Sunday, April 8, 2018

SSB Newcomer Pick of the Day #3: Marshal/Tibby


Official artwork of Marshal (left) and Tibby (right).

Hello everyone, sorry this article took so long; free time to work on this was rather short with my schedule, not to mention this one took a bit more research than the other articles, but it's also one that I really wanted to get done and (hopefully) get done right!  Before I get into that, though, I'd like to mention that my Isaac article ended up being more popular than my Ridley one!  Once again, I greatly appreciate everyone who took the time to read it and give feedback!  These articles are somewhat laborious but also a lot of fun to make!  I also hope to shine the spotlight on a character or game series that could use more attention, or help inform people on not only the characters/games I'm talking about, but also what Masahiro Sakurai has stated as far as the Super Smash Bros. series goes.  Hopefully, it'll clear up misconceptions and false statements attributed to him.

In any case, this time we're going to do something a bit different.  Not only is the character(s) in question from another underrated Nintendo series, but we're actually going to talk about two potential characters for the price of one (and maybe more)!  It's Marshal and Tibby from the Rhythm Heaven series (known as Rhythm Paradise for all you Europeans out there), and I'm annoyed that I couldn't even out their images more here, but I did the best with what I know how!  ...Uh, yeah, more info after the break. (and if anyone can help explain how to make these two images the same size and fit within the same space, I could definitely use the help)

Who are they?

Before I get into the characters themselves, I think it's equally as important to answer one other question: what the heck is Rhythm Heaven?  Well to answer that, it's time for another history lesson.  I promise it won't be boring!  ...Hopefully!

Back before most of Nintendo's various software development divisions merged into one, now known as Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development (Nintendo EPD), one of the divisions was known as Nintendo Software Planning & Development (Nintendo SPD), which was made from the remnants of Nintendo Research & Development 1 (Nintendo R&D1).  While Nintendo R&D1 was basically responsible for creating and developing most if not all of Nintendo's most beloved franchises and most successful hardware, the main thing you need to know here is that Nintendo R&D1, and eventually Nintendo SPD, would create and develop the WarioWare series.  Why's that important?  Well, it should help give you an idea of what you're in for when it comes to Rhythm Heaven.

The inception of Rhythm Heaven, or Rhythm Tengoku as it's called in Japan ("tengoku" basically meaning "heaven", "paradise" or the "Kingdom of Heaven"), came about when Tsunku♂, a prolific Japanese vocalist, songwriter, and record producer, approached Nintendo about creating a rhythm game that did not require visual indicators to play.  Now for those of you who've played any kind of rhythm game, like PaRappa the Rapper, Dance Dance Revolution, or Guitar Hero, it's likely that the game will show you what buttons you need to press or what actions you need to perform, usually done to the beat of whatever music is being played.  Because of this, programmer and chief director of the first two games, Kazuyoshi Osawa, had concerns that people wouldn't enjoy it due to having a lack of true musical scores, as the mini-games within Rhythm Tengoku would have unique musical cues to indicate what you're supposed to do, and that the game might only appeal to a niche audience as a result.  Despite this, the original Rhythm Tengoku for the Game Boy Advance (exclusive to Japan) was well-received, enough to warrant a sequel on the Nintendo DS, called Rhythm Tengoku Gold, which was the first installment to get a western release, where it got the name Rhythm Heaven in the Americas and Rhythm Paradise in Europe.  Since then, the series got an installment on the Wii called Rhythm Heaven Fever/Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise, and a "best of" Nintendo 3DS installment called Rhythm Heaven Megamix (basically the same in Europe, just with Paradise).

The actual games themselves are more like a collection of mini-games, each being divided into sets of 4 or 5.  The structure typically goes like this: you play a mini-game, and you're ranked on how you did.  If you get "Try Again", you have to, well, try again.  If you get "OK", you get to continue.  If you get "Superb", you'll get to continue AND you'll get a medal, which is used to unlock bonus features such as extra mini-games such as endless ones.  Occasionally, you'll be issued the challenge of "going for a Perfect", in which you have to play the mini-game flawlessly.  Doing so will get you a Perfect medal, which either unlocks extra information about the mini-game or make the mini-game's song available in the game's sound test.  After a set of mini-games, they'll get mashed together in a "Remix" mini-game, which gives no tutorials and relies on what you've learned from the mini-games you just played and your sense of rhythm.  Beating the remix unlocks the next set, and it continues until you've reached the final remix, which is usually all the mini-games mixed into one, and almost certainly the hardest or most challenging mini-game within the game.  Rhythm Heaven Megamix does things a little differently by actually having a story that contextualizes the mini-games, though it's mostly a tongue-in-cheek thing and is otherwise the same basic thing as before.

Explaining the appeal of this series is incredibly difficult, given that it's... well, weird.  Like I said, anyone familiar with WarioWare will know what I mean, but there's this really off-the-wall, almost random feel to these games, all with a distinctly Japanese authenticity to them (as in, only Japan would come up with something as nutty as these games).  Just to give some examples of what I'm getting at, this is a series that includes rhythm-based mini-games about...

  • Hitting baseballs shot out of a flower pot in a room floating in outer space
  • Shooting rods into moving squares in order to build "widgets"
  • Having sentient tuning forks strike each other in order to fly a rocket through the clouds
  • The ground, which is blue and has a face, shoots fruit shot out of pipes into basketball hoops
  • Plucking hair off of onions, turnips, and potatoes
  • A monk slaps his arm in order to shoot dumplings into his mouth
  • A quartet of business pigs spin around in desk chairs
  • A lumberjack bear (or wolf?) chops wood for cats with stretchy legs
I think you get the idea now. If all of this sounds too bizarre, then this probably isn't the game series for you, but as someone whose played at least two of these games, I can safely say it's one of the most enjoyably fun games I've ever played! First of all, the games really showcase Tsunku♂'s desire to have the mini-games based entirely around musical cues or stuff you need to actually hear instead of see. It's possible to play most of the mini-games blind or with your eyes closed and still be able to do fairly well on a lot of them. Second, it's one of the few rhythm games I've seen to truly be all about rhythm and not memorization. A lot of rhythm games, particularly Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero, really emphasize pressing the right button at the right time, sometimes in rapid succession, but as the Rhythm Heaven games say upfront in their opening tutorials, it's all about going with the flow. Take for example the Nintendo DS Rhythm Heaven mini-game (and bane of my existence) Lockstep, which is all about tapping to the beat, then switching off-beat for certain sections of the game, then switching back on-beat. Trying to "muscle memory" your way through it will prove INCREDIBLY challenging as well as frustrating, especially if your going for a Perfect. Lastly, even though it's possible to play the game without actually looking at it, it's absolutely worth just watching the game because of how ridiculous the scenarios get, such as the ones I mentioned above! Not to mention, and maybe this is just me, but it's really satisfying when you nail something to the beat of a mini-game, much more so than doing the usual Simon Says, Quick-Time Events Button-Mashing stuff (not to disrespect other rhythm games, they're all great fun, though again, not quite as satisfying to play in comparison). The music's pretty great, too, some of which are even straight-up songs with lyrics. It's just a good time all around!

So where to Marshal and Tibby come into this? Well much like the games themselves, their role in these games are a bit... strange. See, every Rhythm Heaven game has their own "mascot" character to call their own. The most consistent mascot is the Barista of the Café, called "Master" (マスター Masutā) in the Japanese versions, who is a white dog with headphones that gives tips and advice while also running a café in every game (though in the first three games it's ambiguous if the dog seen in those games is the same one who runs the café). The first game had the Drum Samurai, who is the first character you see in the game and also closes out the game. On top of that, the Drum Samurai explains the concept of the game while testing your sense of rhythm in order to prepare you for what the game has in store. This role of introducing the game in such a way would be picked up by other "mascots" in the series. When it comes to Rhythm Heaven on the DS, it's a little unclear who the mascot of that game is supposed to be; some say it's the girl from "Tap Trial", who is one of the first characters you see as she explains the concept of flicking the stylus for that game, others say it's the Bandleader from "Frog Hop", who fulfills the same role as the Drum Samurai in regards to teaching you the concept of Rhythm Heaven and closing out the game, still others associate the game with the Chorus Kids from "Glee Club", due to being on the cover of the game. Regardless, things got a little more consistent with Rhythm Heaven Fever, as the clear mascots of that game, as well as the characters who serve the same role as the Drum Samurai and the Bandleader, are a trio of characters called Cam (a tall blue guy with glasses, called Camrock or something-rather カモック in Japan), Miss Ribbon (a small pink lady who wears a big red ribbon, called Ribbon-chan リボンちゃん in Japan), and one of the subjects of this article, Marshal (small white dude with pink blushes and a cute cat mouth, called Matt in the PAL regions, known simply as Marsh マッシュ in Japan). They introduce you to the game with a "Rhythm Test" mini-game, and you can even play as Marshal in a remake of the Rhythm Tengoku game "Night Walk" during the end credits! Finally we come to Tibby, known as Tebiri テビリ in Japan, who's by far the most fleshed-out "mascot" listed so far. This is because Tibby is the main character of Rhythm Heaven Megamix's story and thus you end up spending a lot of time with him. The basic plot is that Tibby falls from the sky, and after introducing himself to the player, claims that he's from a place known as "Heaven World". The main goal of the game (at least at first, hint hint) is to help Tibby get back home, which apparently involves having a good "Flow" and beating the rhythm-based mini-games we've become accustomed to by this point. Overall, he's an adventurous and curious lad, who frequently admits to being a crybaby in the game. He'll occasionally give snarky remarks to the incredibly bizarre characters both you and he encounter over the course of the game, but it's ultimately a good kid at heart.

And... Yeah, I'd say that about covers it when it comes to explaining what Rhythm Heaven is, as well as explaining who Marshal and Tibby are within those games, even though my summation of who specifically Marshal and Tibby are can be boiled down to a few sentences, whereas the majority of this section was dedicated to detailing the history and appeal of Rhythm Heaven. Yeah, it turns out that there isn't a whole lot to talk about in terms of their respective character, but you know what, just like with Isaac and Golden Sun, I hope to spread the word on this game series and why it's so great! But I guess I'm done with talking about Rhythm Heaven specifically; now it's time to move on to...


How he'd/they'd play

In Super Smash Bros., that is! Although, before I get into how they'd look and play in the game, I'll answer a question some of you are probably asking the moment you saw this article: why two characters? Well... it's complicated. Not in the sense that how they'd play is complicated, I mean which one I'd rather have is complicated. I mean, I'd be ecstatic to see Rhythm Heaven character no matter what, but I wanted to go about it the way Masahiro Sakurai goes about including characters: giving a proper representation of who the character is as well as the game they're from. There are a lot of people who want the Chorus Kids because of the Gematsu leak (yeah, we'll talk about that later), but honestly, I feel that wouldn't do the series proper justice, and neither would Karate Joe from the "Karate Man" mini-games or the Wrestler from "Ringside" for that matter, despite also being popular characters from the Rhythm Heaven series. See, they're all from one specific mini-game in the series (or in Karate Joe's case, a series of mini-games), and even though they make cameos throughout the other mini-games as well as the main games, I feel like a character who isn't tied to just one game would represent the series as a whole better. Enter the mascots I mentioned in the previous section. For the longest time, I've wanted Marshal, mostly because he was from the then most-recent Rhythm Heaven game and was slightly more notable than Miss Ribbon and Cam. Not to mention, he kind of looked like a Chorus Kid, who was a popular choice at the time thanks to that aforementioned Gematsu leak, and I felt his basic-looking appearance would help lend himself to more mini-games, the same way Mr. Game & Watch's distinct yet nondescript appearance lent himself to a number of Game & Watch games that were incorporated into his moveset. But then Rhythm Heaven Megamix, and Marshal was no longer the most notable "mascot" of the series. And I'll be honest, while I'd be okay with Tibby getting in over Marshal, I still kind of prefer Marshal. I don't know, I just find his design more appealing in its simplicity overall, not to mention the similarity to the Chorus Kids just feels too perfect for me...

But hey, how about a compromise? Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U really dived into the idea of separate characters being used as alternate skins/costumes, most notably in the form of male/female counterparts for Wii Fit Trainer, Robin, and Corrin, Alph for Olimar, and the seven Koopalings for Bowser Jr. What if, say, Tibby was the official character confirmed for the next Super Smash Bros. (or a future installment), but Marshal was an alternate skin for him? I mean, they're both relatively short characters with similar proportions, it wouldn't be that much of a stretch compared to how the Koopalings were resized to fit the same Clown Car. And hey, why stop there? Let's also throw in Miss Ribbon, Cam, the Drum Samurai, and even a Chorus Kid while we're at it, since again, they all have relatively similar body-types. Characters like the Bandleader and the Tap Trial Girl would be a bit more difficult due to how tall/lanky they are, but how about a monkey? Monkeys are quite prevalent in the Rhythm Heaven series, particularly in Fever! I would be SO down with a set-up like that!

As for how they'd appear in Super Smash Bros., here's what I'd hope they'd do. You know how the WarioWare characters were presented as completely 2-dimensional with their trophies (even though Ashley, Kat, Ana and Wario himself are still 3D so why even include that extra detail, but that's beside the point)? Well, I think they should do the same thing for any Rhythm Heaven character they include! They basically did just that for the Rhythm Heaven trophies in both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, not to mention the Spooky Spirit in the 3DS version's Smash Run. However, to make them stand out compared to Mr. Game & Watch, who similarly has a completely flat look to him, I'd say give them smoother animations. After all, the animations are pretty smooth in the Rhythm Heaven games themselves, as opposed to the more jerky movements of WarioWare (which Sakurai decided to incorporate with Wario in Super Smash Bros. Brawl even though he's been in plenty of games that aren't like that, but again, beside the point), and it would be pretty cool to behold, not to mention possibly easier for them to make and create separate skins for... I think. Again, not a designer myself, don't know how it works, but I legitimately think it would work better than having 3D models of all the characters, at least from an aesthetic standpoint.

Now, how would Tibby/Marshal/whoever Sakurai includes from Rhythm Heaven fight? Well again, just like Mr. Game & Watch, I feel like their moveset should consist of attacks based on the various mini-games throughout the Rhythm Heaven series. In fact, a while back, someone made this little animation of how a Chorus Kid (or Chorus Man) would play in Super Smash Bros. Check it out (and whoever made this, please leave a comment so I can adequately credit you):


Pretty dope, right?  Although I think this was made before Rhythm Heaven Megamix was announced/released, since it doesn't incorporate anything from those games.  On top of that, I have some things to add here.  First and foremost, regardless of what mini-game is represented with each move, I feel like the most important thing that Marshal/Tibby/a Rhythm Heaven character should have in Super Smash Bros. is a moveset that is based around, or at least encourages, good rhythm.  Masahiro Sakurai always wants to make sure characters properly represent they games they're from, and to have a Rhythm Heaven character not utilize rhythm or keeping to a beat in any way would be like not having Kirby inhale and copy the abilities of his opponents or Link not having his sword; it's just a trait that's so obviously associated with the character that not having it would just be strange.  That being said, I'm having a difficult time figuring out how it would be utilized.  I was thinking that, with smash/charged attacks for example, there would be a window where you do more damage if you release at the right point as opposed to letting the attack be fully charged.  Like in the games, there would be an audio cue letting you know when to execute this move, and it's up to the player to make sure you execute the move to that beat.  But then again, would having an audio cue for so many of their attacks be really distracting for the other players?  Not to mention, it would make things difficult playing as Marshal/Tibby/etc. in a competitive sense, seeing as experienced players can just anticipate when a move is going to be used thanks to the audio cue.  So, I don't know about this one; I definitely want rhythm/keeping to a a beat to be a part of this character, but I'm not sure how to execute it.  I also feel like the neutral attacks would be entirely based on the "Karate Man" games, like their standard combo would be the "Hit 3!" move from those games, their strong side attack would be a "Punch-Kick", and their side smash would be the barrage combo ending in an uppercut.  Well, it makes sense to me anyway.  Also, I'd like the Final Smash to incorporate "Moon Walk" in some way, it just feels like an ideal Final Smash, what with it being in 3 of the 4 games and it being used in the credits of Final Smash.  Oh, but the neutral special move HAS to be the "AHHHHHHH!" from "Glee Club", as illustrated in the animation!  I would LOVE to see what Kirby's copy version of that would look like!  Those aside, I don't really have anything else to add, or any specific move ideas I want to see utilized.

And that about wraps it up for how I think Marshal or Tibby or whoever would look and behave in Super Smash Bros.!  Unlike the last two characters I went over, there are some pretty specific details I hope to see out of this character!  It feels like I'm only setting myself up for disappointment by doing that, but I suppose I'd be willing to compromise, so long as I see some kind of Rhythm Heaven character playable.  Whoops, I guess that's kind of a spoilers for the next section.

Do I Want This Character Playable and Why?

As if it really needs to be said by this point, after the two massive sections detailing some pretty thorough insight for the Rhythm Heaven series and what I expect to see out of a character from that series being included in Super Smash Bros...

Obviously, I would LOVE to see someone from the Rhythm Heaven series playable!

I mean, I picked out Marshal and Tibby because they're the most relevant choices, but personal preference aside, anyone from Rhythm Heaven would be a boon for me!  Seriously, whether it be Marshal, Tibby, or even the Chorus Kids, the Rhythm Heaven series, just like Golden Sun from last time, deserves more love and recognition!

Here's the thing about Rhythm Heaven: even though it's always had fairly decent popularity and sales in Japan, it's performance in the West, particularly in the Americas, as been... less than stellar.  In fact, when it comes to Rhythm Heaven Megamix, when it was finally released in in North America, it was dropped in the middle of E3 2016 and was an eShop exclusive at that, whereas both Japan and even Europe got a physical release (although the release was much later in Europe).  Not only that, you can definitely tell there was some corner-cutting in some places, such as the fact that any songs that weren't already in English didn't get a translation like in previous installments, and were in fact removed from the game entirely.  Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful we got the game at all, but I can't help but feel like the writing was on the wall in terms of Nintendo of America's faith in this franchise.  And honestly, I don't blame them for being a little cynical about it; the games are really weird, and I also can't deny that Kazuyoshi Osawa's fear that this series would only appeal to a niche audience aren't unfounded.  But that's where the influence of Super Smash Bros. comes in!

As discussed at length in my last article, Super Smash Bros. has the power to introduce players to new games they might not have known about before; among other feats, it helped bring Fire Emblem to the west, and elevated EarthBound into being the ultimate Nintendo cult classic, not to mention get Nintendo to (finally) release the original MOTHER, which had already been translated by them, as EarthBound Beginnings.  With that in mind, the case I made for Golden Sun I also make for Rhythm Heaven here!  In fact, dare I say, I'm almost a little more passionate about this than Golden Sun, because while I really like Golden Sun and want the series to get that fourth installment, I LOVE Rhythm Heaven, because gosh darn it, the game is just too much fun for it to be neglected like this!  Every time I play it, a big, doofy grin pops onto my face, and I want everyone to be able to experience that feeling of pure joy!  Besides, like I said, a Rhythm Heaven character would be inherently unique and bring something new to the roster that isn't already there, which is something Masahiro Sakurai is always looking out for when it comes to a new character!

So yeah, Marshal and/or Tibby (or whoever else, but I'm rooting for these two), definitely one of my most-wanted characters, within my top three easily!  But despite how much I want them...

Actual Odds of Newcomer's Appearance

What are the actual odds of a Rhythm Heaven character being playable?

Actually, I'd say it's highly probable, though not an absolute certainty.

Some of you may be surprised that I think that way, or that I might be biased with this assertion, but I honestly don't think I am with this.  To that end, let's look at Rhythm Heaven's history in congruent with the history of Super Smash Bros.

So, the first Rhythm Heaven game, Rhythm Tengoku for the Game Boy Advance, was released exclusively in Japan August 3, 2006.  By that point, development for Super Smash Bros. Brawl was already underway, having already started development shortly after it's announcement at E3 2005.  I bring this up because when it comes to characters in Super Smash Bros., the roster is typically finalized before actually programming and developing the characters ever begins.  Adding a character after the fact, such as Sonic the Hedgehog for that very game, is incredibly rare.  That being said, Sakurai also tends to add characters from games that are about to be released or will have been released by the time the current Super Smash Bros. will be released (actually, Roy's game, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, got delayed and released AFTER Super Smash Bros. Melee, making the latter his debut game, but that's a unique case).  In the case of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a game that also released in 2006, MOTHER 3, got to have its protagonist, Lucas, included as a playable character!  That being said, Lucas is another unique case in that he was intended to replace Ness in Melee, but since MOTHER 3 was going through development hell, Ness remained.  Heck, from what I recall, Sakurai was prepared to do the same for Lucas in Brawl, only deciding to bring back Ness later on once Sakurai released MOTHER 3 didn't get a western release and didn't want to replace a character more widely known with one that was exclusive to Japan (supposedly, I'm having a hard time finding the source of this thing).  But as for Rhythm Tengoku, well, it was a relatively minor game released on the GBA, and while a lot of GBA games got some attention through Assist Trophies, such as Drill Dozer, Golden Sun, and Advance Wars, Rhythm Tengoku got no such luck it seems...


Flash forward to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U, Rhythm Heaven had gotten two more installments since then, and it seems Sakurai noticed!  Not only did both versions get their own trophies (3DS got Karate Joe and the Chorus Kids, Wii U got Marshal, Cam, and Miss Ribbon and the Wrestler and Reporter), but the Sneaky Spirit even became an enemy encountered in the 3DS version's Smash Run!  But there's more to this than what was actually in these games.  If what was data-mined from the Wii U version is to be believed, an emblem exists to represent the Rhythm Heaven series!  Could there have been more Rhythm Heaven content planned for Super Smash Bros. than just trophies and an enemy?  Could there have been a stage planned, a la the Balloon Fight or Pilotwings stages?  Was Sakurai even considering a full-blown character early on?  Unfortunately we don't know for sure, but from what evidence we can gleam, Sakurai is indeed aware of the Rhythm Heaven series and at some point intended to include more than what we got, possibly even a character.  Who knows, maybe when the Nintendo Switch Super Smash Bros. comes around, he'll finally decide give a Rhythm Heaven character a chance to shine!  That is, assuming a character was ever even planned in the first place, which I suppose is as good a segue as any to the infamous...
Gematsu Leak

For those of you unaware, Gematsu is is a video game news outlet that I'm willing to bet most people didn't even know about until the now infamous "leaks" started rising to prominence.  Dating back to early 2013, Gematsu reporter Sal Romano received an e-mail from an anonymous source listing what newcomers will be in the then upcoming Super Smash Bros. games for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.  Finding this e-mail dubious at best, he jokingly posted this list on NeoGAF forums as an "unlikely prediction".  Said characters listed were "Animal Crossing Guy", Mega Man, the female trainer from Wii Fit, Little Mac, Miis, and Pac-Man.  Flash forward to E3 of that year, and the reveal that the Villager, Mega Man, and even Wii Fit Trainer would ALL be playable.  Needless to say, this turned some heads, particularly the prediction of the Wii Fit Trainer.

Of course, there were still questions of the legitimacy; while the leaker managed to accurately predict three of these characters, the other three were still unconfirmed at the time.  Little Mac would eventually be confirmed via a February 2014 Nintendo Direct, though people were still unsure, given that Little Mac was already a popular choice, not to mention Rosalina was also confirmed inbetween reveals and the leak made no mention of her.  People were starting to believe the leaker just made a few lucky guesses (even though I personally find it rather hard to believe anyone would have guessed that the trainer from Wii Fit would be playable in any capacity, even as a joke).  Cut to April 8, 2014, where Nintendo would be hosting a Smash Bros.-themed Nintendo Direct.  A mere hours before the Direct, Romano got a new e-mail, presumably from the very same leaker.  In this e-mail, the leaker stated that Miis and Pac-Man were still playable, but also that Shulk from Xenoblade Chronicles, Palutena from Kid Icarus: Uprising (which tied into another rumor at the time), Chrom from Fire Emblem Awakening, the Chorus Kids from Rhythm Heaven (referred to their Japanese name, the "Chorus Men", in the leak, and now you know why the three of them specifically are such a popular choice), and an unknown Pokémon from Pokémon X & Y (referred to as "Pokemon from X/Y" in the leak).  One Smash Direct later, and the only character that was confirmed was Greninja, who was indeed a Pokémon from X/Y.  Unfortunately, this did little to confirm people's suspicions, given the incredible vagueness of the leaker describing the Pokémon.  However, a random Tweet from Adam Howden, Shulk's English voice actor, definitely got people excited:

"Done some VO on several very exciting games so far this year. I'll tell you what they are when I know my balls won't be cut off for telling."

Sparks were flying as rampant speculation and debate over the legitimacy of these leaks continued!  This brings us to a day before E3 2014, where Romano received yet another e-mail, again from this supposed leaker.  This time, the leaker not only reaffirmed that all the characters he previously stated were all still playable, he also explicitly referred to Miis as "Mii Fighters" and Palutena as "Goddess Palutena".  In addition, while the leaker didn't implicate that there would be other newcomers, they did say that there would be plans for post-launch DLC, and that there was an internal debate over whether Ness or Lucas would be cut from the roster, with the latter being "likely to get the cut".  Come Nintendo's E3 Digital Press Event, Mii Fighters and Palutena would be confirmed, with Pac-Man getting confirmed later that day. Not only that, but during E3, where Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS was available for people to play, people took notice of the Sneaky Spirit within the Smash Run mode.  This was notable due to the fact that, at the time, the only enemies in the game were either from series with characters representing them or from the Subspace Emissary from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, not to mention no other Rhythm Heaven content was revealed at that time.  That being said, people still were incredulous about the leak.  For one, the fact that Palutena was already rumored, due to screenshots of her on the 3DS version being leaked at some point (I don't recall exactly when but basically before the Smash Direct), not to mention Sakurai directed Kid Icarus: Uprising so it seemed natural for him to include a character from that game.  On top of that, at E3, Sakurai explained why he included Greninja, and how at the time of development, not only was Pokémon X & Y not released yet, but Greninja didn't even have a name!  While this does tie into the leak and make it technically correct, one has to wonder why they didn't outright say Greninja since his name had been known by the time the leaker gave away this information.

These leaks would eventually come to an end on July 14, 2014, where Sakurai intended to debut another newcomer trailer on that day.  A day beforehand, Romano received an e-mail from the leaker telling him "to enjoy Shulk".  On the morning of the reveal, Romano got one last e-mail in which the leaker reaffirmed their certainty of Shulk being revealed:

"I only know what has been done, not what or when they will be made available. Sakurai may change his mind, and he does all the time. Shulk will not be changed."

Then the reveal trailer played, and... the leaker was proven wrong.  On multiple levels even.  Not only was the reveal trailer NOT about Shulk, but rather Robin and Lucina, the trailer also confirmed that Chrom WASN'T playable, and instead he would be relegated to being part of Robin's Final Smash.  Romano tried to e-mail the leaker, wanting an explanation, but sadly, he never heard from the leaker again.

So yeah, the Gematsu leak was how officially in shambles.  Even though there eventually would be DLC for both Wii U and 3DS versions, and Ness was included over Lucas (though Lucas came back through DLC), all of that wouldn't have been known until after both games' initial release, which was long after the Gematsu leaks were relevant by any stretch of the imagination.  As for Shulk, he would eventually be confirmed via the ESRB leak (then officially in August of 2014 through a Japan-exclusive Nintendo Direct), by that point no one cared about whether or not it lined up with the Gematsu leak because it was already proven to be false.  Some have tried to justify why the leaker was wrong by saying it was a last-minute switch, but given that Robin and Lucina would be featured in an article in the Japanese magazine Famitsu not long after the reveal, and given that publishing a magazine takes a long time to do, that idea got debunked pretty quickly.  Not only that, but in that very article in Famitsu, Sakurai stated that while he considered Chrom, he was always in favor of Robin, since he viewed Chrom as just another swordsman without much to differentiate him from either Marth or Ike.  Of course, he THEN turns around and says Lucina was meant to be an alternate costume for Marth but for whatever reason decided to make her a separate character with incredibly minor difference to distinguish her from Marth, which made Sakurai look incredibly hypocritical, BUT, I stated I wasn't going to devolve into angry rants anymore so I'll stop there.  Point is, from the looks of things, Chrom was never truly considered to be a playable character, at least not for any great stretch of time, crushing the credibility of the leaker with a thick "CRUNCH!"

So what do I make of all of this and how it ties into Rhythm Heaven?  Well, first of all, it was interesting going over the history of this leak and laying it all out here, but looking back, I have to say, I can't fully dismiss what this guy (or girl) said to Sal Romano and Gematsu.  Yeah, they ended up being wrong about Chrom and the Chorus Kids, but to have gotten so many things right, particularly the Wii Fit Trainer and what the Miis would be named, I can't bring it in me to dismiss this completely.  So here's how I see it: perhaps the leaker's information was old, or at the very least, outdated by the time they leaked it.  Maybe they were no longer connected to Sakurai or the development team, but given what we know now, it seems like a lot of what they said is true depending on the time of which they obtained the information.  If this was during the decision-making process, when the roster hadn't been finalized, it makes sense that ideas like Chrom or the Chorus Kids to have been considered at the time though dropped later on.  The emblem I mentioned in the previous section could very well confirm this (emphasis on could).  Not to mention, this also explains why the leaker didn't have a name for Greninja when they leaked it.  Then again, you run into certain problems like why didn't the leaker update their information accordingly, especially since they were so certain that Shulk would be revealed on the day Robin and Lucina would be.  Then there's that statement just before the reveal, about how "Sakurai may change his mind", and that, to me, sounds like the leaker covering their ass.  It's statement like that the signals to me that they found out they might not be right this time and tried to make it seem like they were still legit, regardless of whether they were proven wrong or not.  And when they WERE proven wrong, they just went silent, almost as if the writing was on the wall.

To this day, the Gematsu leak would play a memorable role in Super Smash Bros. speculation.  It serves as a cautionary tale to those who believe whatever rumors they hear, and teaches us all to keep things in perspective and always be hesitant.  Even though we now know what was and wasn't true, there are still those who try to take advantage of what little we know at the time, and as such, we must remain on alert for the truth of it all!  That being said, the leak did end up bolstering support for certain characters, even from those who weren't specifically fans of the games the characters were from.  In fact, dare I say, it's because of this leak that I wanted a Rhythm Heaven character in the first place.  Hell, I even got my first Rhythm Heaven game, Fever, as a result of wanting to know more about the series, so in a way, I have this questionable leak to thank for introducing me to one of my favorite Nintendo series!  Regardless, at the very least, this whole thing probably brought Gematsu more attention than they ever did!  Actually... what if Sal Romano made this all up in order to draw in more traffic for the site?!  Illuminati confirmed.

Final Thoughts

Well regardless of the legitimacy of the Gematsu leak, the fact remains that Rhythm Heaven is a highly underrated series, and that Masahiro Sakurai is indeed aware of it enough to give it further consideration.  While I would like any Rhythm Heaven character to be playable by this point, my hopes are still for Marshal to be playable, with Tibby as an adequate compromise.  There's just so much fun and potential to be had with a Rhythm Heaven character that it'd be a shame to give it a pass just because it isn't AS popular as certain other Nintendo franchises.  Heck, even then, like I said for Golden Sun, Super Smash Bros. is a great advertisement for Nintendo's own work!  So until the day when Rhythm Heaven is properly represented in Super Smash Bros., I'm going to keep to the beat, maybe even go for a Perfect, but most important of all, have fun along the way!

That's it for this article!  This ended up being more about Rhythm Heaven as a whole than about Marshal or Tibby specifically, but again, I feel more people should know about this series and what it's about.  Consider this article an endorsement for Rhythm Heaven in Super Smash Bros. as a whole than one for any specific character (though again, I'd really prefer Marshal over the others, but that alternate skin idea is also too good to pass up).  Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this, and for being patient with this one.  Again, this took longer then I expected, I think I might do these about one a week or so, depending on the character, not that I expect anyone out there to be waiting in baited breath for when the next "SSB Character Pick of the Day" will be.  Still, for those interested, I'll try to keep everyone updated whenever I can.  As for what character I'll cover next, well... I guess you could say, I'm gonna get Jiggy with it! ;)

Until then, have a great one!

1 comment:

  1. Wii Fit Trainer, Villager and Duck Hunt are playable so I don't see why Marshal and Tibby can't be

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