Subscribe to download
Walter White (Breaking Bad)

Walter White, the infamous drug kingpin otherwise known as "Heisenberg", is the antihero protagonist of the show "Breaking Bad" and finally, finally here as a playable fighter in Rivals of Aether. Boasting a combination of tricks he picked up during his time maintaining an empire and through his general mastery of chemistry, Walt is a status-effect based fighter who isn't there to dominate - he's there to remind everyone who the real danger is.

Walt's general gimmick comes from his Down Special - the Chemistry Lab. Walt, upon interacting with it, allows him to concoct a series of chemicals that he can then use with Neutral Special, either as projectiles that can inflict ailments on opponents or the stage, or as drinks that he can ingest to give himself buffs. At the same time, the strange chemicals present in Aether also allow him to produce his infamous Blue Sky, which takes a bit of time to produce - but, fortunately, Walt is able to call in his (reluctant) partner Jesse to produce this drug. When the Cook is complete, Walt is able to collect the Blue Sky and make a sale on it, giving him an Ego Boost that empowers the rest of his kit. Opponents who are unfortunate enough to collect the Blue Sky will quickly find out how much of a mistake that ends up being.

------


Walter White can combine elements at his Chemistry Lab to use on the battlefield. However, because a certain lawyer advised against making *actual* explosives and poisons with *actual* chemicals, Walt instead has discovered chemicals from the Land of Aether that he can instead use for quickly combining exactly what he needs.

Cyan - "Quasine", [Qu] - A concoction that has strong heat-absorption capabilities and is an environmental toxin.
Magenta - "Wexon", [We] - A concoction that has a distinct luminescent glow and has a high radiation level.
Orange - "Exortium", [Ex] - A concoction that has high heat production and is prone to detonation.

These chemicals can be grabbed as Walt interacts with his Lab, with inputs from your arrow keys. Up grabs Cyan, Forward/Back grabs Magenta, and Down grabs Orange. Three arrow key inputs are needed to fully combine your chemicals, and successfully completing a combination puts that chemical into Walt's inventory. This chemical can then be used with Neutral Special or, when in the air, Down Special.

The creatable chemical list is as follows:

CCC - Liquid Nitrogen
- Walt concocts a vial of pure cold. Throwing it an an opponent causes them to get periodically frozen in place and are stuck in hitpause for longer amounts of time if hit.
Medium range projectile.
CCM - Relaxants
- Walt concocts a chemical that he can ingest, making him floatier and jump higher.
CMM - Lily of the Valley
- Walt concocts a highly potent poison that he can throw at opponents. Opponents take damage over time when hit by it.
CCO - Superheated Water
- Walt concocts a vial of unstable water that can be thrown down into a puddle that, when touched by an opponent, violently explodes into steam.
COO - Grain Alcohol
- Walt concocts a chemical that he can inject into himself for a small defensive buff and higher attack damage.
CMO - Hydrofluoric Acid
- Walt concocts a highly potent acid that he can splash in front of himself. Opponents caught by the initial splash will take a high amount of damage. The puddle left behind eats through stage platforms, so anyone attempting to use them will fall straight through.
MMM - Phosphine
- Walt concocts a chemical that, when thrown to the ground, puffs up in a gas of poison that floats upward, damage anyone touching the cloud.
MMO - Painkillers
- Walt concocts a chemical that strongly reduces all incoming damage and makes him heavier and harder to knock back.
Self-cast.
MOO - Black Coffee
- Walt brews a cup of coffee that he can ingest, increasing his attack + movement speed and cuts Strong charging in half.
OOO - Fulminated Mercury
- Walt concocts a grenade that he can lob at opponents. High firepower, high damage.

------


By pressing the Attack button at the Chemistry Lab, Walt calls in Jesse to begin cooking Blue Sky. Jesse will be hard at work at the table; while Walt will be unable to cook any of his other chemicals during this period, pressing Down Special again near the table will cause Walt to help with the Cook, doubling the production speed. Progress on the cook gets lost if Jesse is attacked during it.

Walt will get an Ego Boost if he collects the finished product. He'll be dripping with cash, and all of his attacks and chemicals get buffed. Opponents who pick up the finished product will get a short buff to their speed and knockback, followed by a debuff to their speed and knockback. This effect stacks upon repeated use throughout the match.

------




Walt has a blend of attacks that either directly reference the show, or reference his aptitude as a chemical mastermind. While Down Special is tied to his Chemistry Lab, his other Specials include the following:

Walt throws out a beaker he has on his person. The beaker will deal some small damage as a projectile. However, if Walt successfully produces a chemical from the Chemistry Lab, the chemical will be stored in one of these beakers, which he will either throw as a chemical weapon, or ingest as a useful medicine. He can additionally perform this input with Down Special in the air, except beakers thrown this way will be thrown directly downward.

Walt clicks his car keys, summoning the 1977 Cadillac Sedan DeVille that will come crashing down in front of him. Pressing this input a second time will cause the trunk to pop open, revealing the M60 machine gun turret aimed in Walt's direction and firing a steady stream of bullets. The bullets will also hit Walt 50% of the time, however he will gain a small amount of armor to avoid the knockback. If the car is hit by an opponent then the firing will stop until Walt hits it again himself.

As a nod to quite literally the single biggest meme to come out of the show, Walt spins around a pizza box and throws the contents out above him. This serves as his recovery move.

------


This mod is a Villains of Aether project that began development in late 2022, becoming a more full-fledged project in January 2023 and announced as a mod in the VAE Direct of that year. The project initially began with Ditchu as the lead artist, who provided the base sprites as well as the portrait for the mod. After a few years of radio silence, the team at VAE decided to give things another go, finally bringing the project across the finish line, with oB2KoMario as the artist and DarkDakurai as the coder.

A special thanks to "Some Ghosts" for use of their song, "Cut the Cord," in the Blueprints Malice trailer.

They have some nice songs, I've been listening to some while working, I recommend them
- Dark

Another thanks goes to V-force who helped playtest Walter during this past month