Super Smash Bros has been around for over 20 years, and some of the veteran fighters haven’t changed much since their first appearance. Now, players are calling for Nintendo’s frontman, Mario, to have a complete overhaul to his moveset.
Nintendo introduced Smash Bros. in 1999 as video game’s greatest crossover. It took a small roster of characters from Nintendo’s most iconic games and pitted them against one another.
The original Smash roster had eight characters including Link, Donkey Kong, and Mario. These original eight would continue to appear in every Smash Bros. installment, and their movesets would remain relatively unchanged.
The roster would later start to include third-party characters, and the movesets for each would be handcrafted by Masahiro Sakurai. However, players are starting to scrutinize how much care and attention went into Mario’s moveset.
Smash players aren’t happy with Mario’s moveset
Mario has had a single notable moveset change since 1999. That was when Sakurai replaced his down-b with F.L.U.D.D in Smash Bros. Brawl. This means that all of Mario’s moves are based on games from Super Mario Sunshine and before.
Some players think Mario’s moveset is outdated. Twitch streamer GamesCage shared on Twitter that he thought Mario’s cape would have made for a better glide mechanic than a reflecting move. This sparked a passionate discussion among Smash Bros. players.
Clearly, GameCage isn’t the only player who is disappointed in Mario’s moves. Others think his down-b should be a ground pound, one of Mario’s most iconic mechanics in his own game.
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Some players mentioned how lame Mario’s up-b is as it’s just his normal jump with a hitbox. Players cited the Propeller Mushroom, Wing Cap, or Tanooki suit would make for a better up-special.
To this day it drives me insane that Mario’s cape is a reflect,
WHEN ITS LITERALLY A GLIDE MECHANIC IN MARIO WORLD PERFECT FOR UP B LMFAO pic.twitter.com/kQTgP9OdjP
— GamesCage – Hype Guy (@GamesCage_) January 10, 2022
God I hope whatever happens next for Smash, they rework the veteran fighters.
— Ultima | #вʟм (@UltimaShadowX) January 10, 2022
Mario’s moveset pisses me off why doesn’t he have any references I’m crying
— Capi (@PlanetoidComet) January 10, 2022
When the most recent characters have been added to Smash Bros, Sakurai has provided a video alongside their release to explain the inspiration behind each move. Even veteran fighters such as Link have received slight overhauls to match his most recent games.
However, Mario’s moves are still stuck in the Wii and GameCube era. For more Smash news, check out this mod that lets you play as the Among Us Impostor.
