So, Dragon quest heroes were added to Smash, but there is a controversy in his use in tournaments!
For the ones unfamiliar, this video explains how he works:
First of all, i gotta say that i saw Hero`s mechanics and thought they were extremely entertaining while conveying the feeling of "being an rpg character" with the mana system and the menu-generating move.......but, the problem is that his moves have a really strong randomness factor that can make players win or lose battles, which hinders the tournament experience.
This mean a lucky newbie can defeat some pro players if the RNG is in his favor and also, for a pro, this can mean the RNG can make him lose against a way less skilled oponent.
This doesnt mean he is op, but he is unbalanced in an unusual way, because it breaks the interactivity in a tournament because luck may become close to be THE FACTOR.....and we don`t want that in pro level play.
In casual play, randomness is not much of a trouble, but Smash stands out for being accesible and deep, which attracts casual and competitive players alike.
If i were the one in charge of adjusting Hero, this is what would i do:
1-Making critical hits skill based:
Instead of making it random, i would make it work similarly to Marth`s sweet spot attack. Hitting with a precise spot of the sword makes it stronger, otherwise, the attack would be relatively weak. This would make it skill based. Way more satisfying to land, and way more less frustrating to receive.
2-A consistent hero command order: Normally the battle menu move always present 4 spell options, but which ones appear is chosen randomly. I would add an exact same order that goes rotating after every use, something among the line of the order in which Olimar`s pikmins always appear.
Everytime an action comand is used, for the next use of action command, the previously used one will be replaced with the next of the list.
One could argue that without the randomness effect, this would give Hero an insane flexibility, but this is mitigated by the fact that the hero needs to use one skill to access the next skill on the menu list, and by the fact that each of his skills require certain ammounts of mana to use.
Some aditional benefits for this adjustment to the mechanic:
-It makes certain possible exploits like spamming heal practically impossible due to the massive time and mana cost required to reach the command needed.
-This adds a strategic depth for hero users because to fully benefit of the action commands it requires planning to use of the abilities in synergic ways, which, as a bonus helps with the RPG character feel.
3-No hocus pocus: Hocus pocus is a specific spell of the action command skill, but it has random effects that can be so rewarding or so punishing it can easily change a game`s result.
Is a fun gimmick, but too messy with a character who already has too many variables that need to be considered.
So, what are your opinions on Hero?, what do you think about my suggestions and do you have aditional ideas to adjust him so it can be a entertaining and exciting character in casual and competitive play?