The Battlefield stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is an example of a typical Smash Bros. stage.
A stage (sometimes called a map or board) is a location in which characters fight or complete objectives. The word "stage" usually refers to a versus mode stage, but can also refer to the ground or large central platform within this location. As well as versus mode stages, single player mode stages, such as the Target Smash maps, exist for purposes other than fighting.
Versus stages
Within all the games of the Super Smash Bros. series, most versus mode stages are available from the start, while a small number must be unlocked by completing certain objectives. Most stages, like Princess Peach's Castle, are derived from places in playable characters' universes. Super Smash Bros. Melee introduced two Smash Bros universe stages - Battlefield and Final Destination. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, stages derived from games without associated playable characters were introduced, namely Smashville and Hanenbow, while PictoChat represents a Nintendo DS utility interface. Additionally, not every playable character has a stage from their own universe. Included in all games other than the first are a small number of past stages - stages from a previous Smash game with no major alterations.
Stages range in size from the large Temple and New Pork City to the small Onett and Brinstar. Typically, stages involve a large central platform with ledges and one or more smaller platforms, as well as blast lines above, below and to the left and right of the visible area. Some stages, such as Mushroom Kingdom and Coliseum have floors that continue past the edge of the visible area and pass through a side blast line, these edges are known as "walk off edges" or "walk offs", because characters can walk offscreen without the need to become airborne. Stages with walk off edges on both the left and right, like Bridge of Eldin, are sometimes called "walk off stages". Some walk off stages, such as Onett, have no lower blast line, while others, such as Bridge of Eldin, only infrequently have the lower blast lines introduced.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, moving and transforming stages were introduced. Big Blue and Rainbow Cruise consist entirely of platforms that move or appear on and offscreen, while stages like Infinite Glacier and Rumble Falls scroll continuously up or down. Other stages, such as Pokémon Stadium, undergo partial transformations at certain intervals, while others, like Brawl's Frigate Orpheon and Castle Siege cycle through complete transformations. Similarly, stages like Delfino Plaza and Skyloft will take players to various areas via moving platforms. Mushroomy Kingdom may be one of two stages depending on either luck or player's input prior to the match. Tortimer Island's layout is randomized each battle as well.
Other stage elements include breakable barriers and platforms, such as the pillars of Luigi's Mansion and the stone floors of Skyworld; stage hazards and enemies, such as lasers, cars and Klap Traps; local items such as apples; and interactive objects such as Barrel Cannons. While water has no effect on movement in Melee, Brawl introduced swimming, and many of its stages involve water that can be swum in.
In Brawl and Smash for 3DS/Wii U, the appearance of some items, namely crates and barrels, differs depending on the aesthetic style of the stage they appear on. The following is quoted from the DOJO!! website.
| “ | Previously, wooden crates and barrels were pretty much garden-variety. This time around, these items change visually to match the mood of the stage. On sci-fi type stages they take on a futuristic tone. On more fantastic stages, they look more like presents.[1] | ” |
List of Stages
This is a list of the stages in the Super Smash Bros. series. A stage that returns from a previous installment is often called a Past Stage.
| Starter | Unlockable | Downloadable |
Custom Stages
Brawl introduced the Stage Builder, a tool that allows players to build their own stages, for use in multiplayer matches, using sets of provided objects, some unlockable. Brawl includes a set of Sample Stages that were built using the Stage Builder. The stage builder can also be used to build No KO stages and "CD Factories" - exploitative stages used for quickly obtaining CDs.
In Super Smash Bros.
The stage select screen in Smash 64.
There are nine versus stages in the original Super Smash Bros., eight starters and one unlockable, Mushroom Kingdom, which is shown in bold.
Peach's Castle- Mushroom Kingdom
- Yoshi's Island
- Congo Jungle
- Hyrule Castle
- Planet Zebes
- Dream Land
- Sector Z
- Saffron City
In Melee
The stage select screen in Melee.
There are 29 versus stages in Super Smash Bros. Melee, 18 starters and 11 unlockable stages, shown below in bold. All three past stages are unlockable.
New stages
- Battlefield
- Final Destination
- Princess Peach's Castle
- Rainbow Cruise
- Mushroom Kingdom
- Mushroom Kingdom II
- Yoshi's Island
- Yoshi's Story
- Kongo Jungle
- Jungle Japes
- Great Bay
- Temple
- Brinstar
- Brinstar Depths
- Fountain of Dreams
- Green Greens
- Corneria
- Venom
- Pokémon Stadium
- Poké Floats
- Mute City
- Big Blue
- Onett
- Fourside
- Icicle Mountain
- Flat Zone
Past stages
In Brawl
The stage select screen in Brawl, showing the new stages.
The stage select screen in Brawl, showing the Melee stages.
There are 41 versus stages in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, 29 starters and 12 unlockable stages, shown below in bold. None of the original Super Smash Bros. stages return, but there are 10 Melee stages, one from each universe involved in the original Super Smash Bros.
New Stages
- Battlefield
- Final Destination
- Delfino Plaza
- Mushroomy Kingdom
- Mario Circuit
- Luigi's Mansion
- Mario Bros.
- Yoshi's Island
- Rumble Falls
- 75m
- Bridge of Eldin
- Pirate Ship
- Norfair
- Frigate Orpheon
- Halberd
- Lylat Cruise
- Pokémon Stadium 2
- Spear Pillar
- Port Town Aero Dive
- New Pork City
- Summit
- Castle Siege
- Flat Zone 2
- Skyworld
- WarioWare, Inc.
- Distant Planet
- Smashville
- PictoChat
- Hanenbow
- Shadow Moses Island
- Green Hill Zone
Returning Stages
- Rainbow Cruise
- Yoshi's Island
- Jungle Japes
- Temple
- Brinstar
- Green Greens
- Corneria
- Pokémon Stadium
- Big Blue
- Onett
In Smash for 3DS/Wii U
There are 82 stages across the two games; some are shared between versions. Some stages, such as Gaur Plain and Final Destination, are slightly different between the two versions. In addition, all stages can also be played as Ω Stages, which transforms them into flat platforms similar to Final Destination. Not ever stage is available for 8-Player Smash in WiiU. In fact, even some omega stages aren't available for 8-player Smash. The following list shows the maximum players either for normal version then for omega version of each stage available in WiiU.
| Starter | Unlockable | Downloadable |
3DS Version
The stage select for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, showing the normal stages.
The stage select for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, showing the extra stages.
New Stages
- 3D Land
- Golden Plains
- Paper Mario
- Rainbow Road
- Gerudo Valley
- Spirit Train
- Dream Land
- Unova Pokémon League
- Prism Tower
- Mute City
- Magicant
- Arena Ferox
- Reset Bomb Forest
- Tortimer Island
- Balloon Fight
- Living Room
- Find Mii
- Tomodachi Life
- PictoChat 2
- Pac-Maze
Returning Stages
- Mushroomy Kingdom
- Yoshi's Island
- Jungle Japes
- Brinstar
- Corneria
- Flat Zone 2
- WarioWare, Inc.
- Distant Planet
- Green Hill Zone
Wii U Version
The stage select for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, showing the normal stages.
The stage select for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, showing the extra stages.
New Stages
- Big Battlefield
- Mushroom Kingdom U
- Mario Galaxy
- Mario Circuit
- Woolly World
- Jungle Hijinxs
- Skyloft
- Pyrosphere
- The Great Cave Offensive
- Orbital Gate Assault
- Kalos Pokémon League
- Coliseum
- Flat Zone X
- Palutena's Temple
- Gamer
- Garden of Hope
- Town and City
- Wii Fit Studio
- Wrecking Crew
- Pilot Wings
- Wuhu Island
- Windy Hill
- Pac-Land
- Miiverse (DLC)
Returning Stages
- Delfino Plaza
- Mario Circuit (Brawl)
- Luigi's Mansion
- Yoshi's Island
- Kongo Jungle 64
- 75m
- Bridge of Eldin
- Temple
- Pirate Ship (DLC)
- Norfair
- Halberd
- Lylat Cruise
- Pokémon Stadium 2
- Port Town Aero Dive
- Onett
- Castle Siege
- Skyworld
- Smashville
Both Versions
New Stages
- Battlefield
- Final Destination
- Super Mario Maker (DLC)
- Boxing Ring
- Gaur Plains
- Duck Hunt (DLC in SSB3DS)
- Wily Castle
- Suzaku Castle (DLC)
- Midgar (DLC)
- Umbra Clock Tower (DLC)
Returning Stages
- Peach's Castle (64) (DLC)
- Hyrule Castle (64) (DLC)
- Dream Land (64) (DLC)
Tournament legality
Some stages are banned in competitive play because they are considered disruptive or unfair. For more information, see Banned stages.
Single player stages
In the single player modes and challenges, a number of stages appear that are not available in versus mode.
- Brawl and Melee's Home-Run Contest stages involve a central platform from which Sandbag is hit, and a very long stretch of ground to the right of the platform, for it to land upon.
- In Melee's "trophy tussle" event matches, the player fights CPUs upon a stage that takes the form of a giant object, the trophy for which he or she wins after completing the event.
- The original Super Smash Bros. Board the Platforms stages function as agility tests, and there are twelve in total - each one is designed to challenge the player's character.
- Like Board the Platforms, Break the Targets and Target Test stages of the original Smash Bros. and Melee respectively are tailored to challenge each character - twelve exist in the original and twenty five in Melee. Some of Melee's Target Test stages are decorated in reference to their character's universe; Pikachu's, for example, has decorative Poké Balls in its walls, while the Ice Climbers' look like a level from the game Ice Climber. Brawl, however, simply has five Target Smash stages for all characters, each representing a different difficulty level.
- Areas in Adventure Mode and the Subspace Emissary are technically defined as stages.
- Brawl's Online Practice Stage is playable only while waiting for an online match to load.
- Brawl's Configure Test stage is playable only for the purpose of testing custom controls, and only as Mario. In Smash for 3DS/Wii U, the stage is also playable to test the character's Custom Moves, Equipment, and Mii Fighters.
In Super Smash Bros.
- Board the Platforms stages
- Fighting Polygon Stage
- Master Hand's Stage
- Metal Mario's Stage
- Target Test stages
In Melee
- Adventure mode stages
- All-Star Teleporter - the stage the players are teleported to and from between All-Star mode matches.
- Entei - the stage on which Event 26: Trophy Tussle 2 is played.
- Goomba - the stage on which Event 14: Trophy Tussle 1 is played.
- Home-Run Stadium
- Majora's Mask - the stage on which Event 47: Trophy Tussle 3 is played.
- Race to the Finish - a Classic Mode bonus game stage.
- Snag the Trophies stage - a Classic mode bonus game stage.
- Target Test stage - a set of single player mode stages that also appear in Classic mode as bonus games.
In Brawl
- All-Star Teleporter - the stage the players are teleported to and from between All-Star Mode matches.
- Home-Run Stadium
*Target Smash!! stages - a set of single player mode stages that also appear in Classic Mode as bonus games.
- The Subspace Emissary stages
- Configure Test - the stage on which custom controls are tested.
- Online Practice Stage.
In Smash for 3DS/Wii U
- All-Star Teleporter - the stage the players are teleported to and from between All-Star Mode matches.
- Home-Run Stadium
- Target Blast
- Smash Run map
- Master Fortress
- Credits - the place were the player controls a character and hit the credits to create an image.
- Configure Test - the stage on which custom settings are tested.
- Online Practice Stage - Only in the 3DS version, the Wii U version is Miiverse's Ω Form.
Non-playable stages
Some stages exist in the original Super Smash Bros. and Melee, but are non-playable; developers did not intended for them to be played in. Non-playable stages are accessible only through hacks and debug programs, such as Action Replay. Some, such as "Test", are assumed to have been used for testing during game development, while others, such as the "Tutorial stage", are used in the game but not for the purpose of gameplay.
In Super Smash Bros.
In Melee
In Brawl
- 1-Player Mode Credits - the file name of the single player mode credits is "STGCHARACROLL.pac" which technically defines it as a stage.
- Results Screen - the results screen that appears after a match is a stage, playable only through hacking.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUCtkSWsFkY</ref>
References
- ↑ http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/items/item03.html
- ↑ Avaliaded in the game in version 1.1.1 onwards. It's considered a primary WiiU stage officially, as it came first for the WiiU version, then only afterwards ported to 3DS, as can be see in Ultimate Stage selection order.
- ↑ Avaliaded in the game in version 1.0.8 onwards
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
|}