Last month, Nintendo announced that fan-favorite Final Fantasy character Cloud Strife would be making his way to Super Smash Bros. Cloud is available for download today, but here’s a quick breakdown for how he’ll play and how his stage works.
According to Nintendo, Cloud was the most requested character for Super Smash Bros. The hero of Midgar comes equipped with his iconic Buster sword, and during Nintendo’s special Super Smash Bros. Nintendo Direct, we saw him use this body-sized sword to unleash a series of devastating combos. As previously revealed, Cloud has two costumes, a traditional outfit based on his appearance from Final Fantasy VII, and a more Neo-ish outfit based on Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
Nintendo also detailed Cloud’s special attacks. Blade Beam is a special attack that sends a wave of energy towards his enemies. This beam can be unleashed in the air, but is actually more powerful when released on the ground. Cloud’s side special is called Cross Clash, which is a powerful combo attack that sends enemies flying out of the arena. Climhazzard is Cloud’s up special, and this attack sends Cloud flying up in the air with his Buster sword outstretched and cleaving through anything that gets in his way.
Much like in Final Fantasy VII, Cloud has a limit meter that fills during the match. Players will also be able to manually fill this meter with Cloud’s down special attack. However, if Cloud’s Limit Meter is already full then his down special will be a vortex that doesn’t do a great deal of damage, but will send foes flying a great distance. When Cloud activates his Limit Break, it boosts his stats. Finally, Cloud’s final smash is Omnislash, a multi-hit attack that is as devastating as it was in Final Fantasy VII.
Cloud comes packaged with a stage set in Midgar. This simple three-platform stage has a great view of the Mako Reactor. The unique twist to this stage is that it randomly drops summon materia, and players who grab these goodies first can summon one of FF VII’s summon monsters, which change the terrain in a variety of ways. For example, Ifrit creates an inferno on the ground and tilts the stage in a couple of different directions. Ramuh electrifies platforms so they damage everyone except the player who summoned him. Odin cleaves the stage in half, instantly killing anyone who gets in his way. Leviathan floods the stage with water, which sweeps away anyone who doesn’t move to higher ground. And finally, Bahamut Zero does an area-of-effect attack that is truly devastating.
Super Smash Bros. Cloud DLC releases today for $5.99 for both Wii U and 3DS, but can be purchased for both consoles for $6.99.