Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I think the problem with large stages is purely how the existing ones are designed. Most of them are either oddly claustrophobic because they consist of a billion tiny platforms, or they're just too big and even in 8-Player Smash you can be left alone for just about the entire match. Some of them even have both of these problems.

Spoiler: Thoughts on Individual Stages

• Temple: This one is an immediate exception to the rule, essentially acting as 3 stages in one that flow together quite nicely. Most of the time if a character doesn't want to be in a space anymore, they can leave with ease, but there's always room for you to hold your ground. There's a reason why it's the only one people really like.
• 75m: Despite having so much space there is nowhere to stand. The only area that's good for fighting gets periodically bombarded by bouncing springs of death.
• New Pork City: It's trying to do much the same thing as Temple, but the three areas are spread farther apart, the left side isn't that great for fighting, the right side has way too many platforms above it, and the bottom has a huge danger area due to the low ceiling above a pit, and part of the section keeps falling out.
• Big Battlefield: It's mostly just boring, but fighting on the semi-solid platforms is also kind of a problem. I think it might have been better if there were less, larger platforms instead of a billion small ones.
• The Great Cave Offensive: Entirely too large. Even in 8 player smash it's far too easy to just mind your own business in a corner somewhere, and the fact that it's kind of a chore to navigate doesn't help either. The lava that's everywhere makes it so risky to engage opponents, and since everyone spawns at the top and has to move downward, you end up just staying up there assuming you do choose to fight.
• Palutena's Temple: Still too big, but fighting on it is actually quite doable.
• Gaur Plain: There's nowhere to stand, and then Metal Face shows up and makes all the CPUs congregate to one side.

 

[RileyXY1]

Another unique stage I'm envisioning is Maridia from Super Metroid, mostly due to it being the very first stage to allow players to fight underwater.

 

[ninjahmos]

Y'know what I think would be a pretty cool Metroid stage? Phendrana Drifts

I mean, how many ice stages do we have in Smash, really? Not that many. Besides, I think this is a pretty cool location that could be turned into a Smash stage.

 

[fogbadge]

Y'know what I think would be a pretty cool Metroid stage? Phendrana Drifts

I mean, how many ice stages do we have in Smash, really? Not that many. Besides, I think this is a pretty cool location that could be turned into a Smash stage.

we’ve had two overall and never in the same game. and I’d certainly like more. I keep meaning to bring up the topic

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I mean, how many ice stages do we have in Smash, really?

Only the Ice Climber stages.

We've also only had one desert stage if I remember correctly and it's only because Mushroomy Kingdom was weird.

 

[Among Waddle Dees]

We've also only had one desert stage if I remember correctly and it's only because Mushroomy Kingdom was weird.

Gerudo Valley is not all that memorable a stage, but it qualifies.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Gerudo Valley is not all that memorable a stage, but it qualifies.

Well no. That is a memorable stage. But I don't think the canyon counts as a desert. Like there's a river and waterfall there. It's not a desert.

 

[Opossum]

Yeah, Gerudo Valley is more of a Badlands inspired area than a Desert inspired one, depending on how distinct you want to count those.

 

[Godzillathewonderdog]

Y'know what I think would be a pretty cool Metroid stage? Phendrana Drifts

I mean, how many ice stages do we have in Smash, really? Not that many. Besides, I think this is a pretty cool location that could be turned into a Smash stage.

Ice/snow levels have always been an aesthetic I love and wish we had more of. There are the 2 Ice Climber stages, and if you want to get really technical we also have Shadow Moses Island and the Brawl Yoshi’s Island and Pokemon Stadium 2 stages can turn snowy mid match.

I’d love to have one of the snowy areas from any of the Mother games as a stage.

An ice level based on Tropical Freeze would also make a lot of sense.

Really though the ice/snow variants of these stages need to be made into stand alone stages.

 

[Schnee117]

We need the definitive snowy fighting game stage

 

[SharkLord]

Well no. That is a memorable stage. But I don't think the canyon counts as a desert. Like there's a river and waterfall there. It's not a desert.

well technically speaking, rivers do run through deserts. Hell, the Grand Canyon is located in a desert region. When people think of deserts, it's usually as a big sea of sand (known as egs), but most deserts are actually rocky, badland-esque regions.

Regardless of pedantics, ergs and badlands do tend to lean into different aesthetics, so we could probably throw in a more "traditional" desert stage and it would still remain distinct from Gerudo Valley

 

[Ivander]

You know how you could keep the whole "Jungle Hijinx" theme for DK while giving a notably different looking DK stage? Homecoming Hijinx.

Next Smash really needs to give an influx of stages for all of the games that are both new and missed out on stages for Smash Ultimate.

 

[Idon]

Desert stage that is both memorable and an early starting location?

This looks like a job for SMTV:

Not just a desert, but a blasted desert with modern skyscraper ruins and weird demonic obelisks dotting the area.

 

[cashregister9]

Ever heard of this obscure game called "Skyrim"

heard it has some snow and is good for a stage

 

[Ivander]

Desert stage that is both memorable and an early starting location?

This looks like a job for SMTV:

View attachment 396547

Not just a desert, but a blasted desert with modern skyscraper ruins and weird demonic obelisks dotting the area.

That's just Mars from Doom.

The real twist nobody was expecting. Doom and Shin Megami Tensei taking place in the same universe. Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series.

 

[ninjahmos]

It'd probably never happen, but you know what I think would be a pretty cool desert stage for Smash? Sand Ocean (F-Zero)

 

[Schnee117]

Ever heard of this obscure game called "Skyrim"

heard it has some snow and is good for a stage

You can't fool me Todd Howard

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

It's one of those things that you don't notice until someone brings it up, but yeah it's incredibly weird that the only stages that we have that depict a staple platformer level theme are Ice Climber, Ice Climber again because people didn't like the previous one, Pokémon's Stadium's ice type transformation, and a snowy visual transformation that is kinda sorta reminiscent of some Yoshi's Island stages.

It'd probably never happen, but you know what I think would be a pretty cool desert stage for Smash? Sand Ocean (F-Zero)

SSF2 has Sand Ocean as a stage...It's really boring.

To be fair, Sakurai would probably be a bit more creative than "Big Blue, but without any cars and the Falcon Flyer doesn't really move, and sometimes you go into a tunnel for a bit".