In his weekly column in Famitsu, Masahiro Sakurai, the director of the Smash Brothers series, explained why certain clone characters were introduced into the newest iteration of Smash Bros, and had some choice words for those who choose to be negative about their inclusion. He first goes on to state how the characters in question were originally alternate models of other characters, but separated them since they had minor unique differences:
“There are 3 fighters [Lucina, Dark Pit, and Doctor Mario] that are alternate models (clones) in the game. Each was originally a color variation, but during development, they were given balanced characteristics. Since their functionality had differences, forms were separated from each other. However, it was vital that this didn’t increase the required man-hours. Some relative tuning was sufficient as it wasn’t necessary to create balancing from scratch.”
In response to fans’ criticism over the move, Sakurai very rightly says that these characters are like a free dessert in a restaurant, a nice added bonus, and that those who insist that all the characters in the game be unique “are children:”
“This is like a free dessert after a luxurious meal that was prepared free of charge. In a restaurant with this type of service, I don’t think there’s anybody who would say, “Change this to a meat dish!!”
Yet, I’m told [to do that] about Smash Bros. But, I guess since a lot of them are children, it cannot be helped.”
He then interestingly puts forth an ultimatum to simply let him and his team do what they do best, and reminds fans that regardless of their whinging, the game is still a bargain buy (presumably referring to the already impressive size of the game’s roster):
“Could you please leave it to me to select [characters] with man-hours and costs in mind? However you look at it, the game is a great bargain buy as a result.”
Considering the sheer number of original playable characters in the game, I’d have to agree with Sakurai on this one. A couple of clone characters don’t detract from the overall game, and sometimes picky gamers need to be put in their place.
How do you feel about Sakurai’s comments? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Nintendo Everything
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