The Top 10 Best-Designed Platform Fighter Characters

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Melee are still the go-to examples for modern platform fighters (Smash clones for the uninitiated), but with games like Multiversus, Rivals of Aether, Rushdown Revolt, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, and Brawlhalla emerging in the last decade, the platform fighter genre is doing better than ever! Today, let's dive into 10 of the smartest, coolest, or otherwise just all-around awesome platform fighter characters I've ever come across.
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Thanks for watching!
#smashultimate #multiversus #platformfighter

[@MockRockTalk]

Thanks for watching everyone! This list was a lot of fun but also really hard to settle on, what would your lists look like? Also, if you're interested in any of the games featured, I've linked them all below. They're in alphabetical order to avoid total spoilers, but may still want to finish the video first, especially because music used is also credited. *Main channel:* kzbin.info *Twitter:* twitter.com/MrMockRock *Patreon:* www.patreon.com/mockrock *Twitch:* www.twitch.tv/mockrocktwitch *Teespring:* teespring.com/stores/mockrock *TimeBolt affiliate link* (excellent software I use to speed up editing on my videos, use code "MOCKROCK" for a discount): mockrock--timebolt.thrivecart.com/order-page/ *Games Featured* *Brawlhalla:* www.brawlhalla.com *Brawlout:* store.steampowered.com/app/263720/Brawlout *Indie Pogo:* www.indiepogo.com *Kirby Fighters 2:* www.nintendo.com/en-ca/store/products/kirby-fighters-2-switch *Multiversus:* multiversus.com/en *Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl:* nickelodeonallstarbrawl.com *Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale:* No active official website *Rivals of Aether:* rivalsofaether.com Music: "Moonlight Inferno," "Fire's Last Hope" *Roof Rage:* store.steampowered.com/app/724300/Roof_Rage *Rushdown Revolt:* www.rushdownrevolt.com Music: "Cargo" *Slap City:* slapcity.se Music: "Space Hunk (Slap Version)" *Slayers For Hire:* metagames.studio *Super Smash Bros:* www.smashbros.com/en_US Music: "Gourmet Race (Super Smash Bros. Brawl Remix)," "Main Theme (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)," "Final Destination (Super Smash Bros. Melee)" Other music featured includes "Ritual of the Night" from Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night OST and "Bullet Hell Yes" from Enter the Gungeon OST

[@grunkleg.3110]

Would the worst list just be a whole bunch of Smash Bros characters?

[@MockRockTalk]

@@grunkleg.3110 I'm not going to make a "worst of" equivalent for this, I don't find it especially fun to rip into smaller indie studios. There is a "Worst-Designed Smash Ultimate Characters" video already on MockRock though, which I think is less outdated than the "Best-Designed" version mentioned in this video.

[@CAT-astrophical]

Wow did not expect to see brawlout in this video but cool

[@DAWGIESZ64]

You have Forced me to buy rushdown revolt but I doubt it can beat rivals as my favorite (same undertale and deltarune) game ever

[@DAWGIESZ64]

@@grunkleg.3110 every ganon iteration and then the list ends

[@TheAntiburglar]

The sheer amount of characters out there make this both an incredibly difficult list to make, but also means follow up videos way easier to make! And it also serves as a fantastic way to introduce viewers to other platform fighters they might not otherwise have looked into! (Viewers like me, specifically XD)

[@MockRockTalk]

People often ask me to dedicate videos to other platform fighters but the reality is that it's still not super viable for someone doing this as a full-time job, I think this multi-game format makes for a pretty decent middle ground though and I wouldn't mind doing more like it later on!

[@dee7352]

@@MockRockTalk great video! I found out about your side channel through this. Hopefully this middle ground works out for you and the content you wish to make

[@dabundis]

As of RoA's most recent patch at the time this video was released, Clairen's plasma field doesn't just eat projectiles, it reflects them. As the only character in the game without a projectile (with the possible exception of forsburn, for whom I'm counting the clone as a projectile), clairen having an overwhemingly potent counter-zoning tool is real nice

[@lurkathon]

clairen reflects projectiles now? time to play roa again

[@RushWheeler]

As well, the counter hit stuns

[@Taktaagic]

Seeing Rivals of Aether stuff here makes me hella happy. That game deserves so much love

[@dinoshotgun]

Huh didn’t except to see you hear Tak

[@Taktaagic]

@@dinoshotgun I’m never not here >:]

[@ieatbugs45]

smash for furries

[@RushWheeler]

@@dinoshotgun as long as it's a platform fighter, Tak is there

[@PrfsrPuff]

I'm honestly surprised that Sylvanos wasn't on the list. He is extremely expressive and has insanely free-form zoning combos.

[@MockRockTalk]

I love Sylvanos (he's actually my main in Rivals), the fact that he didn't make the cut is more of a testament to how great the Rivals roster is than a knock against him tbh

[@2maka5u]

I wish I could like sylvanos, he’s super cool but I’ve been scarred by the 3 cracked sylv players in my region

[@PrfsrPuff]

​@@MockRockTalk point

[@averyhepburn8092]

Honestly that entire roster could've fit in here lol.

[@PrfsrPuff]

@@averyhepburn8092 I just feel that Sylv has an extremely nuanced and interesting combo game with a lot of personality.

[@Quicksilvir]

Freaking love Ultrafishbunjin. I love how many things you can do with his dumbell throw when you combine it with the clutch mechanic. You can air stall, recover, spike, use it to control space, and conserve momentum from his dash so that you can fly max speed across the stage and back just because it's funny.

[@perturbo4253]

Considering your Clairen video is one of the few surviving videos from a bygone era in your main channel, idk why I didn't see this coming. As much as I love Sylvanos (rip intro Sylv bair) I think that there's a couple of weird choices with the character that hold him back from being the all time best. Also, when you called Forsburn's kit a Cape and Dagger instead of Cloak and Dagger I got a visceral reaction to it

[@noahines5990]

Rip intro sylv bair fr

[@BestgirlJordanfish]

Gizmo's design is so rad when taking into account that 2v2 feel oh my good lord it's almost like playing a different game balanced inside the game

[@elijahrock3914]

yeah its such a shame that not just for gizmo but also lots of other characters (belmonts, all three links, other examples i forget) the most intricate and cool characters are also the easiest to abuse and make lame

[@Knirfish]

@@elijahrock3914 R.O.B. and Steve

[@channellastname3527]

Huh? 2V2 is the main focus-

[@FalcoVille]

I haven't played a whole lot of Gizmo in MultiVersus but I can definitely agree with the choice. What little time I have spent with him was some of the most fun I've had with the game. I felt a sense of wonder that I never really felt with any other platform fighter character. I always found myself saying "Wait, that move does that? That's so sick!". His up air is literally one of my favorite moves to use in any fighting game, period. Basically, I approve of Gizmo.

[@SmashingPichu]

The idea of a duo character shouldn’t work in Multiversus. The game is already focused on duos, in the sense that the game is focused on 2 separate characters vs 2 other separate characters. But Tom and Jerry pull it off so damn well, it’s honestly a shock. There really are no other characters like them. And Tom’s scream. Omg, best sound effect in any game. Period.

[@MrLag525]

I think one character that should be mentioned is Project + Sonic. Just for the fact that they completely turned this campy character into an intense aggressive combo character.

[@MockRockTalk]

He's not on the table as per "Criteria and Considerations" you can see throughout the video, but I do think he's by far the most successful take on Sonic I've seen so far, yes

[@apkhbmbgamlkbh1531]

still cancer to fight against

[@Saskaruto16]

Best version of Sonic by far. Was honestly shocked knowing how many little things 4/ult clearly took from PM, and after all the problems he caused in 4 especially online, that he wasn't on the top of the list to be reworked in Ult.

[@Scouthedog1]

Much as I love smash glad to see you branching out and talking about some other platform fighters. Rivals of ether is awesome and I've been putting in a ton of time into multiverses recently. Would love to see you do this some more in the future

[@isaacnuketon]

omg scout

[@SydneyIsSleepy]

it's rare to see you talk about platform fighters outside of smash and sometimes multiversus, i'd love to see more discussions about other platform fighters in the future, i'm not very knowledgeable on many of them so it's always fun to learn more!

[@PineapplePineapplePineapplePin]

I'd love to see something similar to this, but instead it's the top 10 most unique platform fighter characters. Characters that basically fall under their own archetype or play absolutely like nothing else in their home games. Ultimate Steve and really a good bit of Multiversus characters come to mind

[@emanueltheodorus1056]

Now I havent play a lot of Platform fighters outside of Smash and Multiversus, but Steve, Min Min, Hero, Villager, PAC-MAN, Rosalina & Luma, Gizmo, and Tom and Jerry comedto mind.

[@kirbylover37]

Snake maybe? Little Mac? Jigglypuff?

[@hogndog2339]

@@emanueltheodorus1056Idk, Villager feels like a pretty standard character

[@DeviDoesNothing]

...the sheer timing of this video going public AS SOON AS I finished watching in early access is absurd.

[@Connor_Kirkpatrick]

I like the take on Kirby a lot. It’s not about the moveset working for Kirby _specifically,_ but it works for what Kirby represents.

[@wyattbakken8272]

You did a freaking amazing job at convincing me that every character on this list actually deserves their spot. Bravo 👏

[@waffleman8053]

The games not out yet, but Fraymakers Welltaro and Octo Dad are some insanely interesting takes on the rushdown and grappler archetypes respectively.

[@elemangell2981]

The game's Fraymakers btw shoutouts to Fraymakers

[@Snsy]

My personal favourite platform fighter character is water Kirby from Kirby Fighters 2. Just having a hitbox on his dash is a really fun gimmick and allows for a bunch of cool combos and tech that make him very fun to play imo. Unironically the coolest water-based character in any fighting game

[@benjamingesinski9170]

Here's an interesting topic I think you should talk about: Top 10 Mechanics from Platform Fighters. You could rate special mechanics from different platform fighters, such as Rushdown Revolt's spark system and/or color based percent system, Brawlhalla's gravity cancel, and Fraymakers' assists, and talk about what makes them so great and how well they work in their respective games. It'd be very interesting to hear what you have to say about some of these mechanics.

[@MockRockTalk]

I actually have a video idea similar to this on my ideas list, it's a bit more niche so probably not something I'd cover during the holiday period (which KZbinrs depend on quite a bit for ad revenue) but I could see it showing up in the future

[@benjamingesinski9170]

@@MockRockTalk Nice! 👍

[@WarrenValion]

Brawl Marth is the definition of Art. Character definitely deserves a mention.

[@MockRockTalk]

Brawl, Melee, and Smash 4 Marth actually all made the shortlists for their respective games, a blend of the best aspects of all of them would be a no-brainer inclusion

[@sylvicx3437]

Marth is just top desing and they nailed it first try

[@WarrenValion]

@@sylvicx3437 I feel like Melee Marth is a bit too overtuned in my opinion, I feel there is very understandable reason as to why people sometimes complain about him in that game. Also, for me anyway, Marth isn't Marth without shield breaker. Not to mention Brawl's sound design.

[@sylvicx3437]

@@WarrenValion Yeah i can see that, to be honest Brawl Marth is the one that i grew up with more so i guess i just forgot he is from that game (Never played melee)

[@firewall5189]

@@WarrenValion brawl is the reason behind the only thing i dislike about ultimate ike: wtf is that sound design dude? when ike hits me, i want it to sound like i got run over by a steam train, and brawl nailed that. brawl's sound design is one of the most overlooked aspects of the game, but i cant ever seem to find a single person who disliked it, and for good reason.

[@emotion_deluxe]

Princess Peach is THE perfect character. Floating is the MOST unique and versatile gimmick in any platform fighting game and her kit compliments it so much. Plus, turnips are such a cool projectile that add so much to her combo game, and peach bomber allows her to kill an opponent while holding a turnip (but with that risk reward factor to balance it out). She's so well designed.

[@cosmic5665]

Not true at, all compare her to like every rivals of aether character she is simple and boring compared to them

[@FedoraKirb]

I’m so happy you made this list-I want to design a platformer fighter, so thank you for showing some cool fighters and the level of creativity to strive for!

[@woofmasterarf]

Video spoilers below. Out of the ones on this list, Urdah, Melee Falco, and Clairen are probably my favorites design wise. I don't even like Rushdown Revolt but I still tune it from time to time since Urdah is that fun to watch. Urdah isn't exactly my type of playstyle, but they are the closest platform fighters have come to a traditional FGC styled Grappler that feels properly tuned, and those are always fun to watch. Crazy scary grab game yet clear easy to understand weaknesses go brrr. Melee Falco is basically everything you described, not much for me to say. Clairen meanwhile surpasses Melee Marth in terms of fundamental swordie, an architype every platform fighter should at least consider during development, and chances are it will need such a character. The thing about Melee Marth is his only real design flaw other than how some would consider him boring is the fact that his already good grab game is further bolstered by having a grab range comparable to his sword for some reason. One of the many cool things of Clairen is turning this problem into an intentional aspect of her gameplay. Her neutral special is a command grab that allows for forward and back throws (normal throws do not exist in Rivals), and it also gives her an extra jump if it connects. This grants new combo routes and interactions, and its a cool take on what can be seen as Melee Marth's biggest mark against him.

[@MrGameguyC]

It's great to see other Platforms Fighter get time in the limelight, I know they tend to be more niche but I'd love to see more videos on these, this Sub-Genre has so much to offer and it feels like we've just scratched the surface.

[@keksidy]

Ik a lot of people's initial thought, likely yours too, is "Make the opposite list," but honestly I'd like to see a part 2 soon. Idk why but I just really liked you talking about well-designed fighting game characters. Perhaps when Fraymakers comes out and Multiversus matures more and add in more characters

[@keksidy]

If you do make a part 2 though, Smash 4 Charizard is right there. He might just be my favorite heavyweight in a platform fighter, almost makes me really regret selling my copy of Smash 4

[@RPGGOD1]

Forsburn is one of my favorite characters to play in RoA alongside Sylvanos, so I'm really happy to see him on the list. That said, this list has convinced me to give Clairen a shot as those videos and the way you talk about her really made me want to try her out.

[@GreenHam77]

You know, can we get a video discussing this idea of "expressiveness?" It's like "immersion" where it's used so often that I am lost on it's true meaning.

[@juanrodriguez9971]

I know the game is not out yet, but Welltaro from Fraymakers is by far the most interesting zoner I have seen, is a vertical zoner so he has to get near to you but is up to you to get to his height and that's just so creative honestly.

[@waffleman8053]

Is he really a zoner tho?

[@juanrodriguez9971]

@@waffleman8053 for what the trailers and updates show, that seems to be the case, we have to wait for the open beta.

[@q-b6885]

Welltaro’s kit single-handedly made me play downwell.

[@juanrodriguez9971]

@@q-b6885 I was playing Downwell before knowing about Fraymakers, and because of that I will make him my main

[@lilacbee3374]

this video is amazing, so many niche and underrepresented platform fighters have been brought attention. some of my favorite games of all time are rushdown revolt and rivals of aether, they really deserve some more attention.

[@everyonesaidmynamewasstupi3713]

i would honestly put ultimate sheik on here. she feels great and she is extremely expressive. she is a “high-precision, high-ceiling” character done perfectly imo. most of the time these sorts of characters end up being easier than they really deserve to be and just kind of devolve into broken and/or toxic characters as a game’s meta evolves. that’s not true of sheik. she genuinely takes a lot of work to play and she genuinely feels worth it, without being totally broken. in the right hands, she is an oppressive monster, but not in a way that i feel is that un-fun. she’s a very interesting take on a glass cannon, being a bit less glass with such a good disadvantage/recovery and a bit less cannon without any major low% cheese options (besides that one town and city setup lol), and requiring some genuine work to get anything out of her punish game, or to even kill at all. playing the character just makes the game so much more fun on so many levels. i love sheik a lot, i think she is the best designed she has ever been in ultimate.

[@irishjet2687]

Rivals of Aether is so much fun. Tetherball is a great addition, workshop characters are insane, and having two indie game darlings (Shovel Knight and Ori) and four fan-made characters make the main roster (and as fully fleshed out as they are) is amazing. Also, it has one of the best tutorials of a platform fighter that I've played. That's not necessarily saying much, as most aren't that good, but Rivals tutorial does a good job of teaching you solid fundamentals and explaining the intermediate intricacies of its characters. The more time I put into it, the more fond I am of all the characters, even the ones I used to dislike.

[@tjtribble9932]

Melee Fox is my pick for best design in a platform fighter. He’s by far the most versatile, with so many different ways to play that are all equally viable. He can play rushdown, zoner, grappler, whatever you want. And you’d think even a glass cannon character like Fox would be turbo-broken with so many options, but he’s kept in check by his difficulty. Cause any mistake you make can be super costly. Also while he’s difficult it’s in an intuitive way where his tools are easy to understand but hard to master, unlike Melee Yoshi for example where nothing about him makes sense. He’s just the embodiment of player expression, and the fact that he can have that much freedom and people still aren’t sure if he’s the best character in the game is truly impressive.

[@protocetid]

Sakurai not tailoring Melee for skilled play is a misconception that needs to die. It’s even worse when gamers and media creators paint it as some wacky party game for kids that became a tournament worthy title by complete accident. I swear I once read Sakurai state that he had taken input from competitive players when developing Melee. Couldn’t find that quote so IDK if it’s a false memory, what I did find was SSB’s creator affirming the sequel was more hardcore. Source Gaming has a well researched article titled Sakurai on Melee: Pushing the Limits. Some choice quotes from the man himself: “Melee is the sharpest game in the series. “It’s pretty speedy all around and asks a lot of your coordination .” “dazzling exchange of skills was the game’s most exhilarating aspect” So he certainly put the bones of a competitive game in there, whether he expected the game to be pushed as far as it has been is hard to know. I enjoyed you branching out to different platform fighters in this video, wish you had included Project+.

[@khajiitinskyrim8874]

It’ll be great to see inspiring game developers use videos like this to build platform fighters. Just imagining a roster with characters like these would be awesome

[@MishKoz]

The best description I've heard of Melee Falco, that stuck with me over time, is: "He can beat any character, but he can also be beaten by every character." He definitely embodies the idea of a glass cannon better than a character who just has really good moves (cannon) but is also kinda lightweight (glass). Because if you just combine those elements, you get characters like Smash Ultimate Pikachu. Also, I really appreciate the love that you gave to Rivals. For my money that's still the best and most satisfying platform fighter I've ever played.

[@m4yr4i]

This is a really interesting list, i clearly need to play some more platform fighters because some of the designs you mentioned sound amazing [currently i only played rivals and le Smashy brothers]. This video was really well done, props to you.

[@odeio_milho]

It's nice to see a Smash player who respects platform fighters as a genre! Good list too, i haven't got into Rivals before but you made it sound really cool.

[@cosmic5665]

It's a super cool game "actually my favourite game" plus there is a sequel coming next year

[@user-et3xn2jm1u]

I'm always impressed by characters that do something totally unique, even gimmicky, without feeling one-note or shallow. I think it's way harder to make a character like that than the Ryu-like that every game has. That's what makes Rivals of Aether so impressive to me, is how half the cast feels that way. Although I gotta be honest, nothing comes close to the design elegance of Melee Sheik. Just a ridiculously smooth and sexy kit, almost every move feels *good* to use.

[@user-et3xn2jm1u]

In particular, I gotta shout out Orcane's movement mechanics combined with tricky recovery, Hodan and Pomme the recent DLC's imported from the fan-made Workshop roster, Absa's weird zoner-rushdown glass cannon hybrid, and Maypul for being a speed demon mixup character who's actually fun (think Sonic if Sonic wasn't a chore to fight against). Plus the game has heavies that actually function, which is an achievement on its own.

[@chrishoenscheidt6627]

Been excited for this video for a while. If you’d be interested in it, I’d love to see a sequel / accompaniment video about the most creatively designed platform fighter characters. Characters that, while maybe skewing a bit less to the *balanced* side of things, are still thought of fondly for just how clever the concepts behind their movesets and animations are (stuff like Tom and Jerry’s whole kit getting enemies stuck in the middle of one of their slapstick brawls, Kazuya and Terry allowing you to basically play different fighting games in Smash, literally like half the rivals roster, etc.)

[@SrMissileMonkey]

creative design could go to chars like Piranha Plant for being true to the nature of Piranha plants but having no established moveset prior in their home series (like Falcon), Or Steve who basically plays Minecraft in Smash.

[@neptune7160]

Kazuya gameplay is perfect for representing Tekken but it doesn't really translate well in a competitive setting

[@justinnzamora5366]

It's only natural we get the opposite list, yes? If so, I'm expecting Melee Bowser and/or Brawl Ganondorf to be mentioned and who could forget Little Mac?

[@MockRockTalk]

I know I usually do Best/Worst video pairs, but this time I don't think I'm going to be doing that, when it comes to smaller indie studios I usually find it a lot more fun to celebrate their work rather than excessively tear into it. If you want my thoughts on the worst-designed Smash Ultimate characters I've already made that video over on MockRock, and if you want the worst-designed overall Smash characters I think the list would look exactly how you'd expect

[@ikushin2012]

6:00 I believe Forsburn fights with "cloak-and-dagger" tactics

[@waalker1206]

AMAZING VIDEO Really liked your breakdown of all the designs of these characters

[@TheZexal]

I would argue Raymer from Rushdown Revolt also deserved an honourable mention, but this list is still so full of amazing character designs that earned their spot, and plenty others also deserved that mention. (Honestly I can't think of a single Rushdown Revolt character that isn't designed well.) Great video as always

[@SSM24_]

Clairen was the character I first latched onto in Rivals, and although I haven't played the game as much recently (hard to be motivated when everyone I find online just stomps me and the character I like most can have trouble killing) this video is making me want to go back to it.

[@flamo2666]

killing with clairen can be a bit of a challenge at a lower level because her confirms require you to quickly yet carefully react to the enemy's DI. It's a skill that naturally progresses with time so just keep playing and you'll start seeing results.

[@soundrogue4472]

12:02 DAMN IT! They did the "use a projectile to knock an opponent towards you" idea first! I had the same idea for a platformer fighter, cool to see in action however.

[@kestrelynn]

Oo amazing idea for a list! I'm not too in tune with fighters outside of smash but two I'd put in this list are Melee falco Ultimate wolf Any rivals character that games good

[@kestrelynn]

The classic big fish, im not informed enough to have put him on the list myself but i did expect it Wow never knew of urda before this, she seems so cool And my 1 favourite rivals character, good picks

[@insomniacnerd5592]

I love when you revisit old videos and show how your thoughts have changed. It’s fun.

[@bdt2002gaming]

This opinion *will* be controversial, but I genuinely believe Brawl Meta Knight to be a very well designed character in spite of his balance issues. I feel like he does a great job at representing what Brawl is all about- popular newcomer choices that are far more fun to play as or against than, say, Smash 4 Bayo/Cloud in casual play while being more accessible at an entry level than the Melee spacies and 64 & Ultimate Pikachu. He adds to the sword fighter archetype while looking awesome doing it.

[@firewall5189]

now THAT is a hot take lol. i feel like in the context of a different game engine, and with a few tweaks to his moveset (e.g. no dc glitch, dont make tornado out-prioritize practically everything, add a few more start-up frames to certain moves, etc.), he absolutely could be a super well-designed character. for example, imagine a very very slightly nerfed version of brawl mk in melee's game engine. i think that that would be badass.

[@tjtribble9932]

Yeah I think a version of brawl where he’s the only character is better than one without him lol. He’s that cool

[@Nopal_ku]

Hell yeah, i was waiting for this video since you tweet about

[@crumplycashew7095]

I have severely underestimated Multiversus movesets, I really wish the game didn't die and was closer to a common plat fighter

[@shrub8644]

It's coming back in 2 weeks

[@andymcclurg9916]

I really appreciate videos like this. The final character was excellently shown.

[@Sir_Bone-Head]

Wolf was actually my favorite character in Brawl, also Clairen is one of my favorites in Rivals. I will say with Slap City though, I especially enjoy Cruiser Tetron and Orka. Cruiser because he just hits like a damn truck, and Orka because she's fast and fun to combo with. Also thanks for reminding me of Rushdown Revolt, haven't heard of that game in a while, but I always remember they had that interesting duo character.

[@Radenovic]

Cool and well thought out list. I found myself nodding along with all entries and their respective reasonings for being there. The only character I truly missed was Brawl Marth. He's such a well put together character. His toolkit flows together so well, and he has options for every situation the game throws at him, but none of it comes free, and it's your own skill and creativity with the character that makes him work. Basically, he's the peak example of the "honest character" while also being extremely good in a game where most top tiers are defined by more extreme, singular traits

[@readyplayerthree3]

I absolutely love this video, I'm a big rivals fan so of course hype for fors and Clairen! But Urdah and others got me hyped to cause I've played basically all of these games!

[@SketchBookShortFilms]

10:44 there are certain ways to make me fall in love with a character and immediately make me want to play the game theyre in. What you said here was one of them.

[@kakaks32]

have you ever thought of talking about traditional 2d fighters (street fighter, fatal fury), anime fighters (guilty gear, blazblue), etc in either this channel or the main one? i think it would be really intresting to see you talk abt some of these games

[@MockRockTalk]

I fold bits and pieces of them into videos where I can, but they're neither my area of expertise or what my audience is tuning in for. This approach where you lure 'em in with Smash and then force them to learn about other games while they're here is a scheme that still works lol, I'll probably stick to it for the time being

[@AsH-qg1dr]

I love how Kirby’s included in like 90% of these videos hehe Great video btw!!

[@ravssb]

These videos are always really entertaining to watch

[@DeadweightLKS]

Wow, not a single mention of Dreamworld TV? In seriousness, great video. Loved your analyses of these characters. Made me really want to check out Rivals and… also taught me that Rushdown Revolt exists?? I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw footage of a souped up Icons 😮

[@dumlo4993]

I actually started downloading rivals of Aether again after seeing the first character from their roster here and randomly started playing clair as you said her haha

[@meganintenbro]

Clairen was a great pick for rivals, she’s my main and I totally agree she’s so expressive and well designed. I also think Wolf and Pokémon trainer deserve the Ultimate spots, although I have started to really come around to incineroar’s design. I love how revenge acts especially as a great anti-zoning tool and how it can stack with itself, to really give his next move some real punch, but only if you can win neutral and land the hit. He’s probably in my top 10 designed ultimate characters list.

[@AshROAosu]

I never thought one of my sets with dinos would make it on a mockrock video. Great video though!

[@SailorWhyachi]

Nothing has ever felt better for me platform fighter wise then ori from Rivals. Love it every time i'm able to play him and rivals in general

[@a_mirror1426]

Wow, great vid!

[@etheweirdo_art]

I'll honestly give a lot of props to characters in a platform fighter that many people don't talk about, Indie Pogo (cool to see it mentioned at least though). Since it has a much smaller moveset there is a lot more emphasis on making sure all the moves work well with one another while still having to rep a character. The big ones to mention to me are kick from divekick and meatboy. Kick is interesting since they had to pull from more than the game so they actually made a lot of new ideas that fit well. He has a basketball move that actually basically has really interesting synergy with every other move (whether as simple as using it as a projectile or moves that can directly grab it again like up special). He also just has a really fun moveset that has the ability to make up for his lack of range with moves like grounded charge causing enemies to be stunned if near (or if on ground when you fully charge it). Honestly just an amazing moveset once you see how everything interracts. Meat boy has a similar thing as well being really great at rushing down with moves as well as having amazing juggles and combos. I think indie pogo has some of the most interesting movesets and character ideas because of the limited moves and unique gimmick.

[@user-gr9kh2jv2f]

One other thing about falco that I like is that compared to the other top tiers in melee his grab game is severely lacking so he’s given much more of a reason to pressure shields with shine unlike fox who can multi-shine on shield but could also just up throw

[@creestab]

Fishbunjin, Falco, and Clairen all being in top 5 is great to see. I think Melee Falcon could edge out Brawl Kirby though.

[@TheNecronmancer]

I expected Shovel Knight from Aether because of the shop system. Shovel Knight is not only a love letter with all the references but also the gameplay is all around great.

[@queenofthesalt5199]

This video made me switch to Rushdown Revolt. Currently trying it out right now. It is SO damn good so far, I love it.

[@t00nbink]

I was thinking about which Melee character would end up on this list and I also came to the same conclusion with Falco, even though I don't play him that often his Glass Cannon design hasn't been topped in any other platform fighter in my opinion. Another great Melee honorable mention in my opinion is Yoshi, his skill floor is probably too high to make it on the list for me but if you would to make that floor lower I think you have one of the most creative and interesting platform fighters out there. I also like Kragg lol, but I pretty much like every design from Rivals

[@MockRockTalk]

Melee Yoshi is very cool, but exactly how cool he is seems like more of an accident than even the other Melee characters haha

[@t00nbink]

@@MockRockTalk yeah I would love to see a reaction video of some of the Melee devs reacting to Melee Yoshi lol. That character is indeed the most broken character I know out of any fighting game if we look at purely developer intentions. (Not OP broken btw).

[@Alexcoman51]

I think one of the best things about wolf is that they absolutely nailed his physics in a way that every movement just feels right. Part of it I think is his air speed being almost equal to his ground speed making switching between aerial and grounded movement very intuitive alongside having a quick jump and fast fall to transition between the ground and air very unpredictably.

[@eriknelson3238]

If you can’t have fun with Wolf’s movement then you’ll just never understand why people choose to main him and pour lots of time into the character. His attacks are relatively simple and, like MockRock said, he’s a jack of all trades. But linking those moves together with good movement makes the character more interesting than just his really good buttons. But having really good buttons certainly doesn’t hurt.

[@Alexcoman51]

@@eriknelson3238 agreed. Only move I wish was different is dair that thing sucks

[@danihk2872]

this vid might just get me to play rivals tbh those picks look awesome

[@poisenbery]

2:50 it's like Ultra Kill's gameplay. You can shoot/punch your own attacks for different types of effects.

[@wumblet3745]

Dr dapper has graced us with another videos nice cut man

[@juneru2]

Tom and Jerry are my favorite platform fighter character ever. It's the first time I've ever loved playing a character, loved their faithful moveset, AND loved the series the character is from.

[@ElTaitronAnim]

Wow, Gizmo and Tom & Jerry are seriously amazing character concepts!! Thank you for showing them off. Kratos being an honorable mention surprised me. Obviously I can only speak from personal experience, but I played Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale with a group of friends at work for quite a while (we all had a blast, I think the game is better than people give it credit for), and the entire time Kratos felt like the equivalent of Smash 4 Cloud. Fast, massive range, high "damage", good supers, he's got it all, along with auto-aiming attacks (side-Square, Lv.3 Circle, maybe his bow?); he was by far the most oppressive character and super easy to rack up wins with, even just using his Square attacks. Eventually we did get better at blocking, anticipation, and counterplay in general (Sir Daniel's up-Square -> Lv.1 stopped being the easiest kill-confirm in the game once we learned aerial recoveries); and granted, we never got close to "competitive" skill level, and only played free-for-alls rather than 1v1s, so perhaps he's not quite as good at the highest level; but he's definitely low-effort, high-reward from our experience. On the other hand, if you're rating him on coolness or being fun to play, then yes, definitely.

[@OrigamiAhsoka]

Rivals of aether and rushdown revolt are both two of those games I really want to try but just never have

[@LS-td4yf]

Well rdr is free and rivals goes on sale for $15 every big steam sale

[@NATIVE1605]

Honestly I would give rivals a shot if you are on PC the workshop has endless characters and stages. With extremely fluid movement with and without movement tech

[@SSM24_]

Rivals is an amazing game. It has a ton of mechanical depth and complexity if you're a competitive player, but even on the more casual side it still feels fantastic to play, _and_ it has Steam Workshop support. The only problem I'd say it has is a small playerbase, so it can be hard to find people online who won't just stomp you. But if that's not an issue for you, or if you have people to play with, it's easily worth getting.

[@tuscuu9717]

I can Def understand the NASB take in terms of overall moveset (I think it's alot better than b4 but moves like uair and Nair on most characters are Def alot more simplified than they should be) That being said I love zim for the reason u stated and it's one of the reasons I stuck with the game so I'm happy to hear about him

[@YourAverageLink]

I don't think I've played a fighting game character that clicks more with me than Forsburn. I love his kit and playstyle, and I'm really excited for how he handles if/when he gets into Rivals 2.

[@phosphene6086]

Super vid as always! Would you be interested in doing a baseball bat smash animation tier list? That would be so cool!!

[@Mars-pw4iw]

Amazing list

[@owl8185]

I’m so happy that you put Clairen on this list as they’re one of the most fun characters to play and they really don’t get enough recognition

[@Jpeg_skeleton]

Hearing you talk about roof rage makes me hope you do a video on it.

[@openinginawe5518]

Super smash flash 2 on the list please? 🙏 Eh that's fair enough

[@n00blord14]

I’d love to hear you talk about PlayStation All Stars more. I enjoyed the game as a kid and it’s the only platform fighter I have extensively played outside of smash.

[@JAnne_Bonne]

Ditto. Though also Multiversus in my case. Superbot/Sony Santa Monica was definitely dedicated and definitely had a lot of fun.

[@alunbuss7877]

Dissidia 012 is an intriguing game to talk about in this situation, I think it counts but it's quite arguable, but my two cents from it: Onion Knight is effectively Meta Knight in 3D and has both close-range and magical options. Cecil Harvey is so much fun to play around with and make crazy combos. Exdeath is tough to learn, but play him right with the Guard skills and he can be invincible!

[@nickh7681]

I see Melee Falco being praised, I like the video. Never sleep on my bird

[@CrystalMech]

I think the picks you chose for Rivals are certainly valid, and I'd like to at least throw out an honorable mention to Ranno. Ranno is basically a smorgasbord of character archetypes wrapped into one. Effective burst options to complement his low air speed in aerial side special and dash attack. A projectile that not only enhances his combo game but gives the enemy a reason to try and box with him. On that note, several incredible boxing options with almost limitless free-form combo opportunities and great range. Quick aerials that make paramount use of the game's hit-falling mechanics. A command grab in the aforementioned side special that gives opponents a chance to escape but gives Ranno a huge reward for guessing and catching them while they're in it. Advanced techniques involving his down-special bubble that expand his ceiling of potential and allow for experts to, again, work around his lower air speed in situations where he's sent off-stage. I think there's a good-ass reason they chose to show him off early for Rivals 2 - when the chips are down he has at least one option to cover almost any scenario in a competitive match.

[@Yee-Haw_Bird]

Also just the rivals team letting their lead artist add his OC to the game as a playable character is always fun.

[@jasomega2446]

6:37 I agree with Wolf!

[@kaminariexp8367]

Crazy to see Afi and Galu from rushdown revolt not be on the main list , especialy when urdah got in but i think that just shows how many characters there could be in the list

[@MockRockTalk]

Afi and Galu are really cool, but a comment I get all the time when I bring Urdah up is "I'm not into a lot of Rushdown Revolt characters, but I really like Urdah." Afi and Galu are among the most complex, intricate characters in the game and that's great, they're a work of art at high level, but a gateway character as well-done and entertaining as Urdah is completely indispensable for the game imo.

[@perriwinkleiii5361]

I'll be honest, I didn't know about how interesting the Rivals characters were, and you may have convinced me to try the game

[@absoul112]

I’m surprised Forsburn is on the list and wow, the memories of of his clone from the early days of that game. So glad that changed.

[@10types]

This type of content is the goal for me

[@ferdidu3022]

I think it's kinda funny when I started to play smash with smash 4 when I was a kid how I never saw Kirby as an ''easy'' character to play or to understand. His moves were just feeling too weak so I always prefered heavys or you know just impacting characters in general in my early debuts.

[@Drake_Waffle]

Fishbunjin & Patrick trying to do an sky reaching handshake in the thumbnail

[@deathserpent9747]

What about Ronald Mcdonald from Rivals of aether. It's a crime you didnt includ him or The Dwayne

[@ivansotelo4622]

Dude pls!!! You gotta make a vídeo about cool game modes that actually should be in all platform fighters, I think a mode like volleyball melee should be a mini game standard to get casual and competitive fun, like the mini games from brawlhalla of capture the flag, the different ball games. But there's also many fan creations that could be implemented in mini games, like the "tag mode" displayed in beefy smash doods. In general, if you are gonna call smash a party game, it should have better party game modes. Imagine combining all of that stuff in a Mario party type of mode, like Smash Tour, but actually good, it could be a great way to reintegrate all past mini games like team break the targets, or even giving a good use to items, harzard stages, and custom moves/spirits.

[@grayanddevpdx]

If I made this, I’d say Game & Watch from SSBU would be up there due to his variety of play styles. Want zoning? Down smash and Chef. Wanna bet your game on a very powerful yet risky attack? Up smash and Judge. Like hit and run play styles? Up special. Like juggling? Up air. He’s got everything. Not to mention he has the safest stall and fall due to him being able to move during it and cancel it with the best recovery in the game. Great character. Unless we’re talking about melee. *We don’t talk about melee Game & Watch.*

[@samanthashelly9947]

Claren is my main so this list made me happy. I have yet to find a fighting game character that makes me feel like her