[NOTE: All screenshots of the characters come from Nitrome's own games. Some either came from the original games themselves, or had to be screen-capped from other videos due to Flash not working anymore on them.]
So Shovel Knight Dig has now been released, and I couldn't be happier. The first Shovel Knight game is a classic with a brilliant cast of characters and several shout outs to the old NES era of video games. Being someone who's into works that pay homage to their older forms and have great characters I can root for, it's no wonder that it's one of my favourite modern games out there.
But the thing that really grabbed my interest about the game's sequel is that Yacht Club Games co-developed it with the British indie game company Nitrome. Nostalgia pretty much hit me when I found that out. I grew up with the Nitrome games long before getting into the international brands such as Nintendo. Plenty of them are parodies and homages to video games that already exist, but with a unique twist to them. And they have an interesting style and sense of humour to them too.
Shovel Knight was already in Death Battle, but before this game even went into conception. Otherwise, no Nitrome character has ever appeared in a fight. And I would really like it if they were. Some have interesting fighting styles, some have interesting concepts and some are just entertaining in their own right. Additionally, given their homage statuses, it could be fascinating to watch them fight the characters they were originally based on.
So here is a list of seven Nitrome characters who I would be delighted to see in Death Battle if they get the chance to do so. Hopefully this gives people an idea on what kind of games they release and just why I fell in love with these games in the first place. I will also try to hypothesise who they could go up against and whether my matchup choices are actually good ideas or not. Without further ado, let's begin!
7. Canary 214-LE from Canary.
In this surprisingly creepy game, this little worker was supposed to help his company mine for crystals and other valuable resources on an asteroid they had colonised, before aliens invaded and corrupted the other canaries via their own equipment. Despite being a rookie, Canary 214-LE was forced to fight for his life as things spiralled out of controlled.
Like the other canaries, he comes with the standard canary mining equipment and suit. He carries a laser gun that he can use to cut through rocks (very handy considering his size) and kill enemies, though he cannot keep it on too long in case it overheats. He even comes equipped with a jetpack so he can cut rock in higher places and just fly about the colony itself, even into space.
I doubt that this little guy has had any fighting experience beforehand, and the hazards he has to face are either almost his size or much larger than him. And yet he still manages to prevail. Also, it might be because he's one of those protagonists who doesn't talk, but he seems to manage to make his way through without having a visible freak-out of some kind, despite the horrors he encounters. He may have been panicking on the inside, but he doesn't let it get in the way of escaping. Now THAT'S having some real guts right there.
Potential Opponents: Survival horror is the genre I associate this game with, so maybe a hapless worker who has had to survive some horrifying event. Alternatively, Drogoz from Paladins is a miner who wears a jetpack and searches for crystals, so there are some similarities there (though their personalities and backstories are completely different).
6. Blue from Test Subject Blue.
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| Blue in his pro-suit. |
Blue has two exosuits that he moves around in. The first one is the proto-suit, which allows him to shoot proton bullets and either jump or crouch to avoid danger. It's also capable of creating a proton beam, if Test Subject Arena is any indication. The second one is Rex209, which shoots at a faster pace and can walk on ceilings at the cost of speed and mobility. It can even can talk. Both suits are fragile, but more than make up for it with their offenses.
For the sake of anyone who has not played the games yet, I will not spoil a major plot twist surrounding the little guy himself, but I will say that there is more to his powers than you would expect and essentially involve healing (though he can't heal himself). It also means that another character who he has a deep connection with could also be a potential fighter I'd like to see in Death Battle, but again, I won't give away spoilers.
Potential Opponents: Another tiny creature, preferably one in their own mini mech suit. For the character I'm not spoiling, maybe someone like them who has a similar occupation and had good intentions that went aury due to the mechanations of the villains.
5. Hazmat Hero from Toxic.
Also known as Toxic after the title of his own game, this character is exactly what you'd expect. He goes around in a hazmat suit fighting against evil robots that have taken over our world, all be infiltrating the factories they come from and taking them out there. Some of the robots are particularly challenging, including one that jumps over your head several times during your boss fight with it in the second game.
He has an access to a variety of bombs - some are normal, some create large explosions, some drill through the ground, some stick to surfaces and some create multiple explosions. Overall, whilst it seems that he is limited to just one type of weapon, the different functions that it has more than makes up for this.
Obviously, Hazmat Hero is not invincible. After all, falling in acid can kill him and he can be hurt by the robots. But the hazmat suit I presume protects him from the toxic gases in the factories from the green acid and he has been shown to capable of dodging green lasers. Ultimately, for someone with only a hazmat suit and bombs for defense, he's capable of achieving quite a lot.
Potential Opponents: Someone who also attacks with bombs. Elements of this series, most notably the Mother Brain character, seem to be inspired by Metroid, but I wouldn't choose Samus Aran as an opponent myself because I feel she might have too much of an advantage. Caustic from Apex Legends also has a poison gas theme with his protective suit and drops explosives (in his case, toxic gas grenades), but the backstories and personalities for the characters are again drastically different, so I don't know. It would be interesting though to see a good guy go up against someone who skirts the line between hero and villain.
4. Dirk Valentine from Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam.
He's got a pretty interesting weapon too - the chain cannon. Created by the genius inventor Monty, the chain cannon not only allows Valentine to attack his enemies, but also to create bridges that he can walk across. When attacking his enemies, the chains essentially turn into projectiles that are strong enough to take out robot soldiers and giant floating mechs capable of shooting projectiles themselves.
Also, he saved freaking Queen Victoria. I mean, how impressive is that? Thanks to him, the Baron was defeated and Britain was able to take on his remaining forces. If that's not an impressive feat for a gentleman general like Dirk, I don't know what else is.
Potential Opponents: Another steampunk general. Alternatively, Henry Hatsworth is also a quintessential British gentleman like him who has fought against mechs and mech suits in his own game. And they both like their tea. Whatever fight he ends up in, I want it to be as stereotypically British as possible. ;)
3. Austin Carter (plus Justin Bennett) from Nitrome Must Die!.
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| Austin and Justin. Justin is on the left and Austin is on the right. |
You know those online trolls who get super pissy if a work doesn't do things the way they want? Well, goth wannabe Austin Carter is one of those, having an irrational hatred of the Nitrome company due to their games being too difficult for his tastes. But he goes a step further than most trolls - he heads over to the headquarters and ACTIVELY GOES OUT OF HIS WAY TO TAKE THEM DOWN. Oh, and he brought his fellow internet troll and Kenny McCormick lookalike Justin Bennett along for the ride too.
Austin may be a simple everyday cynic and killjoy without any superpowers, but thanks to discovering some guns in the bins outside the headquarters before heading in, he's got a sweet arsenal at his disposition. He's got shotguns, a bow and arrow, even a gun that shoots tiny drills. Whatever the situation is, he nearly always has a solution for it in the form of murder and violence.
Throughout his rampage, he took down quite a few major Nitrome characters. For instance, he defeated a mecha equivalent of Godzilla, which is about ten times his height and is powerful enough to destroy buildings in Tokyo much bigger than it is, if its origin game Rubble Trouble Tokyo is any indication. He also took out the moon from Cheese Dreams while it was possessed by the titular Parasite and even a giant robotic nose shooting out living snot balls (yes, there is context). And of course, he fought the CEO of Nitrome while the latter was in a mech, highlighting how serious he was in his quest to take down the company.
In short, he's a character Nitrome fans love to hate. And considering that Death Battle has a reputation for some rather vocal fans getting pissed off whenever a fight doesn't go their way, it would be interesting to witness Wiz and Boomstick discussing Austin in that light. The same goes for Justin too.
Potential Opponents: Another hardcore internet troll or hater. Any of the trolls from Homestuck could do, since he seems to be inspired by them and they also have a love for violence and hate. Plus, given the types of characters that Austin has defeated, he could probably fight against the trolls easily. Alternatively, Wascot from Monday Night Combat, who is a deranged fanboy intend on killing the mascot Bullseye and has a gun that shoots out explosive projectiles.
2. Takeshi from Final Ninja.
Takeshi's story is pretty deep by Nitrome standards. Sometime in the future, when corporate businesses are at war with each other, he was training to becoming a ninja for one of these businesses, run by Akuma. But on what was supposed to be simply his first mission, he ended up having to face off against the diabolical Maxwell Merlock and his partner Dr. Victor Boshi.
His ninja suit allows him to shoot out ninja stars to harm his enemies from a distance, shoot out wires to swing from and even turn invisible whilst stationary. He can even take on the guise of another character if he really needs too. Those ninjas stars are pretty versatile too - they don't just blow up machines, they can even allow Takashi to control certain enemy drones and turn them against his opponents.
Later on, despite becoming an old man, Takeshi has clearly taken a level in skill and power. When he tried to leave for a quiet life and Akuma set his forces on him, he was able to defeat them all with ease. And when donning the ninja suit once more to take out Akuma once and for all, he was able to defeat his forces and two robots BY HIMSELF. Quite a far cry from when he first started out and needed a bit of help from Akuma's forces and Lady Snow Fox.
Potential Opponents: Another ninja who has probably also grown old and jaded with his original profession. Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid could also be an interesting choice - he's not a ninja, but he also relies on stealth and has become jaded over the years. Additionally, Final Ninja is inspired by certain elements from the Metal Gear franchise, so meeting up with his game's inspiration could make sense to Takeshi in some ways. Snake might have a major advantage though.
1. The Climber from Frostbite and Thin Ice.
Both cute AND badass, the Climber hunts down creatures and climbs mountains, and is a computer game character I have grown up with my whole life. She's essentially a combination of Popo and Nana from Ice Climbers, combining Popo's outer appearance with Nana's gender. But she doesn't go for the straight-forward and basic approach of a simple large hammer. Instead, her main weapon of choice is a grappling hook that allows her to climb mountains more easily and give her the field advantage whenever she has to participate in a boss fight. The grappling hook has also allowed her to shoot down enemies and even rip out the eyeball of a giant cyclops ram creature (quite gory for such a cute-looking game). When not using her grappling hook though, she likes to go ice-skating on frozen lakes and use them to create holes to sink monsters into.
She's traversed twenty mountains and twenty frozen lakes, defeating monsters such as the aforementioned cyclops monster, a giant caterpillar creature that she tore various segments off, a giant woolly rhino and a giant (notice a pattern?) ape creature that can summon bats and troll-like critters. Oh, and did I also mention that the rhino and ape creature were defeated simply by jumping onto them about four times?! Not only is the Climber an ace with her grappling hook, but she's super strong with her feet considering her height as well.
Also, this was the first ever "playing as a girl" plot twist I ever came across in a game, which was always something that remained with me. Plus, unlike Samus Aran (no offence here, I love her character too), the Climber has not fallen into the pitfalls of being sexualised or being "softened" in an insulting manner for a later game (goddamnit Other M, you stupid game). She's still the same adventurer who likes to hunt monsters and conquer mountains.
Potential Opponents: As mentioned, Popo (or possibly Nana) from Ice Climber. It would be an interesting long-range versus short-range fight and I can imagine them duking it out as they race to reach the top of a mountain.
These are just the ones I have chosen so far, due to some others have having finicky and complicated powers that may not translate so well to death battles, but there are plenty more Nitrome games and characters out there. I highly recommend you check them out on this website here - some of the games are still only available in Flash, but some have been converted to HTML5 for now. I also recommend going on the Nitrome wiki to watch embedded playthroughs of some of the games, as well as this video here in order to listen to the awesome music from the franchise (thanks to Veezenn for uploading these songs!). :)
