Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Character Profiles: Snake

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the latest entry in Nintendo's ongoing premier platform fighter series. It's also slated to be the company's biggest release of the holiday season. After almost 20 years of battle between top characters of some of gaming's biggest franchises, Ultimate will bring together every single fighter from every Smash Bros. game to date (along with a few more) in one single game.

With so many characters to choose from, Shacknews is taking a look at each and every one of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters individually, leading up to the game's big release on December 7. Because many aspects of the game are subject to change, including character damage and special move properties, these profiles should not be considered final and can be updated at any time. Any guide that has been updated will be clearly marked.

Here's what we have up so far:
#01 - Mario
#15 - Ice Climbers
#33, #34, #35 - Pokemon Trainer
#38 - Sonic
#64 - Inkling

Today, we look back at the latest returnee to the Super Smash Bros. roster from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Who is Snake?

There has been more than one Snake protagonist over the course of the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Those who have followed the series will have played as Solid Snake over the course of five MGS games, but Nintendo users will remember Snake's starring role in the GameCube's Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, the updated remake of 1998's original MGS game released on the PlayStation. This game plays closer to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, which is the version of Snake that appears in the Smash Bros. games.

Solid Snake is a special ops soldier who specializes in stealth missions. Backed by Colonel Roy Campbell and his allies, Snake must infiltrate and disable the forces of Big Boss and the FOXHOUND organization. His latest mission is a bit of an odd one, entering the battlefield against Nintendo's most recognizable mascot. But if you think this is Snake's oddest mission yet, then you haven't seen him fight a horde of monkeys.

For those unfamiliar, the Metal Gear series can get... kinda weird.

Oh, before going any further, yes, David Hayter is back!

Snake's Moves and Fighter Overview

Snake handles noticeably different than most of the characters on the Smash Bros. roster, but those who have mastered him have mastered one of the best characters in the series. He doesn't utilize firearms, given this game's family-friendly atomsphere, but he does bring along an arsenal of RPGs, grenades, and explosives, all of which are highly effective.

He does bring his cardboard box along, too, but there isn't really much chance to hide in a Smash Bros. battle. But hey, if you're looking for something to dole out a quick 1-3% damage, you can always remove the box in close range.

Here are Snake's special moves:

Hand Grenade (Neutral B): Snake will pull out a grenade and unpin it. He can hold onto the grenade and cook it, but it'll go off after three seconds. Snake can aim the grenade and also toss two at a time.
Cypher (Up B): A higher-tier recovery move that sees Snake latch onto a flying recon drone and hover upwards. It gets serious distance, but Snake's long frame just dangles in the air, leaving him open to further attack.
Remote Missile (Side B): Snake fires off a remote-controlled missile that can be directed by the player. This leaves him open to attack, so use the Shield button to cancel, if necessary.
C4 (Down B): Snake can place a remote explosive on the ground or along the wall. Using this move a second time will detonate it. In a pinch, Snake can attach the C4 to an opponent, if he's close enough. If he's in mid-air, Snake can drop the C4 underneath him. The explosive is powerful and can whack the opponent for heavy damage.
Aistrike (Final Smash): Snake pulls a move out of his Metal Gear Solid V hat, using a flare grenade to call in an airstrike. Opponents are marked and blasted with homing missiles from above.

Snake's special moves are largely improved from Brawl. His C4 will now come with a flashing light, allowing him to better keep track of any planted explosives. Remote missiles move faster and are easier to control. And Snake's hand grenades are now bigger... which can also be a problem, because that also makes them more likely to backfire.

One thing to note is that Snake's Down-Smash has been changed. In Brawl, he would plant a claymore mine that would deal moderate damage. Now he'll deliver a powerful double-kick that can KO at higher percentages. The latter move gets great range, but it removes a certain stealth element from the espionage soldier. Part of Snake's appeal in Brawl was the element of surprise and this is one big tool taken out of his arsenal.

Esports Observations

Before he was a Mario main in Smash 4, Elliot "Ally" Carroza was a Snake player in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Naturally, he was excited to see his old main make a return. Ally hasn't quite had enough hands-on time to make a deep dive analysis, but he's planning on making the character work.

Shortly after the game's final release, Ally wasted no time getting to work on his old main. Ally's Snake is already looking dangerous. For those who want to get an idea of how to play the character effectively, check out this footage of Ally using Snake's specials and explosives to effectively zone and edge-guard.

Nairoby "Nairo" Quezada took Snake out for a whirl at this year's CEO. Here he shows off the proficiency of Snake's jab combo. He also shows off the character's potential for trickery with his mid-air C4 and forward-air.

Chris "Falln" Rugg had some extensive hands-on time with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at San-Diego Comic-Con. (Here's a plug for the Shacknews hands-on.) He's not here to rain on anyone's parade, but he has noticed that for all of Snake's improvements, there's something about his Cypher recovery that people should be aware of.

Lastly, here's a full character breakdown from Matthews "Xzax" Liberatore. He acknowledges Snake's penchant for traps, which often makes up for his slower and more disjointed movement. He'll apparently need those tricks, because Snake doesn't do so well up close against quicker characters like Fox.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is set to arrive in December on Nintendo Switch. Shacknews will continue looking into each of the game's characters from now through the game's launch and beyond, so be sure to come back for more breakdowns over the coming weeks. Otherwise, keep on top of the latest how-to stories and guides by heading over to Shacknews' Super Smash Bros. Ultimate walkthrough and guide.