Who's going to be in the SSB DLC?

Merry Christmas!

Ha Ha! Hanukkah has long passed, so I got my presents way before you, and specifically, I'm talking about Super Smash Bro.s Ultimate. So, I'm gonna talk about it and put in my wager for who's coming late to the party.

Part 1: A really quick review of Super Smash Bros Ultimate

First, the announcement of the game alone was enough to convince me and my brother to buy a Nintendo Switch. That means that my transition went from an N64 to a Switch. I’ve played the original Super Smash Bros (which still holds up!) for countless hours, and have only played Brawl a few times.

For those worried about transitioning from the first game to the fifth and latest game, IT IS AS SMOOTH AS IT CAN BE! Classic characters have pretty much the same move sets, plus more moves. So for me, all I had to do was learn the new moves and I feel like I’m getting the hang of it!

Unfortunately, as AAA games go, there are 6 characters that aren’t available yet. The Pirahna plant is free to those who downloaded the game or registered their physical copy of the game (like I have). Then, five more are gated off as DLC, costing $25 altogether. Obviously I bought it, but I don’t like that kind of business practice! (I’d be much angrier if I didn’t get the base game as a Hanukkah gift!)

Ever since I got it twenty days ago, I have not put it down! It’s fun, and going through the “World of Light” adventure mode is an ingenious way of introducing each character gradually so the large roster isn’t overwhelming!

The spirit system is too confusing for my taste, but each character you fight is a clever adjustment to existing characters in the game to mimic a (typically minor) character from a game that would never have made it into the actual game otherwise. An example is for representing the dream eating ghost Pokemon, "Gengar", you fight a purple Donkey Kong in Luigi’s Mansion and the lower level makes you sleepy. For characters I recognize, it’s great! For characters I don’t, it’s just an interesting new challenge that keeps the battles fresh.

I very much do not like how the spirits work and how you boost them and train them and feed them snacks, but also you release them... it’s just really unnecessary and confusing!

Also, I would like to echo Jim Sterling’s review and add that I was a bit disappointed that I can’t seem to find flavor text. You know, a little text box explaining what each “spirit” is, what game it’s from, a fun tidbit about why I should care it made the list. The problem is that nobody is expected to know every property on this roster and it’d be nice to get a little bit of info about every anime character that looks like they’re from the same game but aren’t.

I haven’t unlocked every character yet and I haven’t beaten the adventure mode yet and I haven’t played with another human yet, so I might just make another post later talking about that more in-depth.

Part 2: Who’s coming late to the party?

We already know that Joker from Persona has taken the first spot of Super Smash Bros’ five coveted DLC spots. Each additional fighter will include a new character, stage, soundtrack, and “more”, which I can only assume means “that’s it”, even though a couple more items, spirits, and assist trophies would be a nice addition.

Anyways, I’ve racked up my well-versed knowledge of video games and read a couple of similar blog posts to see what other people are thinking and came up with my four guesses of who else got an invitation to join Ultimate. And after that, I have runner-ups, and then a few “could you imagine?” possibilities.

A lot of rumors suggest more characters from games already included in Smash. Others say they may be upcoming characters in upcoming games. I don’t think so or necessarily want that, so my theorizing omits those possibilities.

Banjo-Kazooie

I had the first game on the N64 and never could beat it, but I loved it! (As an aside, the game over scene with Gruntilda’s transformation... well... let’s just say it was hard to want to stop her!)

Banjo Kazooie has been wanted by fans since Melee, and for good reasons! The possible music tracks, the possible stages, a Mumbo assist trophy... it will be very frustrating if they weren’t included.

Pulling the curtains back a bit, Rare, the company that made Bajo-Kazooie, had been acquired by Microsoft and the characters have been locked in a vault for decades, never to be seen again, especially after the horrid “Nuts and Bolts” disaster. Microsoft and Nintendo has seemed to be getting along right now, so I can only pray they’ve struck a deal. Banjo-Kazooie is still the most common suggestion I’ve been seeing on other people’s’ predictions.

Steve - Minecraft

Look, Jim Sterling (from The Jimquisition) has guessed Minecraft. He already sarcastically predicted the Piranha Plant snubbing WaLuigi. He also added that Nintendo and Microsoft have been buddying up. I think the possible stage and soundtrack would be fantastic, and work similar to the Mario Maker stage.*

(*Note: I have never played Minecraft)

I could also imagine a deal with Microsoft going, “Fine. Well give you Banjo-Kazooie, but you have to also put in Minecraft.”

Master Hand/Glover

Back in olden days of the early ‘aughts, I remember rumors of there being a way to unlock Master Hand as a playable character. I still think it’s crazy that it existed throughout this whole franchise with a unique move set and doesn’t even show up as an assist trophy!*

(Note: I have not played enough to verify that Master hand is not an assist trophy; it is an educated guess at the time of writing this)

Master Hand’s addition makes sense to me, since it’s already a character and ideally, he’d be in an “Ultimate” roster. Unfortunately, it would probably not work as a playable character, unless they tweaked it to function more like the forgotten character “Glover” from the game Glover for the N64. Glover is a four-fingered glove very similar to Master Hand and walks on its two middle fingers and has a little ball it rolls around. So combine Glover and Master Hand and you got a “handy” character!

You know, the more I think about it, the less I think it’ll make it. Ah, who cares? It’s not like there’s money riding on this! Master Hand/Glover stays!

Sora - Kingdom Hearts

Obviously they’d omit all the Disney aspects. Like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts has been featured on nearly every game console. I think having a Keyblade/magic using anime guy would stand out (in a good way) among the other regular anime swordsmen. Additionally, a main-series sequel is in development, and his addition will really create hype for the game. And while I’ve never played the games (except a lousy spin-off I never finished), I’ve always seen Kingdom Hearts as a wanted character to be in Smash.

In summary, my bets are Minecraft, Master Hand, Banjo-Kazooie, and Kingdom Hearts.

Part 3: It would be really cool, but it’s pretty unlikely

Crash Bandicoot - as much as fans want him, I doubt the character created to be the mascot of the Sony PlayStation will be invited to a Nintendo party. Personally, I don’t care about Crash. I never played the games and I never had interest in them. But I would be very happy for the fans that do want him

Spyro - I remember really wanting to play this game when it first came out. Recently it was remastered and rereleased, and I have zero interest in it. I don’t think Spyro is making a comeback and I don’t think it has any interest at all.

Conker - I really want to play this game in the same way I want to play the Earthbound games, meaning that I have a continued interest in them, but not enough to even try to get my hands on it. All I really know about it is that its raunchy and has a poo monster with a poo song that I want added to the Smash Bros archive.*

(Note: I have not heard the “Poo song” past the first verse.)

Raz - Psychonauts - I remember playing a demo for this game in GameStop when it first came out. I was fascinated, yet unnerved by the art-style. Over a decade later I finally got the game and played it and LOVED it. It is HIGHLY UNDERRATED! Raz would play similar to Ness, using psychic powers. The stage can be based off any world in the game and it would just ooze style and uniqueness. For a game like Super Smash Bros, Psychonauts can really stand out (in the good way, I mean).

The only reason why I’d say it’s at all likely is because a sequel has been funded and is in development. So a character like Raz will retroactively give attention to the upcoming game, unlike Crash and any Rare property that will likely never release another game in its series.

Dirk the Daring - Dragon’s Lair

I bet nobody is thinking Dragon’s Lair, and that’s why it would knock everyone ‘s socks off! The revolutionary movie/video game arcade classic seems to fit the M.O. of Nintendo: reaching into every corner of video games past and present (with a T rating or lower) and shoving them into the game in some way, shape, or form. If I were Nintendo, I would save it for DLC because and inclusion of such a character really needs its own special announcement.

Part 4: Really funny to add in, but there's no way

Phoenix Wright would be a hilarious addition to the game, though I’d rather him be an assist trophy shouting “Objection” at opponents.

Isaac from “The binding of Isaac”. Ok, there’s no way in hell we’ll see a little naked boy cry and pee on enemies, but I smiled at the thought of it, and I get to make the list!

WaLuigi. I would have thought that he would at least show up as an “echo character”, but no. WaLuigi already exists as an assist trophy, just like Shovel Knight. While I wish both were playable characters, at least they made it in as fully-rendered models that can run around and attack you.

Welp, that wraps up what I have to say about SSB Ultimate for now,and I guess we'll just have to wait and see how many I got right. Write ya' next year!