Franchise: Kid Icarus
Debut Game: 1986-12-19
Fighter Type: magic user
Weight Class: middleweight
Speed: medium
Height: large
Neutral Attack: jab
Tilt Attack: tilt
Smash Attack: smash
Aerial Attack: aerial
Special Moves: autoreticle
Throws and Grabs: grab
Voice Actor: Brandy Kopp
Release Date in Game: 2018-12-07
DLC: no
Palutena, the Goddess of Light from the "Kid Icarus" series, shines brightly in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Known for her graceful movement, powerful zoning tools, and versatile kit, she is a popular choice among competitive players. This review delves into her strengths, weaknesses, effective play strategies, and matchups against other characters.
Palutena boasts a highly versatile moveset that makes her effective in a variety of situations. Her long-range zoning tools, such as Auto-Reticle and Explosive Flame, allow her to control space and pressure opponents from afar. Her aerials, particularly Back Air and Nair, have great range and speed, making them excellent for both offense and defense.
Palutena's aerials are among the best in the game. Her Neutral Air (Nair) is a multi-hit move with a large hitbox, perfect for comboing and juggling opponents. Back Air and Up Air are essential for edge-guarding and securing KOs, while Forward Air is a reliable option for spacing and approaching.
Her Down Special, Reflect Barrier, provides a defensive tool against projectiles and physical attacks alike. This move reflects projectiles, making it invaluable against characters who rely heavily on them, and it can also be used to surprise aggressive opponents.
Palutena has excellent mobility, with a quick dash, fast air speed, and teleport recovery, Warp, that grants invincibility frames. This allows her to navigate the stage with ease, escape pressure, and mix up her recovery options effectively.
While her aerial game is exceptional, Palutena lacks quick, reliable grounded options. Her jab is slower compared to other top-tier characters, and her tilt attacks, while useful, are not as fast or effective for close-quarters combat.
Despite the invincibility frames, Palutena's recovery can be predictable if overused in the same manner. Opponents who anticipate her Warp can position themselves to punish her landing.
Palutena is relatively light, making her susceptible to early KOs. This requires players to be cautious with their positioning and to maximize their zoning tools to avoid getting hit by powerful attacks.
Maximize her zoning capabilities by utilizing Auto-Reticle and Explosive Flame to control space and force opponents into unfavorable positions. These moves can disrupt the opponent's approach and set up for aerial follow-ups.
Focus on her aerial game to pressure and combo opponents. Use Nair for consistent damage and juggling, and employ Back Air and Up Air to secure kills. Mix up aerial approaches with Forward Air and Neutral Air to keep opponents guessing.
Palutena excels at edge-guarding. Use her aerials and Explosive Flame to pressure recovering opponents. Her Down Tilt is also effective at 2-framing opponents who are trying to grab the ledge.
Incorporate her Reflect Barrier to deal with projectile-heavy characters. This not only reflects projectiles but can also create openings for counter-attacks.
Palutena tends to perform well against characters who rely heavily on projectiles, such as Samus and Link, due to her reflective abilities. Her aerial dominance also gives her an edge against characters with weaker air games, like Little Mac.
Palutena can struggle against characters with strong rushdown capabilities and superior grounded options, such as Fox and Pikachu. These characters can exploit her lack of quick grounded attacks and capitalize on her lightweight nature.
Against balanced characters like Mario and Lucina, the matchups largely depend on the player's ability to effectively utilize Palutena's zoning tools and aerial game while avoiding their powerful combo potential.
Palutena is a formidable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, offering a balanced mix of zoning, aerial prowess, and defensive options. While she has some weaknesses, particularly her susceptibility to rushdown and her lightweight nature, her strengths make her a top-tier contender in the right hands. By mastering her zoning tools, aerial attacks, and recovery mix-ups, players can make Palutena a formidable force on the battlefield.