Mr. Game & Watch (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)


 * This article is about Mr. Game & Watch's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Mr. Game & Watch.

Mr. Game & Watch (, Misutā Gēmu ando Uocchi) is a character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He was indirectly revealed from a leaked copy of the game. One of the leaked screenshots shows his Final Smash, in which Mr. Game & Watch transforms into an Octopus.

He was officially confirmed on the Smash Bros. DOJO!! website on March 10, 2008 one day after the game came out in the USA.

He is currently holding the 13th spot on Brawl's tier list, which is a huge leap from Melee (where he is currently 21st). This is due to the increase in priority in all of his attacks, disjointed hitboxes on his aerials, tilts and incredibly powerful smashes, as well as Judge #9 being almost an One-hit KO if not stale. He has also acquired useful techniques such as Turtle Trapping and Bucket Braking (which greatly prolongs his survivability) and a solid spacing game. This results in excellent matchups against most characters (almost all matchups from G tier to B tier are at least 60-40 in his favor). However, his mediocre approach and problems dealing with disjointed hitboxes and lack of development result in mediocre matchups against top tier characters, preventing him from being top tier himself.

How to Unlock
In order to unlock Mr. Game & Watch, the player must complete one of the following:


 * Fight in 250 Brawls.
 * Clear Target Smash with 30 different characters on any single difficulty level.
 * Have Mr. Game & Watch join your party in The Subspace Emissary

With the exception of the third method, the players will have to fight him.

Attributes
Mr. Game & Watch packs a punch. In general, his attacks possess favorable hitboxes, low lag, and high knockback. However, his roll and dash attack are rather poor. Many of his attacks can hit multiple times. His erratic, instant movement makes him nearly impossible to predict in nearly anything that isn't his approach. Most of Mr. Game & Watch's tilts follow the pattern of his other attacks, being quick and powerful, while also possessing disjointed hitboxes. His Forward Smash has long lasting hitbox, making it difficult to punish. His Down Smash is very powerful when sweetspotted, and it's a rather powerful semi-spike when sourspotted.

Additionally, Mr. Game & Watch is able to break projectile campers easily using Oil Panic (although this only works on energy projectiles) or simply ducking underneath most projectiles. Mr. Game & Watch does have a projectile, Chef, but it is somewhat weak and has a random trajectory, which makes it somewhat unreliable. The move Judge is an attack that relies on chance. It can do anything from hurting himself if used more than twice in a match (1) to being a One-Hit KO (9). With his Bucket Braking and directional influence, he can be hard to KO despite being the 2nd lightest character in the game (tied with Squirtle). Being both quick and a small target, Mr. Game & Watch can be difficult to hit.

Mr. Game & Watch in teams
Although Mr. Game & Watch isn't near the top characters in singles, he is usually considered as one of the best characters in teams. Thanks to his planking, excellent recovery, small size and Bucket Braking he can hold stocks very well, and with his low lag, spammable and extremely powerful smashes (even killing the heaviest characters below 100% uncharged), and if he gets a 9 from Judge, he can KO under 5%. He can also get Oil Panic from certain partners, some allowing to get a near One-hit KO regardless of weight or Directional influence.

Changes from Melee to Brawl
Mr. Game & Watch received a major buff, especially from Brawl's new physics. In reality, his attacks weren't buffed that much. His Down Tilt is much weaker, but is now a semi-spike and has more range. In Melee, it was a powerful vertical launch. His Down Smash is much easier to sweetspot, and both the sweetspot and sourspot are more powerful. His D-Air is now a Stall-then-Fall, giving greater knockback, adding to a great aerial game. His Down Throw now sends opponents to the ground rather than the air. His N-Air has been changed to the Tropical Fish, which scores more hits, but is less powerful.

Most of his specials have incurred minor changes. For Chef, he tosses other foods besides sausage, and has increased damage and hitstun depending on the projectile, but on the downside most of his projectiles have less range. Oil Panic can now be used to stop all knockback in air, a technique known as Bucket Braking. Oil Panic's maximum damage has been reduced from 200% to 60%. Fire was changed greatly, giving Mr. Game & Watch a parachute to slow his descent, as well as not putting him into helpless mode. His Judge "7" will always generate an apple if it hits while on the ground, regardless of item configuration. In addition, Judge "9" does more damage. His U-Air has been given a push effect, which gives him an advantage (it is now a reliable KOing move) and a disadvantage (it is much harder to land a second hit). He has a slightly slower running speed, but the slowed down gameplay, and the removal of l-canceling has put him in a less disadvantage than he was in Melee. He is also slightly larger, and his shield now fully covers him.

Other changes are mostly cosmetic. His outline is brighter and thicker, and he has two new costumes (Cyan and Dark Yellow). He no longer opens his mouth while using Chef. His edge recovery attack and Judge "9" both make a similar ringing noise to his taunt. He no longer makes a noise when KO'd, except for a Star KO. He has a new victory theme as well. The most significant cosmetic change is that he no longer has to be the very last character unlocked, like he was in Melee. His jumping sounds have a slight echo, while his jumping sounds in Melee didn't.

Moveset
All of Mr. Game & Watch's moves use objects from games in the Game & Watch series, making him the only character to have every single move in his arsenal based on a game he appeared previously before.

Normal

 * Standard attack - Greenhouse: Mr. Game & Watch presses an insecticide pump rapidly. 3% first hit, 2% for every following. Good spamming move and hard to get out of. Fast ending lag, this can lead into a grab or tilt attack.
 * Dash attack - Helmet: Mr. Game & Watch "slides" his head along the ground while wearing a helmet. Laggy and easy to predict, a long time to finish, though its hitbox has a long duration. Can combo into moves vs fast fallers. 11% damage.
 * Side-Tilt - Lion: Mr. Game & Watch thrusts a chair in front of him, has light potential to kill at very high damages. Some noticeable ending lag. Like his other tilts, it has a hitbox with a long duration. 10% damage
 * Down-Tilt - Manhole: Mr. Game & Watch flips a manhole cover in front of him. A very good move to space, especially against characters with low reach. The manhole lid is actually a 3-D object, unlike any of his other moves, which are all 2D objects. It is no longer a good KO move like in Melee, but it does annoy foes and is effective at edgeguarding due to being a semi-spike as well as having good base knockback and a hitbox with long duration. 6% damage
 * Up-Tilt - Flagman: Mr. Game & Watch waves a flag above him. Combos into itself with fast fallers and heavy weights at lower percents. Usually used into a N-Air or U-Air otherwise, can even KO at higher %'s. 8% damage

Smash

 * Side Smash - Fire Attack: Mr. Game & Watch attacks with a lit match. Great base knockback and even greater knockback scaling as well as lasting longer then expected, making it hard to punish. Has a disjointed hitbox at the end of the move causing very low damage but with good knockback. Usually used after down air, down throw, or up air. Its great knockback scaling and diagonal trajectory makes momentum canceling very uneffective against it. It is arguably the best forward smash in the game with its rather fast start-up, good reach, and great knockback, being capable of KOing any character under 100%. 18% uncharged, 25% fully charged
 * Up Smash - Octopus: Mr. Game & Watch's head becomes a diving helmet and bashes the enemy with his head, the hitbox extending a short ways above the helmet. Has noticeable start-up lag, but is the third strongest up smash in the game KO percentage wise (only Ivysaur's and Lucas' KO faster) and it has the highest knockback scaling of any up smash in the game. This is usually Mr. Game & Watch's fastest killing smash attack, depending on the character and stage. Usually used after U-air or N-air. Very useful for tech chases due to its wide hitbox and good duration. Kills lightweights starting around 80% and heavyweights starting around 120%. 18% uncharged, 25% fully charged
 * Down Smash - Vermin: Mr. Game & Watch takes out two hammers and slams them down on both sides. The handle is the sourspot with less damage and much less power with horizontal knockback. The tip is the sweetspot with very powerful vertical knockback. If sourspotted, this attack is a rather powerful semi-spike and can KO early when on the edge. When sweetspotted, this is one of the most powerful down smashes in the game, being one of the few that can reliably KO under 100%. Very fast IASA, which can surprise people by using it again after a missed one. It is effective at edgeguarding as the semi-spike is powerful and even though the sweetspot has vertical knockback, its great knockback can still KO a recovering opponent. Can combo out of the last hits of n-air and also with down throw vs anyone who doesn't have a long enough roll and who doesn't tech it. 14%/18% handles (sourspot), 16%/25% tip (sweetspot).

Other

 * Floor attack - Vermin 2: Mr. Game & Watch gets out a hammer and slams it in front of him, then behind him. It is very fast. 6% damage
 * Ledge attack - Alarm: Mr. Game & Watch climbs up the ledge, then hits the opponent with his alarm bell. 8% damage.
 * 100% ledge attack - Alarm 2: Mr. Game & Watch climbs up the ledge, charges, then hits the opponent with his alarm bell; it takes a little longer to execute than Alarm. 10% damage
 * Trip attack - Vermin 3: Mr. Game & Watch gets out a hammer and slams it in front of him, then behind him; just like his Floor Attack. 6% damage.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Aerial - Tropical Fish: Two fish will come out of both sides of a bowl, hitting multiple times. The last hit has moderate knockback. If the last hit does not hit, it can combo into other aerials and smashes. Its large hitbox and light vertical knockback allows it to juggle very well. Great shield stabber. 17%
 * Up Aerial - Spitball Sparky: Mr. Game & Watch raises a pump above him, blowing puffs of air above him twice. It pushes characters above Mr. Game & Watch upwards if they are out of range of being damaged. This can actually push a player out of Ike's Great Aether, and, when high enough, can push opponents above the upper blast line for a Star KO. The wind hitbox can be used to help teammates with their vertical recovery. 7% for first hit, 9% for the second hit, 16% total. Second hit has very high knockback but is very difficult to land due to the wind effect of the first hitbox.
 * Forward Aerial - Mario Bros.: Mr. Game & Watch takes out a box and attacks with it. The sweetspot is the initial hitbox with very powerful horizontal knockback while the subsequent hitbox is the sourspot with very low knockback. It can do damage regardless of exactly which side of his body the enemy is hit by. Has the greatest KO potential of all his aerials (other than a meteor smashed dair) if sweetspotted. Great for edgeguarding and it can WoP opponents at low to mid percentages. It has long landing lag but its aerial ending lag is not as bad. 17% damage, 6% if not sweetspotted.
 * Back Aerial - Turtle Bridge: Mr. Game & Watch takes out a land turtle and attacks behind him. Hits multiple times and has great horizontal reach with a large hitbox. When being shielded, opponents often drop their shields too soon due to the turtle's hitlag causing it to have unexpected duration when it is landed. Can be DI'd out of though. 15%
 * Down Aerial - Donkey Kong Jr.: A Stall-Then-Fall. Mr. Game & Watch takes out a key and slams it downward. This Stall-Then-Fall attack propels Mr. Game & Watch downwards and is a meteor smash if the initial hitbox is landed and sweetspotted. A very light and slow fall compared to other stall-then-falls, easy to recover from with moderate-good landing lag. Can be moved left or right a bit. If used while halfway through a thin platform (after hitting down so he falls through it), he will move upwards and land on top of the platform, without the animation changing. 20% damage, 14% for first hit, 6% for the second. Can perform the Stall-Then-Fall Glitch.

Grabs and Throws
Interestingly, the speed at which Mr. Game and Watch juggles his opponent in his throws depends on his foe's weight.
 * Pummel: Alarm: Mr. Game & Watch bashes the enemy with his alarm bell, somewhat slowly. 3%
 * Forward Throw - Ball: Mr. Game & Watch juggles the enemy as a ball and then the enemy is launched forward. 8%
 * Up Throw - Ball: Mr. Game & Watch juggles the enemy as a ball and then the enemy is launched upward. 8%
 * Back Throw - Ball: Mr. Game & Watch juggles the enemy as a ball and then the enemy is launched backward. 8%
 * Down Throw - Ball: Mr. Game & Watch juggles the enemy as a ball and then the enemy is thrown onto the ground.The lighter the opponent, the faster the juggle. It is a good throw to lead into Mr. G & W's down-smash or up smash if predicting the opponent's roll. Also, if a player uses Mr. Game & Watch's neutral attack right after this grab and immediately grabs the foe again, it can Chain Grab, though can be DI'd out of. 6%. If used correctly near the edge, it can spike.

Taunts

 * Up: Rings his bell high.
 * Down: Jumps once, opening his hands, in a cheery way.
 * Side: Rings his bell low. This is the same taunt he had in Melee.

On-Screen Appearance

 * Moves along a row of Game and Watch LCD frames until he reaches the foreground.

Role in the Subspace Emissary
The Shadow Bug's trophy description explains that Mr. Game & Watch embodies a limitless supply of Shadow Bugs inside of him, which can be extracted incessantly. Shadow Bugs are a substance which can replicate characters or even create new dark creatures. Tabuu discovered this and captured Mr. Game & Watch in the prologue, using the Shadow Bugs to build the Subspace Army.

Solid Snake, Meta Knight and Lucario enter the Halberd's control room to discover a gang of Mr. Game & Watches are piloting the ship. Snake quickly charges at them and knocks them all out the window. They fall onto the main deck, interrupting Sheik's, Fox's and Princess Peach's unfitting tea party. The clones then revert to Shadow Bugs and form into a giant metal monster called Duon. Snake and Lucario jump down to help, along with Falco who ejects from an Arwing. Once the robot is defeated, the Shadow Bugs float away, leaving behind Mr. Game & Watch's trophy. Fox prepares to shoot it with his blaster, but Peach revives him. Upon being revived, Mr. Game & Watch is confused and wonders where he is, until Peach scolds him for the trouble he created, causing him to look down in shame. Then Peach gives him her parasol to cheer him up, causing Peach to giggle.

At the entrance to Subspace, Mr. Game & Watch, along with the rest of the team, prepares to attack Tabuu, but is effortlessly turned into a trophy by the Off Waves. He is later revived thanks to Luigi, Ness, and King Dedede. After that, he accompanies the heroes through the Great Maze and the showdown with Tabuu.

It was confirmed on the "DOJO!!" that the reason Mr. Game & Watch was manipulated so easily by Tabuu is that he has no understanding of good or evil, despite the fact that Mr. Game & Watch has shown moral behaviour in many of his games.

Exclusive Stickers
These stickers can only be used by Mr. Game & Watch or a select few including him:


 * Chef (Game & Watch): [Specials: Indirect] Attack +25
 * Donbe: [Slash] Resistance +26
 * Duck: Launch Resistance +20
 * F-Type: [Throwing] Attack +22
 * Flag Man: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +4
 * Lion: [Specials: Direct] Attack +13
 * Vermin: [Weapon] Attack +15
 * Wild Gunman: [Specials: Indirect] Attack +5
 * Yakuman Player: [Electric] Resistance +28

Trivia

 * Mr. Game & Watch is the only character who is always 2D in appearance. Although Mr. Game & Watch usually appears in 2D, the effect is achieved by flattening a 3D character model. He is also the only character with no textures or shading; he is simply one solid color and outline.
 * With Mr. Game & Watch's design originating from characters that first appeared in 1980, he can be considered the "oldest" character in Brawl ' s roster - which is why he is the first character to be fought in All-Star mode. Interestingly enough, he is the last character to be fought in Melee's All Star Mode.
 * When grabbed and thrown, Mr. Game & Watch moves smoothly as opposed to his normal frame-by-frame motion. This animation also occurs while Mr. Game & Watch is aiming a Cracker Launcher.
 * Mr. Game and Watch, R.O.B., Olimar, and Samus are the only characters that never talk or make vocal sounds and is the only character whose complete set of sounds is not affected by the Metal Box.
 * When Mr. Game & Watch is grabbed, he's grabbed by his nose.
 * Mr. Game & Watch is the only character who doesn't move when charging his smash attacks.
 * In The Subspace Emissary, Mr. Game and Watch is the only playable character who didn't have an immediate presentation screen.
 * Mr. Game & Watch is one of the few characters never to be played in the Subspace Emissary unless chosen specifically for a level.