Marianne de Hyrule
“Marianne steps in.”The beloved princess of an alternate Hyrule, Marianne lives solely for her people. She maintains a sweet, curious disposition despite her painful childhood, although recent events in her realm have forced her to be more ruthless and determined. Inheriting powerful dark and light bloodline from her parents, in battle Marianne switches freely between dark and light magic, making her an unpredictable opponent.
Class: Lightweight, average height.
Appearance: A person covered in dull red cloak. She always has her hood down and only sways slightly. She has a rapier on her left hip and a bow and quiver on her back. (She looks like Robed Zelda with Hood from Twilight Princess, only her cloak is red)
UNIQUE MECHANIC
Twilight State
Marianne has a unique bar which, from left to right, consist of black, grey, and white-colored zones. At the start of the fight, a pointer is placed at the perfect middle of the bar. The more she uses Dark moves, the more the pointer slides to the left towards the black-colored zone, and vice versa for Light Moves.
Upon reaching maximum left, she will enter Dark State, boosting her Dark moves' power at the cost of being unable to switch to Light magic for several seconds. Upon exiting Dark State, the pointer will move to the center of the black zone. When the pointer reaches the rightmost white zone, Light State will instead be triggered, boosting her Light magic moves while locking her from Dark magic. The pointer resets to the middle of the white zone upon exiting Light State. Both Dark State and Light State can be triggered multiple times whenever the pointer reaches the leftmost end and rightmost end respectively.
Keeping the pointer in the gray zone keeps Marianne in Twilight State, which offers unique addition to some of her attacks.
MOVESET
Marianne can switch between using Dark Magic and Light Magic at any time through her Down Special, The Two Paths.
(D) Dark mode. Denotes her move when using Dark Magic.
(L) Light mode. denotes her move when using Light Magic.
(T) Denotes added effects after using the move when she is in Twilight State.
~ JUMP ~
Marianne has a third jump with different effect when she is in Twilight State. If she is not in Twiight state, she has second jump as usual.
(D) Conjures a shield below her, allowing her to turn in midair before jumping.
(L) Conjures a phantom hand below her which throws her upwards, boosting her third jump’s height.
~ NORMAL ~Neutral:
(D) Fires up to 3 dark orbs. Low knockback, long range, high priority. (T) Also fires a light beam in the end. Low knockback.
(L) One-two jab with her rapier followed by a light-charged thrust. Good knockback on thrust. (T) Fires a dark arrow afterwards. Arrow launches enemy upwards.
Forward Tilt:
(D) A phantom hand pushes the enemy away. Average knockback.
(L) Charges forward with a light-infused rapier thrust. Good knockback.
Up Tilt:
(D) A phantom hand punches upward in a space slightly in front of her. Can juggle.
(L) Light-infused rapier thrust at an upwards angle.
Down Tilt:
(D) Conjures two phantom hands which spins around her. Hits Twice. Sends the opponent upwards.
(L) Light-infused rapier thrust at a downward angle.
Dash Attack:
(D) Conjures several dark orbs and launches it forward. Hits up to 3 times. Low knockback. (T) Also conjures a light orb for 4th hit. Launches the enemy upwards if connects.
(L) Conjures a shield and bashes forward. Very good knockback. (T) Then thrusts a phantom lance. Can be angled downward, straight, or upward.
~ SMASH ~Side:
(D) Forward thrust with a phantom spear followed by either upward or downward swing. Hits on both the initial thrust and the swing.
(L) Fires a light beam in a straight line. Can be sustained for a short time.
Up:
(D) Swings a phantom sword upward in an arc, then downward. Hits twice. Can hit tall fighters behind her.
(L) Fires a light beam in an upward angle, then quickly arcs downward. Only hits once.
Down:
(D) Downward slam with a phantom axe, then thrusts. Hits twice.
(L) Fires a light beam in a downward angle, then quickly arcs upward. Only hits once.
~ AERIALS ~Neutral:
(D) Fires up to 3 dark orbs. Low knockback, long range, high priority.
(L) Quick jab with her rapier. Essentially a disjointed sex kick.
Forward:
(D) Double slap with a phantom hand. Hits twice.
(L) Fires a light beam in a straight line.
Up:
(D) A phantom hand appears in front of her and flicks opponent upward. Can juggle.
(L) Fires a light beam in an upward angle.
Back:
(D) A phantom fist appears behind her and does a full circle counter-clockwise if facing right, or clock-wise if facing left.
(L) Spins with her rapier extended while jumping backward.
Down:
(D) Fires a darkness-infused arrow below her. Meteor smash on the tip.
(L) Charges for a short time before rushing in a downward angle with her rapier. Small shockwave upon landing. Stall-then-fall.
~ GRABS ~(D) Conjures a phantom hand which grabs the opponent. (T) Has increased speed.
(L) Restrains the opponent with light magic chains. (T) Has increased range.
Pummel:
(D) Short burst of dark orbs.
(L) Short burst of light orbs.
Forward:
(D) The phantom hand releases opponent and punches forward.
(L) Conjures a shield and bashes opponent. Powerful knockback.
Backward:
(D) The phantom hand throws the opponent backward horizontally in a straight line.
(L) Spins around and throws the opponent backwards in an arc.
Up:
(D) The phantom hand releases the opponent and punches upward.
(L) Throws the opponent upwards in an arc.
Down:
(D) Slams the opponent to the ground. (T) Then blasts them with a powerful beam of light.
(L) Conjures a shield and bashes the opponent to the ground. Bury. (T) Then shoots three dark orbs at the opponent.
~ SPECIALS ~Neutral:
(D) Dark Arrow: Shoots a dark magic-infused arrow. Chargeable. Launches opponent upwards.
(L) Shield of the Faithful Paladin: Conjures a large shield in front of her and one behind. Good knockback. Reflect.
Side:
(D) Shadow Veil : Extends her shadow a short distance. The shadow stuns opponent. Can only be used on platforms. (T) Immediately appears near a stunned opponent with a flash of light.
(L) Optical Illusion : Disappears in a flash of light and re-appears a short distance to the side. Helpless if appears in air. (T) Creates a blast of Dark magic upon re-appearing
Up:
(D) Dark Blast : Fires a dark orb upwards which then split to several dark orbs. Home on opponents to a degree. Hits up to 8 times. (T) Also shoots a light beam at left and right upwards angle.
(L) Avatar of Light : Engulfs herself in a light phantom warrior and launches upwards, damaging opponents in her path. (T) Fires two dark orbs to the side afterwards. Short range
Down Special
(D) The Two Paths: Switches to Light Magic moves. Has no animation. No change in Marianne's appearance.
(L) The Two Paths : Switches to Dark Magic moves. Has no animation. No change in Marianne's appearance.
~ TAUNTS ~Down: Looks down and shakes her head.
Sides: Holds her hand above her eyes, as if trying to see something in the distance.
Up: Extends her hand up and stretches.
~ IDLE ~Uncovers her hood, then covers it again.
Swings back and forth, alternating between standing on her toes and her heels.
~ FINAL SMASH ~(D)
Abyss of The Dark MistressCharges a massive dark orb which sucks opponents before exploding. If they reach 100% or higher during it, they are instantly KO’d.
(L)
Nova of The LightbringerFires a massive beam of light which launches opponents away from her with huge knockback.
Marianne has a special Final Smash if used in Twilight State, regardless of Dark or Light Mode.
(T)Judgment of Twilight
Sucks opponents in a massive dark orb before firing a massive beam of light on them. If they reach 100% or higher during it, they are instantly KO’d. Otherwise they are launched with huge knockback.
~ VICTORY SCREEN ~1) “I am sorry. It was necessary.” Adjusts her gloves, left glove first, ending with her left hand pulling her right glove.
2) “I hope we meet again… as friends.” Puts her right hand over her chest and sways a little.
3) “Next time, we’ll talk it out first.” Adjusts her hood, ending with both of her hands holding the edges of her hood.
Special:
If she uses only Light Magic: “For the greater good.” Sheathes her rapier, looks to the sky and closes her eyes.
If she uses only Dark Magic: “How far… is too far?” Slings her bow and turns her back to the camera.
If Zelda is present: "Princess... am I worthy now?"
If (any) Link is present: "Are you really our hero?"
If Rularu Groupan is present: "Ruru... I am so sorry."
~ STAGE ~Twilight of the GodsA version of Hyrule Castle. The battle takes place on the ramparts. The left part looks dilapidated while the right part looks pristine. The background is a vista of a city with wide plains beyond the walls and mountains on the horizon. The sky is split neatly into black and white halves, mirroring her reveal trailer. The color of the whole stage and background constantly changes from brightly colored to dull black and white and slowly back to colors again, making it a very unsettling stage.
~ ATTRIBUTES ~ Marianne is a lightweight fighter with average height and generally good mobility, having average walking speed and air speed, above average dashing speed, good traction, average falling speed, and below average gravity. Her main draw is being able to switch her attacks on the fly with little to no lag, making her essentially having two movesets in one character. Her Down Special, The Two Paths, is the core of her playstyle, and should be used very frequently. In general, her Dark attacks are more geared towards fast, safe combo with little knockback, while her Light attacks tend to be heavier with longer range. Her special mechanic, while interesting, confers little boost overall. It is best to safely ignore the bar rather than tailoring specific moves to move the arrow. Dark State and Light State are in fact undesirable because it takes away Marianne's versatility.
Her Dark Neutral Attack is incredibly useful in many situations, being fast with quite a long range, and its low knockback can easily chain into another attack. Her Dark Forward Tilt is an excellent setup to her dark up tilt, which can be followed by any of her aerials or tilts or simply juggle onto itself. Her Light Neutral Attack is a very fast jab which can loop into itself, making it an effective punishing tool or simply to gimp. Her Light Tilts are quite powerful, able to K.O at decent percentage, and its reach is good for edgeguard play. Her Dark Dash Attack hits 3 times and can quickly racks up damage, while her Light Dash Attack is her attack with highest knockback value, allowing her space she needs to set up her other attacks.
All of her Dark Smash Attacks strike twice with low knockback, and their range and large hitboxes make them very forgiving of mistiming. Her Dark Forward Smash is notable for holding the opponent a short moment before launching them either up and down, setting them up for punishing combos. Her Dark Up Smash is a good aerial approach deterrent, and can bring the opponent down for quick follow up. Her Light Smash Attacks are excellent in sniping opponent in recovery, while their arcs can deny them space. Having good knockback and range, they are Marianne’s most consistent K.O. moves.
Marianne’s aerial play is quite good. Her Light Aerial Attacks have good range, capable of pressuring from distance and denying air mobility. Her Dark Aerial Attacks strike a short distance away from her, making proper positioning very important. Her Dark Up Aerial can juggle onto itself or sets up combos with her low-knockback Dark Aerials, allowing her to punish opponents that come in range. Of note both of her Back Aerial moves her backward, while her Forward Aerial moves her forward, making them useful recovery tools in a pinch. Her Dark Down Aerial can Meteor smash at the tip of her arrow, while her Light Down Aerial is a stall-then-fall move useful to quickly get to the ground. Marianne’s aerial play mirrors her ground play greatly, keeping her somewhat consistent.
Her grab game is where having her in Twilight State makes a big difference, as it boosts her grab significantly. Her Dark grab has good range but slow speed while the opposite is true for her Light Grab. In Twilight State her grab has both good range and fast speed, making it a very viable option. All of her Dark Throws throw the opponent in a horizontal line for viable K.O option, while her Light Throws are more suitable as combo starter. Of note her Light Down Throw, which buries opponent.
Marianne’s specials have a lot of utility. She is notoriously hard to edgeguard due to both her Up and Side Light Special giving her good vertical and horizontal recovery options. Her Up Light Special in particular has large, disjointed hitboxes and travels a good distance making it very safe to use and is one of Marianne’s best moves. Her Light Neutral Special is her main way to keep her distance because of its fast speed and good knockback. Her Dark Neutral Special continues her zoning dominance, while her Dark Forward Special is a fantastic edgeguard tool, its stun leaves opponent wide open for follow-up attacks. Lastly, her Dark Up Special can quickly rack up damage, able to hit upwards to 8 times if all orbs connect. The combination of utility and power makes Marianne’s Special moveset one of her strong attributes.
However, Marianne does have a few weaknesses. Barring a few moves such as her Light neutral attack, Marianne’s moves tend to either have slow ending lag (her Dark moves) or slow startup lag (her Light moves). This makes her highly punishable if mistimed, and a combination of good shielding with fast approach can quickly put her in a disadvantageous situation. Fighters with quick, close combat capabilities are bad for Marianne due to her Dark moveset mostly attack a little distance away from her while her Light moveset have unreliable starting lag. This makes it sometimes difficult for Marianne to escape cornered situations where she cannot utilize her spacing kit. She also has a somewhat bad endurance, and will go down quickly if not careful on how many attacks she takes.
In summary, Marianne excels in applying heavy pressure from a distance utilizing her various ranged moves, while simultaneously being hard to approach due to her moveset often leading to punishing combos on opponents who try. Almost all of her attacks have disjointed hitboxes, keeping her safe from retaliations while deterring approaches, all of which singles her as a good camper. Having good spacing moves, recovery options which give both vertical and horizontal mobility, a special jump, and moves which hit quickly and deal good knockback, she has an excellent map coverage meaning she can escape unfavorable situations while setting up her next wave of pressure at the same time. Trying to outzone Marianne is generally a bad idea, since her plethora of ranged approach can rack up damage very fast while keeping herself safe. Her abiity to switch moveset on the fly makes her combo potential near-limitless. To top it all off, she is one of the best at mindgames due to being able to switch moves on the fly without any indication whatsoever, keeping her opponents constantly guessing of what she will dish out next. However, she relies heavily on proper spacing. Once her wall is broken she is vulnerable to fast, punishing combos which gives her little window to react. Spamming her moves will not work in playing Marianne. She has to carefully calculate when and where to use her moves and makes each of her attacks count, for she is highly punishable if mistimed. This, along with her bad endurance, means a favorable situation can quickly turns into a terrible one with a single mistake.
Without doubt Marianne is one of the most technically demanding fighters in the game. But properly mastered, she is well-worth the effort.
- Marianne is one of the most silent fighters, saying nothing except a few grunts if hit. A mirror match of Marianne is noted to be quite eerie.
- All of her static portrait (victory screen, character selection, official artwork, etc.) always shows her face half-hidden under her hood, usually obscuring the left side of her face. The exception being her Light Victory Pose, which shows her face in full, and her Dark Victory Pose, which doesn’t show her face at all.
- She probably is one of the few fighters who does not seem to enjoy winning, though she claps her hands like others if she loses.
