In a rather unexpected turn of events, Nintendo recently announced that Bandai would be playing a large role in the development of the next “Super Smash Bros.” . This will be the first time that Nintendo involves a third party developer into their Super Smash Bro series. With this in mind, one cannot help but wonder what kind of changes are in store for the series. Each entry to the franchise has been largely similar, with gradual gameplay advances.
With Bandai behind the wheel, there will most certainly be an expansion to the character roster. I suspect that there will be several new game modes and even an expanded arsenal of items and stages; perhaps a deep level of customization will be possible.
With these potential changes to the series, it’s easy to get lost and forget about some of the smaller concepts that made this series unique. For instance, as a huge Zelda fan, there is a lot that I would like to see implemented regarding Zelda. Of course Bandai cannot tailor to every fan niche and make every change, but one can dream can’t they?
This article will explore some of the Zelda related concepts that I would like to see in the upcoming “Super Smash Bros.” games for the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS.
Return Sheik’s Power
For me, one of the most disappointing parts of “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” was the changes made to Zelda’s alter-ego Sheik. In “Melee”, Sheik was a force to be reckoned with. She was not only fast, but also fairly powerful. Many saw her as an unbalanced character so Nintendo tried to rectify things. As a result Sheik’s power was severely downgraded. Ironically, this was done in an attempt to make all of the characters more balanced, yet the addition of Smash Balls only helped to take things in the opposite direction.
What I ask is that Sheik’s strength be returned to her. Zelda herself was improved in Brawl, but it would be nice for Sheik to be improved as well. I will be keeping my fingers crossed.
Ganondorf Needs Overhauled
No character frustrates me more than Ganondorf. His attributes and attacks are a perfect example of developers being lazy. For those of you who are not aware, Ganondorf is nothing but a slower albeit more powerful form of Captain Falcon. Instead of giving Ganondorf a unique set of attacks and skills, the game’s developers merely put Captain Falcon into a Ganondorf costume and put some purple effects around his attacks.
Why does the villain of Nintendo’s vastly popular Legend of Zelda series get such poor treatment? With a new Super Smash Bros. game coming out, it is finally time for Ganondor’s redemption. Fans of the Zelda series know Ganondorf as an excellent swordsman and user of dark magic. Yet none of his attacks includes any kind of weaponry or actual magic. Let’s get this fixed, and while Bandai is at it, why not give Ganondorf treatment similar to Zelda? Let him transform into Ganon with his Down + B attack for a whole other set of physical based attacks.
Zelda Characters that Need to be Added
In an effort to keep roster size limited and to keep the game from being bogged down, many characters that we would like to see are left out of the Super Smash Bros games. However, that does not mean we cannot hope for certain characters to make their way into the fray. This quick list will take a look at potential Legend of Zelda themed characters and attributes that would be nice to see in the game.
- Link Transformations – Zelda can transform into Sheik even though her alter-ego has only made one, albeit, a non-playable appearance into the franchise. Wouldn’t it make more sense to bring some of Link’s many transformations into the game? Link has been transforming into different objects and characters dating back to the Adventure of Link. Some of the more obvious transformations would be any of the Majora’s Mask transformation Masks (Deku Link, Goron Link, Zora Link, Fierce Diety Link) or Wolf Link from Twilight Princess. Either set these as separate characters or allow Link to switch in a fashion similar to Zelda and Pokemon Trainer.
- Zant – The estranged usurper King of Twilight would be an excellent fit for a Super Smash Bros. game. As we saw in Twilight Princess, Zant definitely has some tricks and unique fighting tactics. Creating a move-set for Zant would not be too difficult as he naturally had an assortment of magical and physical attacks in Twilight Princess.
- Ghirahim – Never in the Zelda series has there been such a unique and personable villain to the game. Ghirahim’s personality has easily made him one of my favorite bad guys of all time and this creepy and crazy persona would easily fit into the Smash series. Ghirahim could feature his signature sword for physical attacks and this demon knew his fair share of magic too. I am betting Bandai could easily find some interesting moves to implement for Ghirahim.
- Ganon – Earlier in this article I mentioned the possibility of Ganon being a transformation for Ganondorf. However, Ganon could easily serve as a stand-alone character as well. This gigantic pig-like monster has certainly given Link a run for his money in his various appearances to the Zelda series, and I would love to see him in Super Smash Bros. Wii U in some form. I do not care if he is a transformation or a standalone character, just make it happen.
More Zelda Themed Stages
Lastly, and the most likely to happen, is just the mere addition of more Zelda themed stages. The Zelda series spans such a wide range of environments and areas to explore that it is shocking just how few Zelda themed stages there have been. There could literally be a stage for every dungeon and area in the games.
Of course that is not realistic to expect, but how much fun would it be to be dueling it out with your friends while in Kakariko Village or the Twilight Realm? There are so many themed stages that could be created. If Zelda stages are not available as preset options, I would at least like to see the stage builder get expanded to include more Zelda textures and options so we can create them ourselves.
If Only
Will these ideas make it into any of the next Super Smash Bros. games? Probably not. However, it is still fun to think about the possibilities that exist. I am thinking that Nintendo will finally jump on board the DLC train and Super Smash Bros. is a perfect game for additional downloadable content. While we may not see these ideas in an original release, we may end up getting more characters, stages, and features through paid DLC down the road.
So what do you think? What would you like to see in Super Smash Bros. Wii U from the Zelda series? Let us know in the comments.
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