Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury probably wasn’t on the tip of many people’s tongues when it came to their dream Smash Bros. guest characters. But now that he’s here, what this brawler lacks in broad notoriety, he more than makes up for with his mechanically dense gameplay. He’s one of the most challenging, but also one of the most fun and satisfying characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
to date.
There’s a lot that’s special about Terry, but perhaps most notable is the fact that he has five special moves instead of four, each of which has multiple versions. There are also two super moves that he only gets access too once he’s at 100% damage or higher, a Ryu-style lock-on that always keeps him facing his opponent, and the unique ability to special cancel, which is a holdover from his traditional 2D-fighting-game roots.
If you’ve ever played Ryu or Ken in Smash Bros., you should have a general idea of how Terry controls. Like the Street Fighter duo, being forced to face your nearest opponent makes it a little trickier to perform things like his back air, while also making it a bit easier to defend against cross-ups since you’ll rarely be caught looking the wrong way. It definitely takes some getting used to, but it’s a great way to differentiate the traditional fighting game characters from the rest of the cast while also feeling true to their roots.
Also like Ryu and Ken, Terry has variations on his special moves that depend on the duration of the button press and also whether or not the command input was used. For example, his side-B special, Burning Knuckle, can either be pressed for a quick dash punch, or held for a slower start up but much farther reaching attack. In addition to that though, the command quarter-circle-forward – B can be used to further modify the attack, giving it extra power, and that command can also be pressed or held in the same way.He’s also the only character in Ultimate with a back-special instead of using the same side-special for both directions, so if there’s one thing that Terry isn’t lacking, it’s options. He’s got a projectile, a quick-dashing kill move, a confirmable combo ender that can also kill, and a great approach move that goes through shields and can also catch airborne opponents. His recovery may initially seem to be lacking, but it can be bolstered thanks to his forward-B and down-B, making the angles in which he can recover from somewhat unpredictable.
And, if that wasn’t enough, he also has a comeback mechanic in the form of his super moves, which he gains access to once he’s at 100% or higher, or below 1/3rd of his HP in a stamina match. These moves can be quite punishable if your enemy sees them coming, but at low percentages they can be combo’d into, and at high percentages they’re extraordinarily effective kill moves. Just the threat of them being available is enough to make your opponent think twice about jumping towards you, out of fear of the Power Geyser, or getting too comfortable at long range out of fear of Buster Wolf.
The biggest and most exciting mechanic for Terry, though, is his ability to special-cancel just like he would in the fighting games he’s from. This means he can cancel the recovery animation of certain attacks and go right into a special move. His jab combo, specifically, can be special-canceled after the third hit into his command-input down-B for an effective kill set-up off of just a jab. His forward-A can cancel into a back-B for easy damage with good range, or if you’ve got a super loaded, it can combo into his buster wolf. As someone who loves traditional 2D fighters, having combos like this in Smash is a wonderful alternative.
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My only real big issue with Terry is that the leniency of the command inputs can often cause you to use a move that you didn’t intend to. That’s a bit of a frustrating problem, but one that I can see practice mitigating a substantial amount.
Terry’s stage is also one of a kind. It’s a completely flat plane, a la Final Destination, but removes the off-stage game entirely. The edge of the screen is essentially a wall that will bounce characters off it at low percentages – but if you hit a character through with enough force you’ll secure the kill. I’m mixed on this because off-stage action is one of the elements that makes Smash Bros. such a unique fighting game, but it also allows for wall combos and provides an interesting twist on the flat competitive style of Final Destination, which is a win in my book.
SNK was also extremely generous when it comes to lending Nintendo its music. This DLC includes a total of 50 tracks that spans not only the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters series but the entirety of SNK’s library of games, including Metal Slug, Samurai Shodown, Psycho Soldier, and more. It’s awesome.