Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Falco

• 3DS unlock conditions: Clear Classic Mode without using any continues or play 20 Vs. Matches, then defeat Falco on Corneria.
• Wii U unlock conditions: Clear Classic Mode on any intensity or play 10 Vs. Matches, then defeat Falco on Orbital Gate Assault.

Star Fox's ace space pilot returns with some big changes. As Fox's wingman, Falco shares several moves with his team captain, but plays very different from Fox. While Fox relies on his blindingly high speed and strong offense, Falco's strengths lie in his strong aerial combat capabilities and well-rounded moveset. With a decent projectile, nice combos and good KO moves, Falco is a solid, all-around character. Falco's main weakness is his lack of mobility due to his poor ground and air speeds. While he is not nearly as strong as any of his past iterations, Falco is still very much a strong and capable fighter.

Basic attributes

Falco's weight is on the lighter end of the spectrum, around the level of Sheik but heavier than Fox. His dash speed is a far cry from Fox's, getting outrun by the likes of Ike and Samus. His lateral air speed is also below average, but he makes up for it with his impressive jumps, one of the highest, if not the highest jumper in the game. Like Fox, Falco can wall jump.

Moveset Analysis

Standard Attacks

Control			Attack	Info
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller	Wii Remote + Nunchuk	Wii Remote (sideways)
Wii Classic Controller	GameCube Controller	Nintendo 3DS
(+)	(+)	(+)	Wing Turbine	Falco slashes two times with his wings, then spins around with his limbs extended indefinitely. Upon releasing the button, he will finish with a strong wing swipe. Like many Standard Attacks, this move is fantastic for poking or interrupting moves at close range. It starts fast and ends fast, making it a pretty safe move in general. The hits don't combo too well together, so you should end the repeating attack as soon as possible. The first two hits can combo into Falco's other attacks, sometimes even KO moves!
(+)	(+)	(+)
( or )+	( or )+	( or )+	Steel Boot	Falco kicks forward. This attack can be angled up or down with the control stick. This move is a decent spacing tool while on the ground. It is very fast and has more range than your Standard Attack, making it a useful attack to poke at foes from mid-range. Its knockback is pretty good, but the animation is a bit long which limits it to being used defensively. Use the attack's angling feature to strike foes coming from the air, or even those hanging off the ledge.
( or )+	( or )+	( or )+
+	+	+	Wing Blades	Falco slashes twice above him with his wings. This move starts really quickly, but its duration is a bit too long, making it easy to punish if you use it carelessly. However, it is still a useful move due to its reach. Falco's wings move in an arched manner, and the initial hit can strike grounded foes very quickly, launching them airborne. It also has great vertical range, letting it fulfill the role of an anti-air. Since it does moderate upward knockback, you can often combo this move into your aerial attacks.
+	+	+
+	+	+	Tail Slash	Falco sweeps low with his tail. This move doesn't have as much range as the rest of Falco's ground moves, but it is both strong and very quick. The attack launches enemies upward when hit, dealing more knockback when you're closer to your target. At low percents, its upward knockback can combo into Falco's aerial moves. It also deals enough knockback to serve as a KO move at high percents, but it shouldn't be an option you rely on due to its iffy range.
+	+	+
while dashing	while dashing	while dashing	Avian Lunge	Falco charges forward and kicks. This move is a standard Dash Attack. It is decently fast, shifts Falco's position quickly and launches foes forward at an angle. It suffers from a common flaw of dash attacks, that is, it can easily be punished if you hit a shielded opponent, so you'd want to use it for your own punishes or to catch foes trying to land. It is also a simple combo followup that sends foes airborne, which can lead to subsequent followups as well.
while dashing	while dashing	while dashing
while hanging	while hanging	while hanging		Falco climbs up and sweeps with both legs.
while hanging	while hanging	while hanging

Smash Attacks

Control			Attack	Info
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller	Wii Remote + Nunchuk	Wii Remote (sideways)
Wii Classic Controller	GameCube Controller	Nintendo 3DS
Smash ( or )+	Smash ( or )+	( or )++	Wing Guillotine	Falco slashes with both wings down. This move is Falco's strongest smash attack, but its power decreases dramatically if you strike during the later half of the move. This move is brutal if you land its sweetspot, capable of KOing quite early if you do it near the ledge. Unfortunately, it has some significant windup before the attack hits which lets opponents shield or dodge on reaction, after which you'll be open to punishes. Save it for a raw punish of your own, particularly if your foe has just overshot the ledge by recovering too high.
Smash ( or )+	Smash ( or )+	Smash ( or )+
Smash +	Smash +	++	Two-Strike Flip	Falco performs a flip kick. While they share similar animations, Falco's Up Smash is a far cry from Fox's lightning fast finisher. It is much weaker than Falco's Side Smash, and it consists of two separate hits that usually chain into each other: the initial weak hit at the front which sets up for the full power strike at the end. It can be used as a KO move, but due to its nice reach it is also used as an anti-air or a damaging combo follow-up. Due to how the hitboxes are arranged on this move, you are more likely to land a strong hit on an opponent behind you than with other similar flip kick smashes.
Smash +	Smash +	Smash +
Smash +	Smash +	++	Split Strike	Falco performs a split kick. This move is Falco's fastest smash attack. While it does not have as much KO potential as your other smash attacks, its strength lies in its amazing knockback trajectory, specifically when you hit foes with your feet. The move launches foes at a nearly flat horizontal trajectory, which often knocks them offstage and can be really difficult to recover from for some characters. Its low hitboxes also lets it hit foes hanging from the ledge, making it an effective edgeguarding tool.
Smash +	Smash +	Smash +

Air Attacks

Control			Attack	Info
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller	Wii Remote + Nunchuk	Wii Remote (sideways)
Wii Classic Controller	GameCube Controller	Nintendo 3DS
			Feather Twister	Falco spins around with his wings out.
+	+	+	Beak Drill	Falco spins around with his beak pointing outwards.
+	+	+
+	+	+	Boot Smash	Falco kicks backward.
+	+	+
+	+	+	Avian Flip	Falco performs an airborne flip kick.
+	+	+
+	+	+	Spin Stomp	Falco winds up and kicks downward.
+	+	+

Throws

Control			Attack	Info
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller	Wii Remote + Nunchuk	Wii Remote (sideways)
Wii Classic Controller	GameCube Controller	Nintendo 3DS
after grab	after grab	after grab	Bird's Knees	Falco knees the grabbed opponent. This grab attack does low damage but is quite quick. Like all grab attacks, you'll be using this attack only to rack on extra damage off of a grab.
after grab	after grab	after grab
after grab	after grab	after grab	Wing Smack	Falco slaps the grabbed opponent forward. This is a standard sideways throw and is used in a pretty generic manner. It does moderate sideways knockback, so it is suitable for repositioning yourself or launching foes offstage for an edgeguard. However, it is overshadowed most of the time by Down Throw, which not only sends foes at a similar angle but has lower knockback to allow for combos. Forward Throw is the most damaging throw you have, so it can also be used to rack up raw damage at higher percents.
after grab	after grab	after grab
after grab	after grab	after grab	Laser Cluster	Falco tosses the grabbed opponent backward and fires a volley of shots at them. This throw is very similar in function to forward throw and might even be the better choice due to its greater knockback. It sends foes quite a distance even at low percents so you have an easier time launching them offstage, setting up an edgeguard. It is the second most damaging throw Falco has and is a good alternative when your back is to the ledge.
after grab	after grab	after grab
after grab	after grab	after grab	Sky Scattershot	Falco tosses the grabbed opponent upward and fires a volley of shots up at them. For many characters, this throw would usually be useless, since it does too much knockback for KOs and too little knockback for combos. However, this is not necessarily the case for Falco. Since he can jump so high, Up Throw can actually combo into some of Falco's aerials. Down Throw is still often the better option, but the occasional Up Throw can catch your enemies by surprise.
after grab	after grab	after grab
after grab	after grab	after grab	Blaster Rain	Falco slams the grabbed opponent on the ground and fires blaster shots into them. This is Falco's primary throw and his main combo starter. It deals low knockback and sends foes at a diagonal trajectory, letting you follow up with a variety of attacks both grounded and airborne. It does the least damage out of any of Falco's throws, but makes up for it with the reliable damage you can add on with follow-ups.
after grab	after grab	after grab

Special Attacks

Control			Attack	Info
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller	Wii Remote + Nunchuk	Wii Remote (sideways)
Wii Classic Controller	GameCube Controller	Nintendo 3DS
			Blaster	Falco fires fast-moving shots with his blaster. The shots are weak but cause flinching.
			Explosive Blaster	Falco's blaster has a lower firing rate and range, but explodes at max range.
			Burst Blaster	Falco's blaster behaves more like Fox's, gaining a faster firing rate but no longer flinching foes.
( or )+	( or )+	( or )+	Falco Phantasm	Falco zips forward, attacking with his afterimage.
( or )+	( or )+	( or )+
			Falco Phase	Falco zips forward while invincible, but the move cannot harm enemies.
			Falco Charge	Falco shoots forward, striking with greater force at the cost of distance.
+	+	+	Fire Bird	Falco surrounds himself in fire and lunges in the chosen direction. Unlike Fox, Falco's Up Special has less distance and doesn't harm foes while Falco is still charging.
+	+	+
			Fast Fire Bird	Falco launches in the chosen direction almost instantly, but the distance is decreased.
			Distant Fire Bird	Falco takes longer to charge up the move, but can fly further than Fox's default Fire Fox.
+	+	+	Reflector	Falco kicks a hexagonal energy barrier forward, reflecting projectiles as well as attacking foes from a distance.
+	+	+
			Accele-Reflector	Falco's reflector is weaker and only reflects while it is travelling away from Falco, but reflected projectiles are greatly enhanced in strength and speed.
			Reflector Void	Falco's reflector destroys projectiles instead, while doing greater damage and knockback to foes.

Taunts

Control			Info
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller	Wii Remote + Nunchuk	Wii Remote (sideways)
Wii Classic Controller	GameCube Controller	Nintendo 3DS
		+	Falco kicks his reflector behind and over him two times while saying "Piece of cake."
( or )	+		Falco holds his wing up high and says "Get some."
( or )	( or )	( or )
		+	Falco spins around and poses, saying "Hands off my prey!"

Final Smash - Landmaster

Falco jumps up and enters his own Landmaster. Like Fox, Falco's Landmaster can harm foes just by running into them, perform barrel rolls, fly, and unleash powerful cannon shots. It is weaker than Fox's Landmaster in many aspects, such as taking longer to turn around and having a weaker cannon shot. However, it is modified for aerial combat, with more powerful jets that give Falco better aerial mobility.

For the most part, you should use Falco's Landmaster as if it were Fox's. Use your massive frame to ram into foes and enemies, then fire your cannon to target distant opponents. Your Landmaster's improved jets also give you a new and effective tactic. Whenever you find a foe standing on top of the Landmaster, you can quickly ascend to the top of the screen, KOing them off the top regardless of damage. Enemies will inevitably end up on your huge body, and if you can rise up before they run off, you can get some easy KOs.