“Mario” – Life of the Party
We all know a “Mario”. He is the mascot for the game, and also its biggest cheerleader. They are the enablers of the Smash Brothers world. This is usually the friend that own’s the console, and invites a bunch of people over for an evening of friendly competition.
Thing’s will typically get off to a rocky start as the “Mario” struggles to organize those who have never played before, explaining complex concepts and systems to newcomers before they have even turned the console on.
Once the console has been powered on, our intrepid hero is faced with a whole new slew of challenges to overcome. The “Mario” will begin to perspire as they attempt to sync everyone’s controllers, and divvy them up based upon the recipients perceived level of skill: Pro controllers for the novice, detached Joy-cons for the veterans, leaving no-one truly happy.
They will also become quite defensive as to why they haven’t unlocked all of the characters yet, making excuses on behalf of Nintendo’s design decisions.
Once complete, the “Mario” will finally be ready to impose their draconian house rules upon the group. These options can include, but are not limited to: three stock, items on and painstakingly curating the map selection. They will insist that this is how the game was “meant to be played”.
The “Mario” has a thankless job, but it is an essential one. They expose newcomers to the game, and through their struggles, bring joy to many who might not have known it.
“Link” – Go with the Flow
The “Link” is a very common player archetype and most of us fall into this category to varying degrees, at least initially. The “Link” is in it for the love of the game. They play Smash Brothers to relax and unwind and to have fun with their friends. They don’t take the game or their ability too seriously and are more open to experimentation with wild and wacky rule sets.
Much like Link himself, the “Link” is adaptable. They probably don’t have a character they main, and will often time randomly select their character based on a whim, or fighters who they think are funny or crazy. As at home playing timed matches as they are with items set to high, they like their matches to be unpredictable.
The “Link” is also the most likely to play single player content and will have a blast with World of Light, reveling in its fresh takes on classic match ups. They have also probably, at some point, fired up a 99 stock game just to see how far they could take it.
While generally inoffensive and a pleasure to play with, the “Link” is usually the cause of a lot of frustration for some of the more extreme player archetypes.
“Fox” – In it to Win it
For players of the “Fox” persuasion, Super Smash Bros is not a game, it is a lifestyle. They live and breathe Smash, and they are the hardcore of the community, treating every round is if it were the qualifying match for EVO. They are what many fans aspire to be, masters of the game, knowing their main more intimately than they know themselves.
And while many aspects of the “Fox” are positive, they can be difficult at times. They will rail particularly hard against the “Link” for not taking the game seriously enough, and mock other players character selections. Obsessed with being top tier, they are the min-maxers of the community and follow a strict regiment.
Playing as any character other than their main is virtually out of the question unless required as a counter to another “Fox”s selection.
They will often speak of concepts like “wave-dashing” and cite obscure YouTube videos that only they will watch. They are completely intractable on rules, maps or item selection not used in tournament matches.
You will the know “Fox” by his firm insistence that nothing can ever, or will ever, be as good as Melee.
“Wario” – A Dark Mirror
The Ying to the “Mario”s Yang, the “Wario” is the dark side of the Smash brothers community. A small subset, to be sure, but there is usually one in every core group of players. They are the naysayers, the grumblers, the mischief makers of the community.
But where the “Fox” truly loves the game for all that it is, the “Wario” is obsessed with all that it could have been.
You will find them wherever Smash players congregate, sowing confusion and dissent. They are in the comments section of announcement trailers, complaining about aspects of characters they haven’t played as yet. They are online, hassling Sakurai and starting arguments about character designs, or complaining about changes to the way characters were in older iterations.
In-game, they are the first to cry foul once things stop going their way. Whether it be the kind of controller they use, or that the character they are facing is “broken”, they always have an excuse.
Online, they have more ammunition still, its either input lag or ping that is to blame. They are as graceless in victory as they are in defeat, gloating over every win.
Don’t be a “Wario”, you’re better than that.
“Cloud” – Fashion Over Function
The “Cloud” is an interesting archetype, and like the “Wario, there is usually one in any given group. For them, the most important thing is not playing the game well, it’s looking as cool as possible.
This means, for the true “Cloud” (although it varies), playing as a large portion of the available fighters deemed uncool or too cutesy is simply out of the question.
Cloud Strife himself is the poster boy for this phenomenon, and likewise, many “Cloud”s will gravitate toward him or other edgy or evocative sword-armed characters usually from the Fire Emblem series. Bayonetta and Zero Suit Samus are also solid picks.
And while this alone is not necessarily a negative trait, it can be taken to obsessive extremes. Insisting on selecting the stage from your character of choice’s franchise, like Cloud’s Midgar, is an example of this.
In more extreme cases, there will be an insistence on using only lore appropriate items for their character, even to the players detriment: Cloud could use a beam sword, as such a thing could conceivably exist in his world and looks cool, but would never lower himself to using the hammer as its animation is ridiculous.
The “Cloud” player will also become irrationally annoyed if someone else selects their chosen character. They will have a skin they have deemed best, and will not often deviate from its use once chosen. Generally, they will have some story, either real or imagined, from their childhood as to why they play the character they do, or why they are so important to them.
What kind of Smash Brothers player are you? Do you know any particularly bad examples of these archetypes, or is there a type of player that we have missed?
Be honest with yourself: I’m the worst kind of “Cloud”, and I main Cloud. I’ve accepted my failings.
Want more Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate in your life? We’ve got you covered. You can read about the games first Spirit Board Event here. Maybe you need some tips and tricks to get you started? Or perhaps you’d like to play a similar game, only worse. Failing that, check out our ever-expanding wiki.
About the author
