With the Japanese release of Super Smash Bros for 3DS rapidly approaching, we’re getting
closer to learning what the full roster will really be.
But until then, we’re getting one new piece to the puzzle at a time and the latest reveal
is certainly something to be intrigued by.
Shulk, the main character from Xenoblade Chronicles has made his way into the roster; quite the
step up for a game that almost didn’t make it to North America.
And Shulk seems to have come with many of the abilities he displayed there.
So it’s Analysis Machine time as we take a closer look to see what secrets and hidden
details we can find in his reveal trailer.
Shulk’s moveset starts simple with a look at his standing combo.
It’s a punch, kick, sword combo showing that he can do moves without the Monado though
most will be focused around his sword.
This is immediately shown with his forward Smash which has an impressive reach thanks
to the Monado’s ability to extend its blade.
This ability to extend his sword is used quite often as we see it used for his back air and
even his up Smash, where he brings the sword’s hilt to the ground and sends the blade skyward.
The down Smash spins the blade all around him while his up attack has a nice arc to
it.
All of these basic moves really display how Shulk will have a much longer reach than any
other swordsman in the game.
But what makes Shulk truly unique is the Monado itself.
He can access different Monado Arts that change how he plays.
First up is Jump which increases his jumping height at the expense of his defense.
It’s quite the trade-off though as he can make it to the upper platforms of the Gaur
Plain without the use of his third jump.
Considering how big this stage appears to be, and we’ll get into more of that later,
that’s a really impressive feat.
The Speed Art obviously increases his speed though it’s unclear if he’ll be super-fast
like Sonic or Captain Falcon or at a speed level slightly below them.
We do see him running against the Villager on his Lloid Rocket, but because that speeds
up over time are we seeing Shulk pass the Villager when he’s at full speed?
It really does beg the question of how fast Shulk is normally.
The one thing we do know is that accessing the Speed Art will decrease his defense.
Shield is a bit easier to understand.
This Art increases his defense while lowering his speed.
While we don’t get to see how slow he becomes, we do seem him take a Smash attack from Mario
and barely lose his footing.
Buster is a little harder to see results for just in the trailer.
This will increase his attack power but won’t launch opponents nearly as far.
While it’s difficult to say just how much stronger he’ll be, we do get to see his
down attack and side aerial.
Finally, there’s his Smash Art which will launch opponents farther but won’t be nearly
as strong.
Like Buster, it’s difficult to say just how effective it really is since we can’t
see the percentages of Donkey Kong and Ike before he hits them.
But we feel it’s safe to say that there will at least be a noticeable difference when
selecting each Art.
Then there’s the question of how you’ll select each Art.
We’re pretty sure it’s the standard special so does each tap cycle between the different
forms?
And does it always start at a specific Art or switch to the next one in line?
Another possibility is holding the special as Shulk cycles through, stopping on the one
you want though we think the former option is more likely.
The trailer also gives us a look at what appears to be his other specials.
Air Slash is his up special and seems to work the same as Marth’s recovery, at least at
first.
He goes in the same upward arc though this one is much more vertical, but as soon as
he finishes it, he performs another slash.
Could this be a multi-hit special in the same vein as Marth’s Dancing Blade?
It would certainly help Shulk get some horizontal momentum during his recovery.
He next uses Back Slash which looks to be his side special.
The trailer actually demonstrates that, like Xenoblade Chronicles, the move is more effective
when hitting enemies from behind.
It doesn’t seem to affect Mario much when hit from the front, but Dedede is launched
when hit from behind.
Moving on to A Vision, this looks to be an adaptation of his future sight ability which
turns it into a Counter.
Even looking closely, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between it and other
counters and like those, it will probably be Shulk’s down special.
Finally, we get to see his Final Smash which looks to be based on the Chain Attacks from
Xenoblade.
In this example, he calls out Dunban and Riki to team up against whoever was caught.
It seems to work in a similar manner to Mega Man’s Final Smash though we have to wonder
how it will be activated.
We imagine it will be something like Link’s or Meta Knight’s where Shulk has to get
in close to capture them before the scene can play out.
Along with Shulk’s moves, we get to see an alternate outfit, his boxers from when
he doesn’t wear any armor in Xenoblade.
It’s certainly a cute nod, but we wonder if one of his more armored looks will appear
as well.
Then there’s the question of Riki.
He appears outside the Final Smash and seems to be some kind of taunt at first, but we
noticed that a healing aura actually surrounds Shulk.
We initially thought that Riki could be a customizable move that summoned him and healed
Shulk, but then a Pic of the Day revealed the truth.
Riki is actually an Assist Trophy that can perform different Arts.
Happy Happy added to the Party Gauge in Xenoblade, but it might be the healing move we saw in
the trailer.
Freezinate will obviously freeze opponents while Yoink may steal health from other players
and give it to the user.
But there was more to this trailer than just Shulk.
We also got a small look at his stage in both versions, Gaur Plain.
It looks to be quite big, though nowhere near the size of Palutena’s Temple but perhaps
closer to Hyrule Temple in Melee though with less places to hide.
That’s the thing to note from the small glimpses we see, there’s a lot of open space
here especially since rather than the typical platform in the center, it has the center
wide open with platforms on the edge.
We saw before during Shulk’s Jump Art just how much space is between the two platforms
on either side though we can see small ledges that can be used to climb up.
The big question is whether there’s any solid ground below the central areas or if
it’s another place to be knocked out.
In all, it actually seems like a great representation of the wide open areas found in Xenoblade.
That’s not the only comparison though.
Throughout the trailer, we see different looks at Gaur Plain and many times it actually has
a different time of day.
This harkens back to how the time of day changed in Xenoblade.
So far it looks like there will be day, night, and dusk though we wonder if there will be
other elements as well.
At the very least, it’s a nice touch.
Finally, there’s the appearance of Metal Face at the end of the trailer taunting Shulk.
Could this mean he’ll appear in the level to cause trouble as a boss, much like Yellow
Devil at Wily’s Castle?
We don’t know for sure yet, but it won’t be long until we find out.
There’s only a month until Smash Bros arrives on the 3DS in the US and the anticipation
is killing us.
But with each new character and stage, we can’t wait to try them out in the full game.
Of course, if we missed something, please let us know in the comments.
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