By this point in time, many of you have no doubt played or at least tested out Sephiroth in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. The “One-Winged Angel” was a shocking character to have been revealed for the game, but players were pumped after seeing his reveal trailer as well as the gameplay focus done by Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai.
However, in his column in Famitsu, he went into more detail about the process of bringing Sephiroth into the game and the struggles his team had. Nintendo Everything translated it, and here are a few of the highlights!
“I wanted Sephiroth to feel like a boss character, with boss-like strength that players can enjoy.”
That feeling was the inspiration for the “Sephiroth Challenge” that preceded the launch, though Sakurai would admit that doing the various difficulties was a challenge. Another challenge for bringing in the One-Winged Angel was his sword:
The first problem we had when making Sephiroth was considering how to incorporate his long sword into the game. While it was certainly a huge problem, it was still easier than making Steve! His range isn’t quite the same as Min Min’s, so we instead looked at the successful creation of characters like Simon and approached it how we usually do it (well, we tried to at least).
Sakurai also went into greater detail about the “One-Winged Form” that Sephiroth has. It was a very unique mechanic for Super Smash Bros Ultimate and something that can change the match when it’s summoned as it boosts the character stats. But Sakurai justified this inclusion because there are other characters who have certain other abilities like this in their own way.
“In Smash, the focus is instead on each character being unique, and the “Winged Form” mechanic is one way Sephiroth is unique to other characters. Whether or not you have the wing or not during the match will surely add excitement to gameplay.”
Oh…and about Sephiroth’s release trailer…Sakurai is a big fan of it:
“Moving on to the announcement movie, I must say that “One-Winged Angel” is the best! We based his trailer around the music and thought hard about how to best showcase Sephiroth throughout the trailer. We hope that the movie left a strong impression on viewers, with Sephiroth changing the whole tide of the battle with one swing of his sword. The graphics were of course made with Advent Children in mind and despite the plot being written before FFVII Remake was released, I think that was a great movie.”
Indeed it was. Sephiroth is available now for Super Smash Bros Ultimate via the Fighter Pass 2. Three more characters have yet to be revealed for it, so stay tuned!
