Its been a tradition since Super Smash Bros Melee and the addition of the Ice Climbers and Mr. Game and Watch for new Smash Bros. games to feature an obscure or forgotten character. Since then we’ve seen Pit from Kid Icarus added and redesigned, R.O.B and even Duck Hunt representing the NES Zapper. With the NES and SNES Mini leading a resurgence in all things Nintendo and Retro, here are five retro characters who fell off the gaming map who are overdue a comeback.
Mike or Mark/Urban Champion
As iconic as it is simple, Urban Champion is a game where two characters attempt to punch each other down a manhole. As classic Nintendo games go, it is not one of the finest – which is likely why it was left out of the Nintendo Mini Classic. With not much in their repertoire but punching, Mike and Mark would need a lot of help if they hoped to become champions again.
Arthur/Ghosts ‘n Goblins
Arthur hold’s the honour of being one of the few characters to make it onto both the Mini NES and the Mini SNES. Nintendo clearly think highly of Ghosts n’ Goblins and Super Ghouls and Ghosts as representing some of the best evergreen titles on both systems, and Arthur would be a superb character to receive a new lease of life – his habit of stripping down to his boxers when hit would certainly make him stand out. With two Capcom characters already in Smash we wouldn’t go around expecting a playable Arthur, but as an assist trophy? Who knows!
Geno/Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
The Mario RPG is a cult classic, with one of its characters in particular becoming a favourite. In fact, Geno has been a longstanding request for Smash Bros. in his own right, even being recognised with a Mii Fighter costume as DLC in the last game. Only seen in cameos and references since his first outing, Geno is also technically a Square Enix original character which might complicate his appearance. The road to Super Mario RPG 2 could all begin with a playable role in Smash, so cross those fingers!
Muddy Mole/Mole Mania
Muddy Mole is perhaps the most obscure character on this list, appearing in just one title on the original Gameboy. Mole Mania is a title with serious Nintendo pedigree, however, being one of the lesser known works by Mario’s dad Shigeru Miyamoto himself. With the original Gameboy being suggested as the next legacy retro system it would be a great time to shine some attention on this classic.
Alex Kidd/The Alex Kidd Series
After Nintendo, Sega perhaps has the richest backlog of characters. This was most recently showcased in Sonic and Sega: All-Stars Racing Transformed, which included racers from series like Crazy Taxi, Sonic the Hedgehog, Shenmue, Golden Axe and Shinobi. Pumping lots of these characters into Smash would therefore be asking too much of Sega, but an exception could be made for Mario’s original ‘rival’ Alex Kidd. Starring in several great Master System and Mega Drive platformers, Alex Kidd was Sega’s answer to Mario. The fact he’s so obscure now should tell you how well that went.
