On Jan. 16 at 9am ET, game designer Masahiro Sakurai announced the long-anticipated, fifth DLC fighter for “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” that will become available for purchase and download Jan. 28 for $5.99. This title, one of the most popular on the Switch platform, has had regular DLC expansions since its debut in Dec. 2018.
The Smash Direct began with a short foreword by Sakurai, then proceeded into the reveal trailer for the new fighter who had previously been riddled in speculation. But all things must come to an end, and the vast number of rumored characters were slashed away.
The revealed fighter was Byleth, the protagonist of the seventeenth installment into the “Fire Emblem” franchise “Fire Emblem: Three Houses.” This title was only released last summer, so many viewers might have been unaware of who this character was if they were otherwise unfamiliar with the franchise.
To remedy that issue, Mr. Sakurai gave a brief history of the “Fire Emblem” series and explained what sort of games they were, and the thought process he went through when trying to decide how to adapt this character into his popular fighting game.
“To understand the concept of ‘Fire Emblem: Three Houses,’ I played an early version of the game before its release. I’ve done the same thing before with ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,’ for example,” Sakurai said.
This fighter is the newest of a large cast of fighters from the “Fire Emblem” games that have been added to the Smash roster over the years and is basically just another sword user. However, Byleth does have some notable details that make the fighter unique and potentially very fun to play.
“Sadly, they’re lacking in mobility. It’s maybe a bit better than Robin’s, but that’s about all you can say for them. Throws are not their strong point either, their grab lacks range, but actually you could say that they’re a distance demon,” Sakurai revealed.
This is what makes Byleth stand out from the other fighters of its archetype, the fact that not only can the character’s default sword extend across the stage like a whip, but they also have access to a variety of other weapons with unique abilities depending on the player’s directional input.
Byleth’s final smash is called “Progenitor God Ruptured Heaven,” where Byleth teams up with the character Sothis to unleash a combined assault.
Aesthetically, players have access to both the male and female forms of this character, along with alternate color options that symbolize concepts from Byleth’s home title.
Along with the fighter, the DLC comes with the new stage Garreg Mach Monestary and is a recreation of where you spend most of your time in “Fire Emblem: Three Houses.” Furthermore, eleven new songs have been added to the game to add to the new stage’s atmosphere and play experience.
Popular characters from the title will be available within the Spirit Board as part of Smash Ultimate’s story mode, and a route for Byleth has been added into Classic Mode, called “A Heroic Legacy.”
Finally, the next Fighter Pass has been announced, and six more mysterious fighters will soon join the battle and will be available for pre-purchase on Jan. 28.
