Who is Ridley?
Unless you're new to the forums, or video games completely, then you should know who Ridley is by now. But just to clear things up before we dive into the pool of Ridley related information, here is a brief summary from Wikipedia.
"
Ridley is a fictional antagonist and high ranking Space Pirate from the Metroid video game franchise. His appearance is considered similar to that of a skeletal pterodactyl, but upon further examination it resembles a rather thin, bony European dragon with four limbs, two bat-like wings, thick protective skin, and a demon-like spear-tipped tail. Despite his savage appearance, he is known to be quite intelligent and is shown to be capable of speech in the official e-manga. He's also bloodthirsty, shown in the manga, and one the pirate logs in Metroid Prime said he would "relish" his role as their mainstream security, implying that he likes to fight as well. Ridley is known for killing Samus Aran's mother, and thus ther is a bitter rivalry between them. Ridley is thought to be named after Ridley Scott, the director of Alien, since elements of Metroid appear to be inspired by the Alien film series."
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Why Should Ridley be in Brawl?
Now you may be asking yourself, "How can anyone think that this big, ugly dragon is going to be in Super Smash Brothers?" or "Ridley is so awesome, but I just don't see why, or even how, he can be in Brawl...."
Well this section is devoted to answering the questions of those who are unsure about Ridley's inclusion into the Smash scene. Please, before you make a pessimistic post about his chances, or start a rant about his possible boss status, give this section, or preferably this entire first post, a good, long read.
Weighing the Pros (Because Ridley has no Cons)
Common Arguments DEBUNKED
Contrary to what you might be thinking, you were
not the first one to think it, and you will
not be the first to have brought it up if you proceed to posting it after you have read this.
Ridley is too big for Brawl! We hear it all the time. It's one of the many flawed and un-thought-out arguments used against Ridley.
So, in order to cut down on the frequent flame wars and attacks on one another caused by those who repeatedly post these so called "reasons" why Ridley shouldn't be in the game, we have debunked, shattered, broken, or at least made considerable counter arguments on many of them here.
We urge you to post your thoughts or comments on some of these reasonings, but please, don't completely disregard these statements and go about posting the same exact arguments, as you will only start a flame war, or embarrass yourself. And you don't want either one to happen, trust me.
This segment was contributed by our good friend, and valued Club RIDLEY member, Oasis_S. Props to him for the hard work he put into this.
1)
"Ridley is too big for Brawl."
Ridley's size is hardly an argument. Smash is meant to bring fan-favorite (mostly) Nintendo characters into playable fighting form. As long as a move set can be created for them, then they are capable of being in Smash. Ridley's size would not interfere with this. Bowser is a good example, as he has been much larger than Ridley has even been in some games. But, in other games (even Smash), he has been downsized to fit whatever role he was given. Ridley's role has always been as a boss (an important one, at that). It's only natural for him to be large and imposing for this role. Ridley's role in Smash? To fight of course! So he would be easily downsized to compete with the rest of the Nintendo all-stars.
Another thing to point out is that the issue of size has yet to be a problem in Super Smash Brothers. For example, Pikachu is only a few inches tall. However, he has been resized for Smash to roughly the size of Mario. And on top of that, it isn't that Nintendo (or Sakurai for that matter) is not aware of Pikachu's actual size. In the opening cinematic for the original Super Smash Brothers, Pikachu was seen rolling around on top of a Pokeball in the middle of a crowded sidewalk. Guess what? He was no bigger than the shoes of the people around him! Yet, he is as tall as the likes of Link and Captain Falcon (two humans) when battling. This alone is proof that Sakurai knows how big the characters are in their respective games, but doesn't take it into serious consideration before deciding whether or not they make the cut. The bottom line is that it doesn't matter how small, or how big, or how zany, or how sinister a character is, they are never, I repeat, NEVER too
anything for Smash.
How to correct this problem:
Unless he is flying, Ridley is usually in a scrawled up position, with his legs, arms, wings and neck all tucked in close to his body. And he reaches them out only to take a swipe at the enemy. In Smash, he could move around the same way (also making himself a smaller target). But, when he uses a move, Ridley can extend whatever limb he is using to attack with. This can be taken advantage of by keeping your opponent on his guard against the potential range of your next attack. If they are close, however, and inside your range, they may give you a difficult time. All in all, it would be a great way to deal with Ridley's size and would also give him a unique fighting style.
2)
"Ridley would look awkward."
This argument holds so little water that it is upsetting to see someone use it as a reason why Ridley shouldn't be in Brawl. Ridley is a large, pterodactyl-esque purple dragon. So, his appearance must cause people to think that he would look out of place, but this is probably because there were no other characters currently like him in Smash. This would be why the frequency of this qualm’s appearance has died down some since the confirmation of Charizard.
Also, note that since Ridley is, in a way, anthropomorphic, he is also bipedal (as best seen in
this image). This can often go overlooked, and lead one to believe that Ridley moves around on all fours when he is not flying. Even then, that wouldn't be too major of a problem, seeing how Pikachu and Ivysaur both run on all fours.
If you're one of those who think Ridley is too dark and sinister to be in the same game as Jigglypuff or Yoshi, please think again. There is no rule that states a character cannot be included because they are too mature. What Sakurai did say, however, is that he cannot use guns or knives in order to obtain an 'E' rating world wide. A knife is not viewed the same way in Japan as it is in a country in Europe, so they have to be cut all together. Ridley though, doesn't use weapons.
As for being too serious or dark, if that is the case, than Sakurai can easily do what he did with Snake to Ridley: use a more subtle, less viscous design. Such as the Super Metroid look that was used for Ridley's
trophy in Melee. Also, the only reason he looks so dark and evil when compared to the other characters in Smash is because he comes from the Metroid series. Which, is known for being one of few Nintendo franchises aimed specifically for a more mature audience. Games like Pokemon and Mario are intended for all ages, and so, their characters are much less intimidating, and take on a cartoony appearance.
To tell the truth, however, no character is out of place in Smash. The playable roster, which includes an electric rodent, a medieval swordsman, an elastic pink puffball, and a fireball shooting Italian plumber with stereotypical, obnoxious catch phrases, is so diverse, with such a variety of art styles, personalities, and occupations, that there really is no way that a specific character could stand out from all the others. Even if Doctor Seuss and Salvador Dali each took a hit of LSD and worked together, they could not make a character that would be out of place in Smash.
How to correct this problem:
A Fan's Look Inside
Ah yes. The enormous compilation of fan made stages, move sets, and other ideas used to show how the character would fit in Brawl. Every thread has one.
But, I bet they don't have one like ours. The dedicated members of RIDLEY have worked hard to create an example of nearly every aspect of Ridley's character and game modes in order to show the most naive of haters that he could, indeed, make a great playable character.
Sorry to those of you who don't wish to read this wall of text, or have already read this and wish to skip this segment. Your fingers will probably cramp from the amount of scrolling you're about to do with your mouse. May I suggest using the scroll bar located on the right side of your screen?
Game Appearances
Here is every game the good ol' purple dragon has been in, listed in chronological order of their release dates. Also, beneath each picture of the game's box art is a brief description of Ridley's role in it (however important or unimportant it may be) accompanied by a video of the boss battle or confrontation that took place in that game. The links are provided by
the grim lizard, an avid supporter of Ridley.
***SPOILERS!***
METROID
In the original Metroid, the Galactic Federation hired bounty hunter Samus Aran to infiltrate a Space Pirate base on Planet Zebes, and destroy their leader, the Mother Brain. In order to access Tourian (where the Mother Brain was located), Samus had to defeat the two mini-bosses, Kraid and Ridley. Kraid in the dark, rocky depths of Brinstar. And Ridley, in the lava scorched, ancient Chozo ruins known as Norfair.
Ridley was a difficult opponent to say the least. Players had fight around his hazardous, lava filled lair, all while dodging a barrage of fireballs from the purple beast. However, after a slew of missles and beams, he was finally defeated. Upon the last blow, he exploded into several chunks (Power Ranger style).
At the time, Ridley's past and connection with Samus Aran remained unknown. Of course, players were shocked after they discovered Samus was female, due to the game's ending and the misleading text in the game's manual that stated she was a "he." So, no one knows if this was intentional, or that Ridley's backstory was made up in the later games. At any rate, Ridley was but a lowly boss figure at the time, serving as a less-than-worthy opponent for the bounty huntress. Samus' and Ridley's hatred to one another only grew as the series went on, to the point of arch-rivalry.
Ridley Boss Battle (6:01)
SUPER
METROID
Super Metroid takes place after the events of Metroid II, in which Samus exterminated the Metroid species on the planet SR388, save one friendly Metroid hatchling that she couldn't bring herself to destroy. At the beginning of the game, Samus delivers the larva to a Galactic Federation research station for experimentation, only for it to be stolen by the Mother Brain's most trusted servant and vile creature, Ridley, as she leaves the station. After returning and defeating him, Ridley flees with the Metroid to Planet Zebes. When she follows him to the planet's surface, she discovers that the Space Pirates have rebuilt their underground base, and that she must (once again) single handedly destroy the entire Space Pirate colony.
At the end of the game, Samus once again confronted the Mother Brain. This time, however, he (yes, it's male) wasn't finished after being shot down inside his jar. The floor collapsed beneath Samus' feet, and she fell down into a large chamber, where the huge brain's true form was revealed. The monster was invincible, and nearly killed Samus if it wasn't for one thing: the baby Metroid came to her rescue. It latched onto the Mother Brain and drained his life force until he was vulnerable to attack. Then, it was killed by the beast, right in front of Samus. She then killed the Mother Brain, and escaped the planet before it self destructed.
As you can see, Ridley plays a far bigger role in Super Metroid than any other game to date. Players discover that he's fairly intelligent, despite his beastly appearance, and that he serves as a high ranking commander in the Space Pirate army. It is also revealed in the game's handbook that Ridley led the raid on Samus' home world, killing her family right in front of her. More information could even be found in some of the Japanese Metroid manga and comics released at the time, which can be viewed
here.
Ridley also displayed new powers in Super Metroid, such as the ability to turn invisible. In the second battle with him, Ridley proved to be an even stronger opponent than previously thought. He used various tail attacks, rapidly shot fireballs, and would even lift you into the air with his talons, and would proceed to drop you from great heights. But once again, Ridley fell after several shots to the face and chest, and exploded into large pieces of meat and flesh.
Ridley First Encounter (6:11)
Ridley Boss Battle (8:37)
METROID
F U S I O N
Metroid: Fusion was the curve ball in the Metroid saga. Samus takes a routine trip to the planet SR388 to watch over a research team as they study the wildlife. While surveying the area, she is confronted by a ferocious, frog like creature. When it lunges at her, she does not hesitate to shoot it down. After the animal is killed, though, a strange organism rises from its corpse and makes its way towards Samus. Her efforts to stop it are useless; it darts at her and absorbs into her power suit. On her way back to Biologic's headquarters, the parasite infects her nervous system, and she loses consciousness. Unable to steer her ship, it begins to drift into an asteroid belt. Upon impact, the ship's emergency systems automatically launch an escape pod. Biologic's vessel recovered it and sent her to the Galactic Federation's headquarters, where she was tended to quickly. The parasite, later known as the X, multiplied inside her and corrupted large portions of her power suit. They cannot be removed, however, because the organic components in her suit are bound to her too tightly to be removed while unconscious. Parts of her armor are surgically removed. But, the X are embedded to deep into her body to be removed, and she is left with a low chance of survival. Conveniently, someone finds a cure just in time. It is an anti virus made of cells from the remains of the infant Metroid that was killed on Zebes. The Galactic Federation had saved a cell culture from it. It is injected immediately, and miraculously, it works. The X are annihilated, and Samus is saved by the Metroid hatchling yet again.
Immediately after Samus recovers, she is assigned a mission to inspect an explosion at a near by research facility, where the removed pieces of her suit had been sent. When she arrives, she finds out that the X has the ability to copy the DNA of its prey and thus, take its form. The X copied the genetic code of the organic power suit pieces, and took the form of Samus. This being, code named SA-X, has all the powers of Samus at full capacity, making it a deadly force. It roams around the space station, suiting the environment in the research facilities for the X. Samus must acquire new powers and stop it before the X overthrow the station and spread across the galaxy.
In the game, the player discovers weird things that conflict with the plot. Such as the fact that there are Metroid breeding areas, even though the Metroid species was wiped out by Samus. The Galactic Federation could of cloned them using the cell culture from the baby Metroid. But why would they do that when they want the species eradicated because they're a threat to the galaxy? They could be working with the Space Pirates, which would be an interesting plot twist indeed.
One of these strange happenings involved Ridley. In a frozen storage compartment, there was a frozen figure shaped like Ridley. When Samus returned to the room later in the game, an X parasite infected the its body. It came to life as a strange, mutated version of Ridley. It attacked her, using some of Ridley's classic attacks such as fireballs, tail sweeps, and grabs; all accompanied by his signature screeches. The music played during the fight was even that of Ridley's, leading most to believe that the being inside the shell of ice was, indeed, Ridley. Some question whether it was the real Ridley, or was possibly another clone. But in any case, it can be considered as another cameo by the great purple dragon (or in this case, blue.)
Ridley X Boss Battle (1:51)
METROID
P R I M E
Metroid Prime takes place between the events of the original Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus. The story begins when Samus picks up a distress signal coming from a nearby space station. On her arrival, she finds the station at a critical state. Rubble is everywhere, and massive fires can be spotted in the distance. She decides to investigate. After further exploration of the station's many labs, Samus discovers that it is a research facility for the Space Pirate army, and that they are studying an unknown mutagen. They seem to be testing the material on various creatures native to the planet, Tallon IV. She also finds that a few of the test subjects have gone missing. And that some of the pirates, although severely injured, are still aboard the ship, and they aren't taking kindly to Samus' intrusion. When she makes her way through the station, and happens to find herself in the reactor core, Samus is attacked by a Parasite Queen. She defeats it with relative ease, however, it falls into the reactor core upon its death, and the whole place begins to go down in flames. She escapes in the nick of time, leaping into an elevator before she is engulfed in a wall of fire and electricity. Though, as the door closes, and electric wave hits Samus, and severely damages her suit. Injured, she makes her way to her ship. As she takes off, she notices a strange but familiar creature (Ridley) making its way to the planet Tallon IV. She loses him, though, in the planet's thick atmosphere. Her ship takes a crippling blow by a bolt of lightning, and Samus is left with no choice but to land on the planet's surface and recoup.
In the game, Samus must learn the origin of the strange, blue mutagen on the planet, discover the fate of the great race of bird like creatures that raised her (the Chozo), and stop the Space Pirates from mining the mineral before they have the chance to use it for evil. And most of all, she has to locate the source of the deadly material, and destroy it before it's too late, as she is (again) the last hope for the planet and the universe. Without her help, the Chozos' deaths will have been in vain.
Ridley once again serves as the game's catalyst- leading Samus straight to the Space Pirate's base of operations. His role after that, however, is rather small. He is seen soaring over the landscape several times throughout the game, but never acknowledging Samus' presence until the end of the game. After she has single handedly taken the Space Pirate facilities by storm, and is about to succeed in reaching the source of the Phazon, with no one to stop here, Ridley flies in from the horizon. As the pirates' last remaining force, he puts up one hell of a fight. Some say that he would have made an even better final boss then Metroid Prime.
Ridley was saved from near death on Zebes. The Space Pirates kept him alive with mechanical organs and body parts. He was also fitted with durable plated armor and dozens of weapon systems. , such as his kinetic breath, his seeker missles, and his bombs. All of which he uses in the battle versus Samus. He was even given a new name. He was referred to by the pirates as Meta Ridley in several of their logs.
When Ridley was defeated by Samus in battle, the enormous Chozo statues in the background of the Artifact Temple came to life. Each shot a bright red beam from their eyes, hitting Ridley in his weak mechanical heart. The combined force of the lasers pushed him back, until he toppled off of the edge of the cliff, into the Phazon Impact Crater below. It seems as though he didn't die though, because he returns in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and with a mutated, Phazon induced new form. Could this possibly from coming in contact with the mysterious blue mutagen after his fall into the source of it all?
Meta Ridley Boss Battle (6:21)
METROID
ZERO MISSION
Metroid: Zero Mission was, essentially, a GameBoy remake of the original Metroid for the NES, but with an extended ending. After defeating the Mother Brain and escaping to the surface of the planet, Samus sets off in her ship, only for it to be shot down by Space Pirate forces. Upon crashing, her suit is severely damaged. So, without her armor, she sets off to find another means of leaving the planet. With only a stun pistol and her courage, she decides to sneak into the Space Pirate Mother Ship and steal an escape shuttle. She stealthily makes her way past pirate forces, and eventually acquires a new power suit in the region of Crateria. Samus then returns to the ship, eliminating what were previously un-killable enemies on the way. There, she finds a fully mechanical version of the Space Pirate commander: Ridley. Dubbed Mecha Ridley, the gigantic iron beast proves to be quite a challenge, but is still no match to Samus of course. Once she has defeated the overgrown calculator, the self destruct sequence initiates, and Samus must escape in a matter of minutes. Jumping into a Space Pirate fighter ship, she speeds away from the exploding ship just in time. Completing one of her first big missions.
Ridley serves as one of the two mini bosses once again. But, it's nice to see him as he was originally intended, with the better graphics offered by the Game Boy Advance over the original NES system. His attacks remain the same as those in the previous 2D Metroids, though. Once again, he sticks with tail attacks, fire breath, and grabbing his foes. He does display the ability to shoot fire balls at a rapid pace, which isn't really a new move, but it isn't something he has done before, or at least not at the level of speed.
If you manage to beat the game in a set period of time and on a high difficulty, you are rewarded with an ending screen that shows Ridley leading a horde of Space Pirates, and Samus' parents standing in their way, protecting their young child. This officially confirms that Ridley did lead an attack on Samus' home world, and did kill her parents. The design of each character in the scene is very similar to that of the manga, which could prove the manga is, indeed, a true part of the storyline.
Ridley Boss Battle (4:47)
Mecha Ridley Boss Battle (1:49)
The Move Set
The infamous thousand-story tower of text that is Gypsy's fan made Ridley move set. Though the majority of the original post was broken up and used under various sections here, the actual move list portion of it remains here.
(Keep in mind, this was made before the announcement of several new game play mechanics.)
Statistics
Jump:
*****
Ridley can't jump very high, but the amount of jumps he has more than makes up for it. Ridley's first jump is average when compared to other characters. His second jump is quite mediocre, too. But, it doesn't stop at just two jumps. Like Kirby, Jigglypuff, Metaknight, and Pit, Ridley has multiple jumps. With each flap of his wings, he is carried a little higher, though they decrease in height with each consecutive jump. He maxes out at 6 jumps, including his initial "ground" jump.
Size:
*****
Let me get this out of the way right now - Ridley's a beast. He's so big and ripped, that Sakurai is going to have to shrink him down to the size of a small adult elephant, so that he may compete 'fairly' against the puny humanoid characters in Brawl.
All jokes aside though, Ridley will most likely be the same height as Bowser and DK, however, he will much skinnier and a lot longer. Ridley will probably be modeled after his Super Metroid appearance, in which, he was bony and lizard like. For those of you who aren't familiar with this look, simply view his
trophy in Melee, or you could even watch the Samus scene in the
intro movie.
Weight:
****
Ridley, being the scrawny, anorexic dragon he is, isn't as heavy as his enormous size may lead you to believe. Ridley ranks between Link and Ganondorf on the weight scale. Characters with heavier weights are generally harder to send flying off of the edge. This, coupled with his great recovery, makes for a long day for your opponent. Weighing a ton isn't always a good thing in Smash, however, it also makes you more susceptible to long, drawn out combos.
Speed:
****
Ridley has a speedy straight ahead dash that rivals those of Marth and even Fox. Though, his starting animation and the time it takes for him to turn around hurt the effectiveness of his dash dancing and foxtrotting badly.
Agility:
**
Ridley's size and lanky build causes him to be a clumsy character with poor maneuverability. It isn't that his attacks are laggy (which most aren't) but that a smaller character can simply dart all around him, needling him with dozens of lighting fast combos.
Strength:
***
Ridley isn't as strong as you'd expect him to be. His arms are long, slender and weak. Ridley usually carries things with his feet or in his mouth, making for slow, awkward uses of items. In combat, he relies on his powerful jaws and strong dagger-like tail. He seldom uses his arms, except for an occasional swipe at the enemy.
Recovery:
*****
Armed with several jumps, the ability to glide, and fireballs to preoccupy edge guarders, Ridley is extremely hard to keep off stage. Ridley's opponents must put their blood, sweat, and tears into each KO.
Fall Speed:
***
Ridley is large and heavy, yes. But, Ridley is also a pterodactyl/dragon, meaning he can fly, meaning he should be somewhat floaty. These two confiscate for one another, making him neither a floaty, nor a fast faller. He should be somewhere around average.
Comboability:
*
Ridley is not about combos. Ridley is about run-and-gun deals, in which he comes in for an attack every now and then until the other player's damage is at a high percentage. At this point, Ridley comes in for the kill.
KOability:
***
Ridley is good at KOing the opponent at high percentages, though only at high percentages. He has a few satisfactory kill moves that get the job done when the opportunity comes.
Coolness Factor:
************************************************** *************************
I could give him a higher rating, but you get the point.
Standard Attacks
Neutral A Combo
Name: Double Bite
Damage: Low
Knockback: Low
Lag: Moderate
Range: Moderate
Duration: Short-Moderate
Hits: 2
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley reaches his head out for a quick bite at the enemy. If the 'A' button is pressed a second time, Ridley will then stretch out his neck and twist his head for a second, more powerful bite.
Forward Tilt
Name: Tail Slash
Damage: Low
Knockback: Moderate
Lag: Low
Range: Long
Duration: Short
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley spins around and swings his tail in front of him, slicing the opponent. Much like Mewtwo's Forward Tilt, except with more reach and slightly more knockback. This move is effective for edge guarding, or keeping an attacker at bay.
Up Tilt
Name: Headbutt
Damage: Low
Knockback: Moderate
Lag: Moderate
Range: Low
Duration: Moderate
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley yanks his head upwards and hits the player in the air with his snout. It has some lag, but is hard to miss with, so Ridley is hardly ever open to a counter attack unless he completely wiffs. This move is good for juggling an opponent, but not much else.
Down Tilt
Name: Ankle Bite
Damage: Moderate
Knockback: High
Lag: High
Range: Moderate
Duration: Short
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley crouches down on all fours and bites at the enemy. This move deals good damage and knocks your opponent far back, but due to lag, it leaves you open to attack afterward.
Dash Attack
Name: Dragon Claws
Damage: Moderate
Knockback: Low
Lag: Moderate
Range: Low
Duration: Long
Hits: 4
Effect: None
Description:
Whilst running, Ridley furiously slashes at the opponent 4 times, twice with each claw. Punishable, (as most dash attacks are) but useful nonetheless. This attack may be used as an alternative approach to Ridley's Forward B.
Forward Smash
Name: Devastating Chomp
Damage: High
Knockback: High
Lag: High
Range: Long
Duration: Moderate
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley lunges at the opposing player with his mouth wide open and crunches them with his powerful jaws. This move is laggy and highly punishable, but is a powerful smash with long reach, making for a satisfactory finisher.
Up Smash
Name: Wing Strike
Damage: Moderate
Knockback: Moderate
Lag: Moderate
Range: Long
Duration: Moderate
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley leans to his right, looking over his left shoulder, and swings open his left wing at the player above him. It's a decent smash overall, but it serves no particular purpose as far as edge guarding, KOs, etc.
Down Smash
Name: Tail Sweep
Damage: Moderate
Knockback: Very High
Lag: Moderate
Range: Long
Duration: Moderate
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
This is Ridley's signature tail sweep. Ridley spins and sweeps his tail across the ground on both sides of him. The player hit is sent at a near horizontal trajectory. It is devastatingly powerful and is easily his greatest kill move.
Aerial Attacks
Neutral Aerial
Name: Wing Spin
Damage: Moderate
Knockback: Low
Lag: Very Low
Range: Low
Duration: Moderate
Hits: 1-3
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley spins twice in the air with his wings spread out to his sides. It is great for knocking away another aerial opponent on either side of you.
Forward Aerial
Name: Claw Swipes
Damage: Low
Knockback: Moderate
Lag: Moderate
Range: Low
Duration: Moderate
Hits: 2
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley swings one of his claws and then the other at the player in front of him. Both swipes do the same knockback and damage, so hitting with either one will send the opponent flying.
Backward Aerial
Name: Back Slash
Damage: Moderate
Knockback: High
Lag: Low
Range: Low
Duration: Moderate
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley spins around to his right, with his left claw reached out to his side, and slashes at the player behind him. It sends them at a horizontal trajectory, and it's accompanied by an awesome slashing sound.
Up Aerial
Name: Overhead Bite
Damage: High
Knockback: Low
Lag: Moderate
Range: Moderate
Duration: Short
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley looks up and quickly snaps at the enemy above. This move is very damaging, but by no means is it powerful.
Down Aerial
Name: Head Splitter
Damage: Moderate
Knockback: Moderate
Lag: Moderate
Range: Long
Duration: Short
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley's meteor strike. Ridley pulls his wings and arms back (as if to give some one a hug), looks down at his victim, and then swings his tail from right to left. It can, like most meteor strikes, be meteor canceled. Otherwise, it's a fast, deadly move.
Special Attacks
Name: Fireball
Damage: Low
Knockback: Low
Lag: Low/Moderate
Range: Very Long
Duration: Long
Hits: 3
Effect: Fire Damage/Stun
Description:
Ridley shoots a bright orange fireball from his mouth (a slighty bigger and elongated version of Mario's) that travels at about the same speed and distance as that of Samus' missles. It scores 3 hits on whomever it comes in contact with, each dealing about 2% damage. It has little knockback, but stops the opponent in his tracks because of the "fire stun" (like being hit by Young Links arrows). Like all projectile attacks, Ridley can fire them from the air, too.
Ridley can also charge the attack in a similar way to Samus' charge shot. If the B button is held instead of tapped, a glowing orange orb of fire will begin to form in his mouth. The longer it is held, the bigger it grows, and the more fireballs will launch from his mouth when the button is let go. Ridley maxes out at four fireballs after charging it for about three seconds. The fireballs shoot out of his mouth at a rapid pace, and in a line. Obviously, a row of three or four fireballs is much harder to avoid then just one. Ridley cannot, however, charge the move in the air, because he must be stationary while doing so. We don't want him too broken now do we?
The fireballs are sub-par as far as damage and knockback standards go, but when combined with the ability to shoot them in barrages while flying over an opponent or charge them for a massive wall of flames, they become a very versatile and useful projectile.
Up B
Name: Dragon Flight
Damage: N/A
Knockback: N/A
Lag: Very Low
Range: N/A
Duration: Very Long
Hits: N/A
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley's is granted temporary flight for a several seconds, allowing him to recover or maneuver freely in the air for a short time. Upon activation, Ridley's eyes glow a bright, fiery orange. For the last few seconds of the move's duration, the light from his eyes flickers off and on until eventually, the light fades and they return to normal, signifying that the move has ended. When this happens, Ridley gives a last, hopeless shriek and tumbles to his doom, or until he touches solid ground, or until he is hit again.
The move can be automatically canceled by performing another move before it is over, such as a Fireball. It can even be transitioned into a glide, allowing for aerial strikes with bombardments of fireballs on pesky edge guarders.
Forward B
Name: Relentless Charge/Glide
Damage: Moderate
Knockback: High
Lag: High
Range: Long
Duration: Long
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley quickly pulls his head back, screams, and gallops forward with an open mouth and claws. Right before hitting the opponent, Ridley closes his mouth and lowers his head. Upon contact, he thrusts his head and body forward, knocking the opponent back a good distance. During the duration of the charge, Ridley is completely invincible to projectiles, direct attacks, etc. Hence the name: Relentless Charge. Although recognizeable by the scream, the start up of the move is fairly quick and can be difficult to predict. However, the ending lag is very noticeable. After traveling approximately the distance as Falcon's Raptor Boost, Ridley falls over in a similar fashion. Thus, making this move easily punishable when missed. Also, the charge itself is a tad bit sluggish, but is made up for by the invincibility frames. This move is best used in close quarters, or when the opponent is projectile happy.
In the air, instead of charging forward, Ridley swoops forward a short distance and opens his wings, allowing him to glide. During this move, Ridley can perform any aerial attacks. All of his special moves have a different effect while gliding. He can shoot fireballs at different angles, he can rain plasma breath on foes below, and he can even fly directly out of his glide (in the event that he hasn't used is previously, of course). Ridley continues to glide for a short time, or until he touches the ground. The trajectory of his decent is around 30 degrees less than horizontal, (or 90 degrees) so he falls rather slowly.
Down B
Name: Plasma Spew
Damage: High
Knockback: Low
Lag: High
Range: Long
Duration: Moderate
Hits: Multiple
Effect: Fire Damage/Stun
Description:
Ridley crouches down on all fours in a "ready to attack" position (similar to how cats and dogs do) then draws his head back, opens his mouth, and spews plasma ahead of him. As he does so, he motions his head from side to side, as if spreading the flames all over (but it can't be seen unless you pause the game and turn the camera angle). It works in a way that is very similar to that of Bowser's Fire Breath. Ridley keeps a steady flow of plasma going for a short while (continuing to move his head back and forth also) until the ever shrinking flames die down to a tiny spark, and then to nothing at all. There's a bit of lag at the beginning and end of the move to watch out for when using it.
Whilst gliding, Ridley performs an aim able version of the attack, just like the fireballs. The properties of the move remain the same, however, he only makes one motion of his head, and then the move is finished.
Final Smash
Name: Plasma Beam
Damage: Very High
Knockback: Very Low
Lag: N/A
Range: Very Long
Duration: Very Long (between 20-25 seconds)
Hits: Multiple
Effect: Fire Damage/Stun
Description:
Ridley's eyes glow, and he is surrounded by the Final Smash's signature orange aura. He lets out a screech as he swoops into the air. As Ridley hovers high in the air, he pulls back his head and slowly opens his mouth. A bright light begins forming in Ridley's mouth. Then, suddenly, he lets out an unnerving shreik as a thick red beam of plasma shoots from his mouth. When it first crashes into the stage, flames burst all around it. The move is a continuing beam of plasma, and is fully aimable, allowing Ridley to direct it over the other players. When it hits an opponent, they are stunned a bit, (from the fire, like in Melee) and as long as they are under the beam, their damage sky rockets. (Probably around 25% a second). However, the move has no knockback, exept for when the laser initially hits. Small trails of flames (from where the beam has been) last for a few seconds, dealing some damage to anyone who walks into them. During the whole move, Ridley is far out of the reach of anyone, and is only able to be hit via projectile. When this happens, Ridley is briefly interrupted, but quickly continues the move again until it is finished. If the projectile has no knockback, (i.e. Fox's lasers) then Ridley is damaged by it, but not interrupted.
Miscellaneous
Grab Attack
Name: Vicious Bites
Damage: Very Low
Knockback: N/A
Lag: N/A
Range: N/A
Duration: Very Short
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley, holding the opponent in a death grip right in front of his face, bites at the poor soul caught in his clutches.
Forward Throw
Name: Ruthless Toss
Damage: Moderate
Knockback: Moderate
Lag: Moderate
Range: N/A
Duration: Long
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley pulls his victim to his hip, holding them firmly in his grasp. Then, with a horrendous screech, he gallops forward and launches the opponent ahead of him.
Backward Throw
Name: Behemoth Slam
Damage: High
Knockback: Low
Lag: Moderate
Range: N/A
Duration: Moderate
Hits: 1
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley lifts his foe over his head and proceeds to slam them into the ground behind him. Upon impact, the foe is dealt a second helping of damage, and bounces off the floor.
Down Throw
Name: Pogo Tail Stab
Damage: Very High
Knockback: Very Low
Lag: Moderate
Range: N/A
Duration: Very Long
Hits: 4
Effect: None
Description:
Ridley plants the opponent into the ground beneath him, then hovers in the air a few feet above them. He then deals a massive amount of damage to the foe by stabbing them several times with his spear like tail. The initial slam can be teched, though, much like Fox's Down Throw.
Up Throw
Name: Suicidal Crash
Damage: Very High
Knockback: Moderate
Lag: Moderate
Range: N/A
Duration: Long
Hits: 1
Effect: Ridley is dealt with 10% damage
Description:
Ridley flies straight up into the air with the opposing player in his clutches, then after an earth shaking shriek, he dives straight down as fast as he can and crashes into the ground. Both Ridley and his foe are damaged by the move, though Ridley receives far less. 30% damage to the player he was holding, and 10% to Riddles.
Taunt
Ridley leans forward, with his arms tucked under him and his neck stretched out, and sways his head from side to side as he shrieks. Some people may recall this from Metroid Prime, in which, he was left open to fire when doing this. This is easily incorporated into Smash as a taunt, seeing how it's of no benefit to him, and that he is left open to attack whilst doing so. His signature scream may sound cool at first, but eventually, it becomes quite annoying, especially to the other players.
Shield
Ridley tucks his head in, and shields his body under his enormous wings. Then, the shield itself appears around him. Like all large characters, his shield isn't big enough to cover the entirety of his body.
Roll
Ridley spreads open his right wing and spins backwards around his foe, then folds his wing again. His roll moves him over a large distance, and has an average duration time. It is an overall decent roll.
Air Dodge
Ridley flaps his wings forward, propelling himself backwards into the "3rd dimension," and pulls his wings back out of the way of the enemy's attack. Afterwards, he cannot move and falls until he touches the ground or dies. As far as air dodges go, it's duration is rather long.
Winning Pose 1
Ridley, nowhere to be seen, suddenly appears in the distance, flying towards the screen. He then soars past, screeching, and returns to land abruptly in center stage, and folds his wings behind his back. He flew out of nowhere just like this in Metroid: Zero Mission and Metroid: Prime.
Winning Pose 2
Ridley opens his broad wings and holds them high above his head. He pulls his arms to his sides, raises his head in the air, and gives a long, drawn out sceech as he moves his head from the right to left. If anyone has seen the avatar of the chicken with its wings raised in the air, that is basically what this pose looks like.
Winning Pose 3
The screen is blank for a second. Then, a beady red eye fades into view, followed by the rest of Ridley. He did this in the beginning of each of the two encounters Samus had with him in Super Metroid.
Victory Music / Theme Song
Ridley's Boss Battle Music
Listen or Download the Original Song Here
Listen to the Brawl Take on the Song Here
Purple
Though it varies through the games, (from a deep violet, to a near periwinkle hue) this is Ridley's normal color. This color would double as his costume when he is on the Blue Team in team battles. This is entirely possible, seeing how Samus used her purple Gravity Suit for the Blue Team in Melee.
Red
Originially used for promos, renders, and box art for Super Metroid for the SNES, the red colored Ridley is one of his more common depictions. In alot of the 2D Metroid games, Ridley would flash or turn completely red in rage towards the end of a fight. This color would also serve as his costume for the Red Team.
Green
This color was never used in a Metroid game, but it would give Ridley a more "dragon" or "dinosaur" like appearance. Plus, it would serve as his costume for the Green Team.
Brown
Ridley first appeared with a brownish hue in the remake of the original Metroid, Metroid: Zero Mission for the GBA. So far, it has been the only time he has been seen in a game in a color other than purple. I personally think that this costume looks terribly awesome.
Costumes
Meta Ridley
Meta Ridley appeared in Metroid Prime and will also play a role in the upcoming Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, in which he is believed to have acquired 'phazon' powers. Meta Ridley is not to be confused with Mecha Ridley. Meta Ridley is the actual Ridley that was defeated in the first Metroid, however, he was "resurrected" by the Space Pirates. Many of his body parts were replaced by robotic parts and he was fitted with weapons. Alot of people want to see this version of Ridley as at least an alternate costume because he looks like a torn up, metal badass. And I completely agree.
Mecha Ridley
This is Mecha Ridley, or Robo Ridley (usually Mecha Ridley because Robo Ridley sounds like a really lame anime character). He/it is actually a robot. It was the final boss in Metroid: Zero Mission.
Ridley X
Ridley X is Ridley, or a 'clone' of Ridley, that has been infected by the parasite, X. In Metroid: Fusion, he had been frozen in a storage compartment. Towards the end of the game, his frozen body was infected by an X. He then mutated into this guy, who looks more like a dragon then the pterodactyl-esque normal Ridley.
Stages
In Melee, almost every franchise was represented with one or more stages based off of specific locales in the games. Whether or not that will be the case in Brawl is still unknown. So, we have decided just to give a couple of possible stage ideas until more information is uncovered on how arenas will represent games or characters.
Note that these battlefield ideas are to specifically represent Ridley, not the Metroid series as a whole. There are plenty of great locales for the franchise in general, so these were modeled after the places where you met the purple dragon throughout the series. Though, I suppose they could be used for the entire franchise, as they are pretty memorable places in their respective games.
After each description is a link to the music and a picture to give you a good idea of what the stage would look like (for you unimaginative ones). Please forgive any differences between them and the text. Sprites are very limiting, and it's hard to get exactly what you want and still make it look acceptable.
The "My Music" feature that was revealed on SmashBros.com screws things up a bit. There really isn't a good way to give each of these maps five or six separate tunes without reusing some of them. But since these are not designed with the idea that all of them would be in the game, they can be given whatever songs fit them best without the other stages in mind. So, it was decided that the best way to do this was to just provide a list of possible songs that any of them could use, and let the reader decide for themselves.
Here is a link to a list of almost every Metroid score used in-game. I apologize for the inconvenience of having to download them first, but it is nearly impossible to find video game music for streaming.
http://mdb.classicgaming.gamespy.com/index.php?g=m1&p=music
Planet Zebes
Norfair
Norfair would be a combination of the Ridley Boss Room and Lower Norfair from the 2D Metroid games. The battle takes place on a central steel platform that is approximately the length of the Fountain of Dreams stage from Melee. The platform is held above a bed of lava by two metal pillars at each of its ends. These pillars extend and contract when the lava rises and falls, respectively, thus raising and lowering the main platform. This can cause the fight to move closer to the top kill zone, allowing for easier vertical KOs. Two Rippers (small, brown hovering beetles) will often rise from the lava and roam the areas on each side of the main platform. They work like moving ledges, in other words, you can hang on to them for dear life. From time to time, these little guys will save you from certain death.
The lava beneath the stage is deadly. Acting as the acid did in the Brinstar stage from Melee, it sends you rocketing upward if you happen to land in it. This can be especially dangerous if the lava has risen, and the main platform is closer to the level's ceiling. The kill zones to the left and right of the stage are relatively wide, about the same as those in Final Destination.
The background in Ridley's Lair would be home to several cameos appearances by a few critters from the Metroid games. Large, gaudy columns line the background, engraved with lores and pictures by the Chozo. Ancient, crumbling Chozo statues and architecture line the floor, damaged by years of erosion from the constantly rising lava. Occasionally, an Etecoon or a Dachoras will wander around in the background, hopping around on the statues. The flickering light from the lava causes the small, friendly creatures to cast huge, ominous shadows as they pass by.
Sounds would include the crackling of fire from the lava, and the noise of bubbles rising to the surface and bursting, generated by the same burning lake of fire. When one of the animals moves around in the background, the sound of their footsteps and crumbling rocks would echo through the huge, open chamber. The music playing would be none other than the Lower Norfair theme. It's solid beat sets the pace for battle.
Listen or Download the Song Here
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Tallon IV
Artifact Temple
Everyone, even those new to the Metroid series, should know about this level. Taken straight from Metroid Prime, is the Artifact Temple, the location where you first encounter Meta Ridley. The battle is fought from the front view of the stage on the cliff overlooking the Impact Crater. To make it a playable arena, the small statues that hold the artifacts are removed, but in their place are two small platforms hovering over the gigantic, main platform. These platforms, like the statues, have thick, engraved lines that glow blue. These markings spread from the center of each platform, in which there's a glowing, blue, circular engraving.
The length of the main platform is the equivalent of Final Destination. The horizontal kill zones are quite short, allowing for an occasional cheap KO. However, the level has a very high ceiling, so star KOs are hard to come by. The walls leading up to the ledge of each side of the stage are high and flat. This affects the difficulty each character has recovering drastically.
Periodically, the enormous Chozo statues in the background will "come to life" and their rich blue light turns into a deep red. Their eyes steadily shine brighter and brighter, until lasers shoot from them. The tiny red lines meet at a central point, where they form a thick scarlett beam that fires at the character that is currently in the lead. The laser stuns the player for a few seconds, leaving him open to an attack for a short time, then the beam dies down and parishes. The light in the statues' eyes fade away, and the red lights change to blue again.
The most notable cosmetic change of the Artifact Temple is the weather. Starting with a clear, peaceful day, it worsens as dark clouds start to gather, and it begins to rain. It progresses from a light drizzle, to a downpour, and finally into a frightening thunderstorm. Then, the sky clears, and the cycle continues. As the weather changes, however, so does the atmosphere of the battle. When sunny and mellow, flocks of birds will soar into the horizon, various creatures can be heard in background, and the music (The Red Brinstar Remix that was later used for Metroid: Prime) is slow and calm. As it starts to rain, everything goes silent, the setting darkens, and the theme picks up tempo. While the rain comes down heavier and harder, the rumbling and crashing of the thunder shakes the ground, and the song becomes more twisted and unnerving. By the time the storm is in full throttle, so is the now dark music, and lightening strikes in the background, briefly lighting up the stage. As the storm wanes, the song slows back down to a soothing rhythm, the wildlife awakens, and the stage is in a peaceful state again.
Listen or Download the Song Here
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Planet Zebes
Ridley's Lair
Ridley's lair is his signature stage in all of the 2D games. It usually consists of lava at the bottom of a room, walls at each end, and a platform in the center.
His Smash stage be similar to this, and in addition, spikes on the ceiling add extra edge and incentive as not to touch them. They also can be used for combos, as when you hit the spikes, you bounce off in opposite direction of what angle you hit them at. So, if somebody thows you at a 90 degree angle upwards, you're going to come back down helpless, and open to a pounding.
There is only one way to be KO'd on this stage, and that's the lava. Of course, the lava is hot, so if you are falling down to doom, you will be singed and bounce off the lava, only to plummet back down to your death with a small window of chance for recovery. This lava bounce could lead to edge guarding to prevent your successful recovery.
This level is designed with flyer's in mind, as there is a bigger chance of recovery from the lava with them. They can also maneuver their way around a lot more. Small characters are also at an advantage, as there are a few nooks and crannies for them to sneak into and perform sneak attacks on. Fast fallers might have a few problems in this level, as it's designed against them; it's more difficult to recover from, and you'd get comboed faster on the spikes.
The Ridley Boss Battle music blares out on this stage, as to give it an aggressive edge and get the adrenaline flowing for an action packed battle.It's a perfect stage for hardcore Brawling.
Listen To or Download the Song Here
Miscellaneous
Kirby Hat
Target Test
Don't worry, not a lot of people are brave enough to say so.
