One of the most bizarrely conceived gaming crossovers has now become a reality.
“Minecraft’s” default player character, Steve, officially joined the roster of Nintendo’s “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” on Oct. 14.
With “Minecraft” being the current best-selling video game of all time, it’s no surprise that players have wanted the character included for many years.
Getting permission from other game publishers to use their game’s assets, however, can be difficult.
“Minecraft” is developed by Mojang and owned by Microsoft, while “Super Smash Bros.” is a Nintendo property.
When Banjo-Kazooie, characters once previously owned by Nintendo but bought by Microsoft in 2002, was announced to join the roster, a collaboration with Microsoft was proved possible.
Yet with a limited number of fighters left in “Ultimate’s” second new fighter DLC pack and many gamers speculating more-likely Nintendo staples, Steve didn’t seem possible.
Plus, he would be such an out-of-place fighter, coming from a game where the possibilities are literally endless.
How could you narrow down his abilities to one simple move-set? How could such a blocky art-style fit into the game? How could Steve ever be in “Smash Bros?”
Well, Nintendo did it.
On Oct. 1, to everyone’s sheer amazement, Steve was revealed in a Nintendo Direct livestream in all his blocky glory.
Thanks to “Smash Bros.” lead designer Masahiro Sakurai recording in-depth 45-minute video of Steve’s move-set, fans were able to get a sneak peek. On Oct. 3, fans were able to see how he would behave in-game.
Now that he is released, players can finally control one of the most widely sought after characters in the biggest crossover game to date.
Just moving Steve in the four analog directions shows how true he was designed to be accurate to his source game, with the model not having bendable elbows or knees.
Several basic attacks use various elements that really capture the charm of Minecraft.
The down tilt attack plants fire in front of Steve, the up smash attack plants a magma block overhead and the lava bucket that disperses lava on each side below are all moves that possess that charm.
Yet it’s the mining and crafting mechanics where Steve’s move-set really becomes unique.
His main special move is mining the floor below him or the wall beside him.
Going back to your mining table that appeared at the start of a match will let you craft a new weapon or upgrade a new weapon to a better material that range from wood to diamond. Steve’s sword, axe and pickaxe are used for a number of short-range attacks but are all prone to break eventually.
The material you mined can also be used to craft bricks to aid in your victory pursuit.
The extent “Ultimate’s” developers went to in order to make Steve as fun, diverse and quirky as he is in his original game really goes to show no challenger is too difficult to be put in the game.
Now that Steve is present, who knows what other characters Nintendo has in store to reveal, finishing off its fighter pass for “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.”
