During the recent Super Smash Bros. trailer that revealed Lucina and Robin as playable characters in the game, it was revealed that Robin can fight using both magic tomes as well as the Levin Sword from Fire Emblem: Awakening.
In a post on Miiverse, director Masahiro Sakurai explained how the switch happens.
“The Levin sword and tomes are Robin’s life lines,” Sakurai wrote. “The Levin sword can be activated by using smash attacks—you can even activate these moves in midair!”
“However, just like in the original game, the Levin sword can be used only a limited number of times before it breaks, at which point it takes some time to regenerate. When the Levin sword is unavailable, Robin fights using the bronze sword.”
In a follow-up comment, Sakurai added: “The way Robin launches Arcfire is kind of crazy—he or she calls down a bolt of flame from above, then launches a pillar of fire! By the way, Robin’s tome changes with each special attack.”
Super Smash Bros. will be released for Nintendo 3DS this October. The game’s Wii U release will follow later this holiday.