Character Profile: Luigi

Character Profile: Luigi

Background

As the original "Player 2," Luigi was created to be identical to Mario in the arcade game Mario Bros.  From then on, he appeared in nearly every game alongside his brother, exhibiting an extremely similar skill set.  An early attempt to differentiate him appeared in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels which gave him a higher jump and reduced traction.

His personality slowly began to develop over the various RPGs, resulting in a cowardly, comical character to serve as an antithesis to Mario's brave heroics.  This netted Luigi his own series of games with the Luigi's Mansion series in which he is forced to investigate haunted houses to save his brother. Luigi's humorous qualities were further explored in the Mario & Luigi series, which turned him into a clownish buffoon whom nobody recognizes, and Super Paper Mario which gave a brainwashed Luigi a villainous turn as "Mr. L."

Because Mario is the Nintendo poster child, very little can be done with his persona in terms of character development.  Luigi is where creators can have fun, as seen throughout the Super Smash Bros. games.  His moves are based on awkwardness, creating a much different playing style than Mario.  2013 has been dubbed "The Year of Luigi," with games such as New Super Luigi Bros. U being released, meaning that Luigi is here to stay.

Special Moves

B - Green Fireball

Origin: Mario Bros. (1983)

I'm basically keeping all of Luigi's special moves the same because they work well for his character.  The green equivalent of Mario's Fireball once again flies straight ahead instead of bouncing, just as it did in the original Mario Bros.

Up B - Super Jump Punch

Origin: Super Mario Bros. (1985)

Luigi's version of the Super Jump Punch doesn't repeatedly hit the opponent like Mario's, but if begun at a close enough range, it can send out a fiery upward spike into the air at greater damage.

Side B - Green Missile

Origin: Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)

For some reason, Luigi was given this special "blast-off" move that never existed in any other game.  Technically, it works as away to counteract his Super Jump Punch's lack of horizontal distance.  Plus, I like the fact that it can "misfire" and send him careening across the screen.  Poor Luigi.

Down B - Luigi Cyclone

Origin: Super Mario World (1990)

Based on the Spin Jump, this move has been with Mario and Luigi since the original Smash Bros. and since Mario lost it as a way to stand apart from Luigi, it makes sense to let Luigi keep this spinning attack.

Final Smash - Negative Zone

Origin: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)

Inspired by the idea of "living in Mario's shadow," Luigi performs a strange tribal dance that unleashes his darker side and ends up confusing those caught in his negative sphere.  It's so odd and quirky that I couldn't bear to take it away from him.

Alternate Costume

Mr. L

Origin: Super Paper Mario (2007)

Luigi's alter-ego is only really known for his Super Jump power and his mechanical abilities.  Since building giant robots is out of the question, all that this costume would really alter is the Super Jump Punch, replacing a fiery effect for a more electrical/dark aura.

Stage Profile: Mushroom Kingdom Overworld

Mushroom Kingdom Overworld

Origin: Super Mario Bros. (1985)

Home Stage to:  Mario, Super Mario Universe Characters

Background

Super Mario Bros. was a groundbreaking game, and its level design has become one of the most iconic universes in video games.  The simplistic overworld levels created the basic details of what would eventually become staples of the Mushroom Kingdom.  ? Blocks, smiling clouds, warp pipes and end-of-level flagpoles would reappear in many future Super Mario games.  As much as Mario needs to be included, so does this level.

The classic first level of World 1-1 has been recreated and referenced throughout many games, and a version of the stage has appeared in each version of Super Smash Bros. thus far.  The Melee version was the most visually faithful, capturing the bright color scheme and breakable blocks of the original game.

SSBM Stage

Brawl took things a step further and created a realistic, abandoned "Mushroomy Kindgom" that found the original level transformed into a desert wasteland.  This was a cool interpretation, but due to the size, the camera had to scroll through the entire level, making for difficult maneuvers throughout the fight.  I would have preferred a level like this for the single-player side-scrolling game, rather than the multiplayer brawls.

SSBB Stage

Ironically, the most fun version of this stage was the original SSB stage.  Although the colors were a bit off, the stage elements borrowed from a few games, making for a more exciting stage than the Melee version.  In addition to the moving platforms, there were usable warp pipes that could be used to escape/plan sneak attacks.  Also, a POW Block from Mario Bros. would appear at random locations to shake things up and send opponents flying. Finally, red Piranha Plants from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels would appear from the pipe, adding more stage hazards.

SSB Stage

A combination of each of these stages would create a great way to continue the tradition of including this level in each version of Super Smash Bros.

Stage Elements

Blocks and Item Blocks

Origin: Super Mario Bros. (1985)

As seen in Melee and Brawl, the blocks need to be breakable in order to recreate the original experience.  The SSB stage had permanent blocks which created a death-trap of an area and Brawl had so many that it was easy to get stuck.  The Melee set up is ideal, although rather than have the Item Blocks disappear when hit, they should remain as they did in Brawl, and replenish after a while.

Warp Pipes

Origin: Super Mario Bros. (1985)

The Melee stage teased us with Warp Pipes just hanging out in the background.  They should be usable in order to spice up the battles, including the random pipes that dump the player out in the pits.

Movable Platforms

Origin: Super Mario Bros. (1985)

The tethered platforms create a unique balancing act and can be dangerous if stood on for too long.  They disappeared in Brawl and should, once again, be set up like the Melee stage.

Lakitu and Spinies

Origin: Super Mario Bros. (1985)

To add a level of danger to the stage, Lakitu could periodically float by and drop Spiny Eggs.  This would be similar to the Lakitu Assist Trophy from Brawl, but would only appear on this stage.  It always bugged me that the retro design was used in Brawl when most of the other Mario enemies were the updated 3-D models.  Here, it would fit right in.

Night of the Lost Levels
Origin: Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986)

Because the two games are so similar, it would be remise not to include some Lost Levels elements in the stage.  This image perfectly captures how the additions would play out.  Like in various Brawl stages, the background would change to nighttime and that's when all of the difficult elements will come out.  Piranha Plants would come out of the Warp Pipes, wind would start blowing, and we might even see some floating Bloopers.  It would amp up the intensity of the stage, but it wouldn't be endless. Like the Lakitu attack, it would be used sparingly to liven up the simple arena.

Music

Mushroom Kingdom - Super Mario Bros. (SSB, SSBM)

Ground Theme (Super Mario Bros.) - Super Mario Bros. (SSBB)

Ground Theme 2 (Super Mario Bros.) - Super Mario Bros. (SSBB)

Dr. Mario (Melee) - Dr. Mario (SSBM, SSBB)

SMB Overworld (All-Stars) - Super Mario All-Stars