LogFAQs > #967388418

Hero - Dragon Quest V

Im not a huge fan of Heros spellset. Big Oof Ouch Lighting Damage combined with scattered useful spells from other classes - its functional, it fits the role of hero really well, but I find it very devoid of personality unless youre tossing it with DQXIs Pep Powers or DQ8s Tension or something. Which is why I find the DQV hero so damn refreshing among them! He will be the hard carry through the start of the game, but focuses on the Woosh line rather than the Zap line, which is a neat bit of flavor. And as the game progresses, your character gets to settle more and more into a role as a support unit just as in-story theyre becoming more and more of a support unit to their allies and family. And they get a staff that can cast BeDragon for free! Its a really elegant little system that gives a stronger gameplay identity to the Heros spells than you need to do the Hero thing, here is the Hero magic so you can do the Hero thing. If I had to pick of those in Smash, Id probably go with DQ3s Hero just because the variable party kind of needs Erdrick to be the unchanging bedrock on which the class-changing losers around them can build off of, but I really do think far more highly of the DQ5 hero than the rest.

Best Smash Appearance: Ultimate - I see Hero conversations going one of two ways: liking him for his zaniness or hating him for the exact same reason. And to that I will say: there are a lot of characters that I dont play that I would be disappointed to get if selected randomly. I will never be disappointed to get Hero. Hero dittos are some of the most stupid, ridiculously fun matches you can have in Ultimate, desperately trying to get the right buffs before your opponent can do the same and ALWAYS fishing for Bounce. He adds so much chaos to free-for-alls, too - Hero really is a fabulous addition for a party environment. I think hes designed about as well as he could be while keeping all his bells and whistles intact - dull, serviceable swordplay that occasionally will hit a crit leading into the real fun of zany spells with wacky effects. If youre not a fan of the randomness, I can understand that, but I find it a rather fun and flavorful balancing act to bridge his underwhelming generic options and his incredible potential. I do think the UI is inherently flawed, and they should at least add symbols to the Command Menu for the sake of readability and accessibility (your character should not be made even more of a guessing game because your screen is small or your glasses are dirty or something), but I would change very little about the guy, his feel and flavor is on point for who he is. A-

King Dedede - Kirby Star Allies

Dededes weird in the Kirby series. More often than not, if hes playable, youre just getting Hammer with a few bells and whistles. And Hammers great, dont get me wrong, I love playing around with Hammer. But that often doesnt compensate for his bulkier hitbox and slower feel, at least when it comes to Return to Dreamland or Triple Deluxe. Hes a weird, stiff heavy of a character.

Star Allies somehow completely remedies this with the Super Dedede Jump. Executed with a charge input so its not spammable, the move has total invincibility from the ascent to the landing, and has active hitboxes allll the way through. This thing is a hilarious panic option against bosses, melting guys like Kracko by Dedede flexing in midair on them, and its fabulous. This gives the king an actual niche over just picking Hammer Kirby or Bonkers, as it gives him an escape option that isnt as spammable, but is much better at actually moving the fight along than just dodging. Add in Star Allies element system, and Dedede is actually one of the more fair and fun Dream Friends to take on the Ultimate Choice with. Hes not pathetically easy like Marx or the Mage Sisters are, but he still feels powerful and like he always has an option against most bosses, in spite of his bulk and the natural drawbacks of hammer. Its a good balance

Best Smash Appearance: Brawl - I miss Waddle Dee Toss. A lot. I know that Gordos are more flexible and have become a cornerstone of his kit, but I liked weird summoner Dedede putting a meat shield in front of himself so he could extend his hitlag and get his long, laggy attacks out. Brawl is really the game made for Dedede - slow, multiple air dodges he could abuse, chaingrabs galore, lots of slow pokes leading to deaths from a thousand weak trades. Hes never really found his footing competitively outside of that environment, and while I do find his current design to be a lot healthier, I also think that playing as Dedede is a painful experience where you just dont feel like you can do anything more than half of the time. And his advantage state isnt as fun as DKs or K Rools or Bowsers. I do think hes the most expressive character in the game - no one does expressions like Dedede - and him suffering and getting hit by his own attacks IS incredibly in-character, but I think they just never really figured out what to do with Dedede after Brawl. They obviously tried, and hes got a lot of fun tools to mess around with, but I dont think they ever coalesce into a full kit that actually DOES anything other than eat hits and launch Gordos. B-

That feels good for today, I'll rest now. Assist Trophies, cameos, and the like are fine, I know that I'll have a lot less to say on them as there are a lot more I just haven't gotten the chance to play, but at the very least I'm confident in Waluigi.