Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Pyra and Mythra arrive

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

We are almost there. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighters, barring a third and unlikely Fighter Pass, are about to reach their maximum number. Today (March 5) Pyra and Mythra (from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which closed the grand Nintendo Switch 2017 in a spectacular way) will join the fight, to quote one of the game's slogans.

The work of Masahiro Sakurai has reached such gargantuan dimensions that it is difficult not to give in to the list: this Challenger Set number 9 is the third last of the second Fighter Pass, and will add the characters - according to the official calculation - seventy-nine and eighty. As usual, we give you a quick rundown of what you can buy, and how. The Fighter Pass Vol. 2 (this is the official name) is on sale, in its entirety, at 29.99 euros. The simple Challenger Set number 9, the one including Pyra and Mythra, costs 5.99 Euros - in essence, you want to own all the fighters, taking the Fighter Pass directly you would get one for free.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate : Pyra and Mythra. However, this is not the price that most reminds us of a virtual supermarket, but that of the Mii Warriors costumes, each available at 0.80 euros. Eighty cents to take home the dress of the beloved character, and thus apply it to one of the three types - chosen by Sakurai - of Mii. Writing about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as the months went by, we noticed that some of the costumes were more accurate, to the point of seeming authentic characters (like those of Cuphead), others explicitly carnivalesque.

Given the realistic proportions of the characters, those of Monster Hunter necessarily belong to the second category; they are still well done, just in time to celebrate the release of Monster Hunter Rise. At the same time, the introduction of these costumes should evaporate any hope of the arrival of a fighter - from the main roster - linked to the series. Or, at least, logic would suggest this. The other Mii costume always comes from the Capcom world, and it too pays homage to a welcome return: we're talking about the recent Ghosts' n Goblins Resurrection, and Arthur's equipment (sword and full armor).

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: the costumes dedicated to Monster Hunter. Well, now let's talk specifically about Pyra and Mythra: the mighty damsels of Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

Pyra / Mythra

In these updates related to the downloadable content of Super Smash Bros Ultimate, we have written several times about how impressive Sakurai's care is in the development of the DLC. An obsessive attention, perhaps even excessive. For sure, we will hardly relive another similar moment; so if you are a fan of the series, enjoy it. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the biggest crossover in the world of video games, and it will be very difficult, both for commercial agreements and for development time, that in the future we can overcome its amount of content.

From a some point of view, we would have preferred that a talent like Sakurai, after completing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, had dedicated himself to a second project for the Nintendo Switch. Which, in theory, would come - if it existed - at the end of this year. Yet Sakurai, we do not know if he will of him or not, has been relegated to further exaggerate this colossus, a task that he is carrying out with extraordinary scrupulousness. So, if on the one hand there is regret for not having admired him on another project, on the other hand we find exceptional the dedication he has poured into the creation of these additional contents: it seems almost an experiment, a test to verify how far it can push the limit further on. From the last video we know that, in addition to balancing the characters by hand, as well as making them fight at the same time with two pads, he also writes the scripts for the presentation videos. Like the last one, made by Monolith Soft.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: the polygonal models of Pyra and Mythra. Pyra and Mythra, as Sakurai himself said, are somewhat reminiscent of the Zelda of Super Smash Bros. Melee, the one that could transform into Sheik: in the same way, the two new fighters - physically linked also in the original work, although different in personality - they can alternate in the ring, through the simple use of the Down Special (down + B), still sharing the dammeter and many actions. In essence, they are too many different to make up the same character (in fact they appear in the list as 79th and 80th fighters), but too linked to operate separately.

Sakurai said he hypothesized the introduction of Rex ( the protagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles 2), but that would have been overly complicated. However, he appears in different situations: in the final Smash, in the celebrations and in the taunts.

Moves and stages

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: one of the final Smash of the character. The two heroines share the Down Special, as well as the setting - and animation - of each normal attack. With some not inconsiderable differences, indeed: Pyra is more powerful, Mythra faster. The fact that it is possible to pass ad libitum from one to the other - having even a small moment of invincibility in the transition, which can be used as a dodge by the most skilled - will make it important to know how to alternate the fighters based on the opponent and needs. Sakurai said he was convinced that most people will choose one of the two; we, cordially, disagree.

A similar, but even more marked, differentiation also extends to special moves: for Pyra they will be based on fire powers, for Mythra on light / lightning powers. Appearance aside, the range and intensity of the blows are different: the more powerful those of Pyra, the more dilated those of Mythra. With other small details that could make the difference, but that we will discover in their relevance only pad in the hand: the Pyra Special, for example, hits from both sides (that of Mythra does not).

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Pyra, Rex and Mythra. The level of graphic detail is excellent for both characters, and the same praise is extendable to the stage: Clouds of Arlest. As has often happened in other DLCs, other characters from the series also make their appearance in the arena: they are often irrelevant, purely decorative, but the level of care is still high, and for sure they will cheer the fans of the series. The whole stage is set in the sky, with the Titans crossing the background every now and then, and "Grandma" holding up the whole scene: the fight takes place (literally) on his shoulders, and its extent varies from time to time, based on the different position taken. There will be some light visual cues to anticipate the movements, just to leave nothing to chance.

Along with the new characters will come an unprecedented path for the Classic Mode, and other Spirits to fight; as is customary, moreover. To complete the package, another sixteen tracks taken from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will be introduced.

Remembering that the characters are chosen by Nintendo and not by Sakurai, we look forward to the last two (really?) Fighters of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; despite the delays and hesitations generated by the Coronavirus, they should arrive undisturbed by 2021.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: the stage, the Clouds of Arlest.