Masahiro Sakurai, creator and head developer of the Super Smash Bros. series, announced today via his daily Miiverse post and screenshot that the upcoming fourth entry in the series, currently in development for both the Wii U and the 3DS, will include fan-favorite character Ashley from the WarioWare franchise, as a non-playable Assist Trophy for use in battle.
If you’re unfamiliar with the idea of Assist Trophies, which were originally introduced in the Wii’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl, they are one of the randomly spawning items players can pick up and use on the battlefield, and summon a random Nintendo character to help out whoever activated them.
Ashley is the third character from the WarioWare series to receive representation in a Super Smash Bros. game, as twin ninjas Kat & Ana were also available as a single Assist Trophy in Brawl. What exactly she will do when summoned remains unclear, but judging by her holding a wand in the above screenshot, as well as the fact that her character is a witch in previous appearances, some sort of destructive spell seems likely.
As a big fan of the WarioWare series (aside from last year’s so-so Wii U entry Game & Wario), I’m happy to see that the series is still getting some representation. Oddly enough, Wario himself has not yet been confirmed to return as a playable character in this upcoming pair of sequels, but Ashley’s inclusion gives me hope that he’ll be making a reappearance.
We will keep you updated on the Super Smash Bros. series as more news drops. In the meantime, tell us, are you happy to see Ashley included in the game, or are there other characters that you feel would be more deserving of Assist Trophy cameos? Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section below.