| Mr. Game & Watch | |
|---|---|
 Artwork from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
| First appearance | Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001, overall) Game & Watch Gallery 4 (2002, Super Mario-related media) |
| Latest appearance | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) |
- “You must be getting pretty good at some of these by now!”
- —Mr. Game & Watch, Game & Watch Gallery 4
Mr. Game & Watch is a 2D character meant to serve as the mascot of the Game & Watch handheld systems and the Game & Watch Gallery series, originally representing the Game & Watch series in Super Smash Bros. Melee before appearing elsewhere. Mr. Game & Watch is stated in several descriptions in the Super Smash Bros. series to be the main character of the Game & Watch games, despite the fact that these games technically feature nameless characters. His usual appearance seems to be based on the generic characters featured in Fire and Parachute, but his moves in the Super Smash Bros. series reference various Game & Watch games, and in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, using these moves temporarily changes his appearance to match the characters from those games. Throughout his appearances, Mr. Game & Watch is generally depicted as a flat 2D character (even when in 3D space), matching the 2D graphics of Game & Watch games.
History
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. Melee
- SmashWiki article: Mr. Game & Watch (SSBM)
Mr. Game & Watch makes his debut in Super Smash Bros. Melee as the final unlockable character. He can be unlocked by playing 1,000 Melee matches, beating the Classic or Adventure mode with every other character, or by clearing Target Test with every other character. Afterward, the player must defeat Mr. Game & Watch on Flat Zone to unlock him. In All-Star mode, the Mr. Game and Watch team is always the final enemy stage. Here, the player must beat 25 Mr. Game & Watchs.
Mr. Game & Watch is unique in that his movements are individual frames like with a Game & Watch game. All of his "voice" clips (including screams, taunts, and other such noises) are also sounds heard during various Game & Watch titles. Mr. Game & Watch is portrayed as one of the lightest characters in the game thanks to his flat appearance, heavier than only Pichu and tied with Jigglypuff, which makes him easier to KO, and his attacks, while powerful, are slow. However, his movement attributes including dash, walk, fall, fast-fall speeds, traction, and gravity are identical to Mario's. Additionally, in Classic Mode, Mr. Game & Watch can only appear as an enemy in the multi-character fight for stage 8, though he can appear as an ally in Team and Giant battles. He is also the only character whose All-Star trophy is not affected by the background lighting and does not display him in an alternate coloration.
All of Mr. Game & Watch's moves also reference the various Game & Watch units. His standard special is Chef, which tosses food from a frying pan that deals damage if it hits; up to five pieces of food can be tossed, while pressing the button repeatedly causes food to be tossed out faster. Opponents can also be hit by the frying pan, which deals fire damage. His down special is Oil Panic, which absorbs projectiles in a bucket that can be dumped onto opponents to deal a combined damage total; if this move is used after three attacks are absorbed, Mr. Game & Watch throws out the oil in his bucket which has extreme damage and knockback, determined by adding up how much damage each of the projectiles absorbed would have done. His up special is Fire, which springs him into the air with a trampoline; unlike most up special moves, Mr. Game & Watch is not left helpless afterwards, and thus is able to attack, but he cannot use this move again until he lands on the ground. His side special is Judge, which has Mr. Game & Watch swing a hammer, its effects based on the number he holds up:
| # | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | A very weak hit that does not inflict flinching or knockback, and inflicts 12% damage to the user. |
| 2 | Has minimal knockback. |
| 3 | Similar to the Fan's attack, as it launches the opponent towards Mr. Game & Watch. |
| 4 | Inflicts a slashing attack that launches opponents diagonally. |
| 5 | Produces four electrical charges that zap the opponent, making them rise slightly. |
| 6 | Deals flame damage and threatens recovering opponents, it has the second strongest knockback of all Judge attacks. |
| 7 | Deals moderate knockback. If the attack connects and Mr. Game & Watch is on the ground, a food item will appear in reference to the number 7 being associated with luck. |
| 8 | Freezes the opponent and has weak vertical knockback. |
| 9 | Deals massive knockback, intended to resemble the effect of a fully charged hit of the Home-Run Bat with the same sound effect. Can KO at single-digit damage percentages in some cases. It also has the strongest knockback of all Judge attacks. |
Mr. Game & Watch's standard attack is based on Green House, and his dash attack has him wearing the helmet from Helmet. For his strong attacks, Mr. Game & Watch's forward strong attack is the chair from Lion, his down strong move has him flip a manhole cover from Manhole, and his up strong attack is the flag from Flagman. His neutral aerial is the parachute from Parachute, his forward aerial is a package from Mario Bros., his back aerial is a turtle from Turtle Bridge, his up aerial is based on Spitball Sparky, and his down aerial is a key from Donkey Kong Jr. His side smash is the torch from Fire Attack, his up smash has him wearing the helmet from Octopus, and his down smash is the hammers from Vermin. All four of his throwing animations have him juggling the character like in Ball. His taunt has him ring a bell, based on the alarm feature of Game & Watch units.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- SmashWiki article: Mr. Game & Watch (SSBB)
Mr. Game & Watch returns in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as an unlockable character. He can be unlocked by playing 250 Brawl matches, clearing Target Smash!! with 30 characters on any difficulty, or having him join the party in The Subspace Emissary; with either of the former methods, he must be defeated on Flat Zone 2 to be unlocked. While he has been made heavier, he is still the second lightest character in the game (now only heavier than Jigglypuff and tied with Squirtle).
In terms of his moveset, his neutral aerial has been replaced with the fishbowl from Tropical Fish, as the parachute is now a part of his up special move. His Final Smash is Octopus, which transforms Mr. Game & Watch into the giant octopus from the Game & Watch unit Octopus.
The Subspace Emissary
The Shadow Bugs' trophy information explains that Mr. Game & Watch's body can endlessly produce them. Tabuu took note of the unique qualities of Mr. Game & Watch's body and uses him to create Shadow Bugs, which in turn are used to build up the Subspace Army. Mr. Game & Watch allows this to happen as he does not understand the concepts of good or evil.[1]
When Meta Knight, Snake, and Lucario reach the bridge of the Halberd, they find it being controlled by several copies of Mr. Game & Watch. Snake knocks out all the Mr. Game & Watches out of an open window and into the ship's main deck, where the Shadow Bugs merge into Duon. Following the foe's defeat, the real Mr. Game & Watch's trophy is left behind. Fox attempts to shoot it but Peach revives it and scolds him, but gives Mr. Game & Watch her Parasol to cheer him up.
Mr. Game & Watch appears alongside the other characters to confront Tabuu at the Entrance to Subspace, but along with the others is reverted back into a Trophy by his Off Waves. He is later revived by Luigi, Ness, and King Dedede to fight Tabuu at the center of The Great Maze.
Mr. Game & Watch is the only major character to not have a snapshot.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
- SmashWiki article: Mr. Game & Watch (SSB4)
Mr. Game & Watch reappears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as an unlockable character. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, he can be unlocked by playing 90 Smash matches or by clearing Classic mode 10 times, and must be defeated on Flat Zone 2. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, he can be unlocked by either playing 80 Smash matches or by clearing Classic mode on Intensity 2.0 or higher with five characters, and must then be defeated on Flat Zone X.
His inclusion in the game was briefly hinted at in Pac-Man's reveal trailer, where at the end of the video, the screen compares the debut years between him, Pac-Man, Mario, and Donkey Kong. His debut year is technically incorrect, because Mr. Game & Watch did not exist as a character until Super Smash Bros. Melee, and his Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophy description considers his debut to be 2002's Game & Watch Gallery. Despite being hinted at in the trailer, he was not officially confirmed to be in the game until its release, and was not officially revealed until afterward.
Mr. Game & Watch's appearance has been altered a bit, which includes having a smaller nose, and more rounded hands, as well as being smaller in size. While his moveset is unchanged from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, there are minor differences in his looks when performing certain moves. He is also given a new down taunt in which he sits down and sighs, based on Mario Bros.
In terms of customizations, Mr. Game & Watch is the only fighter who can be equipped with the Torch, Watch Battery, and Microchip equipment.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- SmashWiki article: Mr. Game & Watch (SSBU)
Mr. Game & Watch makes a reappearance as an unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In this installment, every time he uses a move, his appearance changes to reflect the graphics from the respective game from which the move originates. Additionally, when Mr. Game & Watch throws an opponent, they turn into their stock icon in his juggling animation from Ball. His Final Smash has also been altered somewhat; after Mr. Game & Watch turns into Octopus, he grabs opponents and takes them off of the screen, rather than attacking them with arms.
Prior to the game's release, controversy arose surrounding a move animation used by Mr. Game & Watch, which featured a stereotypical depiction of a Native American that was based off the 1982 Game & Watch title, Fire Attack.[2] Nintendo has released a software update post-launch that replaces the animation with one that is similar to that of Game & Watch Gallery 4.
Classic Mode route
| A Long Legacy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Opponent(s) | Rule | Stage | Song |
| 1 | Kirby (gray costume) | Dream Land GB | Kirby Retro Medley | |
| 2 | Pac-Man | Pac-Land | PAC-MAN | |
| 3 | Duck Hunt | Duck Hunt | Famicom Medley | |
| 4 | Mario, Luigi | Free-for-All | Mario Bros. | Ground Theme - Super Mario Bros. |
| 5 | Donkey Kong (red costume) | Team Battle (Ally: Mario) |
75 m | 25m Theme |
| 6 | Mr. Game & Watch ×6 | Horde Battle | Flat Zone X | Flat Zone |
| Final | Master Hand, Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher) | Final Destination | Master Hand Master Hand / Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher) | |
Game & Watch Gallery 4
- “You get one star for every 200 points.”
- —Mr. Game & Watch, Game & Watch Gallery 4
In Game & Watch Gallery 4, Mr. Game & Watch is prominently featured in the Gift Mode in the Gallery Corner, featured alongside Mario as the hosts of the mode. In it, Mr. Game & Watch and Mario will give tips towards unlocking extras, as well as explain various Gift games when they are unlocked. This is his only speaking role.
WarioWare series
Mr. Game & Watch makes cameos on the menus of WarioWare: Twisted! and in the "Games" icon in the character selection screen in WarioWare: Touched! The members of the Diamond Academy Audience from WarioWare: Smooth Moves resemble Mr. Game & Watch. He also appears in the microgames that are based on the Game & Watch games.
Mr. Game & Watch-like people appear in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! in the multiplayer game Survival Fever, where they cheer for the players. They say "1, 2, 3!" when a microgame is about to start and cheer more if the player(s) beat the microgame, but if they fail, they will boo them and some will leave.
In WarioWare Gold, multiple Mr. Game & Watch-like figures appear on the large-screen television in the League Arena microgame modes when the player wins or loses a microgame.
Characters resembling Mr. Game & Watch in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!
The icon of Mr. Game & Watch in WarioWare: Touched!
The Diamond Academy Audience in WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Donkey Kong Country Returns / Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
In Donkey Kong Country Returns and its Nintendo 3DS remake, Mr. Game & Watch makes a cameo appearance in the background of Foggy Fumes. He is seen hammering a pipe.
Super Mario series
Super Mario Maker
In Super Mario Maker, there is an unlockable costume for Costume Mario that looks like Mr. Game & Watch. It is unlocked by scanning a Mr. Game & Watch amiibo or unlocked randomly by clearing 100 Mario Challenge on Expert setting. Pressing 
will make Mr. Game & Watch take out his bell. He also takes out a parachute from Parachute after jumping.
Super Mario Odyssey
In Super Mario Odyssey, a silhouette of Mr. Game & Watch wearing a hat appears on minigame icons.
Profiles and statistics
In the English version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mr. Game & Watch's trophy lists Game & Watch Gallery as his game appearance despite not making a physical appearance in that game. In the Japanese version, his game appearance was listed simply Game & Watch with the logo for the Game & Watch replacing the Game Boy logo.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
| Trophy Mr. Game & Watch (Classic) | ||
 | ||
| Game/move: Game & Watch 1980 | ||
| First appearing in 1980, the Game & Watch series is the father of all portable liquid crystal games. The main character is simple and monochrome but has a timeless individuality. There are 39 different games in the series and they've sold over 43 million units worldwide. Pictured at left is the particularly popular Fire model. | ||
| Trophy Mr. Game & Watch (Adventure) | ||
| ||
| Game/move: B: Chef Smash B: Judgment | ||
| A resident of a totally flat world, Mr. Game & Watch's frame-by-frame movement is distinctive. His image is known far and wide and respected by gamers everywhere. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, he hurls sausages with his Chef technique. The random strength of his Judgment is determined by the number displayed; food appears on lucky 7. | ||
| Trophy Mr. Game & Watch (All-Star) | ||
| ||
| Game/move: Up & B: Fire Down & B: Oil Panic | ||
| A man of great stature in the world of Nintendo characters, Mr. Game & Watch is a comparatively light fellow and doesn't feature many powerful attacks. When he's in danger of falling, Fire calls out a rescue brigade to send him skyward once more. He can also catch missile weapons with Oil Panic; once he's caught three, he can dump the bucket on his foes. | ||
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Trophy Mr. Game & Watch | ||
| ||
| Appears in: GB Game & Watch Gallery | ||
| 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. | ||
| Trophy Octopus | ||
| ||
| Appears in: Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl | ||
| Mr. Game & Watch's Final Smash. He turns into the huge cephalopod that made its debut in the Game & Watch game Octopus. Of course, you can damage enemies by running into them, but you can do more damage by pressing the attack button to extend four arms and launch foes. In the original Octopus game, you had to avoid the octopus while salvaging treasure from the sea. | ||
- Snake's codec
- Snake: Otacon, there's a guy walking around in here...and he's only got two dimensions!
- Otacon: That's Mr. Game & Watch. He comes from a world where everything is flat. Game & Watch was a series of portable games released by Nintendo in 1980. They were powered by large-scale integrated circuits and only had mono-chrome LCD displays, so characters kinda looked like the numbers on a calculator. The guy you're looking at now, Mr. Game & Watch, was a character who appeared in these games.
- Snake: This is making my head hurt.
- Otacon: Well, um... He's... I mean... Look, just start fighting him, and I'm sure everything will make sense.
- Snake: ...
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
| Trophy Mr. Game & Watch | ||
3DS: Wii U: 
| ||
| Game(s): Both games | ||
| Category: Fighter | ||
( ) Appears in:G&W Game & Watch (04/1980) | ||
| ( ) Trophy Box: 56: Game & Watch
| ||
| Game & Watch was first released in 1980, making the series the father of the Game Boy and Nintendo DS. Or maybe an older sibling? Anyway...in Smash Bros., Mr. Game & Watch uses distinct retro moves to damage his foes. However, he's only two dimensional, so he's pretty easy to send flying. (American English) | ||
| Game & Watch was a series of handheld video games that started in 1980, before even the Game Boy. In this game, you can play as the guy who starred in them, moving about in his quirky, oh-so-retro little way. He can string together some pretty powerful attacks but, unfortunately, being 2D makes him very easy to launch. (British English) | ||
| Trophy Mr. Game & Watch (Alt.) | ||
3DS: Wii U: 
| ||
| Game(s): Both games | ||
| Category: Fighter | ||
| ( ) Appears in: G&W Game & Watch (04/1980) | ||
| ( ) Trophy Box: 75: Memorabilia
| ||
| Mr. Game & Watch's Oil Panic special catches shots and turns them into oil. After catching three, the bucket will be full and you'll be able to throw oil all over your enemies. Some shots, like Samus's fully powered Charge Shot, will fill the bucket in one go! Throwing the oil you get from a shot like that can KO your foes in a flash! | ||
| Trophy Octopus | ||
| ||
| Game(s): Wii U only | ||
| Category: Final Smash | ||
| ( ) Appears in: - | ||
| ( ) Trophy Box: 56: Game & Watch
| ||
| The Game & Watch title Octopus featured a hero collecting treasure while avoiding a bothersome giant octopus's tentacles. Activate Mr. Game & Watch's Final Smash to transform him into that octopus! Ram into opponents, and use the attack button to extend the tentacles. The only thing you can't do is change the direction you're facing. (American English) | ||
| The Game & Watch title Octopus featured a hero collecting treasure while avoiding a bothersome giant octopus's tentacles. Activate Mr. Game & Watch's Final Smash to transform him into that octopus! Then ram into opponents, and use the attack button to extend the tentacles. The only thing you can't do is change direction. (British English) | ||
- Palutena's Guidance
- Pit: Hey, it's a Shadow Bug!
- Palutena: No, that's just Mr. Game & Watch.
- Viridi: Watch out for number nine. Pit.
- Pit: Uh, what are you talking about?
- Palutena: Mr. Game & Watch's Judge attack displays random numbers. And when it displays "9," the attack is devastating.
- Viridi: Getting hit with a nine will knock out any fighter with a single strike, no matter who it is. When his back is against the wall, Mr. Game & Watch might try his luck with a Judge attack.
- Pit: Leaving victory up to luck doesn't seem like the best strategy.
- Palutena: Well, luck is part of every victory.
- Viridi: So you'd better watch yourself, Pit.
amiibo
- This monochrome, two-dimensional hero represents the handheld Game & Watch series, first released in 1980. More recently, Mr. Game & Watch can be found using his retro fighting moves to battle foes in the Super Smash Bros. series of games.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Super Smash Blog bio: When using his side special, Judge, this fighter pulls out a hammer and the numbers 1-9 are displayed. If you pull off a 9 attack, it will really knock the opponent back. His Final Smash turns him into an octopus that can pull opponents off the stage!
List of appearances
Gallery
Boxed amiibo
amiibo figure
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Ｍｒ．ゲーム＆ウォッチ[?] Misutā Gēmu ando Wotchi |
Mr. Game & Watch | |
| Korean | Mr. 게임&워치[?] Miseuteo Geim Aen Wochi |
Mr. Game & Watch | |
| Russian | Мистер Game & Watch[?] Mister Game & Watch |
Mister Game & Watch | |
| Г-н Game & Watch (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)[?] Gospodin Game & Watch |
Mr. Game & Watch | ||
| Spanish | Mr. Game & Watch[?] | - |
Trivia
- When turned into metal by a Metal Box, Mr. Game & Watch will still make beeping sound effects as usual. This is likely because they are not considered to be voice effects. He also appears more 3D when metal.
- In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, however, Mr. Game & Watch will make clanking noises while moving in metal form.
- While Mr. Game & Watch keeps his silver outline in his metal form in Super Smash Bros. Melee, his outline becomes black in his metal form in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
- On his fighter page on the mobile version of the official English Super Smash Bros. Ultimate website, Mr. Game & Watch's name was originally misspelled "Mr. Game & Watach". This mistake has since been corrected.
- The shop owner from Wario Land 4 resembles Mr. Game & Watch.
References
- ^ April 10, 2008. Mysteries of The Subspace Emissary. Smash Bros. DOJO!! (American English). Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ November 6, 2018. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Is Being Criticized For “Racist Mr. Game & Watch”. My Nintendo News. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
| Game & Watch games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario franchise | Donkey Kong (1982, MS) • Mario Bros. (1983, MS) • Mario's Cement Factory (1983, TT/NWS) • Mario's Bombs Away (1983, PS) • Donkey Kong Hockey (1984, MVS) • Super Mario Bros. (1986, CrS | 1987, Sp | 1988, NWS) • Mario the Juggler (1991, NWS) • Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. (2020, CoS) | |
| Donkey Kong franchise | Donkey Kong (1982, MS) • Donkey Kong Jr. (1982, NWS | 1983, TT & PS) • Donkey Kong II (1983, MS) • Donkey Kong 3 (1984, MVS) • Donkey Kong Circus (1984, PS) • Donkey Kong Hockey (1984, MVS) | |
| Miscellaneous | Green House (1982, MS) | |
| MS: Multi Screen • TT: Table Top • PS: Panorama Screen • NWS: New Wide Screen • MVS: Micro VS. System • CrS: Crystal Screen • Sp: Special • CoS: Color Screen | ||