Why Nintendo didn't Smashify Steve (and some ways they could have!)

[@Curiomatic]

The render has now been uploaded to the Smashified group page on deviantart! It's quite fascinating to see how receptive people are to specific changes and how their individual experience with the Minecraft franchise influences their taste. Very cool to see the different opinions in the comments, even if people don't like certain aspects of our approach.

[@izzy1349]

I've been thinking about this and this is my final input. The smash team didn't smashify steve because he already was. Adding characters to smash isn't about changing their colors or adding realistic denim textures, its about recreating their most iconic appearance. While they do that with older characters like terry and megaman, its not the main goal. The main goal is doing them justice, not homogenizing them. The way you animated the sword swing is not iconic to minecraft. It would be like making ryu clap his hands together after a hadouken, it might be a more involved animation but that is just not ryu. That being said i love your channel and you are all amazing artists and i just play way too much minecraft

[@Curiomatic]

@@izzy1349 I would make the case that in older Smash games (especially starting with Melee), staying true to their most iconic appearance was not a primary goal. In Melee and Brawl, many characters were entirely reinvented or given characteristics that aren't really derived from a particular game, such as Yoshi feeling more like an animal, Bowser being much more ferocious, Peach being much more violent, Pit and Ice Climbers looking extremely different from their key art, Zelda and Sheik doing... anything..., Fox and Captain Falcon being outside of a vehicle, etc. Trying to be more faithful to the character is something that really started in Smash 4 and continued into Smash Ultimate, and that's evident with characters like Megaman, Min Min, Steve, Inkling, Ridley, K. Rool, and ESPECIALLY the DLC characters. But even some characters like Duck Hunt, Rosalina & Luma, Palutena, and Pac-man are stretching a bit to have their movesets, and a fair bit of invention or reappropriation is happening to make them work. That being said, I absolutely recognize that the sword animation example isn't really derived from anything in Minecraft. In fact, it's not very appropriate as a move in a lot of ways, as it has too much startup time before the core action of the attack. The function of including that particular animation in the video was more to demonstrate the animation principle, rather than to be a proposal of an actual attack. I think the principle itself could be applied to animations that are based directly on Minecraft actions, which is probably something I should've tried to include in the video.

[@superromangaming]

i agree with all of the design changes you made i play minecraft btw

[@crowmaster9652]

Grinch leaks were right

[@teenagemutantgeek9102]

do you plan on doing any more of smashified? i’d love to see more

[@GetMadz]

The subtly works super well - fantastic job!!!

[@hubadubatron1045]

Would Curt say otherwise?

[@cumsoak]

Subtlety

[@JustChill0927]

Exactly

[@SurfRaichu]

KZbinr did mistake?! whaaaaat???!!

[@guillaumechau6082]

Did not expect you here, but its cool you are!

[@ChristopherMoom]

There is a parallel universe out there where Steve in Smash looked like the Minecraft people in *_Minecraft Story Mode_* Sounds like a fate worse than death honestly

[@inarjollyhound]

I actually really like the style of Minecraft Story Mode, but admittedly, it *really* doesn’t suit Steve.

[@thekeyandthegate4093]

The characters in story mode look wrong when they emote. It never appealed to me in the slightest, so I'm glad they stuck with the original style.

[@trash_lol]

o . o [ ooooo]

[@TrentonDoesStuff.]

correct

[@waffluuz2676]

there is a parallel universe where... *grotesque steve*

[@MegaJohnization]

I feel like the out of place nature of Steve in Smash was 100% intentional and capitalized on. The trailer has that long, awkward pause with him and Mario for good reason. They knew it looked odd and played on it.

[@poptart9162]

I think they did an excellent job in this sense with how Steve looks on the banner. To this day he still looks photoshopped in and I love that they capitalized on it so much, adds an extra level of humor and charm to his inclusion.

[@TheSsbcandidates]

"capitalized on." True, to sell him out.

[@h-Films]

yeah but i hate it

[@puffcap_]

Wow I've been on the "Keep steve awkward" side but these subtle changes are actually PERFECT as a way to solidify this iteration of steve as SMASH Steve and not just java steve. This is something I didnt think would even be possible

[@iceburger3933]

seriously! although I think they kept it the way they did for his aspect of being a more "funny" character, like g&w

[@IdaeChop]

hehe bevel go swoosh

[@spikerthedragonbear]

@@IdaeChop Every block on every render of Minecraft earth does have a small "unnoticeable" bevel

[@PanduDraws]

Isnt this just bedrock steve basically

[@izzy1349]

I think steve's lack of traditional animations is part if the charm. It reminds me of the lego movie, the characters in the movie never do anything normal lego cannot. I think there is a charm to extremely limited articulation Edit: i know the lego movie overextends limbs sometimes, there is a difference between doing it every once in a while and making all of Steve's animations jiggle

[@ItsRetroPlanet]

It's why I love Mr game and watch and his inclusion in smash. The lack of smooth animations make him stand out in a good way, and that it feels like a smooth transition in a different way.

[@gulfgiggleanimations4472]

I feel like omni hit a nice middle ground. I love LEGO movie too, but they also break a few restrictions of actual LEGO, such as how their arms move from the shoulder joints in more ways than just the rotation that is impossible to do with actual LEGO mini figures.

[@skyletoft]

"Never" The LEGO movie breaks those rules just like Omni bends Steve's arms here, just to a slightly lesser extent

[@izzy1349]

@@skyletoft the "lesser extent" is everything here. Omni made the joints very slightly rubbery to fit the aesthetic of smash more. Whenever the lego movie overextened a piece it was a last resort to achieve a goal. Dont get me wrong i love omnis work but I don't agree with changing his animations at all. The animation of him swinging the sword just felt wrong to me

[@Curiomatic]

Andrew and I were talking about it and we have a theory that, generally speaking, people who don’t actually play Minecraft are far more receptive to changes in how he is animated compared to the original game. I love the animations made for Minecraft Dungeons, for example. I think both the original and dungeons have their charm, and the way he’s animated in smash is certainly valid. There’s no arguing otherwise. =P ~Omni

[@darkychao]

it almost makes too much sense to base Smash character's design off of toys, since, in-canon Smash characters literally are animated toys/figurines/trophies.

[@orangegouice]

not in ultimate :^)

[@darkychao]

they're still trophies in ultimate, in world of light there's a scene of Galeem creating copies of fighter trophies and then using spirits to control them

[@megamillion5852]

@Some characters aren't allowed "Trophies" are how we see them as still, unmoving objects in our collection. They've basically always been toys to life figures, but now the connection can be properly made with amiibo. Now are still figures toys? Well, yeah. Regardless of articulation, kids will smash together plastic.

[@jaybutnotjay]

ok

[@Val-xj1wy]

They aren’t trophies tho, those aren’t fighter trophies, that are the characters tied up

[@cti23gy46]

You know, They did technically "Smashify" him. Did you notice? Steve's design is based on the original game rather than the updated version of Steve's design that was made after the "Alex" Skin was added. (This is most apparent with his mouth shape)

[@twours]

Actually, its a beard, they removed it with the "Oof" sound to make it more gender neutral and stuff

[@Beansman-gp3ws]

Nope, Steve's beard was removed super early on, well under a year into development. I wouldn't consider that "smashifying" him, since it's literally just an older texture from Minecraft itself.

[@savien6401]

I'm glad someone notices that, in bedrock my guy shaved his awesome beard 😭

[@savien6401]

@@twours also I don't think it was removed to be more gender neutral, I may be wrong but in case Steve still looked male

[@Lil_Ms_Dipst]

Steve got his beard shaved since people thought it was a smile.

[@sfc0450]

The upside of his model being flat is that someone was able to mod in the ability to use your own Minecraft skin, so it doesn't conflict with any of them visually.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Fantastic!! Really well done. Would have loved to see this implemented, would still work well in the Amiibo.

[@leontriestomeme9712]

Hi

[@kaexewires7531]

i absolutely agree! :)

[@sudo746]

haha, forgot he'll get an amiibo

[@MrWarners14]

Your interpretation looks pretty neat but I still feel like the stilted awkwardness of the final design is cute and charming. I’ve always hated the Grotesque Steve meme so when the “real” Steve showed up in all his awkward glory, I screamed with joy.

[@dmod3350]

Grotesque Steve made me squirm and cringe whenever I saw him he’s the worst

[@tantejunko]

oh god not that kind of steve 4chan why

[@joobtheboob]

I love how hideous grotesque steve is because it's fun to say how crappy it looks but if that model ever became the official steve model I'd probably cry ngl

[@amino-acid]

I fucking cry whenever I see him

[@magicschoolbuscarlos]

I love Grotesque Steve and they should've made him official.

[@PenguinLotion522]

I prefer how you made steve look visually, but i do prefer the classic animations or something somewhere between that and yours also i really love the blinking and looking to the side, its such a small thing to think about but i really really like it

[@SlamBolts]

When I first saw the model I thought "Oh, it looks just like the toys, that's kinda cute!" and then you mentioned the toys! It's a pretty awesome interpretation, but I'm in love with the idea of Steve being like Mr. G&W, and staying true to Minecraft's aesthetic

[@clover266]

Yeah

[@Lexicon865]

While not to the same extent, I feel like they've already "Smashified" Steve. Though the character looks very faithful to Minecraft, they somehow still look slightly more polished than how they are in the original Minecraft game. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something about the Minecraft content in Smash that, when put to a side-by-side comparison next to a screenshot from the actual Minecraft game, does not look completely 1:1, but rather only 98% similar at most. I dunno Kind of glad they made Steve more faithful to Minecraft. These very very subtle tweaks are enough to have Steve fit in well, while still standing out compared to the other characters. He sticks out, but not quite like a sore thumb, as I imagined.

[@Lexicon865]

@@user-tzzglsstle585e38 The lighting is different, but the model itself also seems kinda different too. And no, I don't mean Steve having a beard but...I dunno

[@sfc0450]

You think maybe the blinking might be part of why he feels slightly different?

[@employee4272]

@@sfc0450 i mean... he blinks now in bedrock edition.

[@Crackers0106]

On the texture, all the faces don't have the contrast that the original texture has, like on some of the inside textures of the arms

[@corellioncrusaderproductio4679]

Agreed, but then again, he isn't a port, he's a recreation. That will create these slight differences in the rythm of his movement. Take a look at the minecraft stage, and observe the mobs in the background. They move completely differently in smash, than they do in minecraft. Not to mention, the speed of the leg movement versus the distance travelled is not equal to minecraft, either. It's mostly apparent with the skeleton in the minecraft stage.

[@DelightfulJay]

on the one hand I am really glad they kept the original style of Minecraft when putting Steve in Smash on the other god *damn* your design looks clean, like man that looks good

[@malikmalikmalikmalikma]

I really like the design he made, but it just doesn't feel alright The character is too bright and the animation is so expressive it makes it stop feeling like minecraft Im happy they kept him like he was originally

[@apae225]

I love your version! It made me realize that the current Steve in SSBU seems to lack life in a way. Especially when you look at the eyes of your render, he looks like he's "aware" of his new environment. When he looks to his left and right, and blinks, it's as though he's paying attention to the other fighters. Honestly, just adding that to the SSBU version would lend him some more cohesion with the game and other characters. Idk about the animations though, I think the "awkward" and "stiff" ones in SSBU are important to Steve's identity.

[@nathanlasart226]

Looking at characters like Mega Man and the Belmonts who were "Smashified", they were done in a way that reflected their original box and manual art, and animated almost exactly like their original sprites. So Mega Man is designed to look like a more detailed version of Inafune's original art, but animated with the same derpy expressions and twitchy foot of the in-game sprite. Similarly Simon has a slightly updated barbarian look from the box art, but things like his awkward strut and delayed whip remain intact. Applying this "honor the intended artstyle/recreate the animations" design philosophy results in the largely unchanged Steve we have today. As the pixel art is the intended artstyle, and (like Simon and Mega Man) his animations were literalistically recreated for Smash, as stiff as they are. That isn't to say that something like what's presented here couldn't work or wouldn't meet those criteria. I'm just saying that not Smashifying Steve is an equally valid way to Smashify Sreve.

[@wumpus976]

That reminds me, do you ever wonder what would’ve happened if we got Mega Man more in-line with how he appears outside of the original games? Less awkward animations, actual voice lines, stuff like that. I just think that could be a decent mod.

[@cheatsykoopa98]

I just wish they would give him the artstyle of the update trailers. steve and alex look super expressive there and they dont exactly break the artstyle there

[@GardenGD]

This looks really good, however, as you said, it comes with some trade-offs. I think, as someone who has played minecraft a lot, that this render goes slightly towards the point of not representing Minecraft as a game anymore. What I mean by this, is that this render in particular looks like a toy, and specially because of the shading it looks really plastic-like.

[@shudheshvelusamy7644]

Yeah, why does he look so shiny?

[@h-Films]

that's what i llove about it

[@wumpus976]

Considering Minecraft’s promotional art and videos always use more simplistic textures, having Steve shown in a way like that seems like a nice reference.

[@solarprogeny6736]

His eye movement is the cutest thing in your rendition! Definitely would have welcomed it warmly had it been official, though going full original model was a very good idea

[@nicosalsa21]

“I’ve never played Minecraft myself” really, that surprising since it’s been super big, even my parents have played Minecraft once or twice and they never play video games

[@arnauddegos8582]

i just love how they animated him in smash, with the whole tumbling down animation too. I just wish they gave him like, rim light. The kind you find on mario when on battlefield

[@KnightsDisillusion]

I'm glad they didn't smashify him. It just wouldn't feel like Minecraft if they updated his animations and model. Edit: I'm not the biggest fan of the attack animation, it's a bit too detailed and smooth BUT! Overall what you guys have made is really sick. It's a fantastic blend of Smash & Minecrafts art styles.

[@paulwebb2078]

Someone should mod this model into the game and see how that looks.

[@DualSaga184]

It shouldn't feel just like Minecraft, it should feel like smash. Of course there's a such thing as going too far, but trying to make character fit the smash style better is worth losing some of their original design over.

[@yooooooooooooooo696]

@@DualSaga184 I disagree just cause game and watch. If steve got changed it would just feel weird. Any change makes it feel less steve like just cause its iconic.

[@quazar3640]

@@yooooooooooooooo696 game and watch actually had a lot of thought put into him animation wise, so that he fit smash.

[@professornova1236]

@@yooooooooooooooo696 they don't have to change his move set. I'd love it if Steve had this design as his character portrait. He looks polished, but not to the point where he clashes with the roster

[@abandoned__]

I love your vision, and I feel like the subtle additions would've been fun!

[@aloeTevi]

This is EXACTLY what I thought they would do for Steve's design, EXACTLY THIS.

[@Irish_Enderman]

He's perfect there's NO REASON to change his animation

[@Sdat_online]

I feel that your interpretation holds many values of the original game true while being far less jarring. Steve currently feels really out of place in animations and renders and I felt all of your ideas were great solutions to that!

[@andybilyak]

I personally believe that this is the definitive steve design that should've been implemented in smash ultimate. Amazing job!!

[@slippie5585]

i love your adaptation but at least we didn't end up with the story mode style.

[@TrikeMan115]

honestly this is my favorite rendition of any Minecraft character or model. the eye movement gives it so much liveliness while maintaining a “pixel” feeling. Love it

[@JasNeo13]

So apparently that's a beard on Steve and not a big, goofy smile. I can't see it

[@mr.mcklockwork3828]

Think of the square in the middle as a lip

[@Nmac-]

Too be honest. Any form of Steve bending his Arms would just be cursed. unless it's a youtube animation. I think it would be better just too stay true to the original Animations

[@CookieCutter07]

I was just about to say that he looks like the toys when you talked about his inspiration from them!

[@xSuperFryx]

I thought I was going to disagree with your interpretation but I actually really love it. I’m extremely happy with what we got it, but I do love your idea here 😀

[@BobBulb]

I really like this, it brings just enough of a dynamic feel to the character without abandoning the core aesthetic of the original game. OG Steve is iconic and I do like the rigid movements, but I was hoping for a bit more experimentation on the visual/animation side

[@hownot2junk803]

Eh, something looks a bit off about the animations to me. The design is great but there's something about how the model moves that makes it a tad bit too... flexible? I'm not entirely sure what to call it. The limbs don't look like they attach properly to the torso, which further skews the movements and makes them look like they're almost floating around the torso, but not at the same time. I'm unsure how to describe it best, but it feels like it has too much extra range of motion than it should. But that's just my opinion that'll most likely be washed away under the hundreds of comments as soon as I post this lmao

[@trainershade1937]

Honestly, I would definitely have preferred a style more like this. However, if I were to truly go off of preference, he wouldn't have been a standalone character to begin with. But seeing as he IS and there's no changing that fact, I may as well criticize how he (they) were introduced.

[@TheChosenPrime]

You can’t Smashify me

[@PentaCrab]

Really like this change! It perfectly manages to make his movements feel more natural without losing grip of his overall aesthetic charm.

[@aidenpomeroy1848]

I disagree on the choice to apply squash and stretch and bends to the animations, but I do think the model is much closer to the smash brothers art style. I’m glad to see you guys uploading again :)

[@mateofamate1387]

I actually really love both the smash way and the toyish look you made, It's like a balance between authenticity and Smash except I really like both ends of the spectrum, so it's like, renders look good no matter what.

[@exetone]

I think keeping the model 1 to 1 is perfect for steve, but it's weird he doesn't have the back lighting every other character has. It makes him fit in on his own stage but it looks strange everywhere else

[@TSMSnation]

man, its only been little over a year, and I already understand so much more of this, after delving on this journey of learning all this stuff.

[@dsquare3033]

This looks so good I love the Subtle changes you made, I would of rather had this version by a mile but I understand why Nintendo did what they did, I’m sure they’re more people that would be upset he got changed then people that want it changed.And can you please do Dante for smashified.

[@traelcutter5934]

I want to see more animations with this render you've made! It actually looks really good and I'd wanna see a moveset with this

[@CG64Mushro0m]

0:12 no one is talking about how he is right next to sonic

[@hot_shot5857]

he started steve's career thats why

[@lilbonsly]

I prefer how they animated him, but you made Steve look visually more interesting in such a nice and subtle way, the looking side to side is small but also really nice

[@icicleditor]

Your Steve is absolutely adorable.

[@falconfrodo2907]

Your version fits perfectly in smash, it's almost exactly what I imagined a smashified steve in smash. It keeps the characters charm and still looks out of place (in a good way), and at the same time it goes better with the art style of smash. Nice one!

[@six_buck_dlc]

i said something and you did exactly what i hoped for. you made him faithful, high quality, and actually supported the idea of dislocating his limbs. you even gave him the same eyes as in the trailer i love that. if i had money i would give you money but i dont have money so i can't give you money

[@MrSTVR]

Would have preferred some more expressive presence like this at the least. Game and Watch paid homage to traits of those old LCD games, but he doesn't look like a 1:1 graphical translation of them. Smash (post 64) has always made the effort to bring characters to a vibrant new life no matter how old or technically limited the source material, so I was really disappointed they visually did practically nothing to a character from a game about creativity that's always been somewhat infamous for having ugly graphics.

[@Octo_0687]

The minor flexibility of the arms is a nice touch and the bevel, and layering is unique for the updated look to Steve.

[@smellthel]

Back in my day this was just a meme

[@slob5041]

He’s essentially the new mr game and watch

[@quinntanium350]

He looks like tiny footprints and it’s really good.

[@jazzminrice]

Those who commented first haven’t watched the video, this is way better than what I would’ve imagined Kinda wish his smashified version was the one we got but that’s just preference as Steve is still Steve lol

[@AverageEggmonEnthusiast]

I really like the difference in roughness of the pixel shades. I think it looks really cool with how the light interacts with it.

[@peterfamilyguy2040]

BRO THESE WERE MY IDEAS OF HOW STEVE WOULD LOOK IN SMASH AND YOU RECREATED THEM IN 3D PERFECTLY THANK YOU

[@SensesEU]

Thats one GLOSSY boy

[@babybojanglesjr]

That Steve is so baby🥺

[@amiiboacid4785]

Neither fans not Mojangs keep Steve's visuals and animations the same when they make their own bodies or spin-offs. It wouldn't have been out of place at all for Steve to look slightly different

[@dominicgraham6101]

I've been playing minecraft for quite awhile and your Steve looks fantastic! Honestly, I wish more fan animations did their player models like you did, it looks so good!

[@JJokerDude]

i really enjoyed how awkwardly accurate Sakurai's version is, but yours fits in a lot better with the other characters' models. you could even leave Minecraft World as it is, plop this Steve model in, and it would still feel like a good fit. very nicely done, as always!

[@hououinkyouma5539]

Definitely like your model. Adds depth without being too distracting

[@hexo1260]

I love what you made! I don’t know if its personal taste, but I would use the Minecraft dungeons texture of steve instead of the original because it is just a little more detailed.

[@thetechw1z]

I like this version of Steve - it’s reminiscent of Minecraft’s later update trailers (Nether Update for example) in that it strikes a balance between still being familiar and having delicious fluid motion. You really outdid yourself on this one!

[@napalmblaziken]

My issue with the way Steve moves is that it feels like all of his attacks are frame zero, so he basically outspeeds everything you do. I wish they gave him this, so it would feel more balanced.

[@jolkert_]

Just adding this model would change nothing about the game balance

[@tootietooter5984]

@@jolkert_ They're talking about Omni's animation example.

[@lukelcs8934]

I love your version, it looks awesome. Honestly, I initially thought it was fake, because it looked too much like his original design. It kinda clashed, however, your point with Mr. Game and Watch was really good, and I think it definitely has it's own fun kind of charm that makes it unique, but at the same time, I think using a model more like this would be freaking awesome! Seriously, this model looks great, and the expressions and animations are excellent! Never seen your channel before, but this is worth a sub in an of itself. Great job man! Keep it up!

[@DIASTCartoons]

I like the way you modeled Steve. That would have been a cool idea for his design, but I do appreciate the Smash team sticking to the in-game Minecraft animation style. It did give me some form of familiarity.

[@elkarlo1593]

This is pretty awesome, I wish they did at least the eye thing, and made the render something else than "He's just standing there... MENACINGLY"

[@jimmalybob4829]

Some of the changes you made look quite cool, but I definitely prefer what they went for. It just makes him look so much funnier to me when he beats someone up with that expressionless face. Plus, I always felt that the simplicity of Steve’s animations is reflective of the simplicity of the concept of the game he comes from.

[@maverickREAL]

This looks so garish, Minecraft characters should stay the way they are.

[@blazingtrs6348]

This one looks like a toy

[@MidoseitoAkage]

Pac-man looks like a toy too. So I am okay with the look of Steve.

[@adenmiranda1725]

It would actually pretty cool if they used the "plastic" texture pack design used on the box art for the xbox 360 version of Minecraft

[@ariastroke9692]

Funnily enough your rendition of Steve is what I would've expected from Nintendo previous to the reveal.

[@Geneolgia]

This is an amazing take on Steve both visually and animation-wise, just the eye movement and less contrived animation are very charming, also basing his aesthetic on the official toys goes along well with the idea that Smash characters are toys or figurines. In the end i could take a mix of your visuals with his stiff Smash animations because i like to play my characters as they do in their games (looking at you Wario).

[@hoodiesticks]

I was in the "Keep him 100% faithful" camp, but this video actually convinced me that there was room for improvement without sacrificing what made Steve special.

[@QSHV]

Before I watched this video, I had no idea what a Smashified version of Steve possibly could have looked like, I literally was unable to even picture it; so the fact that you not only managed to do it, but also managed to make it look good, is very impressive. With that being said, there is one nitpick I have with your version of Steve, which is that he looks a bit too much like plastic or a toy. Other than that, it's absolutely fantastic.

[@a-ramenartist9734]

kinda funny how the game with the most basic animations ever is what got so many people into 3d animation

[@tinnian1273]

I feel like the current way Steve is presented in smash works really well with what he does in promotional media. Like in the trailer and the poster he wasn't invited he just -- Mined his way into Smash, on accident or on purpose. I still enjoy this take on him and it would fit really well for a Steve in an alternate universe where he was invited to Smash.

[@Bluepika15]

I think choice to keep Steve completely faithful to the original minecraft is really funny and its so surreal seeing his awkward motions in the game! I really like it, but I also liked the way you chose to model Steve. Definitely looks really good

[@NegaTheImpmon9508]

this subtlety reminds me so much of the animations you see in the game trailers..

[@BamHurgr]

This is exactly what i wanted Steve to look like....

[@Linck192]

the bending of the arm during the animation looks really good

[@backlashD]

You're visual upgrade does look neat, but I'm definitely glad it didn't happen. The way they captured Steve's movements in the game is amazing.

[@kashino55archive94]

Wow, I always thought that there was no way to Smashify Steve in a way that keeps the charm of the original, but here you are

[@wishfuldentochoosensilver3923]

I like this a lot better. It’s Smash Bros treatment to give character an upgrade. Like how Pit’s arrow animation is taken straight from Kid Icarus but Pit still is an all new character. Steve’s arms don’t need an elbow, but leaning into a swing or the slight bend from the force give him more life instead of just a flat cube like we got in the real game

[@darcys2176]

This is exactly how I was hoping they'd animate him, but oh well his real look in smash is growing on me

[@memor22]

These rough edges give steve his „blockyness” Please dont take them away

[@gregosaurusgames]

I like this so much better than the basic render we got, and the overall art style I like much better. Great job!

[@sunday-vf7jc]

This works really well to respect the series and touch it up as much as you can without betraying it, I think with how little contrast his pants and shirt has it makes it look too much like the toys rather than original series, but it looks like that's where a lit of the inspiration came from so that makes sense. I don't know how some more contrast would look with it, especially with the lighting tho

[@kpopstanfan_5124]

Your interpretation reminded me of the recent Minecraft Trailers, the ones with squash and stretch animation added ever so slightly. I personally would prefer there to be a thing where you can have more than 8 alternate costumes, so we could have classic looking Steve, and the “Smashified” Steve.

[@h-Films]

this ks exactly what I expected! I was expecting him to nave rounded corners like the official mc art.

[@AlexCreed]

I always felt like Steve could have used some subtle new shiny details. The fact that he’s in the game is AMAZING. I always found it kind of surprising for him not to receive those small unique subtle details tho.

[@LimeMaxx]

I was convinced I wouldn't like your model, but as soon as I saw it my mind did a 180.

[@The4stro]

when you first showed the model, the first thing i thought is that it looked like a toy, and that is indeed what you were going for. the way you portraied him does really feel like a smash character

[@Emerald29]

I really like this design, but I liked that they kept it original in the game, because it makes him special and stands out more than the others. (since he's my most requested character I want him in the spotlight lol.)

[@LiamRockefeller-o5q]

The sword slashing could also help fix the short end lag problem to

[@somegoodsoup7008]

I really love this alternate model and I could really see the toy influence before you explained how it was inspired by toys. I also really like the small layering not too 3d like story mode but not too flat like the actual model.

[@justgimppy431]

The thumbnail is LITERALY asking "Well what did you expect."

[@miacasual1263]

wow, really really well done. The subtlety and restraint really paid off in these renders and I appreciate how your thought process is easy to follow. It always rubbed me the wrong way seeing fluid animations of minecraft. People can animate however they want of course, but I'm glad they decided to keep the rigidity in smash. The only thing that feels kind of weird to me in your render is how... shiny he is. Maybe it's just because I'm used to the way smash does it, but it kinda catches me off guard lol