As any fan of the fighting game knows by now, the remaining DLC fighter slots for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are few and far between. Everyone is wondering who Nintendo could've saved for last, should the two known slots truly be the end of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's line of DLCs. While it's possible that Nintendo announces a third wave of DLCs, surprising fans like before, for now it looks like there really will only be two more fighters added to Smash Ultimate. Naturally those precious few slots spark heated debates about who is still worthy of an invitation. Although there's too many demanded fighters to count, one of them is Horizon Zero Dawn's Aloy.
What makes Aloy a little different from the other top candidates is that she isn't an old friend. Out of everyone that Smash fans want to see added, many of them are classic characters who have been around for a long time: Master Chief, Crash Bandicoot, the Doom Marine, Dante, Kratos -- the list goes on. Aloy is only a newly established character, but she's more than worthy of a Smash invitation, considering how she's one of the main faces of the PlayStation right now. Aloy's broad arsenal of weapons and the lack of Sony representation in Smash would make her perfect for one of the two remaining DLC fighter slots.
Adding a Spearfighter
One criticism that fans frequently levy at Smash is that there's too many swordfighters. There's certainly a lot of them; while the very first game had only Link using a sword, Smash Ultimate features a litany of Fire Emblem swordfighters, three different versions of Link, plus other characters like Shulk, Cloud Strife, and Sephiroth who come brandishing blades. Naturally fans are a little tired of Smash fighters showing up and swinging sharp objects around. While Aloy's spear would surely function similarly to a sword in some ways, she would probably still function very differently from most swordfighters.
There's two characters who give a decent sense of what Aloy would look like as someone who uses a spear for most of their attacks. Fire Emblem's Byleth is known for using a polearm, and Sephiroth's sword is so long that he uses it rather like a spear sometimes. Aloy would probably have heavier, slower attacks with longer range than swords, but often moving in straight lines rather than sweeping motions. That makes for a lot of very different hitboxes from a sword. The complaints of Smash fans aren't against weapon users in general; in fact, fans often wish some of Fire Emblem's representatives focused on weapons like axes instead, rather than not being there at all. Aloy's spear would be a good way to bolster Smash Ultimate's weapon diversity.
Aloy's Mastery of Range
If Aloy made it into Smash, there's no way that she wouldn't be a zoner. So much of Horizon Zero Dawn is played at long range that she would inevitably come packed with projectiles. One imagines that her neutral special would involve firing a bow like Link and Byleth. Nintendo could still set Aloy's bow apart, though. Horizon Zero Dawn puts a huge emphasis on elemental ammo, so maybe Aloy could switch between a couple arrow types for extra effects. A Shock or Freeze arrow could build up a stun, while a Corruption or Fire arrow could sacrifice initial damage and knockback in exchange for damage over time.
Bows are only one part of Aloy's arsenal, though. She could use a Ropecaster or Tripcaster to put traps on the stage at range, keeping enemies at bay while she harasses them with projectiles and lunging spear attacks. There's also the Sling and Blast Sling to consider. It'd be interesting to see Aloy use an attack like Snake's Up Smash, firing a projectile rather than just swinging a weapon with extraordinary force. Conversely, Aloy might have something like a Rattler that encourages her to get up close. Having so many projectiles would definitely make Aloy a nuisance to deal with, so maybe Nintendo could balance it out by giving her an ammo system similar to Steve's inventory or Robin's spellbooks.
Cause for Aloy's Inclusion
Aloy's theoretical kit offers all kinds of possibilities, but that alone isn't why she should be included. She's become really important to Sony's brand, so she seems like a perfect candidate. Horizon Zero Dawn shone brightly on the PS4, and fans are really invested in seeing where the new franchise goes next. Her high visibility thanks to Horizon Forbidden West makes her very timely to include in Smash. It seems a little bit crucial that Sony gets into Smash anyway. Microsoft is lending some of its finest characters to Smash so far, and meanwhile, Sony is missing out on a big opportunity.
Smash also really needs more women represented in its cast. While the video game industry is getting better and better at giving female protagonists the spotlight, Smash Ultimate hasn't done the perfect job of representing that; it's still overwhelmingly populated by men. That's probably partially because so many of its characters are from the old days of the game industry where there were very few female protagonists to begin with, but as times change, Smash needs to better reflect the industry and the gaming community as a whole.
Looking to Smash's Future
The big question now is when the next Smash fighter will be announced. With only about a month to go before E3, odds are Nintendo is waiting to reveal their next guest until then. E3 is a highly appropriate venue for that. In fact, some Smash fans speculate that both of the last two DLC fighters will get revealed at E3, even if one of them won't release until the end of the year. E3 hosting the next Smash announcement might be bad for Aloy's chances. Sony is famously skipping E3 again, and if Sony isn't there, then it doesn't seem likely that Nintendo will reveal a Sony fighter. It'd feel odd for Aloy to get her invitation without her parent company at E3 to celebrate with her. It's also hard to say if Nintendo would save Aloy for a final announcement after E3.
Although circumstances are sort of bent against Aloy getting into Smash right now, hope springs eternal. Nintendo keeps managing to surprise its fans time after time with announcements like Banjo and Kazooie, Sephiroth, and Persona 5's Joker. If there's hope for all of these distant characters, then maybe there's hope for Aloy after all. If Nintendo decides to extend Smash Ultimate's DLC production, then Aloy will be back in the running for sure.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch.
