The latest member of the Fighter’s Pack for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate joins the fray, the Hero from Dragon Quest.
First revealed in E3 2019, the titular protagonist from the wildly popular Dragon Quest series joins the battle July 30th, 2019, alongside some other trimmings in the 4.0 update.
A surprise for many not just in representation, but release; news of the Hero was slim following the Smash Bros. presentation, but only recently were they announced for a release date, and in quite the spectacular way.
Rather than another trailer or a mini direct like what has been done in the past, Masahiro Sakurai himself showcases the Hero, their incarnations, their moveset, and all the other aspects of the 4.0 update in a video, where we see that, indeed, Sakurai knows how to throw down.
An inventive twist on the fighter reveal, Sakurai runs through the Hero’s incredibly varied moveset, displaying moves and techniques of Dragon Quest fame, and breaking down their mechanics. This is especially helpful, as the Hero has over twenty moves in their arsenal, some with alternative properties depending on how long you charge.
From the trailer, and Sakurai’s gameplay, we see that the Hero is not one to be messed with. Their greatest strength lies in the Command Selection move, where four other moves are chosen at random with varying effects, such as projectile reflection, putting foes to sleep, turning yourself into metal, dealing incredible damage in a single attack, or attempting to take the fighter with them in an explosive kamikaze attack.
Easily one of the most complicated fighters we’ve seen so far, they also look the most fun, with a learning curve sure to be as challenging as it is rewarding.
Their other incarnations are available as palette swaps, with the appropriate VA voicing them to boot, and there’s even more being brought to the table. We get four new costumes for Mii Fighters, Veronica, Martial Artist, Erdrick, and the Slime Hat, for Swordfighter, Brawler, Swordfighter, and everybody, respectively. The goodies don’t stop there, as the tracks coming for the Hero’s inclusion are two apiece from each of their games of origin, good news for fans of the series jonesing for some audio nostalgia.
Everyone loves it when a hero arrives, and this one is shaping up to be quite a presence. Fans of Smash and Dragon Quest alike are sure to be happy about the inclusion, and with one more fighter left to be revealed, the Smash hype train continues to barrel at full speed. Until next time, stay and play savvy, gamers.
