We are very excited to reveal the latest character to join the Rivals of Aether roster!
Profile:
Forsburn is the disgraced, eldest son of the Firelands’ ruling family. While his brother Zetterburn served the kingdom through leadership on the battlefield, Forsburn was the Firelands’ chief diplomat. Forsburn was the right hand of the Fire King, and he could be relied upon both to broker treaties and to quietly take care of threats to the kingdom. However, after years of unquestioning service, Forsburn began to smell corruption simmering beneath the surface of the Fire Council. But before Forsburn could expose the conspiracy, his father was discovered slain with Forsburn’s own dagger protruding from his heart. Assumed to be the assassin, Forsburn was condemned by his brother and barely escaped the Capital with his life. Left wounded and nationless, he wandered for months before meeting a groups of rebels on the outskirts of the Firelands. These outsiders of the kingdom had rejected flame and mastered the way of smoke, a philosophy of truthful deception. Forsburn joined the smoke tribe, soon becoming their leader. He plots to reclaim the Fire Capital from the Fire Council and their unsuspecting pawn, Zetterburn.
Elemental Powers:
Smoke Screen – Forsburn can use his Neutral Special to obscure the battlefield allowing Forsburn to remain hidden inside a cloud of smoke.
Decoy – Through his Forward Special, Forsburn can create a smoke facsimile of himself that can attack opponents. The illusory Forsburn breaks into smoke after being hit by a single attack.
Consume/Combust – By using his Down Special, Forsburn can consume his smoke clouds back into his body. After consuming three clouds, Forsburn is charged up and can use Down Special again to combust: knocking opponents away at high speed.
Gameplay:
As Zetterburn and Forsburn are brothers, they share some similarities in how they control. However, their fighting styles are as different as night and day. While Zetterburn is straight-forward and relentless, Forsburn’s gameplay is based around deception and trickery. Forsburn will keep your opponent guessing and give you an edge in the mental jousting of a 1v1 match.
Forsburn can hide behind smoke while other characters remain visible. However, this cover is not permanent, as a single attack from any player, including Forsburn, will clear the smoke away. Using his Down Special, Forsburn can absorb clouds of smoke. Once he’s absorbed three, his fur becomes filled with smoke and changes to match the smoke’s color. His smoke clouds are removed and he can no longer hide, sacrificing his deception style while relying on his powerful Combustion attack.
Forsburn uses his signature dagger in his combos. He can also use his Strong Attacks to whip his smokey cape and draw opponents from afar closer to him. Forsburn excels both in the air and on the ground and can be seen as a well-rounded fighter in that regard.
Forsburn’s Decoy is a valuable technique to learn and to master. The Decoy that Forsburn creates is fragile and can only take a single hit before bursting into smoke. However, a skilled player can protect their Decoy and even learn to create deadly combos with the smokey illusion.
Additional Screenshots:
That’s all for now! Expect to see more Forsburn action in our third trailer coming later this spring!