Super Smash Bros. Wii U – Rosalina Impressions

Rosalina was first introduced in Super Mario Galaxy. In Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Rosalina is one of the more unique characters you can play as. She has Luma with her, who essentially mimics her attacks. However, you can separate Luma and Rosalina to set up some very interesting spacing and attack options. Her learning curve seems extremely high, but once a skilled player masters Rosalina and Luma, they are a dangerous combination.

Luma attacks anyone close to it, and should be treated loosely like the Ice Climbers. If you can place Luma well enough, you can attack multiple targets at once, or mount a dual attack on a single opponent. Unfortunately, the entire time you’re attempting to setup Luma in the appropriate position, your opponents are trying to attack Rosalina and prevent you from doing as you please.

All of Rosalina’s normal aerial attacks (non-special moves) have good hitboxes and stay active for a considerable amount of time. However, they all take a little bit of time to execute, so you have to be careful when attacking other players and really pick which aerial to use based on positioning and the character you’re up against. Using the wrong aerial will likely result in Rosalina losing out to the opposing character’s faster attack. Of her aerial attacks, neutral air and back air seem to offer the best results.

Rosalina’s up tilt attack is arguably one of her best. It has great priority and minimal recovery, and it can be used to combo opponents after her up throw. Her recovery is one of the best in the game, and can be used consecutively if you’re quick. However, it does not inflict any damage and it can be baited and punished by skilled players, so you have to be careful when and how you use her recovery.

Her Gravitational Pull attack (down B special move) is fantastic against projectile-heavy opponents or anytime you’re playing with items on. When used correctly, it essentially nullifies the projectile attack being used against Rosalina. This is a huge detriment to any character that relies on their projectile attacks to zone, or as their primary offensive tool.

She has one of the best jab attacks in the game, but all of her Smash attacks lack range and speed. While Luma can assist with this, setting up Luma in the correct spot when you need to land a Smash attack is not reliable for most players. Rosalina relies more on her normal attacks than her Smash attacks, which calls her KO power into question.

Overall, Rosalina has one of the highest learning curves in the game. However, once you master the use of Luma, she could be a top tier character. Luma offers her great edge guarding ability, coupled with her great recovery attack, it’s difficult to KO her, while she can KO much easier than most thanks to her great edge guarding ability with Luma. That said, Rosalina is a solid character in her own right. While Luma is a big asset to her, when she doesn’t have Luma available, she can still hold her own against most of the roster.