Gaming's finest, as desired by EarlyGame's finest.
Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series of crossover platform fighters has, at least in terms of reception, somewhat transcended being "just video games". Each new installment feels like a cultural flashpoint, with every announcement sparking excitement and speculation about which gaming icon might join the roster next.
And since EarlyGame is an entertainment magazine, it's no surprise that our team isn't immune to a bit of wishful thinking. Many of us have our own characters, games and franchises we'd love to see represented in Smash Bros.; whether for their nostalgia factor or their potential for fun movesets. So, I decided to ask around the office to see who everyone would pick and sure enough, I got multiple creative responses – many even came with their own short Top 3 wishlists.
Tanja Haimerl's Top 3
Leading the list is, appropriately, our content lead, Tanja Haimerl, whose picks reveal a clear fondness for fantasy settings. From CD Projekt’s acclaimed and million-selling The Witcher series, she chose Ciri, the magically gifted adopted daughter of Geralt of Rivia (who was very close to taking Ciri's spot on this list) and protagonist of the upcoming The Witcher IV. On the Nintendo side, she'd like to see the The Legend of Zelda franchise representation expanded with Malon from Ocarina of Time (milk-bucket- and horse-based attacks included) and Ghirahim from Skyward Sword, easily the series' most flamboyant villain.
Daniel Fersch's Top 3
Fellow Nintendo fan, full-time content creator and designer Daniel Fersch shows his appreciation for the Game Boy (Color) era: With Hudson Soft/Konami's bomb-placing adorable robot mascot Bomberman and WayForward's shapeshifting half-genie hero Shantae, he's picking up on some of the most-wanted third-party character candidates, whose moveset potential has been sufficiently demonstrated in multiple Smash Bros. fan games and modding projects. The main antagonist of the Wario Land series, Captain Syrup, however, constitutes a far more underrated pick, with both herself and her origin series sadly sidelined by Nintendo.
Luis Scharringhausen's Top 3
Demonstrating his broad gaming tastes, it's my co-intern Luis Scharringhausen. The most recognizable name among his Top 3, at least here in the West, is likely Kratos, the main protagonist of Sony’s flagship God of War series, whose brutal combat style practically designs his moveset for him. Next is Sun Wukong, another mythology-inspired fighter, with his 2024 soulslike Black Myth: Wukong, helped acknowledge the increasingly significant Chinese gaming market. And Ky Kiske, the deuteragonist of Guilty Gear? Well, according to Luis, he already deserves a spot if only to bring his franchise's phenomenal soundtrack with him.
Lilliana Pazurek's Favorite
Many highly-requested third-party characters that Super Smash Bros. fans still ask for are more modern representatives, whereas Earthworm Jim feels like a character primarily SNES-era players will instantly recognize. Equal parts absurd and endearing, this super-suited worm with a laser blaster would fit right in among Smash Bros.' more eccentric fighters. His mix of slapstick humor and over-the-top weaponry practically begs for a moveset, even if his – as the time of writing – final original title remains unavailable on modern platforms. But given Lilliana's long and professional history with the medium, it's no surprise she's not deterred by that fact.
Ignacio Weil's Top 3
Proving he's a man of taste, our experienced freelancer and Spanish-language content lead Ignacio Weil would also like to see and end to Earthworm Jim's decade-long absence from gaming industry headlines. Though, due to his special connection with the Dreamcast era, his no. 1 pick would be Vyse from Skies of Arcadia. Given the character's history, design and unique fighting style thanks to his twin pirate cutlasses, it's easy to see why. Shantae as a representative of an indie game series that has a long history with Nintendo isn't absent from his top list either, really going to show how just how surprisingly popular she is around the office.
Adrian Gerlach's Top 3
Hey, that's me. In my opinion, Smash Bros. is really missing out by not including Taito's Space Invaders as one bulk fighter, with them being perhaps the first (debuting 1978) and still among the most recognizable gaming mascots, who'd use designs based on their in-game sprites along with attacks inspired by the entire Taito catalogue. Raven Beak demonstrated obvious moveset potential with his appearance in Metroid Dread, while forming a key part of the Metroid series' overarching plot. And Paper Mario is simply a very nostalgic series for me and many others, sporting a main protagonist with surprisingly distinct abilities and – most importantly – partners.
Now it's your turn: Who would you like to see in Smash Bros.? Let us know in the comments!