I really didn’t expect this Smashing Saturdays to be that exciting, but I should have known better with a Nintendo Direct looming on the horizon. Besides a very unexpected new character reveal, we also got some great updates this week, including one of my favorite villains and the king of hadoken. So let’s get smashing!

Gotta love that funky music in Bowser’s character video. I didn’t always love the Koopa King in Smash, but I have since his massive upgrade in the more recent entries. He may not be the fastest, but he can really put the hurt on foes, and he’s much more maneuverable than one would expect. Best of all, Bowser’s new Final Smash looks really fun, like Giga Bowser x Rock’em Sock’em Robots. Can’t wait to play him again in Ultimate.

I’m gonna go ahead and say something unpopular again – I don’t think we need Toon Link and Young Link in the same game. They’re just so similar. That said, if we were gonna lose one, I would rather lose Young Link. But that’s only because I really love the visual style of Toon Link, one that only became popular years after the release of Wind Waker. Nowadays it’s very well recognized, though. Either way, I hope everybody is ready for getting hacked and slashed by tons of elfin heroes clad in green…

It wouldn’t make sense to have Ice Climbers back without their iconic level, the Summit. And while it’s not necessarily my favorite, I do like how hectic and tense it can get. What I don’t like? Getting eaten by that nasty fish. Rest in peace, Captain Olimar…

Speaking of the good captain, the Pikmin Main Theme is getting used in Ultimate. Composed by Hideki Sakamoto, it’s surprisingly edgy and energetic for a game about a goofy little astronaut. To hear it for yourself, just click here.

As an old hand at Street Fighter (I used to be good, honest), you’d think I love Ryu in Smash. And while I do like his inclusion, I find him very difficult to master. The controls I spent so many years perfecting for his hadoken and shoryuken are much harder to do the old way in such a fast paced game as Smash Bros. That said, I am glad he’s here to represent the iconic fighting series, but I don’t really want any other reps from other well known fighting games. Smash is best when it’s crazy and unpredictable, not trying to appease the fans from another series. Speaking of unpredictable, let’s move onto the surprise reveal from this week’s Nintendo Direct.

I suppose we all should have suspected some Ultimate reveals from the Direct, but Isabelle was still a hell of a curveball. I don’t think I’m alone in expecting Tom Nook to be announced first. That said, it’s always nice to have more gender diversity in Smash Bros., and Isabelle looks just different enough to be interesting. Her moves range the gamut from hurling pots to tossing water out of a bucket, blasting foes with fireworks or grabbing them with a fishing pole (my personal favorite), a pom-pom twirl and even a vertically oriented Lloid Rocket. We don’t yet know what her Final Smash is going to be, unless it involves her getting kidnapped in a bus, as seen later in the reveal trailer. What I’m still unclear about is whether Isabelle is a “new” character or a weird Echo variant of Villager. She’s definitely a bit different, but there are still some similarities. Either way, it’s nice to have another representative from Animal Crossing, even if I don’t follow the series. The more strange characters in Smash, the better.

Now, don’t run away, as it’s time for another Character of the Week!

Character of the Week

Yoshi!

Since I was very pleased with the Direct footage of Yoshi’s Crafted World, I figured this was a good week to talk about my love for Mario’s trusty dino steed. Unlike Bowser, I have liked Yoshi in Smash from the very beginning, and even though his recovery is tricky at first, I grew to really love his fighting style. His lack of a real recovery move is overshadowed by how great his flutter kick is, and his eggs are great for playing keep away. I also love pounding foes with his feet and rolling into an egg to disrupt attacks. Honestly, the only move I don’t regularly use for Yoshi is eating my foes. Which seems odd, in retrospect. Regardless, Yoshi is a joy to play, and he’s one of my regulars. Barring him getting significantly nerfed in Ultimate, I’m planning on spending a lot of time playing as Yoshi in the new game.

Thanks again for joining us this week for another Smashing Saturdays! Join us in counting the days til the December release next week, and keep your eyes peeled for the next character reveal after Isabelle!