tips I should be knowing specifically as a Melee player when playing Smash 4.

Any help would appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Raijinken]

I guess the important detail (that you probably already are aware of) is that there's no ability to L-cancel or wavedash (though perfect pivots result in somewhat similar movements to wavedashing). As a result, you don't have to focus as hard on executional technique. The relative strength of defensive options makes things like shielding and dodging less foolish than they were in Melee, but still punishable. Unfortunately, if your avatar block is anything to go by, you're maining Robin, who is certainly one of the least "Melee-like" characters around, in my opinion. He/she doesn't really have good direct offensive options, so you'll have to rely a lot more on defense and counteroffense.

Some characters I'd suggest trying more in-depth would be Fox, Sheik, Falco, Captain Falcon, Pikachu, Yoshi, Ness, Luigi, Zero Suit Samus, and Mario (as far as series vets go), and Shulk, Greninja, and Mii Brawler as far as newcomers go. I guess Diddy, too, but I hate to spread that trend.

Generally speaking (from my experience and observation) those are some of the characters with the best aggressive and combo-oriented games are (mileage may vary). Brawler, especially, can air combo for a long time if you have a minimum-size Mii and Helicopter Kick.

Hope some of that helps!

 

[GhettoNinja]

I've been playing Smash 4 since Wii U launch, and have played every smash game including Project M, but I never seemed to be able to entirely transition my skill level from Melee into Brawl and Smash 4. I've been improving much more with Smash 4 than I did with Brawl, but I think at times a lot of of my play style is more tailored towards the mechanics in Melee and I'm trying to figure out if there are any tips I should be knowing specifically as a Melee player when playing Smash 4.

Any help would appreciated. Thanks!

I have had a very a similar experience. Honestly I really wanted to main Marth. And it just didn't work out. After maining captain Falcon for a bit(feels much more like melee characters then Robin) granted for whatever reason I've settled on Kirby because he can pull off some mad combos.

 

[Roukiske]

This game is different. Playing previous games may help your execution (your ability to successfully do the moves you want to do, for example, turn around up-tilt) or character familiarity, but the way the game is played is very different. Offhand, here are a few examples:

Shield: Shield stun is very low. What does this mean? Well in say Melee, some moves can only be punished by a shield grab or maybe an extremely fast aerial out-of-shield. Now, you have other options. Simply letting go of the shield after blocking an attack is so much faster that you may now do something like jab combo or forward smash if the opposing move has slow enough recovery. Speaking of those jab combo, there are many situations where a full jab combo is an optimal option, something that wasn't used much in the previous titles.

Combo's / Followups: Hitstun is less, I'm sure you've noticed, this means that other than the fact that there are less combos, there are more options for the defending player. One option off the top of my head, is simply jumping out of a followup. Why is this different? Well in Melee if you have the opportunity to jump out of a combo, you may not want to because if you jump AND get hit, you have lost your air jump and that is fatal. This brings another point, many characters can recover from far under the ledge even without their air jump so now you don't have to be afraid to lose it.

Approach: Many moves are unsafe on whiff and on block. IMO, due to the removal of L-canceling, even more moves are unsafe on whiff and on block. You cannot blindly charge in with aggression without proper knowledge of your landing lag or spacing. Doing so will get you punished by my first point: the Shield.

So there's way more stuff right? Those are just a few things. To the everyday non-gamer, all Smash games probably look the same, but as you can see, they are not. Try to find out what works and doesn't work in this game (and for your character, since many characters can't do everything). It certainly helps to play this game with a fresh open mind. Luckily you can play online, read forums, talk to other smashers, and watch videos.

 

[Elyssa Xey Hexen]

If you played Melee at a technical level and had very good execution, then I feel nothing in this game should be beyond your ability. The only difference is the lack of experience on what everything does and your choice of options to choose from.

The core ideology in Melee that I feel transfers to all smash games is not having to commit to anything unnecessarily. As in avoid trying to over extend yourself and keeping to relatively safe and optimal strategies. Dash dancing is rather powerful because you get the ability to effectively keep all options open while being able to threaten someone the entire time.

Anyway, I think this idea of playing safe and efficiently carries over into Smash4, however, there are fewer options you can choose from that are very optimal. Movement in this game has been butchered. You cannot really jump with any character without risk being countered by shield. Unless the character you play against has an aerial grab you can literally put up shield near a person's landing zone and punish anything they do whether it be air dodge, projectile, or an aerial. The only precision movements you have universally are walking and short hopping.

In general, shielding is super powerful in this game as it was in brawl. At least with brawl several characters had low landing lag making shielding not as good. As in you could air dodge into the ground (2/4 frames landing lag) and go into say shield yourself or dodge or roll. In this game, everything aerial has lots of landing lag which means staying grounded is literally the most optimal option in many circumstances.

The concept of pressuring a shield does not exist for many character in my opinion. The only way to pressure a shield is using a move that can potentially lead into more hits such as jab canceling. For example, shiek can jab1 -> grab, jab2 -> grab, or rapid jab. Should the jab1 or jab2 connect you can react and either grab or ftilt and not many characters can punish you at all.