Smash Ultimate doesn’t just focus on characters that had their own games. R.O.B., or the “Robot Operating Buddy,” was originally an accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. He was a short-lived experiment that only officially functioned with two games. Even so, Nintendo (and apparently the rest of the world) hasn’t forgotten about the cute little toy just yet. He’s been immortalized in Smash Ultimate with the likes of Mario and Zelda. But can he hold his own against such a diverse array of classic characters?
Smash Ultimate sports 74 different playable characters at launch — including every single previous character from the super-franchise and a bunch of fresh faces. That’s not even including the glut of DLC fighters, assist trophies, and more. There’s so much that no one person could possibly keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a guide to every single character.
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ROB looks weirdly realistic against such a colorful backdrop as Smash Ultimate. The smooth, colorful characters just look helpless against his cold, machine heart. That goes double for when he pile drives foes into the ground and smacks them around. Also, for some reason, he dabs whenever he drowns on a water stage…
According to Nintendo description of ROB…
He has two powerful projectiles: Robo Beam and Gyro, along with a very effective recovery. The 1P color in the North American version of the game is a light gray, and the 2P is red and white, but this is reversed in the Japanese version.
ROB Moves
Robo Beam (B) – Fires a laser beam, but only when the LED on its head is flashing. It can bounce off the floor.
Arm Rotor (Side + B) – Hops forward with an arm-spinning attack. Can also reflect projectiles.
Robo Burner (Up + B) – Flies into the air or hovers with its thrusters. Can also attack while airborne.
Gyro (Down + B) – Fires a spinning top. Only one can be on the stage at a time. Can be charged.
Guided Robo Beam (Final Smash) – ROB automatically locks on to multiple opponents, then fires homing lasers at them. Finish the attack by shooting a giant beam that hits multiple targets. The angle of the beam can be adjusted up or down.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
Peripheral-turned-pugilist ROB seems a little bit stronger these days. Its neutral, tilt, and smash attacks all hit pretty hard, and both its beam and top give ROB a good long-range game as well. His jet-powered air game is killer, so try not to fight him up above the stage.
Weaknesses
His grabs are still a little short and his grounded attacks aren’t quite up to other fighters, though. If you can catch him on the stage, you can force ROB into a tough spot. If you’re a ROB player, try playing to your strengths to make up for your most severe weaknesses.
ROB Outfits
ROB is a robot, surprise. Unsurprisingly, he’s a palette swap machine. Although, as the official Nintendo description states, his color schemes come in different orders depending on which region you bought Smash Ultimate in. It’s a small touch, but one that Nintendo didn’t need to include. So it’s a much appreciated little bit of fan service.
And that’s what we know about our robotic buddy! Keep in mind that everything in Smash Ultimate is subject to change with balance patches. But we’ll try our best to keep these character guides updated as things change. For now, enjoy playing around with Nintendo’s plastic machine-man.
All of our Smash Ultimate guides created with the help of Eric Van Allen.
