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First up is Aisling, who hefts a large sword wreathed in crackling blue spectral energy. It's taller than she is, but she whips it around with an airy effortlessness all the same. She's almost too versatile to classify as a specific archetype, thanks in large part to her spectral warrior ally, Cador. While he remains within her blade Aisling is more powerful in direct melee combat, but at a moment's notice, she can send him out to do her bidding at ranges a typical melee character doesn't usually engage at. He can charge out and deal a ton of damage wherever he arrives, and with his warcry, he can interrupt enemy abilities while applying one of several different effects, including one that generates a protective barrier for your nearby allies.Keeping Cador out all the time is risky business though. While he's off doing his thing, Aisling's strength wanes, making her melee attacks much weaker. What's more, Cador has a limited pool of hit points, and if he perishes, all of Aisling's abilities aside from her basic melee attack will be on a long 15-second cooldown. This is where her "Into the Blade" skill comes in handy. This recalls Cador to her sword, which will also temporarily buff her and her surrounding allies in different ways depending on what upgrades you've gone with. Leaning too heavily on Cador is a big risk, but he's incredibly powerful so it's a tough gamble to say no to.Wu's goofy look and in-your-face melee style make him seem more straightforward, but if there's anything I've learned about Gigantic, it's that none of its characters truly are. Up close, Wu is a swirling cloud of chops and kicks that make your health bar disappear at an alarming rate. But the key is that he needs to get to you first, and he has two primary ways of doing it. One is his tongue lash, which he uses to pull distant enemies into melee range. The other is his Splash Kick, which flips him high up into the air with a flip kick, and then spiraling down with another attack at a designated location. Not only is it a great gap closer and damage dealer, but it's a great escape mechanism as well, which is important for a character who has to be in the thick of things all the time.Where Wu get's a little more complex is in his fighting game-esque combo system. His different abilities can chain into each other, changing their animations and effects depending upon the order. For instance, you could upgrade him in such a way that chaining tongue lash into splash kick would allow him to deflect projectiles for a short time after. In this way, allocating his skill points is like building a custom combo tree, which ensures that whatever your preferred ability rotation is, you'll reap extra rewards for it.Of course, there's always the simple fact that Wu is a frog with an Elvis 'do. How could you not pick him?

Vincent Ingenito is IGN's foremost fighting game nerd. F ollow him on Twitter and argue with everything he says about them.