If there were one Nintendo franchise that you would never expect to have payable fighters in Smash Bros, it’s probably Animal Crossing (Or maybe Wii Fit). The entire game series is about starting a new life in a cozy little town, and the smile-inducing super chill experience that comes with it. You pick fruit, you go fishing, you dig for fossils, you give gifts to your neighbors, you occasionally become the mayor, and you slowly climb your way out of the hole left behind by the crippling debt involved in paying off your loans.
Okay, so maybe that last part isn’t so cheerful and chill. But they rest of the game is just super casual fun for the whole family. So how do you take a game like Animal Crossing and squeeze playable fighters out of it? Well, the mad men behind Smash Bros found a way, and they did it TWICE.
Villager joined the fight in Super Smash Bros 4, bringing with him an arsenal of every day items to lay the hurt on his opponents. Twigs, umbrellas, shovels, bowling balls, you name it. If he could pick it up, he’d use it as a weapon. And his most impressive skill actually IS his ability to pick stuff up. Villager’s Pocket neutral special lets him store pretty much any item or projectile on his person, and then he can pull it out and toss it back at his foes whenever he wants. The kid can even pick up LIGHTNING and put it in his shorts. That’s pretty impressive.
In Smash Ultimate, the adorable aide to the mayor Isabelle joined the fray as well. She functions similarly to Villager, even sharing a few different skills. But she also brings her own unique flair of using regular objects to fight with, carrying mighty weapons such as party poppers, and fishing pole, and cheerleader pom-poms! Just don’t ever actually fight her. The Internet wouldn’t be too happy about that.
So with two already unexpected characters joining the Smash Bros rumble, what else could Animal Crossing possibly bring to the series? Coming up with another fighter seems next to impossible. But keep in mind, Animal Crossing sports a huge cast of different villagers and regular NPCs to choose from. Of all of those adorable animals, one of them would have to have SOME sort of potential for Smash.
The most popular character pick is usually the local shop owner and property dealer, Tom Nook. He’s a staple of the series, and one of its most recognizable characters. And admittedly, having him join the battle and hit you with a Final Smash the sells you a house or something would be pretty entertaining. But I think I may have come up with an even better character choice!
Just don’t hit the power button on your system while he’s around! He’ll get really angry if you do that! That’s right, it’s the most menacing of moles, the wildly talkative MR. RESETTI!
In the Animal Crossing games, if you were to turn your game off or hit the reset button without saving your progress first, you would be greeted by this grumpy mole the next time you played. At first, he would be fairly calm, thank you for purchasing the game, and warn you about not saving your progress. But for every time you turn off the power without saving, he keeps getting madder! And there’s no winning against his punishments of angry tirades.
In reality, Mr. Resetti does have a history with the Smash games already. He’s been a collectible trophy in several games, and he appeared as an Assist Trophy in Brawl. Though really, he didn’t to much assisting. He would sit on the stage and go into a long rant, blocking part of the fight with a large text box. He would even mimic the fighters in the battle, or unleash an explosive attack if you hit him enough! Even though it seems mostly like a pointless joke character, his rants could make for an effective distraction.
His assist functions were removed in Smash 4, but bringing him back to the series as a playable fighter would have him putting his rage to good use. After all, there isn’t much that’s more brutal than an angry person with a pickaxe. Maybe he could have a move that increases in power, depending on how much damage he takes. It could work similarly to Lucario’s aura mechanic, but be executed like Wario’s Down-B special (minus the farting). In fact, it could even be his rage explosion from Brawl! I think that could work out pretty well.
But just him getting angry to fight isn’t the only reason I’d like to see him playable. The other is that… well, he’s a mole! A subterranean fighter isn’t something we’ve seen in Smash Bros yet. An interesting special move would be him diving underground and digging forward, grabbing fighters he passes underneath them and sending them into a buried state. Heck, even his regular ducking animation could have him going underground, giving him a unique advantage in totally avoiding damage at times. Of course, doing that would leave him to prone moves that attack low or hit the ground, so attacks like Hand Slap could lead to trouble for Resetti.
How all that would work on any platform that isn’t solid ground, I don’t really know. Resetti would most likely just dig through his footing, rather than digging under it. But maybe that could make for an interesting mechanic as well, allowing him to make quick escapes if he needs to. It’s a thought, anyway.
For his Final Smash, why not another callback to Brawl? With an angry yell, Mr. Resetti traps his foes in a rant, albeit a fast-forwarded one from his usual speeches. They get a good talking down to, and Mr. Resetti’s words are so powerful that they send the opponents flying! It would be a hilarious attack to see in action, that’s for sure.
Animal Crossing may be a strange series to give a third playable fighter to, especially since longer running represented Smash games still only have one or two fighters. But since Resetti could make for such a wildly different combatant, I would gladly welcome his inclusion!
So what do you think? Do you think I make some sense, or do I just sound like I’m rambling nonsense? Let me know in a comment! Until then though, Sparky is signing off for now! I’ll see you another time!
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