Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Schnee117]

Doesn't that kind of defeat the point of having Midnight Bliss in the first place though? Take away the transformations and Midnight Bliss is a relatively boring command grab super. Not exactly Assist Trophy worthy, especially when Zangief and Mike Haggar have dramatic, over-the-top throws that would be perfect for an assist trophy that grabs you.

The other workaround is to just do Vampire Savior did with the female characters and have the Smash cast transform into joke forms, but even that might be a massive undertaking from a licensing standpoint. Maybe have each Smash character transform into their original appearance (e.g. Mario turns into his Jumpman sprite from Donkey Kong, Cloud becomes his PS1 model, etc.)?

Then the solution would simply be to have him do his other moves before ending on one of his supers if people are gonna be overly anal about something that Capcom themselves are fine with leaving out. There's nothing say he can only do Midnight Bliss when he also has traditional shoto stuff with his own spin on it with his DP being altered if input during/after a dash and his spinning kick being a teleport drill kick and other command grabs.

The original appearance idea is cool but then you run into issues with Steve, Game and Watch, Joker and other characters that more or less use incredibly similar models as to what they have in Smash

 

[Gengar84]

Glad we can leave the "Darkstalkers too preverted for Smash" debacle behind for the most part.

That's exactly what I was referring to, which is why I said I didn't want to bring up that cartoon.

Yeah, I think Darkstalkers is more tame than Soul Calibur, which has been one of my favorite fighting game franchises over the years. I think they can easily go one of two routes with these games for Smash: either pick a character that doesn’t have any issues with an E rating from the start or if they choose someone like Ivy or Morrigan, just alter their designs a bit so they can work for an E rating. Same goes for some of my most wanted characters like Etna and Velvet Crowe.

 

[Master Hero Sock-on-Rye]

Yeah, I think Darkstalkers is more tame than Soul Calibur, which has been one of my favorite fighting game franchises over the years. I think they can easily go one of two routes with these games for Smash: either pick a character that doesn’t have any issues with an E rating from the start or if they choose someone like Ivy or Morrigan, just alter their designs a bit so they can work for an E rating. Same goes for some of my most wanted characters like Etna and Velvet Crowe.

So you're saying Baby Bonnie Hood has a chance.

 

[Gengar84]

So you're saying Baby Bonnie Hood has a chance.

I’m not one to say any character is impossible so, yeah, there’s a chance. Some characters are definitely more likely than others though.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

It really is a slow day isn't it?
--------------------


Let's talk stages. I feel like often, stage discussion falls by the wayside and people do not talk about it much. It's a shame too, because stages are an important part of the fun of Smash. I overall liked the way that Ultimate handled it's stages. Giving all of them an HD makeover (save for the N64 ones) was certainly an uphill battle but I think it was great. I was elated to see so many of the best past stages come back. Magicant, Arena Ferox, Prism Tower, Spear Pillar, WarioWare Inc, Shadow Moses Island, Frigate Orpheon, Great Bay, Yoshi's Story, Fountain of Dreams, Pokemon Stadium, and Fourside get the HD makeovers they deserve was a treat.

I think the next game will have more original stages, even if we get a lot of these stages back. Part of this is just due to having more options. The dev team does not need to torture themselves over a small pool of options. Smash stages, arguably even more than the character choices, tend to tread towards what's new and hot. There wasn't much in that post Smash 4 to Ultimate Era of 2014-2016 to pull from for new Nintendo locations. They could have gone with older locations, but I don't know if we will see that for this game. Not only are there tons of options from the Switch era, but I also get the feeling that we won't see every first party franchise get one new stage. I think some franchises like Mother or F Zero might just stay with what they got in Ultimate.

A few things I would like for the next game are Small Battlefield forms, a better hazard toggle, and repurposing boss arenas into stages. Small Battlefield forms feel like a no brainer. People love Small Battlefield, and getting to play on it in all different hues would be a great touch. The latter two are more personal desires. I think the hazard toggle is a step in the right direction, but I wish that I could pick and choose what Hazards appear and don't for individual rulesets. I'd like to turn off certain stage transformations or hazards. Let me have Arena Ferox locked into the Statue layout. Let me have Wily Castle with its platforms but no Yellow Devil. Let me have moving platforms on Smashville , Yoshi's Story, and Fountain of Dreams in the same ruleset as hazards off Pokemon Stadium 2. As for the boss arenas, I think just making them quick and easy stages would be cool. Make them quick and easy extra stages since we are creating these custom areas from scratch.


With that aside, here is what I think would be cool/think is likely for the next Smash stage wise, starting with the first 10 series in Smash.

: Mario I think is pretty easy to choose new stages for. If you want me to be boring and say what's likely, we would get something from the newest 2D and 3D mario games. Right now I would go with Lake Lapcat and something from Super Mario Bros Wonder. Lake Lapcat in particular I think is a great stage setting that you can easily do a lot with. As for other stuff, if we get Geno we would get Forest Maze probably. I would love another Mario Kart stage and I think Bowser's Castle is at the top of the list. It's such an iconic location and I think at least having it be present in Mario Kart form is a worthy compromise. Maybe theme it off the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe version and have the giant robot Bowser's punches mess with the platform layout. Bringing back Rainbow Road would be great as well. We probably lost it due to it pulling assets from Mario Kart 7 and not being in 8, but now with it back in HD form maybe it has a chance?

: The rumors do state that there will be a new DK game "soon", but who knows at this point? Maybe Nintendo EPD isn't making the new DK game like the rumors say. If we get a new DK game in time, we are getting a stage from it. I would love for a new stage based on Tropical Freeze, but I do not know if it is really in the cards. Will they pull from a game that is going to be over 10 years old by the next Smash's release? If we did get one, I would go with Frozen Fruits. I think it is a very visually distinct area and the idea of springy platforms to bounce around on sounds fun. If we have to trend older, I guess you can make Gangplank Galleon a massive stage like Temple, we haven't gotten one of those in a while.

: Zelda I think is the easiest franchise to choose stages for out of these series. Great Sky Island feels like the Tears of the Kingdom stage to go for. You can turn it into this big playground of a stage similar to what we had in Tears of the Kingdom itself. We could use a few more of those absolutely massive stages. I think if you are going to pull another stage, the pick is probably Tal Tal Mountain from the Link's Awakening remake. It's the most recent mainline Zelda game to come out that does not have a stage.

: Dread has a ton of unique areas, you can go with any of them. While I would love Itorash, if we got one it would probably be Artaria. Make the EMMI's a stage hazard hunting for players, it feels like a layup. Prime 4 would also be a great spot to pull a stage from...if it was out.

: I did not play Crafted World, but you could just take Sunshine Station and turn it into a stage. Out of the areas in the game, it feels like a pretty easy one to make a stage for that would be visually distinct.

: There are two stages I had in mind for Kirby. The first is the Lor Starcutter from Return to Dreamland. I think if you want to do a 2D Kirby stage this is the pick. The other obvious contender is something from Return to Dreamland. I have seen people suggest plenty of stuff for this game, from the amusement park to Waddle Dee town. Personally, I would go with the Alive! Mall, considering it's aesthetic of a decaying, lost world.

: I think if you want to do a Star Fox stage, my preferred method is taking a page out of F Zero's playbook and have a throwback stage. Maybe theme it off of Star Fox 2 and have players fight on top of a couple of Arwings in that Super FX chip style.

: I am going to assume whatever the newest gen is gets in with a new stage, but I would not count Galar and Paldea out for stages. We got Unova Pokemon League in Smash 4, so I do not think its that out there for us to get 2 Pokemon stages even if we get 1 new pokemon. I think if you do a Galar stage, your options are either the Wild Area or the Energy Plant. Personally, I would go with the later due to it being more interesting visually. Having a stage set to the Darkest Day would be a cool design choice, especially if it gives players the option of an Eternatus boss fight in a story mode. As for Paldea, I think it has to be Area Zero. Area Zero is what Scarlet and Violet are building towards, and I think you can easily turn the twisted garden of eden like area into a fun stage.

: I think Mother is kind of hard to choose a new stage for, considering there isn't much to work with for new stuff. If we get a Mother stage, it is going to be an old school throwback like Magicant. I would go with Saturn Valley personally, but you could honestly pick and choose whatever. Maybe if Mother 3 comes to the west somehow, we will get a stage from it.

: Without a new F-Zero game on the horizon, I doubt we will see a new F-Zero stage unless they reuse the Mute City track from Mario Kart 8. We could easily see them pull off something fun involving that as a base, even if they just use it as a backdrop rather than make something like Mute City in Melee.

 

[Gengar84]

It really is a slow day isn't it?
--------------------


Let's talk stages. I feel like often, stage discussion falls by the wayside and people do not talk about it much. It's a shame too, because stages are an important part of the fun of Smash. I overall liked the way that Ultimate handled it's stages. Giving all of them an HD makeover (save for the N64 ones) was certainly an uphill battle but I think it was great. I was elated to see so many of the best past stages come back. Magicant, Arena Ferox, Prism Tower, Spear Pillar, WarioWare Inc, Shadow Moses Island, Frigate Orpheon, Great Bay, Yoshi's Story, Fountain of Dreams, Pokemon Stadium, and Fourside get the HD makeovers they deserve was a treat.

I think the next game will have more original stages, even if we get a lot of these stages back. Part of this is just due to having more options. The dev team does not need to torture themselves over a small pool of options. Smash stages, arguably even more than the character choices, tend to tread towards what's new and hot. There wasn't much in that post Smash 4 to Ultimate Era of 2014-2016 to pull from for new Nintendo locations. They could have gone with older locations, but I don't know if we will see that for this game. Not only are there tons of options from the Switch era, but I also get the feeling that we won't see every first party franchise get one new stage. I think some franchises like Mother or F Zero might just stay with what they got in Ultimate.

A few things I would like for the next game are Small Battlefield forms, a better hazard toggle, and repurposing boss arenas into stages. Small Battlefield forms feel like a no brainer. People love Small Battlefield, and getting to play on it in all different hues would be a great touch. The latter two are more personal desires. I think the hazard toggle is a step in the right direction, but I wish that I could pick and choose what Hazards appear and don't for individual rulesets. I'd like to turn off certain stage transformations or hazards. Let me have Arena Ferox locked into the Statue layout. Let me have Wily Castle with its platforms but no Yellow Devil. Let me have moving platforms on Smashville , Yoshi's Story, and Fountain of Dreams in the same ruleset as hazards off Pokemon Stadium 2. As for the boss arenas, I think just making them quick and easy stages would be cool. Make them quick and easy extra stages since we are creating these custom areas from scratch.


With that aside, here is what I think would be cool/think is likely for the next Smash stage wise, starting with the first 10 series in Smash.

: Mario I think is pretty easy to choose new stages for. If you want me to be boring and say what's likely, we would get something from the newest 2D and 3D mario games. Right now I would go with Lake Lapcat and something from Super Mario Bros Wonder. Lake Lapcat in particular I think is a great stage setting that you can easily do a lot with. As for other stuff, if we get Geno we would get Forest Maze probably. I would love another Mario Kart stage and I think Bowser's Castle is at the top of the list. It's such an iconic location and I think at least having it be present in Mario Kart form is a worthy compromise. Maybe theme it off the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe version and have the giant robot Bowser's punches mess with the platform layout. Bringing back Rainbow Road would be great as well. We probably lost it due to it pulling assets from Mario Kart 7 and not being in 8, but now with it back in HD form maybe it has a chance?

: The rumors do state that there will be a new DK game "soon", but who knows at this point? Maybe Nintendo EPD isn't making the new DK game like the rumors say. If we get a new DK game in time, we are getting a stage from it. I would love for a new stage based on Tropical Freeze, but I do not know if it is really in the cards. Will they pull from a game that is going to be over 10 years old by the next Smash's release? If we did get one, I would go with Frozen Fruits. I think it is a very visually distinct area and the idea of springy platforms to bounce around on sounds fun. If we have to trend older, I guess you can make Gangplank Galleon a massive stage like Temple, we haven't gotten one of those in a while.

: Zelda I think is the easiest franchise to choose stages for out of these series. Great Sky Island feels like the Tears of the Kingdom stage to go for. You can turn it into this big playground of a stage similar to what we had in Tears of the Kingdom itself. We could use a few more of those absolutely massive stages. I think if you are going to pull another stage, the pick is probably Tal Tal Mountain from the Link's Awakening remake. It's the most recent mainline Zelda game to come out that does not have a stage.

: Dread has a ton of unique areas, you can go with any of them. While I would love Itorash, if we got one it would probably be Artaria. Make the EMMI's a stage hazard hunting for players, it feels like a layup. Prime 4 would also be a great spot to pull a stage from...if it was out.

: I did not play Crafted World, but you could just take Sunshine Station and turn it into a stage. Out of the areas in the game, it feels like a pretty easy one to make a stage for that would be visually distinct.

: There are two stages I had in mind for Kirby. The first is the Lor Starcutter from Return to Dreamland. I think if you want to do a 2D Kirby stage this is the pick. The other obvious contender is something from Return to Dreamland. I have seen people suggest plenty of stuff for this game, from the amusement park to Waddle Dee town. Personally, I would go with the Alive! Mall, considering it's aesthetic of a decaying, lost world.

: I think if you want to do a Star Fox stage, my preferred method is taking a page out of F Zero's playbook and have a throwback stage. Maybe theme it off of Star Fox 2 and have players fight on top of a couple of Arwings in that Super FX chip style.

: I am going to assume whatever the newest gen is gets in with a new stage, but I would not count Galar and Paldea out for stages. We got Unova Pokemon League in Smash 4, so I do not think its that out there for us to get 2 Pokemon stages even if we get 1 new pokemon. I think if you do a Galar stage, your options are either the Wild Area or the Energy Plant. Personally, I would go with the later due to it being more interesting visually. Having a stage set to the Darkest Day would be a cool design choice, especially if it gives players the option of an Eternatus boss fight in a story mode. As for Paldea, I think it has to be Area Zero. Area Zero is what Scarlet and Violet are building towards, and I think you can easily turn the twisted garden of eden like area into a fun stage.

: I think Mother is kind of hard to choose a new stage for, considering there isn't much to work with for new stuff. If we get a Mother stage, it is going to be an old school throwback like Magicant. I would go with Saturn Valley personally, but you could honestly pick and choose whatever. Maybe if Mother 3 comes to the west somehow, we will get a stage from it.

: Without a new F-Zero game on the horizon, I doubt we will see a new F-Zero stage unless they reuse the Mute City track from Mario Kart 8. We could easily see them pull off something fun involving that as a base, even if they just use it as a backdrop rather than make something like Mute City in Melee.

The main thing I’d love to see for stages in general for the next game is a return to Smash 64 and Melee style stages and away from so many Battlefield variants with one big flat platform with a few floating drop through platforms. I like how many of the earlier stages actually felt like you are fighting in a location instead of a floating platform in front of it. Take Hyrule Temple and Hollow Bastion for example. Maybe it’s just me but Battlefield style stages don’t really feel as immersive. They’re also a bit pointless when we already have Onega and Battlefield variants for every stage.

For some specific stages I’d like to see, I’ll go with some of my favorites I created in Stage Builder in Ultimate.

Tetris stage with falling blocks that basically has the characters fight in an active game of Tetris.

Bowser’s Castle with a big central platform with a spire on each side that you could jump through with platforms. There would be a sea of lava at the ground layer surrounding the castle with occasional fireballs jumping out. The main hazard would be a rotating fire bar in the center of the stage.

Hornet Hole from Donkey Kong Country 2. This one has such a cool, unique look that would really stand out. You could have sticky honey hazards on the ground that prevent you from walking over them that you’d have to jump out of.

Chemical Plant Zone from Sonic 2. This one has such a unique look. The main platform would be a giant blue tube but you could travel quickly through the stage by going inside clear tubes. There could be a rotating block platform.

 

[Laniv]

Rayman DLC for Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is coming August 30th!

Rayman is back, and he's the special guest in a new mysterious dimension: the Phantom's Opera network studio. #MarioRabbids Sparks of Hope DLC 3: Rayman in the Phantom Show releases on Aug. 30. pic.twitter.com/TJjffisSQu

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 1, 2023

 

[Capybara Gaming]

People forget that Demitri was in both Project x Zone games, uses Midnight Bliss in the second one (if not both) and it just doesn't turn the enemy into anything

 

[MrMcNuts]

Rayman DLC for Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is coming August 30th!

Rayman is back, and he's the special guest in a new mysterious dimension: the Phantom's Opera network studio. #MarioRabbids Sparks of Hope DLC 3: Rayman in the Phantom Show releases on Aug. 30. pic.twitter.com/TJjffisSQu

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 1, 2023

Very small detail but noticed there's goombas in the trailer so there doesn't seem to be a "no interacting with Mario characters" rule in place. Hopefully there's a surprise meeting with the plumber near the end.

 

[SPEN18]

Some top-of-my-head priorities for the Stage roster IMO:

(1) Clean house, get rid of the glut and redundancy. No need for all stages to return. Focus on stage diversity, and make sure every stage that does return gets the proper love (for ex. if Brinstar returns then please give Kraid a brand-new model).

(2) Make sure there isn't a dearth of new stages like in Ult. Naturally, many of the new stages will be linked to newcomers, especially if they are from new series. But there is room to go far beyond just that if we don't just stick to bringing back all the old stages.

(3) Fill in several of the iconic locations that have kind of slipped through the cracks so far. For example, Bowser's Castle, Gangplank Galleon, a proper Archanea stage for FE. Especially if we're getting rid of enough glut, this should be easily possible in conjunction with representing the Switch era with stages.

(4) Do what you can to help out series that aren't able to get a playable rep by giving them a stage.

(5) Represent the Switch era, but not too much at the expense of (3) and (4). Some games ripe for stages might be Forgotten Land, Xenoblade 3, PKMN gens 8/9, TotK, something else from Splatoon. It helps that several Switch-era games like Odyssey, BotW, ARMS already have stages.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Rayman DLC for Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is coming August 30th!

Rayman is back, and he's the special guest in a new mysterious dimension: the Phantom's Opera network studio. #MarioRabbids Sparks of Hope DLC 3: Rayman in the Phantom Show releases on Aug. 30. pic.twitter.com/TJjffisSQu

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 1, 2023

Is it just me, or did Ubisoft sort of just... stop caring after the game failed to meet sales expectations? You'd think they'd be treating this like a bigger deal...

Oh well. More fuel for the "Rayman's death was intentional" theory.

 

[MrMcNuts]

Is it just me, or did Ubisoft sort of just... stop caring after the game failed to meet sales expectations? You'd think they'd be treating this like a bigger deal...

Oh well. More fuel for the "Rayman's death was intentional" theory.

There's literally nothing in this trailer or announcement implying they stopped caring lol

 

[chocolatejr9]

There's literally nothing in this trailer or announcement implying they stopped caring lol

We're only now getting a trailer for it, and the only people who seemed aware the DLC even EXISTED are Rayman and Rabbids fans, who had put more effort into promoting the DLC than Ubisoft themselves. That's a pretty clear sign they stopped caring.

 

[MrMcNuts]

We're only now getting a trailer for it, and the only people who seemed aware the DLC even EXISTED are Rayman and Rabbids fans, who had put more effort into promoting the DLC than Ubisoft themselves. That's a pretty clear sign they stopped caring.

.... There was literally two whole DLCs before this they were focusing on and even then they were occasionally teasing this one. They're now promoting it cause it's ready to be shown off more.

This is just overlooking into nothing to support the "They hate Rayman" theory

 

[chocolatejr9]

.... There was literally two whole DLCs before this they were focusing on and even then they were occasionally teasing this one. They're now promoting it cause it's ready to be shown off more.

This is just overlooking into nothing to support the "They hate Rayman" theory

Part of me wants to continue this, but another part of me knows it's just gonna devolve into a senseless back and forth with no progress whatsoever. So... agree to disagree?

Although I just realized... will there be a scene where the Phantom absolutely roasts Rayman, like he did to Mario in the first game? Imagine if brings up stuff like Rayman 4 or getting replaced by the Rabbids.

 

[Perkilator]

It really is a slow day isn't it?
--------------------


Let's talk stages. I feel like often, stage discussion falls by the wayside and people do not talk about it much. It's a shame too, because stages are an important part of the fun of Smash. I overall liked the way that Ultimate handled it's stages. Giving all of them an HD makeover (save for the N64 ones) was certainly an uphill battle but I think it was great. I was elated to see so many of the best past stages come back. Magicant, Arena Ferox, Prism Tower, Spear Pillar, WarioWare Inc, Shadow Moses Island, Frigate Orpheon, Great Bay, Yoshi's Story, Fountain of Dreams, Pokemon Stadium, and Fourside get the HD makeovers they deserve was a treat.

I think the next game will have more original stages, even if we get a lot of these stages back. Part of this is just due to having more options. The dev team does not need to torture themselves over a small pool of options. Smash stages, arguably even more than the character choices, tend to tread towards what's new and hot. There wasn't much in that post Smash 4 to Ultimate Era of 2014-2016 to pull from for new Nintendo locations. They could have gone with older locations, but I don't know if we will see that for this game. Not only are there tons of options from the Switch era, but I also get the feeling that we won't see every first party franchise get one new stage. I think some franchises like Mother or F Zero might just stay with what they got in Ultimate.

A few things I would like for the next game are Small Battlefield forms, a better hazard toggle, and repurposing boss arenas into stages. Small Battlefield forms feel like a no brainer. People love Small Battlefield, and getting to play on it in all different hues would be a great touch. The latter two are more personal desires. I think the hazard toggle is a step in the right direction, but I wish that I could pick and choose what Hazards appear and don't for individual rulesets. I'd like to turn off certain stage transformations or hazards. Let me have Arena Ferox locked into the Statue layout. Let me have Wily Castle with its platforms but no Yellow Devil. Let me have moving platforms on Smashville , Yoshi's Story, and Fountain of Dreams in the same ruleset as hazards off Pokemon Stadium 2. As for the boss arenas, I think just making them quick and easy stages would be cool. Make them quick and easy extra stages since we are creating these custom areas from scratch.


With that aside, here is what I think would be cool/think is likely for the next Smash stage wise, starting with the first 10 series in Smash.

: Mario I think is pretty easy to choose new stages for. If you want me to be boring and say what's likely, we would get something from the newest 2D and 3D mario games. Right now I would go with Lake Lapcat and something from Super Mario Bros Wonder. Lake Lapcat in particular I think is a great stage setting that you can easily do a lot with. As for other stuff, if we get Geno we would get Forest Maze probably. I would love another Mario Kart stage and I think Bowser's Castle is at the top of the list. It's such an iconic location and I think at least having it be present in Mario Kart form is a worthy compromise. Maybe theme it off the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe version and have the giant robot Bowser's punches mess with the platform layout. Bringing back Rainbow Road would be great as well. We probably lost it due to it pulling assets from Mario Kart 7 and not being in 8, but now with it back in HD form maybe it has a chance?

: The rumors do state that there will be a new DK game "soon", but who knows at this point? Maybe Nintendo EPD isn't making the new DK game like the rumors say. If we get a new DK game in time, we are getting a stage from it. I would love for a new stage based on Tropical Freeze, but I do not know if it is really in the cards. Will they pull from a game that is going to be over 10 years old by the next Smash's release? If we did get one, I would go with Frozen Fruits. I think it is a very visually distinct area and the idea of springy platforms to bounce around on sounds fun. If we have to trend older, I guess you can make Gangplank Galleon a massive stage like Temple, we haven't gotten one of those in a while.

: Zelda I think is the easiest franchise to choose stages for out of these series. Great Sky Island feels like the Tears of the Kingdom stage to go for. You can turn it into this big playground of a stage similar to what we had in Tears of the Kingdom itself. We could use a few more of those absolutely massive stages. I think if you are going to pull another stage, the pick is probably Tal Tal Mountain from the Link's Awakening remake. It's the most recent mainline Zelda game to come out that does not have a stage.

: Dread has a ton of unique areas, you can go with any of them. While I would love Itorash, if we got one it would probably be Artaria. Make the EMMI's a stage hazard hunting for players, it feels like a layup. Prime 4 would also be a great spot to pull a stage from...if it was out.

: I did not play Crafted World, but you could just take Sunshine Station and turn it into a stage. Out of the areas in the game, it feels like a pretty easy one to make a stage for that would be visually distinct.

: There are two stages I had in mind for Kirby. The first is the Lor Starcutter from Return to Dreamland. I think if you want to do a 2D Kirby stage this is the pick. The other obvious contender is something from Return to Dreamland. I have seen people suggest plenty of stuff for this game, from the amusement park to Waddle Dee town. Personally, I would go with the Alive! Mall, considering it's aesthetic of a decaying, lost world.

: I think if you want to do a Star Fox stage, my preferred method is taking a page out of F Zero's playbook and have a throwback stage. Maybe theme it off of Star Fox 2 and have players fight on top of a couple of Arwings in that Super FX chip style.

: I am going to assume whatever the newest gen is gets in with a new stage, but I would not count Galar and Paldea out for stages. We got Unova Pokemon League in Smash 4, so I do not think its that out there for us to get 2 Pokemon stages even if we get 1 new pokemon. I think if you do a Galar stage, your options are either the Wild Area or the Energy Plant. Personally, I would go with the later due to it being more interesting visually. Having a stage set to the Darkest Day would be a cool design choice, especially if it gives players the option of an Eternatus boss fight in a story mode. As for Paldea, I think it has to be Area Zero. Area Zero is what Scarlet and Violet are building towards, and I think you can easily turn the twisted garden of eden like area into a fun stage.

: I think Mother is kind of hard to choose a new stage for, considering there isn't much to work with for new stuff. If we get a Mother stage, it is going to be an old school throwback like Magicant. I would go with Saturn Valley personally, but you could honestly pick and choose whatever. Maybe if Mother 3 comes to the west somehow, we will get a stage from it.

: Without a new F-Zero game on the horizon, I doubt we will see a new F-Zero stage unless they reuse the Mute City track from Mario Kart 8. We could easily see them pull off something fun involving that as a base, even if they just use it as a backdrop rather than make something like Mute City in Melee.

As far as stages for the next game, I can definitely see some based on Super Mario Wonder and Tears of the Kingdom, at the very least. But I’m going to change up stage discussion a bit: which stages would you have liked to see in the Smash games we have now? For me:

Spoiler: 64

(Italics bold denotes unlockable stages henceforth)

• Mushroom Kingdom
• Kongo Jungle
• Hyrule Castle
• Planet Zebes
• Super Happy Tree
• Green Greens
• Great Fox
• Pallet Town
• Magicant
• Mute City SNES
• Duel Zone
• Final Destination
• Meta Crystal

Spoiler: Melee

• Bob-Omb Battlefield (Mario Stage)
• Luigi Raceway (Luigi Stage)
• Peach’s Castle (Peach Stage)
• Bowser’s Castle (Bowser Stage)
• Dr. Mario (Dr. Mario Stage)
• Yoshi’s Story (Yoshi Stage)
• Kongo Falls (Donkey Kong Stage)
• Lost Woods (Link Stage)
• Temple (Zelda / Sheik Stage)
• Great Bay (Young Link)
• Gerudo Valley (Ganondorf Stage)
• Brinstar (Samus Stage)
• Fountain of Dreams (Kirby Stage)
• Corneria (Fox Stage)
• Venom (Falco Stage)
• Pokémon Stadium (Pikachu Stage)
• Pokémon Center (Jigglypuff Stage)
• Sprout Tower (Pichu Stage)
• Cerulean Cave (Mewtwo Stage)
• Onett (Ness Stage)
• Big Blue (Captain Falcon Stage)
• Condor’s Peak (Ice Climber Stage)
• Dragon’s Table (Marth Stage)
• Castle Siege (Roy Stage)
• Flat Zone (Game & Watch Stage)
• Battlefield (Special Stage)
• Final Destination (Special Stage)
• Meta Crystal (Special Stage)

Spoiler: Brawl

• Battlefield
• Final Destination
• Midair Stadium (Training only)
• Delfino Plaza (Super Mario Sunshine)
• Mushroomy Kingdom (Super Mario Bros.)
• Luigi’s Mansion
• Waluigi Pinball (Mario Kart DS)
• Yoshi’s Island (Super Mario World 2)
• WarioWare, Inc. (Mega Microgame$)
• Bramble Blast (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest)
• 25m (Donkey Kong)
• Bridge of Eldin (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)
• Pirate Ship (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
• Norfair (Metroid)
• Frigate Orpheon (Metroid Prime)
• Halberd (Kirby Super Star)
• Rainbow Route (Kirby and the Amazing Mirror)
• Lylat Cruise (Star Fox Assault)
• Pokémon Stadium 2
• Spear Pillar (Pokémon Diamond & Pearl)
• New Pork City (Mother 3)
• Fourside (EarthBound)
• Casino Palace (F-ZERO GX)
• Summit (Ice Climber)
• Melior Garden (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance)
• Flat Zone 2
• Skyworld (Kid Icarus)
• Forest of Hope (Pikmin)
• Gyromite
• Smashville (Animal Crossing)
• Pictochat
• Shadow Moses Island (Metal Gear Solid)
• Green Hill Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog)
• Melee stages
  • Bob-Omb Battlefield
  • Yoshi’s Story
  • Kongo Falls
  • Temple
  • Brinstar
  • Fountain of Dreams
  • Corneria
  • Pokémon Stadium
  • Onett
  • Big Blue
  • Castle Siege

Spoiler: 3DS / Wii U

• Battlefield
• Final Destination
• Boxing Ring (Punch-Out!!)
• Gaur Plain (Xenoblade Chronicles)
• Wily Castle (Mega Man 2)
• Pac-Maze (PAC-MAN)
• Miiverse
• Mushroom Kingdom 64 (DLC)
• Hyrule Castle 64 (DLC)
• Green Greens 64 (DLC)
• Suzaku Castle (Street Fighter II; DLC)
• Midgar (FINAL FANTASY VII; DLC)
• Umbra Clock Tower (Bayonetta; DLC)

Spoiler: for 3DS

• 3D Land (Super Mario 3D Land)
• Golden Plains (New Super Mario Bros. 2)
• Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 7)
• Luiginary Works (Mario & Luigi: Dream Team)
• Golden Temple (Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D)
• Spirit Train (The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks)
• Yoshi’s New Island
• Butter Building (Kirby’s Adventure)
• Petalburg Gym (Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire)
• Unova Pokémon League (Pokémon Black & White)
• Arena Ferox (Fire Emblem: Awakening)
• Reset Bomb Forest (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
• Gamer (Game & Wario)
• Tortimer Island (Animal Crossing: New Leaf)
• Duck Hunt
• Living Room (Nintendogs)
• Streetpass Mii Plaza
• Tomodachi Life
• Pilotwings
• Game Boy
• Opera House (DLC)
• Luigi Raceway (Melee)
• Kongo Jungle (64)
• Gerudo Valley (Melee)
• Brinstar (Melee)
• Rainbow Route (Brawl)
• Corneria (Melee)
• Magicant (64)
• Mute City SNES (64)
• Flat Zone (Melee)
• WarioWare, Inc. (Brawl)
• Forest of Hope (Brawl)
• Pictochat (Brawl)
• Green Hill Zone (Brawl)

Spoiler: for Wii U

• Big Battlefield
• Mushroom Kingdom U (New Super Mario Bros. U)
• World Bowser (Super Mario 3D World)
• Comet Observatory (Super Mario Galaxy)
• Cloudtop Cruise (Mario Kart 8)
• Super Mario Maker (DLC)
• Grassland Groove (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze)
• Skyloft (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)
• Pyrosphere (Metroid: Other M)
• Quilty Square (Kirby’s Epic Yarn)
• Orbital Gate Assault (Star Fox: Assault)
• Kalos Pokémon League (Pokémon X & Y)
• Tower of Guidance (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn)
• Palutena’s Temple (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
• Golden Pyramid (Wario Land)
• Garden of Hope (Pikmin 3)
• Wii Fit Studio (Wii Fit)
• Wrecking Crew
• Wuhu Island (Wii Sports Resort)
• Steel Diver
• Nintendo Land
• Windy Hill (Sonic Lost World)
• Dr. Mario (Melee)
• Delfino Plaza (Brawl)
• Luigi’s Mansion (Brawl)
• 25m (Brawl)
• Temple (Melee)
• Bridge of Eldin (Brawl)
• Pirate Ship (Brawl)
• Planet Zebes (64)
• Norfair (Brawl)
• Yoshi’s Island (Brawl)
• Halberd (Brawl)
• Great Fox (64)
• Lylat Cruise (Brawl)
• Pokémon Stadium 2 (Brawl)
• Onett (Melee)
• New Pork City (Brawl) (DLC)
• Casino Palace (Brawl)
• Castle Siege (Melee)
• Flat Zone 2 (Brawl)
• Skyworld (Brawl)
• Smashville (Brawl)

Spoiler: Ultimate

• Normal
  • Battlefield
  • Big Battlefield
  • Final Destination
    • All three of these stages have skins based on their appearances in 64, Melee, Brawl, and Wii U
  • New Donk City Hall (Super Mario Odyssey)
  • Great Plateau Tower (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
  • Melemele Island (Pokémon Sun & Moon)
  • Inkopolis Square (Splatoon)
  • LABO Play Area (Nintendo LABO)
  • Dracula’s Castle (Castlevania)
  • Studiopolis Zone (Sonic Mania)
  • Space Harrier
  • Demon Village (Ghosts ‘n Goblins)
  • Namco Museum
  • Mementos (Persona 5; DLC)
  • Yggdrasil’s Altar (Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age; DLC)
  • Spiral Mountain (Banjo-Kazooie; DLC)
  • King of Fighters Stadium (Fatal Fury; DLC)
  • Garreg Mach Monastery (Fire Emblem: Three Houses; DLC)
  • Ramen Bowl (ARMS; DLC)
  • New Seed (Minecraft; DLC)
  • Northern Cave (FINAL FANTASY VII; DLC)
  • Cloud Sea of Alrest (Xenoblade Chronicles 2; DLC)
  • Infinite Azure (Tekken 7; DLC)
  • Dive to the Heart (Kingdom Hearts; DLC)
• 64
  • Mushroom Kingdom
  • Kongo Jungle
  • Hyrule Castle
  • Planet Zebes
  • Super Happy Tree
  • Green Greens
  • Great Fox
  • Pallet Town
  • Magicant
  • Mute City
  • Meta Crystal
• Melee
  • Bob-Omb Battlefield
  • Peach’s Castle
  • Bowser’s Castle
  • Kongo Falls
  • Lost Woods
  • Temple
  • Brinstar
  • Fountain of Dreams
  • Corneria
  • Pokémon Stadium
  • Onett
  • Big Blue
  • Condor’s Peak
  • Luigi Raceway
  • Dr. Mario
  • Great Bay
  • Gerudo Valley
  • Venom
  • Pokémon Center
  • Sprout Tower
  • Cerulean Cave
  • Dragon’s Table
  • Castle Siege
  • Flat Zone
• Brawl
  • Midair Stadium
  • Delfino Plaza
  • Mushroomy Kingdom
  • Waluigi Pinball
  • Yoshi’s Island
  • WarioWare, Inc.
  • Bramble Blast
  • Bridge of Eldin
  • Notfair
  • Frigate Orpheon
  • Halberd
  • Lylat Cruise
  • Pokémon Stadium
  • New Pork City
  • Casino Palace
  • Summit
  • Melior Garden
  • Skyworld
  • Forest of Hope
  • Smashville
  • Pictochat
  • Shadow Moses Island
  • Luigi’s Mansion
  • 25m
  • Pirate Ship
  • Rainbow Route
  • Spear Pillar
  • Fourside
  • Flat Zone 2
  • Gyromite
  • Green Hill Zone
• for 3DS / Wii U
  • 3D Land
  • Golden Plains
  • Rainbow Road
  • Luiginary Works
  • Golden Temple
  • Spirit Train
  • Yoshi’s New Island
  • Butter Building
  • Petalburg Gym
  • Arena Ferox
  • Reset Bomb Forest
  • Gamer
  • Tortimer Island
  • Duck Hunt
  • Living Room
  • Streetpass Mii Plaza
  • Tomodachi Life
  • Pilotwings
  • Game Boy
  • Mushroom Kingdom U
  • World Bowser
  • Comet Observatory
  • Cloudtop Cruise
  • Grassland Groove
  • Skyloft
  • Pyrosphere (the Ridley from Other M is replaced by Mecha Ridley due to Ridley becoming playable)
  • Quilty Square
  • Orbital Gate Assault
  • Kalos Pokémon League
  • Tower of Guidance
  • Palutena’s Temple
  • Golden Pyramid
  • Garden of Hope
  • Wii Fit Studio
  • Wrecking Crew
  • Wuhu Island
  • Steel Diver
  • Nintendo Land
  • Boxing Ring
  • Gaur Plain
  • Windy Hill
  • Wily Castle
  • Pac-Maze
  • Super Mario Maker
  • Suzaku Castle
  • Midgar
  • Opera House
  • Umbra Clock Tower
• Custom

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Yeah, I think Darkstalkers is more tame than Soul Calibur, which has been one of my favorite fighting game franchises over the years. I think they can easily go one of two routes with these games for Smash: either pick a character that doesn’t have any issues with an E rating from the start or if they choose someone like Ivy or Morrigan, just alter their designs a bit so they can work for an E rating. Same goes for some of my most wanted characters like Etna and Velvet Crowe.

Morrigan would be who they would pick for a darkstalkers rep, i think the issue is more... the fact that her race is about sex lol

I feel like that alone would bump up the age rating of this family friendly fighter.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

What does any of that mean?

It means Super Smash Bros. has an increasing competition. Simple!

 

[chocolatejr9]

It means Super Smash Bros. has an increasing competition. Simple!

I feel "competition" might be a bit generous, given some of those games...

 

[dream1ng]

Morrigan would be who they would pick for a darkstalkers rep, i think the issue is more... the fact that her race is about sex lol

I feel like that alone would bump up the age rating of this family friendly fighter.

Yeah but it doesn't really matter what she is, it matters how she looks
A very empowering message

She doesn't actually... have to have sex in the game. 98% of her attacks aren't even sexual, and if they cover up the cleavage a bit and maybe omit the more suggestive poses, I don't see why she couldn't work. She's been in E and E10 games before.

It would be less of a shift than Bayo got.

It means Super Smash Bros. has an increasing competition. Simple!

 

[Dan Quixote]

: I did not play Crafted World, but you could just take Sunshine Station and turn it into a stage. Out of the areas in the game, it feels like a pretty easy one to make a stage for that would be visually distinct.

Crafted World is a super fun game, but I have to admit Woolly World had a stronger aesthetic. I'd probably just bring that stage back because it looks cute and had a solid but not overbearing gimmick with the floor falling out.

As for stages from new games though, I think it's time for a Salmon Run stage. Splatoon 3 put so much more emphasis on the mode with the big monsters and all the new stages and Big Run and even a role in the story mode. It would be such a chaotic but fun stage.

 

[Perkilator]

Yeah but it doesn't really matter what she is, it matters how she looks
A very empowering message

She doesn't actually... have to have sex in the game. 98% of her attacks aren't even sexual, and if they cover up the cleavage a bit and maybe omit the more suggestive poses, I don't see why she couldn't work. She's been in E and E10 games before.

Wait, seriously?! When?!

 

[Ivander]

Wait, seriously?! When?!

There's the Puzzle Fighter games, which had her and Felicia IIRC and those were rated E.

Also, her cleavage has been covered up by Capcom before.

Spoiler

 

[sal ig]

Which would yall prefer

- ganondorf with still alot of reused moves from falcon but now with float and reflector

or

- a completely new moveset based around ganon from the older zelda titles

So basically would you prefer to keep the iconic ganon we have or a new interpretation of him as a smash character

 

[Laniv]

Which would yall prefer

- ganondorf with still alot of reused moves from falcon but now with float and reflector

or

- a completely new moveset based around ganon from the older zelda titles

So basically would you prefer to keep the iconic ganon we have or a new interpretation of him as a smash character

Define "Ganon from the older zelda titles", because if that means "pig man with big trident and flame bats" I might go for that

 

[Master Hero Sock-on-Rye]

Although I just realized... will there be a scene where the Phantom absolutely roasts Rayman, like he did to Mario in the first game? Imagine if brings up stuff like Rayman 4 or getting replaced by the Rabbids.

Wouldn't be the first time our hair-raising hero got roasted by a Rabbid. I figure that, unlike Mario, Rayman would be borderline offended by the Phantom's insults. I, for one, can't wait to see HIS expressions this time around.

 

[MrMcNuts]

Wouldn't be the first time our hair-raising hero got roasted by a Rabbid. I figure that, unlike Mario, Rayman would be borderline offended by the Phantom's insults. I, for one, can't wait to see HIS expressions this time around.

If he makes at least one roast about Rayman not making it to smash I'll lose my mind (in a good way).

 

[Swamp Sensei]

So, if Smash were to include another retro style character like Ice Climbers or Pit, who would you choose?

 

[Perkilator]

So, if Smash were to include another retro style character like Ice Climbers or Pit, who would you choose?

Personally, I would add Ayumi Tachibana and Takamaru to Melee and Sm4sh, respectively (though this isn’t me denying that they’d be playable in a future game).

 

[SPEN18]

It always depends on what qualifies as retro!

If we're talking "NES-era retro" then Excitebike.

But if non-80s stuff counts (it should), then Golden Sun and Wave Race are top options.

 

[Wonder Smash]

So, if Smash were to include another retro style character like Ice Climbers or Pit, who would you choose?

I say either Bubbles or Takamaru.

 

[smashkirby]

So, if Smash were to include another retro style character like Ice Climbers or Pit, who would you choose?

Sukapon, Goku & Chao, Donbe & Hikari, Mike Jones, Excitebiker, Bubbles, Takamaru, Mach Rider, Mr. Stevenson, Diskun, Fighter Hayabusa, A sports character (the Volleyball Girl, the Ice Hockey team, etc.), Sheriff, Balloon Fighter and/or Alice.

 

[Master Hero Sock-on-Rye]

So, if Smash were to include another retro style character like Ice Climbers or Pit, who would you choose?

I have many options for the next retro-style character:

For completionists' sake? Takamaru, if only because he's been so close to getting in for years. I'd say we give him a legit shot.

For my own sake? Muddy Mole. Mole Mania was one of the first games I actually played, and not just heard about.

If post-NES, pre-2003 characters are elligible? Either Lip or Isaac. Lip is from Panel de Pon, while Isaac is from Golden Sun. Not many users need introductions to these guys.

If I can move the goalpost to its absolute limit? Nester, Captain N, or Team Rocket (Jessie/James/Meowth). Nester had his own Virtual Boy title, Captain N was the first Nintendo crossover event, and Anime!Team Rocket need even less of an introduction than Lip and Isaac.

The best part is, those fourth-party Nintendo characters all debuted before 2003, meaning they technically qualify by this point.

 

[Sucumbio]

So, if Smash were to include another retro style character like Ice Climbers or Pit, who would you choose?

Pitfall Harry!

 

[DarthEnderX]

It's like adding Sub-Zero as an assist trophy, designing his assist trophy to do his iconic spine fatality from Mortal Kombat 1 (the arcade game, not the reboot), but he just punches you in the head instead of doing the full move because that's how you get past the censors.

He should do the one where he freezes you, then shatters you, from the SNES version. That was the better fatality anyway.

Morrigan would be who they would pick for a darkstalkers rep, i think the issue is more... the fact that her race is about sex lol

I feel like that alone would bump up the age rating of this family friendly fighter.

Morrigan is no worse than Bayonetta.

Which would yall prefer
- ganondorf with still alot of reused moves from falcon but now with float and reflector
or
- a completely new moveset based around ganon from the older zelda titles

Neither.

- a completely new moveset based around Ganondorf from TotK.

So, if Smash were to include another retro style character like Ice Climbers or Pit, who would you choose?

Does "like Ice Climbers or Pit" mean it has to be a 1st party D-lister?

If so, King Hippo. If not, Ryu Hayabusa.

 

[fogbadge]

So, if Smash were to include another retro style character like Ice Climbers or Pit, who would you choose?

the urban champion

 

[sal ig]

So, if Smash were to include another retro style character like Ice Climbers or Pit, who would you choose?

If we're talking about characters from 80's/90's

- takamaru

- ryu hayabusa

- sukapon

 

[Gengar84]

So, if Smash were to include another retro style character like Ice Climbers or Pit, who would you choose?

I would go with the Battletoads if I could only pick one but there are lots of characters I’d love to see that originated on the NES or SNES. Here are a few more I’d love to see:

Magus (Chrono Trigger)
Fulgore (Killer Instinct)
Bill Rizer/Lance Bean (Contra)
Sub-Zero (Mortal Kombat - his UMK3 design)
Zero (Mega Man X)
Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong Country)
Guile (Street Fighter)
Knuckles (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Wart (Super Mario Bros. 2)
Bad Mr. Frosty (ClayFighter)

I’m not sure how many of those count as retro since many are still somewhat active but thery all originated a long time ago.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

So, if Smash were to include another retro style character like Ice Climbers or Pit, who would you choose?

Either Excitebiker, Mach Rider, or Takamaru for me. Takamaru I think translates very easily into Smash. Excitebiker meanwhile I think would be super goofy. I also want Mach Rider after the grinch leak.

 

[Gengar84]

Either Excitebiker, Mach Rider, or Takamaru for me. Takamaru I think translates very easily into Smash. Excitebiker meanwhile I think would be super goofy. I also want Mach Rider after the grinch leak.

Do you think Takamaru (or other retro first party character) would get a big redesign like they did with Pit or do you think they’d try to stick as close as possible to their original design? Which would you prefer?