Key takeaways
- Super Smash Bros. 64 introduced a prominent, damage percentage for platform fighters to make matches more accessible and strategic.
- Final Smash in Super Smash Bros Brawl features chaotic and fun super moves with unique, significantly different gameplay styles for each character.
- Platform fighters like Shovel Knight Showdown feature mechanics like parry that offer defensive strategies, adding depth to combat dynamics.
Platform Fighter is a subgenre of fighting games that took some time to catch the attention of the audience, despite being the first platform fighting game, Outfuxies. By then, many fans were not interested Super Smash Bros. 64 Nintendo was developed with characters. Crossing the battle with well-known IPs was the necessary ingredient for the niche genre to push its popularity.
As the genre evolved, it became more and more Super Smash Bros. The franchise incorporated several mechanics to bring innovation to the genre. This inspired other developers to come up with other ideas for their own platform fighters, further increasing the popularity of the genre and broadening the possibilities.
related to
The 5 Best Platform Fighters, Ranked
Platform fighters bring a large cast of iconic characters into a single setting, making them a real treat for fans of long-running franchises.
11 Damage percentage
The bigger they are, the tougher they are
Super Smash Bros. 64 Introduced what would become a major staple for platform fighters, damage percentage. This was a unique way to allocate health in a fighting game because a higher damage percentage made the fighter more susceptible to starting.
It was designed to be more comfortable for casual play, such as the King of the Hill game mode. The main goal is to knock the opponent off the screen, losing their life stock. This helped make the game more welcoming to a wider audience as many retro fighting games made the games tense with complex inputs and chip damage.
10 Final blow
Absolute chaos
The finale was presented at Smash Super Smash Bros Brawl To destroy friendships. It was a super move to destroy at least one opponent on the stage. The only way to gain such power is through a smash ball, a glowing metal orb. It breaks easily after being on stage for long periods of time or losing players.
Final Smash had different activations and effects for each character. Some final smashes are very simple, like giant projectiles from Mario or Samus. Other Ultimate Smash buffs the user, activating a temporary installation state that strengthens attacks like Super Sonic and Wario-Man. It made some characters very chaotic, but still fun to play.
9 darling
Nightly Blowback
Shovel Knight Showdown Forces players to think carefully about parry. Its only defensive option protects the user from any attacks before knocking down nearby opponents. This can punish attackers for being too aggressive, which can launch them into harmful terrain.
The major drawback is its end delay and reward. Missing the lovely window will harm the user. While it protects the user, it does not stun the opponent for long, allowing fighters to fight quickly. The user has some advantage frames to act upon after a successful parry.
8 anger
Guilty gear meter
Rage is an essential mechanic for pulling off a big comeback or mitigating an upset fight. Defensively, a fighter can make half a bar of rage to access Rage Burst. It pushes away any nearby opponents while halting the user's movement, protecting them from lethal projectiles. It can also save a fighter when he is in a helpless situation after using up specials for recovery.
Offensively, a fighter can fill a full meter to access Rage Mode. This powers the user's attacks, increasing both damage and knockback. It is expensive as the entire meter is required. It's best to manage anger meters to avoid wasting unnecessary resources on various interactions.
7 Directional influence
Impact survival
Directional effects favor platform fighters Super Smash Bros Melee Very different from traditional fighters. Defenders are allowed to avoid lethal blows by controlling the launch angle. It's an effective addition that will become a staple for the series.
While DI is very beneficial for the injured player, it can have consequences. A conscious attacker can react to DI and induce further punishment. The defender must also recognize the proper DI on certain attacks, which may deplete the stock earlier than expected.
6 Wavedash
advanced movement
Wavedash is an inspired mechanic that is easy to do Rivals of the Aether. This option allows players to dash back and forth with instant access to attack. Its use is similar to Street Fighter when both fighters play footsie to bait and punish whiffed attacks.
Wavelanding Platform is another inspired addition to the movement. It allows the user to slide across the ground to match landings, challenging the opponent's reflexes and predictions. It can be used defensively to avoid a potential attack or offensively to hold off an opponent.
5 Slim
Runs with a bit of slime
A brand new mechanic for Slim Meter was introduced Nick All-Star Brawl II. Its powerful uses are similar to other fighting games Guilty gear, The King of Fightersand Street Fighter.
This helps both offensive and defensive play, expanding combat options for the player. Fighters get buff when dealing or taking damage. For a slime bar, players can cancel any action to link a true combo or enhance one of their special attacks for stronger properties. If a player is attacked or launched, two slime bars can be spent to push the opponent back and stop the movement. The most powerful, expensive option is using all three bars for the fighter's ultimate, dealing massive damage and knockback to most opponents.
4 weapon
Weapons Master
Weapons are the best utility to gain in one fight Equipping a matching weapon increases the fighter's damage and range. Each fighter has two of thirteen weapon classes:
- the sword
- the spear
- the cannon
- The gauntlet
- big sword
- Rocket Lance
- the bow
- Cars
- the hammer
- Orb
- scythe
- axis
- blasters
Each fighter starts the game with their most consistent weapon, unarmed. After a while, a flaming sword will randomly fall on the stage for anyone to catch. When a fighter gains a weapon, they are randomly equipped with one of their two weapon attributes. This grants them new combos when using special weapon-based moves or throwing weapons at an opponent.
related to
6 best games with Scythe weapons
There is no better weapon than a scythe to mow down enemies in video games, as games like Dante's Inferno and Grim Dawn demonstrate.
3 benefits
Diverse abilities
In the benefit system MultiVersus Allows fighters to equip perks, which grant specific buffs and abilities. It is classified into three types: red offensive, blue defensive, and green utility. MultiVersus Encourages players to equip any perk for customization, although team synergy can be strengthened when pairs equip similar perks for additional stat boosts.
Any fighter can carry up to three perks, although each fighter has unique signature perks. These perks are tied to a fighter specifically for their move set, such as Bugs Bunny's Tunnel Shockwave or Batman's Strong Boomerang. Only one signature perk is equipped for a fighter, giving their playstyle more depth.
2 Adaptation moves
Smash Bros Variants
Customization moves bring a lot of customization possibilities inside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Each character in the base roster had 2 additional options to change their properties and effects for each special, such as Mario's Shock Cape or Marth's Dolphin Jump. Some characters like Palutena had custom moves that completely changed special moves.
This design is similar Mortal Kombat Xof character variations, changing the fighter's access to techniques for multiple playstyles. Customization moves broadened the capabilities of fighters, especially mii fighters with customizable weights and heights for different stats. Custom moves were not available to DLC characters, locking them to one playstyle.
1 The last zoom
Effective finish
Knockouts have never been more satisfying than with Finish Zoom In Super Smash Bros Ultimate. The finish zooms in as the last two players make a powerful game-ending attack. This slows down the action and locks in the last attack before the player starts. This doesn't happen unless the launched player is at their last stock, though it can warn off a stock-end attack with its deadly shock sparks.
It doesn't always guarantee a knockout. On receiving attacks the player can still survive with proper DI. This is more designed to help the losing player recognize their situation and defend themselves before their last stand unless their damage percentage is too high.
