Super Smash Bros. Director Explains Why Ridley Isn't Playable

[Steven Bogos]

Super Smash Bros. Director Explains Why Ridley Isn't Playable

Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai tells us that Ridley is just too big to be a Smash Bros. fighter.

For some reason, Metroid fans really, really wanted the series main antagonist, Ridley, to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. These fans had their hopes raised, and subsequently dashed, when Ridley was revealed... to IGN [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138196-Super-Smash-Bros-Wii-U-to-receive-Mewtwo-DLC-and-more] why the decision was made.

"I definitely know that Ridley's a much-anticipated name for fans, but if we made Ridley as a fighter, it wouldn't be Ridley any longer," explained Sakurai. "It'd have to be shrunk down, or its wings reduced in size, or be unable to fly around freely."

"Providing accurate portrayals of characters is something I want to pay ample attention to," he continued. "If I don't stick to that thought, then we'd have to lower the quality or break the balance of the game. Something that goes way off spec could break the entire game."

He said that rather than go through "a lot of very convoluted hocus-pocus" to make Ridley a playable fighter, they opted for the "boss character" route, so that fans could still have him in the game in some way. "I figured it'd be better to keep Ridley as it currently is, the correct way, and have it feel like a truly threatening presence," he added.

So there you have it folks, Ridley confirmed for "too big." Are you satisfied with his inclusion as a boss, or would you rather Sakurai have tried to make him a playable fighter anyway?

Source: IGN [http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11/19/why-ridley-isnt-playable-in-smash-bros]

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[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I'd have to agree. But also there's this:

Spoiler: Awkward indeed

 

[Nazulu]

I agree. He's the large intimidating mutant pterodactyl bastard that's usually good at stopping you progress in the Metroid games. Though they could have worked him as an item release, something that attacks for you or you could ride for a short time maybe. I prefer him to be the big boss, because he has the perfect look for it.

Also, thanks for sharing the comic Caprae. Very funny

 

[flying_whimsy]

I'd have to agree. But also there's this:

Spoiler: Awkward indeed

Oh my gosh, that was hilarious. I really like the 'one time' defense.

OT: This may make me sound like a bit of a heretic, but I just never got the hype about Ridley. The fact that he never did anything other than attack nor really stayed dead just kind of ruined it for me: he's just like Ganondorf where he's evil just because someone had to be. It'll be fun to kick the crap out of him in smash, though.

Besides, Metroids are much scarier.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Well... Fair enough I suppose. In terms of draconic characters, we already have Charizard anyway.

 

[Kenjitsuka]

Baby Ridley, or "Kawaii Ridley"?
Not that I care, but those were some options...

 

[SilverUchiha]

I'd have to agree. But also there's this:

Spoiler: Awkward indeed

*slow claps* Awesome.

OT: I get the explanation. But two things. One: Ridley's size is somewhat inconsistent. Two: With the mods I've seen for Brawl that show a smaller Ridley, yeah, sure, he looks a little less intimidating,but so what? It's still a playable Ridley and I'd take that no matter what they had to do to make him work.

 

[RejjeN]

I'd have to agree. But also there's this:

Spoiler: Awkward indeed

*slow claps* Awesome.

OT: I get the explanation. But two things. One: Ridley's size is somewhat inconsistent. Two: With the mods I've seen for Brawl that show a smaller Ridley, yeah, sure, he looks a little less intimidating,but so what? It's still a playable Ridley and I'd take that no matter what they had to do to make him work.

As a Metroid fan I'd take offense to that personally. For once I agree with Sakurai in that the portrayal of the character ought to be done right. And on that topic... WHY DOES GANONDORF STILL NOT HAVE HIS SWORD!? T_T

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Oh my gosh, that was hilarious. I really like the 'one time' defense.

I also love the tie. Just seems so out of place on Ridley which is also hilarious. Like they got him as dressed up as they could and it failed to make any impression. Also the animosity on Samus' face is priceless.

 

[Lotet]

WHY DOES GANONDORF STILL NOT HAVE HIS SWORD!? T_T

Actually, he can replace Warlock Punch with Warlock Blade now, it's a weaker but longer ranged version of the attack.

 

[Teoes]

Oh my gosh, that was hilarious. I really like the 'one time' defense.

I also love the tie. Just seems so out of place on Ridley which is also hilarious. Like they got him as dressed up as they could and it failed to make any impression. Also the animosity on Samus' face is priceless.

I love it too that when it comes down to it and he's not snarling, Ridley's face does look kinda goofy; what with the overbite.

OT: I can accept and understand Nintendo's reasons for not including a playable Ridley. Carry on.

 

[Trishbot]

I'm not sure I buy it. I mean, Bowser has been this big before:

Or Ganondorf used to be this big:

Or the fact that Charizard is supposed to be THIS big:

Characters shrink and grow all the time (otherwise the Pikmin wouldn't even be visible).

Or that the fact we have characters with wings that fly all the time, like the aforementioned Charizard, Meta Knight, Pit, Dark Pit, among others.

So... still don't buy it. Just shrink him down. I don't see how this isn't practical:

 

[Gladion]

There is always the option of - what's it called? - asymetric gameplay? Having Ridley playable only with at least 3 opponents or so. And health instead of dmg%. I dunno, just sprung to mind. Shouldn't be impossible, though I find the constant demands of more and more SSB characters by fans a little bit silly. The game already has a spectacular amount of fighters, trying to balance that shit must've been an absolute nightmare for the team. And then another one seeing everyone just play as Fox or Falcon in tournaments anyway.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Uhh...Sakurai, you kinda did that to Charizard already. TWICE.

I mean, I get the logistical issues with large fighters; DK and Bowser have been very unwieldy in previous Smash games but you've made good progress. (a month ago, I heard people complaining about Bowser being OP. BOWSER. Oh my how times have changed)

It's not unworkable; though I imagine getting all those animations up to snuff would be a flaming pain in the ass.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

I'm fine with it. Blizzard is doing the same thing with Deathwing and Heroes of the Storm. While I would love to play him, Blizz says in order for him to feel authentic he'd have to fill half the screen and crack the ground with a trail of fire anywhere he goes. Not something you can really balance.

 

[BX3]

I'm not sure I buy it. I mean, Bowser has been this big before:

Spoiler

Or Ganondorf used to be this big:

Spoiler

Or the fact that Charizard is supposed to be THIS big:

Spoiler

Characters shrink and grow all the time (otherwise the Pikmin wouldn't even be visible).

Or that the fact we have characters with wings that fly all the time, like the aforementioned Charizard, Meta Knight, Pit, Dark Pit, among others.

So... still don't buy it. Just shrink him down. I don't see how this isn't practical:

Those are terrible examples, actually. Bowser's size constantly changes from hulking mass of dino-turtle to to about 8 feet CONSTANTLY. Ganondorf (from what I understand from a close friend who's actually into Zelda) is a shapeshifter and can change size quite a lot. Charzard's size in the anime is ridiculous, as he's only actually supposed to be about 4 feet tall. Their heights are about as consistant and predictable as weather in midwest United States.

Ridley, on the other hand, with the exception of 1 game due to hardware limitations, has always been a giant, beastly, scary, dragon-pirate. And from what I've been told, even in that one game, that limitation was later fixed in a re-release. Plus, there's the fact that... well, here, I'll just copy paste this post from another forum I frequent.

Then there's more specific stuff like consistent proportions based on franchise. i.e. Olimar and Toon Link can get away with being stupidly big because there are no other characters from their games where there's a considerably huge difference in size. Plus, there's no canon where, say, Mario can stand next to Kirby with their legit size differences, so said differences are negligible. The "Too big" excuse sounds like bullshit, but if you just step back and think about it, the logic is sound.

It would've been nice if they had used their Sora magic to make it work (they made WFT and Duck Hunt work, after all), but if they couldn't find a decent way around it, then they couldn't find a decent way around it. Simple as that.

 

[Gizen]

To me, if we wanna get into logic I suppose, it's not his sheer size that makes him incompatible so much as it is that, to have him be true to Metroid, he'd probably be unbalanced. Ridley has traditionally had a flawless combination of extreme mobility, ridiculous speed, and the ability to hit like a mach truck thanks to his aforementioned size, the combination of which in a fighter like this would likely be degenerate. So which of those do you sacrifice to make him a fighter, and does he still feel like Ridley after you do it?

While I would like him to be a fighter, so long as he's got a larger than average role in the game for a non-fighter, I can be satisfied with that. Though, personally, I preferred what they did with Brawl where there was actual in-game boss fights. The boss rush mode in that was especially fun, and it always tickled me how Ridley got to be not one, but two of those bosses when most franchises didn't even get one boss representative.

 

[mew4ever23]

This is what I've been saying for YEARS - Ridley is just too big to be a smash fighter!

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Charzard's size in the anime is ridiculous, as he's only actually supposed to be about 4 feet tall.

Actually as far as the most recent games are concerned, Charizard is 5′7″ (1.70m) 199.5 lbs (90.5 kg), which means he's probably around as tall as Marth and slightly heavier. I'm not refuting your point, I just want to have a conversation about the sizes of Pokemon in comparison to their trainers.

The anime gets the proportions more correct more often IMO, we're supposed to be able to fly on these creatures and it's more realistic to do that on a Charizard twice your size, rather than one the same size as you.

---
OT: I wouldn't be opposed to shrinking Ridley down for the purpose of making him playable. I mean I understand the excuse, but they're supposed to be toys anyway in this mashed together storyline. We aren't playing these characters in their respective universes or any detailed connected mythos like the MCU, so I feel there's room for rule breaking.

Spoiler

 

[BX3]

Charzard's size in the anime is ridiculous, as he's only actually supposed to be about 4 feet tall.

Actually as far as the most recent games are concerned, Charizard is 5′7″ (1.70m) 199.5 lbs (90.5 kg), which means he's probably around as tall as Marth and slightly heavier. I'm not refuting your point, I just want to have a conversation about the sizes of Pokemon in comparison to their trainers.

The anime gets the proportions more correct more often IMO, we're supposed to be able to fly on these creatures and it's more realistic to do that on a Charizard twice your size, rather than one the same size as you.

Thanks for the correction. I honestly going by a chart someone put together where he compiled data of all the characters' canon heights and set them side by side; Charzard was on the short side. If they corrected that state in the more recent games, then no arguments from me.

Still quite inconsistent, though.