Smash Advent Calendar - Day 21 - Villager

Day 21 casts the spotlight on Villager of Animal Crossing fame and I don't know whether this guy is cute or creepy. Either way though, Animal Crossing is a massively popular game at the moment ever since it came to Western shores on Gamecube and boomed on the DS, so it seems only right that after having some minor representation in previous games that we are now treated to a playable character from the series as well!

Now, the character I can most accurately compare the Villager to so far is probably Mr. Game and Watch from the small amount of footage we have seen so far. His attacks are bizarre, usually pulling random items from his game of origin out of nowhere like a cartoon character to devastate opponents, much as our favourite silhouette did in Melee and Brawl. This design choice is great and adds a lot of character to the Villager, which he needs because in Animal Crossing, the villager has a customisable appearance and no distinct personality as he is just meant to be a representation of the player.

All his moves look fun so far. The animations are always quick and fluid and usually quite funny to boot. Some of my favourites are the slingshot in midair, which looks to be a standard aerial attack with a good range and the bowling ball, which sees Villager dropping one of these heavy spheres on an opponents head like something from a Hanna-Barbera cartoon. He also appears to be able to plant a tree on the stage that he can come back and chop down later, presumably as a powerful attack. These attacks indicate that Villager will be an unpredictable and tricky opponent to fight, making the most out of item placement and misleading range.

Looks like he has some physical attacks up his sleeve, too!

One major weapon up Villagers' sleeve is the "collect" move. As Sakurai said in the address earlier this year, Villager has this move as the primary objective in Animal Crossing is to collect. Villager can grab any projectile in the game (Bar beam Final Smashes, presumably) and hold on to it for later use. Now this could be a simple fireball from mario, which Villager could use as a surprise stunning attack on the approach or it could be a fully charged Samus Neutral+B, which Villager could use to devastating effect at opportune moments. To balance this useful move, it appears Villager can only hold one item at a time, so as long as opponents are sharp, they can see what is going to come their way.

One factor we haven't seen much yet is a reference to games of Nintendo past. This can briefly be seen in what looks to be his Up+B, where he dons the Balloon Fighter's helmet and balloons and takes to the sky to recover, flapping his arms like the NES original. This move is both fun and useful, so it'll be exciting to see if Villager refers to any other games with his moves.

So far, the Villager is looking great and he fits right in with the cast of characters revealed so far. I eagerly await seeing more of what this tiny little man can do, but he's caught the interest of many people, Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing fans alike.

What do you think of the Villager? Great idea? Or out of place on the roster? Let me know below or leave a comment on the facebook page.