Beloved third-party characters such as Metal Gear Solid’s Solid Snake (who sadly may not be returning this time around) and the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog joined the action — opening the doors to other non-Nintendo fighters in the process. While many speculated that Mega Man could be joining the roster, which he will finally be doing later this year in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, it turns out that the latest guest character confirmed to debut in the forthcoming iterations, Pac-Man, was once considered for Brawl.
Elaborating on this revelation in Famitsu Weekly, the creator of Super Smash Bros., Masahiro Sakurai, unveiled that Shigeru Miyamoto (the man responsible for characters like Mario, Donkey Kong, and Link) originally suggested that Bandai Namco’s Pac-Man should be considered for playable role in Brawl. Pondering over the challenge that implementing the pizza-shaped protagonist would add to development, Sakurai opted not to pursue Pac-Man as a character.
As fans are already well aware, Sakurai eventually came around to the idea of Pac-Man as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. and they’ll finally be able to pummel the likes of Samus and Pikachu with the spherical mascot later this year. As the legendary game designer was quick to point out, however, it’s easier to come up with character suggestions than it is to create unique and interesting move sets for them.
Now that Pac-Man officially “hungers for battle” in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, there’s really no telling what other video game icons, mascots, or legends could be awaiting fans in the new games. Judging by Sakurai’s closing words, it sounds like there’s still plenty left to be seen.
It’s always interesting to hear about axed ideas and shelved proposals from previous games coming to light in their respective sequels, and there are likely even more. Sakurai previously detailed how he considered adding the Miis to Brawl as well, so it all adds up to give fans a brief glimpse at how the game development process works.
There are likely even more secrets that haven’t come to light yet, and it’s possible that they may never if Sakurai has his say. Regardless, there are a number of details and roster additions that still haven’t been announced, and only time will tell what awaits gamers later this October.
Super Smash Bros. will arrive on the 3DS on October 3, 2014, and will be hitting the Wii U in Holiday 2014.
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Source: Weekly Famitsu (via Kotaku)
