Smash Ultimate Review – Ridley

Welcome to the Smash Ultimate Character Review. In this series, brought to you by no one because who would sponsor this, Bloggin Hood will review each character in Smash Ultimate, a daunting task for anyone without a crippling addiction for Nintendo products. This series will review important topics like best costume, taunt, and the most stylish moves in the character’s arsenal to embarrass opponents. It’ll also discuss less important topics, like best moves, character strength and weaknesses, and overall play style. If you survive the boring stuff, you’ll know just how to play to be the biggest baller online with a Kill Death Ratio at -3.

This all comes from a casual player’s mindset. While I’m not a button mashing new player with no concept of the shield button and I understand what profession players are talking about, I myself am not a professional. In fact, I’m all thumbs. I can’t input a combo, a combo breaker, or even a C stick Smash. It’s not pretty. Therefore, don’t expect these to be a technical discussion, or a high level point of view. I’m writing these for the people who follow-up their Kirby Rock Form with a second Rock Form. I’m writing to the players that go out of their way to pick Star Fox and say “Pew Pew Pew” as he slams the B button like it owes him rent money. And yes, I write to you, the heavyweight characters who spam smash attacks hoping for the best. There may be some real content in here, but only because I back doored my way into it.

Today’s focus is Ridley, the large, bloodthirsty Space Pirate, who is very big. Will his huge rivalry with Samus cause humongous issues with his play style? Also, the character is tall. 

Opening Rant

Of all the things Ultimate did right, it’s best accomplishment was introducing two of the biggest Nintendo villains as newcomers. Was there any doubt that K Rool and Ridley deserved characters? I mean, we talked about Doctor Mario last week. Pichu is not only a character, but might be the strongest character in the game. Ryu from Street Fighter and Bayonetta got in first. There’s no justice in the world, I swear. We’ll save the K Rool rants for his own entry, but for now, let’s focus on Ridley.

As touched on in the intro, Ridley was unplayable in Smash for years for being “too big”. This argument, disproven as far back as the Melee intro movie, was ludicrous. If you recall Melee, and I know the fan boys do, Samus battles a proportionate Ridley trophy. The battle only last for several seconds, but it shows how Ridley could be a fierce competitor at a reasonable size. Knowing this, it still took 18 years for the Space Pirate to become playable. I’m not really a big Metroid player. Ridley isn’t even my favorite purple video game Dragon (What up Spryo). However, this was pathetic. There had to be more to it than size shaming.

To prove these entries have some sort of pattern, I purposely wrote about Bowser last time. King Koopa isn’t just related to Ridley for being a fire-breathing, evil reptile, though that also works. Bowser, like Ridley, is often seen towering over his opposition. Everyone remembers how gigantic he was in Mario 64, and there’s been plenty of times he’s been 8-10 times larger than our moustached protagonists. He’s also been roughly 1.5 times the size of Mario. Apparently, Bowser somehow is both a grower and a shower. I’ll take my rim shot and move on.

The solution to Boswer was apparent – use a model that represents his size, but don’t make him a 17 foot behemoth. Nobody questioned this design, and everyone was thrilled to have Bowser. In fact, he was introduced a game too late as well. Maybe Nintendo hates villains. The point is, there was no issue scaling a model for Big Turtle. Ye this was the stated reason why Ridley took nearly two decades to make the select screen. I don’t buy it.

I understand the purple maven isn’t in Bowser’s tier of popularity. However, after Brawl, we began scraping the barrel for new characters. I mean, was anybody screaming for Villager? Ridley would have been an obvious Smash 4 character, and should have been in Brawl. The series has always needed villains, and no one affects a series protagonist the way Ridley affected Samus. I mean, Ridley legit dies in every game, but canonically returns in a new form to enact his revenge. He also murdered the shit out of Samus’ parents, but who’s counting?

The important thing about Ridley’s returns are his various sizes. Early on in Metroid, Ridley was barely bigger than Samus. Even in Super Metroid, Ridley was bigger than Samus, but not ridiculously so. It was only when the series jumped to 3D that Ridley became a giant dragon. So, Ridley was pretty much just like Bowser. Yet instead of getting the nod to Smash, he was shelved. Cited as too big, internet losers, like me, began to turn the excuse into a meme. In fact, Nintendo cheekily added this to Ridley’s reveal, tagging him entrance as “Ridley hits the big time.” Touche Nintendo. I respect this.

Except the part where Ridley playable for 20 years!

I don’t for a second believe this size thing. Ridley is more about brutality than he is being big. There’s an argument that the designers couldn’t come up with a move set. However, the internet has been speculating on a Ridley kit since Melee. The predictions were pretty close to the Smash iteration. Heck, even Brawl featured Ridley as a boss, and he had a pretty fleshed out move set there. The game made detailed, beloved move sets for a pilot and a racecar driver with no difficulty. People working on Smash Brothers have a wealth of imagination. So what was the reason? Don’t worry, I have a theory.

I always have a theory.

Want to know the real reason we had to wait 20 years? Ridley was too violent. Nintendo began “too big’ argument as a cover. I mean, you saw the Ridley reveal trailer? He massacred Mario and Mega Man via rail impalment. That’s brutal! And somehow, not sexual!

His persona is a violent, aggressive, hyper intelligence dragon who destroyed everything in his path. That’s probably not a character 8 year olds should come to know. Nintendo didn’t want parents to realize how dark Ridley was, so he was banished to boss, trophy, and banished from the select screen. Since this became the “Ultimate” version, Nintendo said screw it and threw a bone to Metroid fans. I mean, at this point, what were people going to do, not buy it? You’re not a loser right? You did buy Smash, didn’t you?

Wait, you’re readin this post? Of course you’re a loser.

Considering how many 6 year olds are playing Grand Theft Auto, maybe this theory is ridiculous. But Nintendo has a family image to protect. There’s a reason these fighting game has characters lose by falling off the stage instead of via health bars. Plus, consider how wacky the rest of the new characters are. Think that was by accident? Nintendo balanced one vengeful, evil Dragon for 10 wacky, cute and/or taunt filled additions. I mean, King K Rool’s move set is based on being fat. I’m on to you Nintendo.

But was the wait for Ridley’s appearance worth it? Based on my playtime for each character, I’m going to say yes.

Fighter Review

Gimmick – Be careful if you plan on spamming your neutral B. While the fireballs cause extraordinary damage, it’s a risky proposition. To mirror Ridley boss fights, the dragon takes double damage when hit while charging up this attack. Careless charges could result in suffering a quick 30-40%, and a possible KO. Honestly, this gimmick is up there with Pichu as being one of the most detrimental in the game.

Despite this I still kind of like the move. I guess I’m a masochist.

 

Play style – Ridley might be gaming’s first feather weight heavyweight. Let me try to explain.

The Space Pirate mixes elements of both lightweight and heavy characters. Ridley has many hard-hitting moves with some slow lag times. Despite his wings, his recovery is rather poor and he’s not nearly as fast in the air as I expected. However, he doesn’t have the weight of a true heavyweight, often dying at early percentages. I can’t call him a glass cannon – he’s not exactly light despite the feather weight name. He also sports a few very quick moves. He’s tough to label. Just know Ridley is unique, and that’s a wonderful thing.

Costumes – This one is easy. There’s Meta Ridley, and then 7 other choices.

Meta Ridley references yet another return for the Space Pirate. Here, he’s half metal, half Dragon… thing. So basically, I’m given the option of choosing a fire-breathing, psychotic cyborg or something that’s not that? Honestly, why did they even offer other characters to play as?

Taunts – Truthfully, this is the most disappointing aspect of Ridley’s character. His taunts are so meh. Ridley has the expected “roar” taunt given to every animal character. Since he doesn’t talk in any game, I expected this. His spin taunt is underwhelming to say the least. His final taunt has him stand up, showing just how large he actually is. This is a meta taunt that’s kind of funny and even includes a smirk. It’s not worth the lengthy animation though. Stick with the roar, I suppose. Fortunately, Ridley’s fun enough that bad taunts don’t slow him down.

Speed and Mobility – Speaking of slow…

On the ground, Ridley is pretty quick. He dashes very fast and can move around quickly between his sprint and his command grab. Some of his moves are laggy, but it’s balanced with his share of quick hits as well. The bizarre part of Ridley is his aerial movement. It feels clunky. He is definitely not as fast while jumping. This seems like a mistake. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Still, for a so-called heavyweight, Ridley moves around very quickly. Just expect to maneuver on the ground more than the air until you’re ready to attack.

Projectiles – Ridley is not winning any projectile wars. The fireball move is chargeable, firing off a maximum of 5 projectiles at a time. The damage of a full charge is great – roughly 20%. However, you suffer the risk of being hit and taking considerable damage. It also leaves you open for combos, which is not ideal. The best use of the fireballs is as an edge guarding tool. You can spam it during certain matchups, mainly slow brawler types. Most of the time, you have better options.

To avoid projectiles, Ridley is going to have to use his ground speed to maneuver around them. He can easily be pinned down unfortunately. Ridley’s attacks do have good reach, so you may be able to hop over some projectiles and punish the attacker. Typically, a good projectile character is a bad matchup though. Ridley is a big target.

Have we referenced his size enough yet?

Recovery and Edge Guarding – He has wings! He should be better than this!

What I can only assume is a balancing feature, Ridley’s Up B is an atrocious recovery move. It’s similar to Fox/Falco/Wolf’s UP B, though instead of full range of movement, Ridley can only move in awkward angles. He can recover straight up, somewhat diagonally, or high, but ending in the wrong direction. He can also go straight down. Awesome. This attack is strong, so it deters edge guarding, but the stall before his burst makes him spike bait. On the positive, Ridley had a third jump. I guess those wings are good for something after all. He can also use his side B as a horizontal recovery, and Up B after it. It’s not the worst recovery in the game, but again, wings. USE THEM!

In addition to his fireballs, Ridley can use his extra jump and great aerials to defend his house. Although there’s risk in his recovery, the speed on his Fair and Nair make defending the edge worth it. Like most command grabs, Ridley can take out an opponent with him, a great move at high percents or with a lead. The tools for a great edge defense are all here and you should use them to your advantage.

Ground Game – This is a solid kit with some long reaching attacks. Ridley was designed to use his tail like a sword, giving him disjointed attacks. The tilts don’t do incredible damage, but they are fast pokes that help to set up Ridley’s slower, meatier attack. Ridley’s smashes are all pretty unique. His USmash is a reverse flip kick that could catch opponents off guard. His down smash is a jumping quake that can hop over moves and punish. His FSmash is just pure awesome. Finally, his Side B command grab is essential to Ridley and is such a cool move. It’s not the best ground set in the game, but each is a lot of fun. You’ll hate when you miss U Smash though because his legs arc in the opposite way you’d expect. No seriously, try it. You’ll be swearing in seconds.

Air Game – So, remember how I complained about how Ridley was sluggish in the air? Yeah, this is why. If Ridley had the air speed he deserved, he might be broken. He has three of the stronger aerials in the game, and while we’ll talk about two in a moment, his Bair is a great, strong kill move that should be kept fresh if possible. Ridley’s Uair is meh, but his Dair is a “stall and Fall”. These attacks are always dangerous, but Ridley’s can spike if you fear daring (get it? GET IT?!) However, with his edge guarding kit, going for spikes is probably not worth the risk. Ridley has a case for top 5 air game in Smash.

I’m sure an actual expert will say he’s like bottom 3 after making the statement, but I’ll stand by it.

Power – Overall, Ridley’s power isn’t on the level of a Bowser or most heavyweights, but FSmash is as good as they come. If you want early kills, this is how. DSmash and Usmash are a bit behind regular heavyweights, but certainly above average. Bair is his only real aerial kill move but it’s also super strong. Ridley can also grab some kills with edge guarding, but his main method of winning is muscling through the opponent with smashes.

Most Stylish Move – Side B might be my favorite move in the game, but it you want style points, I recommend Down B. I  like to call this completely impractical move the skewer.

If sweet spotted, this move does roughly 50% and crumples the enemy. Sounds insanely broker, right? Only problem is it has a Falcon Punch esque wind up and the sweet spot is only the very tip of his tail. You need a huge opening and perfect spacing to connect. If you manage to hit the attack off the sweetspot, you only get about 4%. So this is the highest risk, minimum reward move in the game. Sure, 50% is awesome, but you cannot follow up until the opponent recovers from the crumple state. Ridley can predict the oppoennt’s move and punish, but nothing is guaranteed off the crumple. Why on earth would you use this move when Ridley’s remaining kit is solid?

The hype, my friends. Think of the hype. The screen closes in when you hit this move with an awesome sound effect. You feel like a wizard. It’s amazing. Good luck ever landing this move on a free for all, let alone a one on one, but I promise you I’m spamming this move whenever I can.

Moves to Focus On

Tail Stab (Down Tilt) – Ridley’s best poke is his down tilt, which serves as a safe, long range opener. The dirty secret about the Dragon’s move set is his tail is basically a sword. Swords, or really any weapon, have special properties. They allow a character to attack from a far distance, but remain safe from harm. Nobody has ever suffered damage from being hit in the sword. Now granted, the tail would be different, but the game considers it the same concept. If you have issue with this, blame Nintendo. It’ll be the first complaint they’ve ever received.

Ridley loves using this safe, damaging pokes. It’s does solid damage, but most importantly serves as a combo starter. It’s a good mix up attack with his grab and aerial moves. There’s not a lot to say about the move – it’s good. Let’s leave it there. Use liberally.

Spin and Win (Neutral Air) – Few moves provide the amount of benefits as Ridley’s Nair. This is quick both starting up and ending, and the hit box lasts for a while. You can use it as a combo starter, tacking on jabs and grabs from the ground, or Fairs from the air. Hell, you can even combo into itself if you want. That’s fun. If you want to master Ridley, learn how to pressure opponents using Nair. You’ll be glad you did.

Triple Stab (Forward Air) – Similar to moves like Kirby’s Fair and Metaknight’s Fair, Ridley jabs quickly with his tail 3 times. he shanks the opponent like they’ve never been shanked before. If all hits connect, you’ll looking at over 15% from a pretty quick attack. This is used for approaching and for edge guarding, preferably to push opponents away from the edge with multiple Fairs. despite being a quick, little knock back move, it remains brutal looking. I don’t know how a tail stabs worse than a sword, but it does. Maybe because the user is a bloodthirsty psychopath.

Flame Breath (Forward Smash) – For the amount of power on this move, the start-up isn’t so bad. I wouldn’t even call it slow. Tired of having to land all these aerials to rack up damage? Then spam some F Smash and enjoy roasting the enemy to a fiery crisp. The only downside to this move is that Smash attacks will have some start up lag. But you can kill at like 80% with this thing. I think you’ll take that trade. Save this move when you need a kill. You want this as fresh as possible.

Scratch and Slide – (Side B) – This is such a cool move. Ridley hops a bit and claws an enemy. Then, he scrapes his prey along the ground for additional damage before throwing the corpse in front of him. While this won’t typically kill, it’s a great way to rack up damage. this extends Ridley’s grab range, giving him a mixup and yet other suicidal kill move. the Ridleycide doesn’t have a good ring to it, but it fits a homicidal pirate who’ll be revived soon after dying. Ridley should use this move often, especially as a mix up on shielding opponents.

Verdict

I was afraid I wouldn’t like Ridley after the years of waiting. I’ve never even been a fan of Metroid, but I didn’t want him to flop. And boy, did this move hit. Ridley is so much fun to play as. Sure, you’ll get frustrated at his moronic Up B, but his whole move set is fun. He won’t be a top character for competitive play, but if you’re reading this blog, you’re not a top player. You’ll likely struggling to remember how to select a costume. Ridley brings the heat, and not just because he can spit lava. Try out the old Space Dragon and you’ll be glad you did.

Well, until you get combed and die at like 74% because of poor recovery. Nobody’s perfect. He’s a 9/10 in my book.

Characters already reviewed:

Mario

Dr Mario

Bowser