Get more tips with Prima’s Super Smash Bros. 3DS strategy guide!
When Super Smash Bros. appeared on the N64 scene in 1999, it was the birth of the brawler. You can put Smash into the fighting genre, but it has little in common with more traditional fighting games such as Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. If Super Smash Bros. 3DS is your first experience with the series, the fresh play mechanics and large roster of characters can be a bit intimidating. It also doesn’t help that millions of people have been playing the series for the last 15 years.
Like most competitive games, some of the characters in Super Smash Bros. 3DS are easier to use than others. Some characters require a lot of practice due to their high learning curves, but others have special moves and tactics that work well with minimal practice. It’s these characters that are best for gamers who are new to the Smash Bros. series, or simply looking for a character who they don’t have to put much work into.
That said, here are the best Smash characters for newcomers.
Link and Toon Link
At the highest level of play, Link and Toon Link are two very different characters. However, to a novice player, they’re virtually one in the same. Both characters have a multitude of projectile attacks, which is great for a new player. The ability to stand across the screen, away from everyone else, and toss projectiles is probably one of the easiest ways to play Super Smash Bros. 3DS. Both Links have arrows, bombs and a boomerang to throw at opponents across the screen. The boomerang even comes back, providing a second attack as it returns.
If an opponent is able to get close to you, both Links have a Spin Attack that clears out any nearby opponents and can even be used in the air. Link’s Smash Attacks also work well at close range, with some of them having two hits to keep an opponent guessing as to whether or not you’ll use the second attack. If that weren’t enough, Link’s Up Tilt allows for relatively easy combos that lead into his Up Smash, Spin Attack or aerial Spin Attack.
Link’s throw is a little slow, but it does have good range and can even be used to help get back on the stage after you’ve been knocked off. While Link’s recovery options could be a bit better (even with the help of Link’s throw), they aren’t the worst in the game. You can even use Link’s various projectile attacks to cover your approach as you get closer to the main platform.
Little Mac
Unlike most of the other characters who are great for Smash beginners, Little Mac is a close-range fighter with no projectile attacks. However, he has a few options against projectile users that will come in handy if you come across any other players using these beginner characters. His Jolt Haymaker special move covers a lot of ground and jumps over projectile attacks in the process. This gives Little Mac an easy way to punish opponents who are standing far away and shooting projectiles.
Little Mac is all about moving forward. His Forward Smash has super armor, which means that it can absorb an attack and still hit the opponent. His Forward Tilt should be your go-to attack when not using special moves or Smash Attacks. You can even mash the A button to launch a barrage of close-range jabs at your opponent.
When the Power Meter (right above Little Mac’s damage percentage) is full, Little Mac can unleash a devastating KO Uppercut. If you take too much damage, don’t worry about it because this increases the rate at which Little Mac’s Power Meter charges. Try not to use the KO Uppercut right away, because opponents will expect it. Use it when they’re occupied fighting other players, or trying to get back on stage after being knocked off.
Mario
Mario is one of the biggest and most well-known videogame characters in the world, so it only makes sense that he’s fairly user-friendly. He has a Fireball projectile attack that can be used to keep opponents away, and a Cape that can deflect projectile attacks. His Super Jump Punch is great for ending combos, and the F.L.U.D.D. water gun is a great way to get opponents off of you.
At close range, use Mario’s Up Tilt to start some easy combos. Use Up Tilt several times, then end your combo with Up Smash or the Super Jump Punch. While the number of hits you can pull off will vary depending on the damage percentage of the opponent, this is a very easy combo to perform on any characters that get close to you.
Mario’s recovery options aren’t the greatest, but you can use a combination of the Cape and Super Jump Punch to make your way back to the stage. You can also use F.L.U.D.D. and Fireballs to prevent opponents from making their way back to the stage. Combine all of this and you have a character that’s relatively easy to play, but can really dish out the damage once you’ve become more familiar with the character and the game.
Villager
Animal Crossing is a fairly easy game to pick up and play. While there’s a lot to do, a beginner should have no trouble jumping right in and having fun. The Villager character in Super Smash Bros. 3DS has the same mentality. He’s fairly easy to pick up and play, while maintaining quite a bit of competitive power once you start to really dig into his move set and abilities.
One of the Villager’s best assets for a beginner is the fact that he can catch projectile attacks and use them at a later time. The Villager’s Pocket special move allows him to catch most projectile attacks and “pocket” them. This is great against players who like to spend their time on the far side of the stage throwing various projectile attacks in your direction. When the Villager uses a pocketed projectile attack, it becomes slightly stronger than the original attack.
The Lloid Rocket special move is great for recovery, but also works well to get out of a sticky situation or just make some room around you. You can shoot the Lloid Rocket like a projectile, or ride it (by holding B) to increase the damage and move along with the projectile. If you get knocked off the stage, the Balloon Trip recovery move covers a great deal of vertical distance, and both balloons have to be popped to stop it. In addition, if you mash B you will move even higher into the air.
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Duck Hunt
When you first go through Duck Hunt’s move list, you may think he’s a complicated character, and you would be right. While it will certainly take some time to become a high-level Duck Hunt player, at a casual level he has all the tools you need to dominate the competition. Duck Hunt has three projectile attacks, a great recovery move, good Smash Attacks, decent aerial attacks, and while he’s not the fastest character in the game, he’s not the slowest either.
The biggest advantage of playing Duck Hunt as one of your first characters is that he has three projectile attacks. You can literally spam projectile attacks and do well at a casual level. The Can and Wild Gunman are a bit more complicated to use compared to the Clay Pigeon, but all three are effective. The Clay Pigeon is a more traditional projectile attack, while the Can can be used in a variety of setups, and the Wild Gunman can actually shield Duck Hunt from attacks.
If you get knocked off, you can use the Can to make a safe return to the main platform. This works very well in conjunction with Duck Hunt’s recovery move, which carries him high into the air. If an opponent gets close, use the Wild Gunman or one of Duck Hunt’s Smash Attacks. In the air, Duck Hunt’s Neutral Aerial is one of the best aerial attacks in the game. All of this is fairly easy to use as a beginner, but leaves a lot of room for advanced play once you start to learn the game and the character better.
Expect plenty more Super Smash Bros. coverage in the coming week.
