Kicking off today’s Nintendo Direct presentation was the announcement of the next fighters joining the roster in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The duo of Pyra and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are set to make their debut in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate next month. Pyra/Mythra will be the 79th character to join the already staggering selection of characters. With such a vast array of characters to choose from, adding even more sword fighters to Smash seems like an odd choice.
Nintendo definitely subverted expectations today, and while most expected a Smash reveal at the Nintendo Direct, few expected the pair of sword fighters from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to be the characters that made the cut. Especially so soon after releasing another sword-equipped melee character with Sephiroth, it seems odd to add another character in that same archetype. While the duo does have some interesting new features, it really highlights how disappointing the choice seems.
The fun bait-and-switch trailer today from the Nintendo Direct revealed that both Pyra and Mythra will be taking the 79th character slot for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The dynamic for switching between the two is definitely interesting. Players will be able to on-the-fly swap between the two warriors, who each have a different focus in their attacks.
Pyra’s flame-based attacks pack a heavier punch, but are more slow in their execution. Mythra on the other hand features lightning-based moves that sacrifice some damage in exchange for attack speed. It is also interesting to see that the duo has two separate Final Smash attacks based on which character triggers them. However for many fans, this is where the interest might end.
Sword fighters arguably dominate the lineup in Smash Ultimate, even if they don’t necessarily represent the majority. Even from franchises like Fire Emblem, where there are many other main characters that wield other types of weapons like spears and axes, the sword is overrepresented. While Nintendo does a good job overall of making each character feel distinct from one another, it can still seem repetitive when so many fighters feature very similar movesets. It seems strange for Nintendo to continue this trend over other fan-favored additions for Smash like Dr. Robotnik, especially when Sephiroth was released just a little over two months ago.
While Sephiroth, Link, Corrin, and Dragon Quest‘s Hero all feature projectile attacks and some unique mechanics to set them apart, many Smash players were hoping for a character that was outside of this formula. JRPG games are incredibly popular worldwide, and almost every one of those titles features a protagonist and antagonist with a sword, so the inclusion of sword fighters in a crossover game is inevitable.
The amount of these character types can limit variety even in a game with almost a hundred characters. Not everyone will be bothered by another sword fighter, especially considering many were expecting Dante from Devil May Cry to be announced. It just seems like an overused archetype in the game.
Many fans were disappointed to not see Master Chief or Doomguy make the cut. Shooter games have almost zero representation in Smash, Inklings from Splatoon being the exception, and many were hoping for Master Chief to follow his Microsoft colleague, Minecraft’s Steve, into the game. Many unlikely characters have made their way into Smash Ultimate, so seeing some variation from the sword fighter archetype in the next DLC would be refreshing for many fans.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Nintendo Switch.
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