Screw Attack (move)
- For the item of the same name, see Screw Attack (item).
| Screw Attack | |
|---|---|
 Samus using a Screw Attack in Brawl | |
| User | Samus |
| Universe | Metroid |
The Screw Attack (スクリューアタック, Sukuryu Atakku) is Samus's up special move. The move shoots Samus into the air, engulfing her in a blueish-tint electrical field (yellowish-tint in Melee), and spins her around and around, inflicting damage on any opponents that touch her. Just as in the first Super Smash Bros., the Screw Attack does cumulative damage and sucks opponents into the center. It's also often used to survive from a fall off the stage. This move can also be used as a Star KO when used from the ground on near-by enemies. One of two moves that Samus can use to send opponents upward.
The Screw Attack is one of the last special abilities Samus can learn, causing her to spin with electrical energy whenever she jumps, instantly destroying most enemies. Combined with the Space Jump, Samus can continually jump and destroy everything in her way.
The Screw Attack used by Samus is different from the one used by the item. Samus' attack gives her a very quick boost upwards and stays at that height for a second before falling. The item attack, however, causes the character to slowly jump upwards and start falling immediately after reaching the top point. Samus' attack can only be used once before landing and causes helplessness, due to it being a third jump. The item attack, however, is an initial jump and midair jump, and does not cause helplessness. Lastly, Samus cannot use any other attack while using her Screw Attack, but aerials can be performed with the item attack to create powerful combos.
In Super Smash Bros., the Screw Attack is a poor recovery move, gaining Samus fairly little vertical or horizontal distance. On the ground, however, it causes Samus to shoot up into the air quickly. The move has invincibility frame(s) in the first few frames of initiating the move. It also instantly shield breaks if it hits someone on a platform. However, it is quite easy to Smash DI out of it.
In Brawl, the Screw Attack regain its ability to trap enemies seen in Super Smash Bros., but absent from Melee. A new and useful addition to this move is the increased knockback at the very end of the move, making this a somewhat useful getaway move to use on the ground to escape tough situation (similar to Bowser's Whirling Fortress), as the knockback provides enough time for counterattack. The move has a few spiking hitboxes, though they are always canceled out by the rest of the move.
Unfortunately, in Super Smash Bros. Melee, any charging of Samus' Charge Shot will be canceled if she is hit during this attack in the PAL version of the game.
Origin
The Screw Attack is an upgrade that Samus collects in nearly every Metroid game. In the Metroid games, it is much like its Smash Bros. counterpart - it constantly damages enemies during any spinning jump. However, its Smash Bros. version is weaker by comparison. In all Metroid games the Screw Attack deals such massive damage it kills or destroys almost everything in its path on contact as well as protecting Samus from all but the strongest attacks, and also continues to be active while she falls in the spinning motion, while in Smash Bros. it merely does damage and ends at the peak of the jump.
In most Metroid games Samus can combine the Screw Attack with the Space Jump upgrade (which allows infinite consecutive jumps, and even unlimited vertical movement in the 2D games, though obviously not in Smash Bros.) to chain multiple Screw Attacks together. In the Metroid Prime series, the Screw Attack is used after the normal jump and second Space Jump are used, allowing her to jump up to five additional times in order to cross large gaps, as well as wall jump.
Gallery
Screw Attack as seen in Super Metroid.
Screw Attack in SSB.
Screw Attack in Melee
