February 24, 2017|
MagcargoMan joins to discuss what Zelda content we would like to see in the next Smash.
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I’ll just give my thoughts on the more-likely/popular Zelda characters (in my opinion) since….well, that’s obviously what a lot of people care about. I’ll be listing these characters in the order that I find their likeliness of getting into Smash.
Impa- The Zelda character that feels like the frontrunner of the franchise but is not so certain when you think about it. With her popularity boost from Hyrule Warriors and consistency in the franchise she seems like an obvious pick, but you also have to remember that the version of her that everyone wants in the game was a one-off version…..which is not entirely condemning, as it wasn’t for Sheik (or Ganondorf at the time)……until you remember that she’s a one-off version of the character in a *spin-off* Zelda game. And outside of Hyrule Warriors her popularity drops off a cliff, and while her name is consistent, her character is……not. Now, given her popularity in Hyrule Warriors, I wouldn’t be surprised if the HW design for Impa is taken for future mainline Zelda games, in which case she absolutely becomes the Zelda rep frontrunner, but if she doesn’t……well, then it highly depends on Sakurai’s outlook on her character, which now with HW’s relevance dying down is…..not helping her chances. Could still happen, but she’s up in the air.
Toon Zelda/Tetra- I put these as one despite the fact that they’d be to entirely separate characters. Toon Zelda would probably be a clone of Zelda if included, but Tetra would be entirely unique. I just think that either of them are fairly likely, and take a solid joint-space as second most likely Zelda rep (despite the fact we could really see either without the other). I also really feel that Tetra deserves a spot on the roster right up there with Impa.
Skull Kid- Skull Kid is actually the only one-shot character that I feel has an “ok” chance of joining the roster. His popularity has been surprisingly consistent through the years, and with the lack of extremely strong consistent character choices (Impa and Toon Zelda/Tetra are both stronger choices, but each also have their faults), it gives reason why a popular older one-shot character could join the roster. I also think there’s merit in the fact that an older character like Skull Kid was made into an assist trophy in Smash 4 in the first place.
Vaati- The only other Zelda recurring villain. And not…..bad popularity. honestly, if he wasn’t in the handheld versions or if he was just…..more popular in general, he’d probably already be in the game. Thing is, there’s really not much more going for him than there was for joining previous Smashes, so it makes me somewhat pessimistic for his chances, but as I said with Skull Kid, with few to no very strong frontrunners in the Zelda race, he could slip into the game. Probably helps that he’d be a villain for Toon Link as well. This is also the last character in this list that I think has even an “ok” chance of actually happen.
Tingle- I…..really just don’t want to see this. There’s too much potential in the Zelda lineup for Tingle to become a playable character. Now…..I will actually say, Tingle is probably one of the most DESERVING Zelda characters for a slot on the roster, given his consistency in the series, and to a character (unlike Impa), but he’s just not…..appealing as a character. I mean, if there were NO choices left for Zelda characters, I could see him making it, but the characters above, and even in some ways below, are just more appealing to be playable, albeit as important or less than Tingle from a consistency and relevancy perspective. And I feel Sakurai would believe this as well, or like Vaati, Tingle would already be in the game.
Wolf Link/Midna- While the concept for the character is quite appealing, and they do have their fans, I still feel that she/they are past their time to get in through relevancy and not quite as enticing to include as Skull Kid, as I really don’t see more than one past Zelda one-shot character getting on the roster back to back. That being said, I believe I have some bias here (Skull Kid is either my top choice for a Zelda rep or second), so I felt I should still include her.
(Pig) Ganon- Dead in most respects as a character, and isn’t really popular either, but Sakurai has a thing for really old characters, and while they normally are main characters of dead franchises, I could see Sakurai bringing back pig Ganon due to his legacy to the series. Still, I think his odds are lower than anyone else here.
Anyone who is not included in this list I believe doesn’t have any chance at all of making it into the game at all. Well, except for maybe Linkle as a costume (still really bad odds of that happening, but higher odds than zero). If we get a character outside of this list I would be quite shocked, with the exception of a Breath of the Wild character who times perfectly with the game and is included on relevancy alone. What do other people think? Agree? Disagree? Burn it in Fire? I’d like to hear opinions~
To be fair, Twilight Princess did get an HD remake recently, and Wolf Link fighting alongside you is a major feature in Breath of the Wild, so there is that for relevancy. And again, if you’re gonna suggest Skull Kid due to his popularity as a character, it’s fair enough to say that Midna would have the same shot. Speaking of which…
Skull Kid or Pig Ganon seem like the most likely villain reps, leaning more toward the latter. Even if Skull Kid is really only important in one game, again, he’s a very popular character from it. (Not really gonna count OoT where he was a very, VERY minor character that was easily missed because lol mostly pointless sidequest.) As for Pig Ganon’s credit, he was in ALBW (I think his last appearance was the Oracles games before that?) and it also seems that Calamity Ganon is based on that form as well. And fits well as a retro Zelda rep I’d think, since it’s mainly all the retro style Zelda games that use Pig Ganon (if you count the nightmare taking his form in LA). We have reps from both the Adult and Child Timelines, so… a Decline Timeline rep would be nice.
On one last note, I do think Tetra would be a great choice as well to match up with Toon Link, so that we’re not just getting a semi-clone of Zelda but getting an actual pirate-y character instead. Although I would love a Toon Zelda if she worked the same way as she does in HW, but I doubt they’d put that much effort into it when semi-clone would be the significantly easier option to include her.
In terms of a new character, I could see one (or two technically) being added to the roster for Zelda representation: Midna+Wolf Link. Aside from Twilight Princess being one of the best selling entries in the series, Midna is really popular as a character and people generally find Wolf Link to look really cool; and I can’t see why they wouldn’t go the Little Mac route of assist trophy -> playable character. I imagine they would be sorta like Duck Hunt (rather than Rosalina and Luma), but a lot more serious and dark, using wolf pounces and dark magic to fight instead of, y’know, 8-bit gunmen and clay pigeons. Midna would probably have her creepy laughter to compliment the dog’s mocking laugh though. I think there’s a lot of potential in that. I do agree with whoever suggested Vaati though, because it would be great to have not only another villain, but one in the toon style as well. Vaati was a great villain in TMC, so I’m all for that.
Me… I just want a new character. I say Impa because she’s probably the most notable character besides the main trio, though I’d welcome Tingle as well. Bringing back Young Link and reworking his moveset to utilize the masks from Majora’s Mask would be neat, too, but I’m not too wild about that. Ganondorf, I’m on the fence with. I actually don’t mind his moveset that much, I just wish he looked and acted more like the Ganondorf from the games, rather than the middle-aged, weird-ugly dude that Sakurai keeps mocking in Smash Bros. I don’t even care if he wields a sword or not (I’m not hesitant about any new character that uses a sword that aren’t named Isaac or Takamaru), just make him true to his character… like Sakurai keeps preaching about. :/
As for stages, I could see a Breath of the Wild stage happening, one with an emphasis on interchangeable landscapes, to reference the openness of BotW and how you can alter your environments and do your own thing in that game. Other than that, I don’t have any good ideas at the moment…
As for Items, I think we have all the essential items covered with the Heart Container, Fairy Bottle, Deku Nut, Bombchu, Bunny Hood, and Cucco. I could do without the Gust Bellows, though, and I’m indifferent to the Beetle. Maybe they could throw in a joke item in the form of the Deku Stick, a weapon that breaks after several uses. 😛
I also think the Assist Trophy selection is fine… Though I wouldn’t mind seeing an Octorok being summoned and shooting rocks at opponents!
One thing I DO want to see more of, though, is better trophy selections, not just from Zelda but ALL Nintendo games in Smash Bros. With Zelda, it’s always the most recent games and also the Assist Trophies, more variety across the entire series is appreciated.