Mr. Game & Watch (SSBB)

Mr. Game & Watch in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Universe	Game & Watch
Other playable appearances	in Melee in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Octopus
Tier	C (16)

Mr. Game & Watch (Mr.ゲーム＆ウォッチ, Misutā Gēmu ando Wotchi) is a veteran character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, returning from Melee.

At first, Mr. Game & Watch was indirectly revealed from a leaked copy of the game. However, he was officially confirmed on the Smash Bros. DOJO!! website on March 10, 2008, one day after Brawl was released in North America.

He is currently ranked as 16th on Brawl’s tier list in the upper-mid tier, which is a huge leap from Melee (where he is currently 22nd in low tier). The largest benefit Mr. Game & Watch gained in Brawl were the physics changes, where he is significantly less vulnerable to combos, his back aerial is significantly more useful due to hitlag, and the leaning towards defensive gameplay boosts Mr. Game & Watch's strengths in general. For some of his individual traits, Mr. Game & Watch possesses large and disjointed hitboxes in most of his attacks, with his attacks being rather fast in start-up lag and the majority being quite powerful (especially his brutal smash attacks, all of which can reliably KO under 100% while none being particularly slow). Mr. Game & Watch additionally possesses amazing survivability for a character of his weight class, as his amazing bucket braking momentum cancelling gives him the horizontal endurance potential of a lighter heavyweight, while his recovery covers great distance and provides great protection against edgeguarding. Mr. Game & Watch also possesses above average movement speed and good mobility, effective tilts and aerial attacks, and a down throw that can force a tech chase opportunity on anyone at any percent. While Mr. Game & Watch's attacks are fast in start-up lag, they are particularly heavy in ending lag, with his aerials also all possessing high landing lag with the exception of his neutral aerial. His attacks, despite possessing large hitboxes, additionally mostly have poor to mediocre reach. This results in him being easily punished when his attacks are shielded, and complicates safe approaches. His projectile is also laggy and short ranged, while being mostly ineffective, preventing him from being able to outcamp most characters to cover his approaching difficulties. Additionally, he is very susceptible to vertical KO moves as his vertical endurance is among the worst (Bucket Braking is significantly less effective when launched vertically), his grab and throw game is rather poor in general (he possesses one of the shortest reaching grabs and near useless throws outside his d-throw), and his rolls are rather slow while gaining among the shortest distance. Regardless, Mr. Game & Watch's pros outweigh his cons, resulting in overall strong matchups, that are dominating against characters below him on the tier list, while being lackluster against characters above him (particularly losing to eight of the top ten characters, while countered by four of them), and he has achieved above average tournament results.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play 250 VS. matches.
• Clear Target Smash!! with 30 different characters on any single difficulty level.
• Have Mr. Game & Watch join the player's party in the Subspace Emissary (Battleship Halberd Bridge).

With the exception of the third method, Mr. Game & Watch must then be defeated on Flat Zone 2.

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. He has very powerful smashes, two of them hard to punish if they miss due their hitboxes having long duration, and the down smash is very fast. All of them can KO under 100%. Mr. Game & Watch's aerials are powerful, but all of them except for his neutral aerial are laggy, and his neutral aerial doesn't have as much range as his other aerials. His back aerial does large shield damage. Mr. Game & Watch's throws aren't particularly effective, save for his down throw, which can tech chase, and if the player can predict the opponent's rolls, it can be used for an infinite chaingrab (like Snake's down throw). His down throw also allows him to follow up with many moves, like an easy down tilt, a smash, or a neutral aerial (by buffering a dash into a short hop).

Mr. Game & Watch is able to negate projectiles easily using Oil Panic (although this only works on energy and electric projectiles) or simply ducking underneath most projectiles. Oil Panic can also easily provide one-hit KOs in doubles if Mr. Game & Watch's teammate possesses an energy projectile. Mr. Game & Watch does have a projectile, Chef, but it is rarely used because of its short range and random trajectory. The move Judge randomly produces one of nine attacks, doing anything from hurting himself (1) to being a one-hit KO (9). His up special move, Fire is a superior out of shield option that can be used to plank. 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.

Changes from Melee to Brawl

Mr. Game & Watch received a major buff, especially from Brawl’s new physics.

• Mr. Game & Watch is heavier (new weight is now 75, a great improvement from Melee's 60).
• His down smash is much easier to sweetspot, and both the sweetspot and sourspot are more powerful.
• His down aerial is now a stall-then-fall, adding to a great aerial game.
• Fire now gives Mr. Game & Watch a parachute to slow his descent, does not make him helpless, and allows him to use an air dodge and any move other than another Fire.
• Oil Panic can now be used to stop all knockback in air, with a technique known as Bucket Braking, giving him significantly better survivability than any other light character.
• His Judge "7" will always generate an apple if it hits while on the ground, regardless of item configuration.
• Judge "9" does more damage.
• Shield now fully covers his hurtbox.
• Oil Panic's maximum damage has been reduced from 200% to 60%.
• He is a slightly larger target.
• His down throw now sends opponents to the ground, rather than the air, and can now meteor smash.
• His neutral aerial has been changed to the Tropical Fish, and is a good multi-hitting attack (although weaker than its Melee counterpart).
• Chef now tosses other foods besides sausage and also leaves his mouth closed.
• His down tilt has much weaker knockback but is now a semi-spike.

Other changes are mostly cosmetic. His outline is brighter and thicker, and he has two new costumes (Cyan and Dark Yellow). 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 anywhere 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 last unlockable character unlocked, like he was in Melee.

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.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Greenhouse	3%	Mr. Game & Watch rapidly presses an insecticide pump. Excellent for escaping pressure and hard to escape from. Low ending lag; this can lead into a grab or tilt attack. First hitbox out on frame 4.
Forward tilt		Lion	10%	Mr. Game & Watch thrusts a chair in front of him, has light potential to KO at very high damages. Some noticeable ending lag. Like his other tilts, it has a hitbox with a long duration. 10% damage. Hits on frame 10-15.
Up tilt		Flagman	8%	Mr. Game & Watch waves a flag above him. Combos into itself with fast fallers and heavy weights at lower percentages. Usually used into a neutral air or up air otherwise, can even KO at higher %s. At low percentages, can be used for juggling. Hits on frame 13-21.
Down tilt		Manhole	6%, 9% if used on aerial opponnents	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 as it was in Melee, but it has become more effective at edgeguarding due to being a semi-spike, having good base knockback, a hitbox with long duration, and very low cooldown. Good for anti-air attack; deals more damage if the opponent is in the air. Has a start-up of 6 frames and it ends on frame 15.
Dash attack		Helmet	11%	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 on fast fallers. 11%. Can stage spike if used near the edge, being a effective KO move. Hits on frame 6-29.
Forward smash		Fire Attack	18-25%, 14%-19% sourspot	Mr. Game & Watch attacks with a lit match. Great base knockback and even greater knockback scaling as well as lasting longer than 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 ineffective against it. It is arguably the best forward smash in the game despite its nerfed start-up (frame 18, slower than it was in Melee), as it has good reach and great knockback, being capable of KOing any character under 100%. Though it is a rare occurrence, this attack has a sourspot when only the pole hits. This only happens if a character is small enough to stay between the flame and Mr. Game & Watch himself, touching only the pole. Has slightly less knockback.
Up smash		Octopus	18-25%	Mr. Game & Watch's head becomes a diving helmet and he bashes upwards with his head, with the hitbox extending a short ways above the helmet. Has noticeable start-up lag (hits on frame 24-28), but is the third strongest up smash in the game KO percentage wise (only Ivysaur's and Lucas's KO faster) and it has the highest knockback scaling of any up smash in the game. This is usually Mr. Game & Watch's fastest KOing smash attack, depending on the character and stage. Usually used after up aerial or neutral aerial. Very useful for tech chases due to its wide hitbox and good duration.
Down smash		Vermin	15-21%, 13-18% sourspot	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 neutral aerial and also with down throw on anyone who doesn't have a long enough roll and who doesn't tech it. Has a start-up of 15 frames.
Neutral aerial		Tropical Fish	5% first hit, 4% remaining three hits, for 17% total	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. Has a start-up of 7 frames.
Forward aerial		Mario Bros.	16% clean, 6% late	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 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.
Back aerial		Turtle Bridge	15% total	Mr. Game & Watch takes out a 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. It is possible for grounded targets to powershield the last hit, but this is very difficult to perform. Does 15% worth damage if all hits connect. Has a start-up of 10 frames.
Up aerial		Spitball Sparky	7% first hit, 9% second hit	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, the wind being more powerful closer to Mr. Game & Watch. 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. Second hit has very high knockback but is very difficult to land due to the wind effect of the first hitbox. First hit on frame 6, second hit on frame 20.
Down aerial		Donkey Kong Jr.	14% (13% late), then 6%	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. 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 if opponent is meteor smashed to the ground and is hit by the landing hitbox. Can perform the Stall-Then-Fall Glitch. Can KO at high percentages, being one of the strongest Stall-Then-Fall moves in the game. First hit on frame 12.
Grab		Grab	—	Reaches out. Short duration.
Pummel		Alarm	3%	Mr. Game & Watch bashes the enemy with his alarm bell, somewhat slowly.
Forward throw		Ball	8%	Mr. Game & Watch juggles the enemy as a ball, then the enemy is launched forward.
Back throw		Ball	8%	Same as other throws, with backwards knockback.
Up throw		Ball	8%	Same as other throws, with upwards knockback.
Down throw		Ball	6%	Mr. Game & Watch juggles the enemy as a ball and throws the opponent onto the ground. Can tech chase into an up smash, down smash, forward smash, down tilt, or even neutral aerial. Can meteor smash opponents near the edge.
Floor attack (front)		Vermin	6%	Mr. Game & Watch gets out a hammer and slams it in front of him, then behind him. It is very fast.
Floor attack (back)		Vermin	6%	Identical to frontal floor attack.
Floor attack (trip)		Vermin	5%	Identical to floor attacks.
Edge attack (fast)		Alarm	8%	Climbs up and hits opponents with a bell, creating an alarm noise.
Edge attack (slow)		Alarm	10%	Like his fast ledge attack, but slower.
Neutral special		Chef	4%, 6% pan	Shoots flaming pancakes out of a pan. Doesn't have very much use in the metagame, but it can prevent aerial approaches.
Side special		Judge	Varies	Swings a hammer in front of him, and raises a flag with a random number from 1-9 with his other hand. Effects vary based on number, 1 only damages himself, while 9 is a 1-hit KO.
Up special		Fire	6%	Shoots upward, and falls slowly in a parachute. Can be interrupted during the parachute phase by any aerial. Good for starting aerial combos at mid-high percents.
Down special		Oil Panic	Varies	Puts a bucket in front of him. Absorbs projectiles, and once three are absorbed, turns into a powerful counterattack. Can "Bucket Brake", eliminating all knockback momentum at the time the move was used.
Final Smash		Octopus	Varies	Turns into an Octopus. Damage is dealt on contact and range can be increased by pressing the attack buttons.

Special Moves

Mr. Game & Watch's special moves

Neutral special	Chef
Side special	Judgment	Judge
Up special	Fire
Down special	Oil Panic
Final Smash	—	Octopus

Taunts

• Up: Rings his bell high.
• Down: Jumps once, opening his hands, in a cheery way.
• Side: Rings his bell low. (same as Melee)

Cheer

Mr. Game & Watch's NTSC and PAL cheer

Mis-ter-Game-and-Watch!

In competitive play

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Character Matchups

Avg.

Notable players

See also: Category:Mr. Game & Watch professionals (SSBB)

•  Boss
•  Gardex
•  Nekokatsu
•  Penta
•  TeeVee
•  UTD Zac
•  Vex Kasrani
•  Vinnie

In event matches

Single player events

• Event 32: Bird in Darkest Night: Falco, wearing a black alternative costume, must KO Mr. Game & Watch in a 2 stock battle. The stage frequently blacks-out leaving only the two brawlers and the damage counter visible.
• Event 34: All-Star Battle Melee: Mr. Game & Watch is one of the characters the player must defeat in order to win this event. The opponents debut in Melee and have returned as veterans.
• Event 35: The Visitor to Flat Zone: Mr. Game & Watch must defeat blacked out versions of Toon Link, Jigglypuff, and Peach in a 1 stock battle.

In co-op event matches

• Co-Op Event 16: Jigglypuff's Great Comeback A team of Jigglypuff and Mr. Game & Watch must defeat a team of Lucas and Ness in a 1 stock battle. Jigglypuff starts out tiny and grows each background change and Lucas and Ness shrink each background change but Mr. Game & Watch remains small.
• Co-Op Event 21: The True All-Star Battle: Two players choose characters and must defeat the entire Brawl roster.

Role in The Subspace Emissary

Mr. Game & Watch in the SSE

The Shadow Bugs 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 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 it. Upon being revived, Mr. Game & Watch 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.

At the entrance to Subspace, Mr. Game & Watch, along with the rest of his 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.

Playable appearances

Mr. Game & Watch first appears in Battleship Halberd Bridge and then joins the player's team after, but isn't playable until all the characters are reunited with each other after the events of The Subspace Bomb Factory (Part II), where they then invade Subspace in Entrance to Subspace.

• Entrance to Subspace
• The Great Maze (if rescued in Subspace (Part I)

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
• Forward 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

Palette swaps

Mr. Game & Watch's alternate costumes in Brawl

Trophy

Mr. Game & Watch's trophy is obtained by clearing Classic Mode with Mr. Game & Watch.

Mr. Game & Watch's trophy in Brawl

Description

The monochrome hero of the Game & Watch series, a fellow who oozes personality. First appearing in 1980, the series were the original portable game systems. The first games in the series were quite simple, but as time passed, technology evolved. The multiscreen series featured game play on dual screens. As the name states, the games also kept time.

: Game & Watch Gallery

Trivia

• Mr. Game & Watch is the only character who is always 2D in appearance, even in his trophy form. 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.
  • Mr. Game & Watch appears 3D, however, when played using moveset swaps. His Subspace clone and Metal Box form also make him appear 3-D.
• 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.
• While almost all of Mr. Game & Watch's animations use a frame-by-frame style, there are times when he animates smoothly: when being thrown, when being grabbed by Snake, and when using a Cracker Launcher. The first two are due to using animations shared by all characters, while the third is due to the mechanic of angling the Cracker Launcher.
• Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B., Olimar, and Samus are the only characters that never talk or make vocal sounds. He instead makes beeping sounds.
  • As a result, Mr. Game & Watch is the only character whose sound cues do not seem to be affected by a 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 & Watch is the only playable character who doesn't have an immediate presentation screen.
• When wearing a badge, it hovers in front of Mr. Game & Watch's body, due to being attached to where his body would be if not flattened.
• When the black costume of Mr. Game & Watch is used on the underground version of Mushroomy Kingdom, he appears to be dark yellow. Oddly, when in Camera mode, the color changes back to black.
• When Mr. Game & Watch falls asleep, instead of bubbles coming from his mouth, Z's come out.
• Mr. Game & Watch, Kirby, and Meta Knight are the only characters that change their whole body color when a different palette is selected.
• Curiously, the manhole cover (down tilt) is the only item from Mr. Game & Watch's arsenal that is rendered in true 3D while retaining the solid color palette. In Melee, it was rendered 2D, as with the rest of his moves.

External links

• Mr. Game & Watch's Smash Bros Dojo!!
• Mr. Game & Watch Character Guide on SWF
• Mr. Game & Watch's hitbox sizes
• Mr. Game & Watch's Moves - History Behind Super Smash Bros. Brawl, by CrappyCaptureDevice