Screw Attack (move)

Screw Attack
	; Samus and Dark Samus using the Screw Attack in Ultimate.
Users	Samus; Dark Samus
Universe	Metroid
Article on Metroid Wiki	Screw Attack

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For the item of the same name, see Screw Attack (item).

"Shinespark" redirects here. For the Smash Run power of the same name, see Power.

Screw Attack (スクリューアタック, Screw Attack) is Samus and Dark Samus's up special move.

Overview

The move causes Samus to somersault into the air, surrounding herself in a bluish (yellowish in Melee) electrical field; inflicting damage on any opponents that touch her. The Screw Attack does cumulative damage and sucks opponents into the center. It is a useful out of shield option to counter attacks from above, as well as being Samus's primary vertical recovery move.

The Screw Attack used by Samus is different from the one used by the item. Samus' attack gives her a rapid boost upwards and briefly remains at that height before falling. The item attack, however, causes the character to slowly jump upwards and start falling immediately after reaching the top point. Samus' attack can only be used once before landing and causes helplessness, due to it being an up special move. The item attack, however, is an initial jump and midair jump, and does not cause helplessness. Lastly, Samus cannot use any other attack while using her Screw Attack, but aerials can be performed with the item attack to create powerful combos.

In Super Smash Bros.

In Smash 64, the Screw Attack is a poor recovery move, gaining Samus fairly little vertical or horizontal distance. However, it is relatively difficult to edgeguard as it is very fast and has invincibility frame(s) in the first few frames of initiating the move. It is also a useful move in shield break combos, particularly against opponents standing on platforms above Samus. However, as with most similar attacks in the game, it is easy to SDI out of.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

In Melee, the Screw Attack does not trap opponents very well, though it is still usable as a defensive move (similar to Bowser's Whirling Fortress). As a recovery, it tends to be avoided in favor of using the Bombs and Grapple Beam, but is still necessary for optimal vertical distance and notably gains more than it did in Smash 64 (though less if used while grounded), making it a more useful option. In the PAL version of the game, any charging of Samus' Charge Shot will be canceled if she is hit during this attack.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Brawl, the Screw Attack regained the trapping ability that was weakened in Melee. A new and useful addition to this move is the increased knockback at the very end, making it a better defensive option since it's now safer on hit. The move has a few meteor smashing hitboxes due to the autolink angle, though they are always canceled out by the rest of the move.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

In SSB4, the Screw Attack's recovery distance has been improved from Brawl and its knockback has been further increased, making it a viable KO move. Furthermore, it now combos out of Samus' dash attack (termed the "shinespark combo"), and can two-hit KO opponents with sufficient rage.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In Ultimate, the Screw Attack has been given multiple buffs that overall make it safer to use, most notably reduced startup and endlag, as well as several measures to make escaping the looping hits more difficult. However, due to the universal effect of toned down rage, the shinespark combo no longer works. The move also has the aesthetic change of a unique sound effect based on its home series counterpart instead of the standard "kick" sound effect. For the first time, Screw Attack is now shared between fighters, specifically Dark Samus. The only major difference is a different animation that makes the hurtbox smaller and harder to hit, giving it a slight edge over the regular version.

In version 9.0.0, both fighters' grounded Screw Attack were given slightly decreased vertical distance. This change was revealed to be a mistake and was reversed in version 9.0.2.

Instructional quotes

instruction booklet		Attack with a spinning jump. Also use it to get back onto the stage.
instruction booklet		Spin upwards while attacking. Use it to get yourself back to safety after being launched.
case foldout		Jump into opponents to hit and launch them.
Move List		Hits opponents several times while spinning up into the air.
Move List		Hits opponents several times while spinning up into the air.

Customization

Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:

1. Screw Attack	2. Screw Rush	3. Apex Screw Attack

"Spin into the air. Any opponents caught by the move get hit several times."	"Spin forward through the air, launching opponents sideways."	"Hits at the start and peak of the jump. The force at the peak can launch foes."

Screw Attack: Default.
Screw Rush: Deals more damage and moves more diagonally horizontal at the cost of less vertical distance.
Main article: Samus (SSB4)/Up special/Custom 1
Apex Screw Attack: A purely vertical leap that only damages at the beginning and end. Extremely powerful and can KO at mid-percentages, but has more startup and gives slightly less recovery distance.
Main article: Samus (SSB4)/Up special/Custom 2

Origin

The Screw Attack as seen in Super Metroid.

The Screw Attack is an upgrade that Samus collects in nearly every Metroid game. Usually found at or near the end of the game, it is a passive ability that deals significant damage to any enemies that Samus touches while doing a spinning jump (as opposed to a purely vertical leap), and remains active until Samus lands. In most games, it can be combined with the Space Jump (allowing infinite consecutive jumps) for unlimited consecutive Screw Attacks, allowing Samus to travel through the air at will and destroy any enemies in the way with minimal trouble. In the Metroid Prime subseries, the Screw Attack is used after the normal jump and one Space Jump are used, allowing her to jump up to five additional times in order to cross large gaps, as well as wall jump up specific vertical shafts.

Gallery

The Screw Attack in Smash 64.
The Screw Attack in Melee.
The Screw Attack in Brawl.
The Screw Attack in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Samus using Screw Attack as shown in the Move List in Ultimate.
Dark Samus using Screw Attack as shown in the Move List in Ultimate.

Names in other languages

Language	Name
Japanese	スクリューアタック, Screw Attack
English	Screw Attack
French	Attaque en vrille
German	Screw Attack
Spanish	Ataque espiral
Italian	Attacco a vite
Chinese (Simplified)	团身旋击
Chinese (Traditional)	旋轉攻擊
Korean	스크류 어택, Screw Attack
Dutch	Schroefaanval
Russian	Шаровая атака