Stage Speculation and Discussion Thread

[RileyXY1]

I don't think Mute City from Melee is coming back. They intentionally avoided putting in stages that were too similar to one another. Planet Zebes was cut because of Brinstar. Flat Zone 1 and 2 were cut because of Flat Zone X. The list goes on and on. The Pokémon Stadiums are an exception because they actually play very differently.

Port Town Aero Dive is already in the game, and it was way too similar to Mute City. I don't see it coming back. There's also the fact that I don't think Nintendo would give Captain Falcon, the only Smash Bros representative of his franchise, more than three different stages dedicated to him. Some characters barely have one stage on their own. Have you seen the Fire Emblem fighter to stage ratio as of now? It's 7:3.

I think that Mute City Melee is coming back because Mute City 3DS is called Mute City SNES. which I think they wouldn't do if it was the only Mute City in the game.

 

[TheTrueBrawler]

They could just be doing it out of the fact that it is a retro themed stage just like Dream Land GBA. I don't think the name of the Smash 3DS Mute City means anything as to whether or not the Smash Melee version is coming back.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Any stage that had a designation like SNES or whatever were either outright DLC at the time or because they was a second stage with the same name. There's no time where it was "because it was retro" in itself. It's far more likely we're getting the Melee version of Mute City.

 

[Thinkaman]

The most likely explanation is that Mute City (Melee) was planned, but cut.

There is no reason to conceal it.

 

[Karp_Guy]

I have a few indie game stages, seeing as Nintendo is showing a bit of indie love in smash with our new assist trophy, Shovel Knight.

Celeste Mountain
A little while ago I got a new game on my switch called Celeste. If you’ve played it you know it’s a great game! After beating it I thought “Man, it would be cool if Madeline was in smash... wait... how would she fight...”. So if no charecter, then how about a stage! Celeste mountain would be a stage where it takes you to different parts of the mountain via floating platforms, like New Donk City and Rainbow Road. It could take you from the abandoned city, to the hotel, to the Mirror Temple. For stage hazards, you could have Mr. Oshoros red evil stress things appear in the hotel, the Part of Madiline could come and wreck Havok on you and your opponents, and those weird eyeball monsters from the mirror temple could show up! And in the background you could see Madiline making her way up to the peak. So while I’m sad that a Celeste fighter won’t happen (I think... I mean duckhunt and villager exist) a stage (or even an assist trophy) would be nice.

The Exploratorium
If the people want a Shovel Knight stage, then most would go straight to the tower or fate. I’m more of a Plauge Knight guy though. The Explodatorium would make a great stage, with many hazards, such as exploding rats, the birds that drop those potions, and Mona showing up as maybe a stage boss! I would love to have this as a stage!

Ok these last two I won’t go into much detail, just the name and series!

Central Parks 2.0 (The Escapist)
The End (Minecraft)

 

[RileyXY1]

I don't think Mute City from Melee is coming back. They intentionally avoided putting in stages that were too similar to one another. Planet Zebes was cut because of Brinstar. Flat Zone 1 and 2 were cut because of Flat Zone X. The list goes on and on. The Pokémon Stadiums are an exception because they actually play very differently.

Port Town Aero Dive is already in the game, and it was way too similar to Mute City. I don't see it coming back. There's also the fact that I don't think Nintendo would give Captain Falcon, the only Smash Bros representative of his franchise, more than three different stages dedicated to him. Some characters barely have one stage on their own. Have you seen the Fire Emblem fighter to stage ratio as of now? It's 7:3.

Another flaw in your argument: Yoshi has four stages and only one fighter.

 

[TheTrueBrawler]

Another flaw in your argument: Yoshi has four stages and only one fighter.

I don't necessarily agree with what they did in giving Yoshi four stages, but they all were highly requested stages. It may have something to do with the fact that Yoshi's Story and Yoshi's Island were tournament legal even before the hazard toggle, and both Super Happy Tree and Yoshi's Island Melee were unique stages. None of them are the case with Mute City. It wasn't tournament legal making it unpopular among the competitive community, and it isn't unique when you're looking at other stage designs.

 

[SmashShadow]

I feel like of the characters we have, these have a good shot at stages:
Tropical Freeze
Planet Robobot, Star Allies, Triple Deluxe, Battle Royale
Sun/Moon, Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon
Samus Returns
X, 2
Fates
Zero

I also fully expect there to be an Arms stage at some point just because there aren't too many recent new Nintendo IP's that have done that well but it's one of them.

 

[Karp_Guy]

Has it been confirmed there are no more stages coming back? Why is everyone assuming that?

I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't be disappointing to not have every stage come back given this "Ultimate", especially when they are so close; I would borderline sacrifice a newcomer or a few Echos. I know that's sad, but that's how much of a completionist I am.

Ya never know with DLC!

 

[Megadoomer]

Has it been confirmed there are no more stages coming back? Why is everyone assuming that?

I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't be disappointing to not have every stage come back given this "Ultimate", especially when they are so close; I would borderline sacrifice a newcomer or a few Echos. I know that's sad, but that's how much of a completionist I am.

I don't think it's been confirmed, but the stages that aren't included as of now are either redundant (ex. Sector Z when we have Corneria), have some sort of featured that worked with multiple screens (ex. Pac-Maze, unfortunately - it's the only explanation I can think of, since Sonic has two stages), or would be very time-consuming to develop. (ex. Orbital Gate Assault, which originally took a year to make)

Even then, there are some weird exceptions, like the Melee version of Mute City. Maybe they figured it was so similar to Port Town that it fell into the same category as Sector Z or Planet Zebes?

 

[Fane]

I'm expecting a new Fire Emblem stage from Fates. Hopefully the Opera House or Hoshido/Nohr Castle since those are both important parts of the storyline. Maybe even something to do with Valla.

Also we'll likely get a stage from Sun/Moon, possibly revealed alongside a Pokemon newcomer. My best guesses would be Aether Paradise, Ultra Space, Altar of Sun/Moon, Mt. Lanakila, or even Po Town.

I don't know if we'll be getting anything from Xenoblade Chronicles X, Star Fox Zero, or other newer games tbh. It's definitely a possibility though.

 

[Thinkaman]

It is explicitly stated in the latest Famitsu column that the dev team's goal was 100 stages, not including FD, BF, BBF, or the practice stage.

The UI layout they went with (10x11) gives us 5-6 spaces for DLC stages on the existing select screen (depending on how practice stage fits in), which is very nice.

 

[RileyXY1]

It is explicitly stated in the latest Famitsu column that the dev team's goal was 100 stages, not including FD, BF, BBF, or the practice stage.

The UI layout they went with (10x11) gives us 5-6 spaces for DLC stages on the existing select screen (depending on how practice stage fits in), which is very nice.

In Smash 4, the DLC stages were sectioned off into their own section, with a tabber to switch between base game stages and DLC stages.

 

[Thinkaman]

In Smash 4, the DLC stages were sectioned off into their own section, with a tabber to switch between base game stages and DLC stages.

Correct, and it was awful, just as it was awful that DLC characters didn't fit on the character select screen for 3DS as well.

It's a smart decision to not repeat the same mistake this time. I really like this stage select screen!

 

[TheTrueBrawler]

So it is safe to assume the remaining spaces on the SSS are going to be DLC. They did good in leaving slot room this time around.

 

[RileyXY1]

So it is safe to assume the remaining spaces on the SSS are going to be DLC. They did good in leaving slot room this time around.

That would mean that there will be only 6 DLC stages, which I doubt.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Just remember that the 3DS had a different SSS before the final version.

So the final version could still be different. It could be centered off, it could be like that because a DLC button is going there later, we might have more stages coming... who knows. The only oddity is Mute City SNES as a stage name, which is the only time they'd ever make a stage named like that without having a similar named stage usable.

 

[nuclearneo577]

I get why there's very few new stages (there is seriously a lot of coverage in terms of stage layouts and number of games represented, although the lack of any kind of home stage for Bowser is still dissipoiting), but I'm still not convinced that we've seen everything;

The Mute City SNES thing is rather odd, I wouldn't be questioning why the Melee stage was missing if it wasn't for the naming since it's very similar to Port Town Aero Dive, but there really is no other reason to refer to the 3DS stage as "SNES Mute City" if there's only one Mute City in the game.

Series with veterans only seem to be getting stages for major new Switch installments that had influence of the main character's appearance in Smash, this sounds overly specific, but it would explain why we got New Donk City Hall and Great Plateau Tower and say nothing from Kirby Star Allies or a stage for King K. Rool.

The other two new stages are for series that have playable characters for the first time, Moray Towers for Splatoon and Dracula's Castle for Castlevania. And I doubt that those are the only two new series with playable characters. If say Isaac and Karate Joe show up without a Golden Sun and Rhythm Heaven stage, that would just be a bad design choice.

And for one more thing that's admittedly a bit of a stretch but does have logic behind it, Vergeben saying that there's something from Minecraft in the game always made me think that it will have a stage. Given that the crossplay thing was really recent and much after the roster was finalized, I imagine that they managed to work a stage into the game at the last minute, since that would represent the game much better then an assist trophy.

All that I'm really expecting at this point is the Melee Mute City, more stages for newcomers from new series, and a Minecraft stage.

 

[Superyoshiom]

I think that Mute City Melee is coming back because Mute City 3DS is called Mute City SNES. which I think they wouldn't do if it was the only Mute City in the game.

I sure hope Mute City comes back. It was one of the rougher looking Melee stages and is due for a makeover.

 

[MacDaddyNook]

Correct, and it was awful, just as it was awful that DLC characters didn't fit on the character select screen for 3DS as well.

It's a smart decision to not repeat the same mistake this time. I really like this stage select screen!

I disagree. I personally do not like this stage select screen at all since it's much too cluttered and counter-intuitive. I prefer the tab system like that used in Brawl which separated the stages between which Smash game they're from.

Ideally, the stages would be organized in individual tabs for 64, Melee, Brawl, 3Ds, Wii U, Ultimate/DLC and Custom. This way everything is neatly organized and easy to find. The stages could also be further organized within their tabs either alphabetically or by the game series they come from for even further ease to locate them. In addition, the thumbnails for the stages can be larger this way so they are easier to see, which majorly helps with those who use the Switch in handheld mode and have a smaller screen.

Plus, then the game wouldn't have to be limited to a mere 6 yet-to-be-revealed or available via DLC stages. Which is a win for everyone.

 

[RileyXY1]

I sure hope Mute City comes back. It was one of the rougher looking Melee stages and is due for a makeover.

Yeah. Since all of the Melee stages have gotten a visual makeover Mute City Melee is gonna look awesome.

 

[MrSmashFour]

Let's talk missing stages - likely reasons why they're cut, and how they could fix the problem.

64:

Planet Zebes
Reason: Too similar to Brinstar.
Fix: We're so close to the ultimate number, just throw it in there - it's not like it'd be hard to create, since they'd only have to touch up Brinstar.

Sector Z
Reason: Too similar to Corneria.
Fix: As above but work off Corneria's template.

Melee:

Mushroom Kingdom
Reason: An inferior version of Mushroom Kingdom 64.
Fix: Just throw it in, wouldn't be hard to make and thus would be a quick n' easy way of adding to the roster.

Poke Floats
Reason: Vertical - vertical stages are unpopular.
Fix: Being able to say "EVERY STAGE EVER IS BACK" would be very popular. Bring it back - use the same models from Melee if it's too hard to get new ones from TPCi.

Mute City
Reason: Too similar to Port Town Aero Dive.
Fix: We're so close to the ultimate number, just throw it in there - it's not like it'd be hard to create, since they'd only have to touch up Port Town Aero Dive.

Icicle Mountain
Reason: Vertical - vertical stages are unpopular.
Fix: Being able to say "EVERY STAGE EVER IS BACK" would be very popular. Bring it back.

Brawl:

Rumble Falls
Reason: Vertical - vertical stages are unpopular.
Fix: Being able to say "EVERY STAGE EVER IS BACK" would be very popular. Bring it back.

Pictochat
Reason: ??? - arguably inferior version of Pictochat 2...?
Fix: Just... bring it back. Can use the same terrain and background as Pictochat 2, and I don't imagine the sketches are hard to create.

3DS:

Pac-Maze
Reason: Relies on multiple screens to function. Ghosts turn blue only on one player's screen after they eat a power pellet.
Fix: Only let one player consume a power pellet at a time (once one player gets to theirs, all others on the screen disappear - or just don't work till the other player's pellet expires - and put the pellet owner's marker (e.g. P1) over all the ghosts so players know only that person is immune to them.

Rainbow Road
Reason: For Smash 3DS, the track was ripped directly from Mario Kart 7 and tweaked, they have no such game to rip the track from on the Switch.
Fix: Spend the time to re-create this stage from scratch, it'll be well-worth it as players have been craving an HD version of the stage for years. Hopefully just didn't meet the deadline and will be in for DLC.

Wii U:

Jungle Hijinxs
Reason: Dual-plane mechanics likely don't function with the Stage Morph option.
Fix: Include it and make it unplayable when using Stage Morph if necessary. A well-liked stage should not be removed purely because of some new flashy gimmick.

Orbital Gate Assault
Reason: Would likely be created from scratch. Took over a year to make for the Wii U version.
Fix: Spend the time to re-create this stage from scratch, we're so close to having every single stage that it'd be worth it. Hopefully just didn't meet the deadline and will be in for DLC.

Woolly World
Reason: ??? - yarn textures were possibly very intricate and hard to recreate for the Switch?
Fix: Spend the time to re-create this stage. We're so close to having every single stage that it'd be worth it. Hopefully just didn't meet the deadline and will be in for DLC.

Pyrosphere
Reason: Ridley appears as a boss, but is now a playable character in the game.
Fix: Make it clear that the boss Ridley is a clone (which it is in the source game) - put a flashing warning in the background before it appears saying "CLONING IN PROCESS" ?

Miiverse
Reason: No longer exists - real-time posts can no longer be displayed during the course of a match as none exist.
Fix: Change the functionality of the stage so that the background messages are just the "greatest hits", if you will. Famous messages such as "Metroid can't roll" or "Nice water".


There ya go and there you have it, those are all the possible reasons and fixes I can think of. I wouldn't lose too much sleep if Miiverse didn't get in, as it always felt more like a gimmick than a stage, but it'd be a crying shame to lose all the others. Pyrosphere is a hard one to justify but I wish they'd find a way.

*gasps for air*

What do you think??

 

[TheTrueBrawler]

Spoiler: Quote

Let's talk missing stages - likely reasons why they're cut, and how they could fix the problem.

64:

Planet Zebes
Reason: Too similar to Brinstar.
Fix: We're so close to the ultimate number, just throw it in there - it's not like it'd be hard to create, since they'd only have to touch up Brinstar.

Sector Z
Reason: Too similar to Corneria.
Fix: As above but work off Corneria's template.

Melee:

Mushroom Kingdom
Reason: An inferior version of Mushroom Kingdom 64.
Fix: Just throw it in, wouldn't be hard to make and thus would be a quick n' easy way of adding to the roster.

Poke Floats
Reason: Vertical - vertical stages are unpopular.
Fix: Being able to say "EVERY STAGE EVER IS BACK" would be very popular. Bring it back - use the same models from Melee if it's too hard to get new ones from TPCi.

Mute City
Reason: Too similar to Port Town Aero Dive.
Fix: We're so close to the ultimate number, just throw it in there - it's not like it'd be hard to create, since they'd only have to touch up Port Town Aero Dive.

Icicle Mountain
Reason: Vertical - vertical stages are unpopular.
Fix: Being able to say "EVERY STAGE EVER IS BACK" would be very popular. Bring it back.

Brawl:

Rumble Falls
Reason: Vertical - vertical stages are unpopular.
Fix: Being able to say "EVERY STAGE EVER IS BACK" would be very popular. Bring it back.

Pictochat
Reason: ??? - arguably inferior version of Pictochat 2...?
Fix: Just... bring it back. Can use the same terrain and background as Pictochat 2, and I don't imagine the sketches are hard to create.

3DS:

Pac-Maze =
Reason: Relies on multiple screens to function. Ghosts turn blue only on one player's screen after they eat a power pellet.
Fix: Only let one player consume a power pellet at a time (once one player gets to theirs, all others on the screen disappear - or just don't work till the other player's pellet expires - and put the pellet owner's marker (e.g. P1) over all the ghosts so players know only that person is immune to them.

Rainbow Road
Reason: For Smash 3DS, the track was ripped directly from Mario Kart 7 and tweaked, they have no such game to rip the track from on the Switch.
Fix: Spend the time to re-create this stage from scratch, it'll be well-worth it as players have been craving an HD version of the stage for years. Hopefully just didn't meet the deadline and will be in for DLC.

Wii U:

Jungle Hijinxs =
Reason: Dual-plane mechanics likely don't function with the Stage Morph option.
Fix: Include it and make it unplayable when using Stage Morph if necessary. A well-liked stage should not be removed purely because of some new flashy gimmick.

Orbital Gate Assault
Reason: Would likely be created from scratch. Took over a year to make for the Wii U version.
Fix: Spend the time to re-create this stage from scratch, we're so close to having every single stage that it'd be worth it. Hopefully just didn't meet the deadline and will be in for DLC.

Woolly World
Reason: ??? - yarn textures were possibly very intricate and hard to recreate for the Switch?
Fix: Spend the time to re-create this stage. We're so close to having every single stage that it'd be worth it. Hopefully just didn't meet the deadline and will be in for DLC.

Pyrosphere =
Reason: Ridley appears as a boss, but is now a playable character in the game.
Fix: Make it clear that the boss Ridley is a clone (which it is in the source game) - put a flashing warning in the background before it appears saying "CLONING IN PROCESS" ?

Miiverse =
Reason: No longer exists - real-time posts can no longer be displayed during the course of a match as none exist.
Fix: Change the functionality of the stage so that the background messages are just the "greatest hits", if you will. Famous messages such as "Metroid can't roll" or "Nice water".


There ya go and there you have it, those are all the possible reasons and fixes I can think of. I wouldn't lose too much sleep if Miiverse didn't get in, as it always felt more like a gimmick than a stage, but it'd be a crying shame to lose all the others. Pyrosphere is a hard one to justify but I wish they'd find a way.

*gasps for air*

What do you think??

Most of the stages that were excluded were excluded for a reason. Bringing most of them back would be bad because they're either too gimmicky, too similar, or impossible to add. There is one unconfirmed stage I think should return for a good reason which I will get into later.

Let me begin by saying that many stages got cut because they're so gimmicky that game play is centered more around survival than combat. This usually is the case with many stages that aren't tournament legal, but this is especially the case with vertical autoscrollers, and extremely dynamic stages. This is most likely why Icicle Mountain, Poké Floats, Rumble Falls, Orbital Gate Assault, and Woolly World were cut, and none of them should return. You could argue that there already are some stages in Smash Ultimate that are too gimmicky such as 75m, Hanenbow, or Pac-Land, but 75m and Hanenbow don't require you to move with the stage just to live. They're constantly stagnant, so you can take your sweet sweet time. My theory about Pac-Land however is they had to give Pac-Man stage representation, and Pac-Maze was impossible.

Some stages likely also were excluded because they are too similar to other stages that are already returning. Those type of stages feel more like a waste of a stage slot if anything. Planet Zebes just has a slightly different platform layout than Brinstar, but the acid still rises which is what the game play on both stages is centered around. Corneria's layout is just a downsized copy of Sector Z, so there's no need for both to return, and Corneria is more iconic. Mute City and Rainbow Road play just like Port Town Aero Dive. The Final Destination like platform moves around and occasionally lands on the track which changes the playing field temporarily. Only one of the three was necessary. And you even stated about how Mushroom Kingdom from Smash Melee is "an inferior version of Mushroom Kingdom 64". An exception to this rule would be if the differences between the stages are so dynamic that they change the way the stage plays majorly. The Pokémon Stadiums are a good example of this exception as both actually returned. The transformations in Smash Melee are just some strange layouts that don't mess with the fighters too much, but they are extremely gimmicky in Smash Brawl and temporarily center game play around the transformation's mechanic, whatever that specific one may be. It's actually why I think the one unconfirmed old stage that should return is PictoChat. The drawings are so different from PictoChat 2 that it actually changes the dynamic of the battle.

The final major reason is that the mechanic is impossible to work with in Smash Ultimate. Jungle Hijinxs conflicts with stage morph because you can fight in the background. Pac-Maze required multiple screens, and the main mechanic is now impossible to add under all circumstances. Also, the Miiverse shut down, so there goes that possibility. You could add them in without the main mechanic, but then they would just be stages with no main mechanic and just become generic stages. They shouldn't be added honestly.

For those reasons, I feel as if the stages you listed off shouldn't return to the game.

 

[Suspicious Squirtle]

Let's talk missing stages - likely reasons why they're cut, and how they could fix the problem.

Pictochat
Reason: ??? - arguably inferior version of Pictochat 2...?
Fix: Just... bring it back. Can use the same terrain and background as Pictochat 2, and I don't imagine the sketches are hard to create.


Jungle Hijinxs
Reason: Dual-plane mechanics likely don't function with the Stage Morph option.
Fix: Include it and make it unplayable when using Stage Morph if necessary. A well-liked stage should not be removed purely because of some new flashy gimmick.


Pyrosphere
Reason: Ridley appears as a boss, but is now a playable character in the game.
Fix: Make it clear that the boss Ridley is a clone (which it is in the source game) - put a flashing warning in the background before it appears saying "CLONING IN PROCESS" ?

Miiverse
Reason: No longer exists - real-time posts can no longer be displayed during the course of a match as none exist.
Fix: Change the functionality of the stage so that the background messages are just the "greatest hits", if you will. Famous messages such as "Metroid can't roll" or "Nice water".

What do you think??

For all the stages I removed, I would love if they came back. However, I understand why Planet Zebes, Sector Z, and Mushroom Kingdom (Melee) were cut.
The others though should have come back, no questions asked--Wii U and 3DS stages especially.

For the ones I left in the quote, here are my thoughts:
-Pictochat: should be (should've been) combined with Pictochat 2, and made into Pictochat X like Flat Zone X. Surely, that wouldn't have been too difficult.
-Jungle Hijinx: The stage morph excuse seems like a cop out to me. Stage morph could just put everyone on the front plain. There's really no excuse if traveling stages work with stage morph.
-Pyrosphere: I like the clone idea. Or they could refer to Boss Ridley as Giant/Giga Ridley since Ridley is playable now and had to be scaled down.
-Miiverse: Archiving posts is the only way this could be brought back, however, this stage couldn't be brought back because they can't archive posts for Simon, Richter, and other new characters to Smash Ultimate.

 

[MrSmashFour]

Most of the stages that were excluded were excluded for a reason. Bringing most of them back would be bad because they're either too gimmicky, too similar, or impossible to add. There is one unconfirmed stage I think should return for a good reason which I will get into later.

Let me begin by saying that many stages got cut because they're so gimmicky that game play is centered more around survival than combat. This usually is the case with many stages that aren't tournament legal, but this is especially the case with vertical autoscrollers, and extremely dynamic stages. This is most likely why Icicle Mountain, Poké Floats, Rumble Falls, Orbital Gate Assault, and Woolly World were cut, and none of them should return. You could argue that there already are some stages in Smash Ultimate that are too gimmicky such as 75m, Hanenbow, or Pac-Land, but 75m and Hanenbow don't require you to move with the stage just to live. They're constantly stagnant, so you can take your sweet sweet time. My theory about Pac-Land however is they had to give Pac-Man stage representation, and Pac-Maze was impossible.

Some stages likely also were excluded because they are too similar to other stages that are already returning. Those type of stages feel more like a waste of a stage slot if anything. Planet Zebes just has a different platform layout than Brinstar, but the acid still rises which is what the game play on both stages is centered around. Corneria's layout is just a downsized copy of Sector Z, so there's no need for both to return, and Corneria is more iconic. Mute City and Rainbow Road play just like Port Town Aero Dive. The Final Destination like platform moves around and occasionally lands on the track which changes the playing field temporarily. Only one of the three was necessary. And you even stated about how Mushroom Kingdom from Smash Melee is "an inferior version of Mushroom Kingdom 64". An exception to this rule would be if the differences between the stages are so dynamic that they change the way the stage plays majorly. The Pokémon Stadiums are a good example of this exception as both actually returned. The transformations in Smash Melee are just some strange layouts that don't mess with the fighters too much, but they are extremely gimmicky in Smash Brawl and temporarily center game play around the transformation's mechanic, whatever that specific one may be. It's actually why I think the one unconfirmed old stage that should return is PictoChat. The drawings are so different from PictoChat 2 that it actually changes the dynamic of the battle.

The final major reason is that the mechanic is impossible to work with in Smash Ultimate. Jungle Hijinxs conflicts with stage morph because you can fight in the background. Pac-Maze required multiple screens, and the main mechanic is now impossible to add under all circumstances. Also, the Miiverse shut down, so there goes that possibility. You could add them in without the main mechanic, but then they would just be stages with no main mechanic and just become generic stages. They shouldn't be added honestly.

For those reasons, I feel as if the stages you listed off shouldn't return to the game.

Thanks for your reply.

I feel as if bringing back similar stages wouldn't be a "waste of a slot", as such stages would be simple to create (just slightly modifying existing stages), much like echo fighters, they wouldn't take up as much dev time as a full-fledged new stage.
As for Mute City and Rainbow Road playing just like Port Town Aero Dive, you could say the same thing for Mario Circuit from Wii U, but that's in.

I gave plausible ways of adding Jungle Hijinxs and Pac-Maze to the game without removing their central mechanics.

I think it's a shame that stages where you play to survive are being cut as they offer a playstyle unique to other stages and could be fun - they really fleshed out the "party game" edge of Smash IMO.

Agreed about Pictochat, I'm actually kinda baffled it's not back, I really don't understand why they cut it. Every other stage I listed has at least one possible explanation I can think of, but this one bemuses me.

Sakurai mentioned recently that the dev team's main goal was to reach 100 stages, so maybe they wanted to stick so rigidly to that total that when it came down to the wire, they had to pick between Pictochat 1 or 2 to add as the final stage. That's really the only thing I can think of... Even then, though, you'd think they'd just combine them and make Pictochat X.

 

[TheTrueBrawler]

Thanks for your reply.

I feel as if bringing back similar stages wouldn't be a "waste of a slot", as such stages would be simple to create (just slightly modifying existing stages), much like echo fighters, they wouldn't take up as much dev time as a full-fledged new stage.
As for Mute City and Rainbow Road playing just like Port Town Aero Dive, you could say the same thing for Mario Circuit from Wii U, but that's in.

I gave plausible ways of adding Jungle Hijinxs and Pac-Maze to the game without removing their central mechanics.

I think it's a shame that stages where you play to survive are being cut as they offer a playstyle unique to other stages and could be fun - they really fleshed out the "party game" edge of Smash IMO.

Agreed about Pictochat, I'm actually kinda baffled it's not back, I really don't understand why they cut it. Every other stage I listed has at least one possible explanation I can think of, but this one bemuses me.

Sakurai mentioned recently that the dev team's main goal was to reach 100 stages, so maybe they wanted to stick so rigidly to that total that when it came down to the wire, they had to pick between Pictochat 1 or 2 to add as the final stage. That's really the only thing I can think of... Even then, though, you'd think they'd just combine them and make Pictochat X.

I did look into Mario Circuit, and what makes that stage different is the central layout. It isn't just a flat stage, but instead has a long platform which can affect how fighters fight. Characters that can make good use of platforms are at an advantage in Mario Circuit's base state, while the opposite is true on the other three stages.

Your suggestion for Pac-Maze while not bad wouldn't feel the same to most people. Even though the ghosts have player tags over their heads, many people, both newcomers and 3DS veterans alike, would still not fully understand that only the one person can eat the ghosts. Also, I think players would be confused if Jungle Hijinxs is the only stage that can't be selected for Stage Morph. If it is their favorite stage, they may be upset about it too.

The thing about survival stages is that they're generally not as fun no matter who is playing them and have a tendency to favor fighters with good recoveries or fast vertical movement over other fighters. Rumble Falls has a speed up mechanic which leaves many heavy fighters like Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Ganondorf behind no matter how prepared they are for the occurrence, and Icicle Mountain is no better. I think Woolly World may still have a chance, but it depends on how much time it takes to recreate and how willing Sakurai is to go over his "100 stage" limitations.

 

[TheFVguy]

If we look at the stage select screen, there are 6 empty slots, meaning there we are most likely getting more stages as we get more character reveals. I highly doubt those spots are reserved for DLC because it isn't like Sakurai to think of DLC while the main game is still in development.
We can even see there a possible new stage when Rathalos from Monster Hunter was revealed, we don't know if this is a stage or a level in Adventure mode. So yeah, in conclusion, we don't have all the stages revealed yet.

 

[RileyXY1]

If we look at the stage select screen, there are 6 empty slots, meaning there we are most likely getting more stages as we get more character reveals. I highly doubt those spots are reserved for DLC because it isn't like Sakurai to think of DLC while the main game is still in development.
We can even see there a possible new stage when Rathalos from Monster Hunter was revealed, we don't know if this is a stage or a level in Adventure mode. So yeah, in conclusion, we don't have all the stages revealed yet.

Yeah. There's obviously going to be new franchises.

 

[CamZilla94]

I really hope Kraid still appears on the Final Destination version of Brinstar Depths.

 

[WertQuadNine]

Let's talk missing stages - likely reasons why they're cut, and how they could fix the problem.

64:

Planet Zebes
Reason: Too similar to Brinstar.
Fix: We're so close to the ultimate number, just throw it in there - it's not like it'd be hard to create, since they'd only have to touch up Brinstar.

Sector Z
Reason: Too similar to Corneria.
Fix: As above but work off Corneria's template.

Melee:

Mushroom Kingdom
Reason: An inferior version of Mushroom Kingdom 64.
Fix: Just throw it in, wouldn't be hard to make and thus would be a quick n' easy way of adding to the roster.

Poke Floats
Reason: Vertical - vertical stages are unpopular.
Fix: Being able to say "EVERY STAGE EVER IS BACK" would be very popular. Bring it back - use the same models from Melee if it's too hard to get new ones from TPCi.

Mute City
Reason: Too similar to Port Town Aero Dive.
Fix: We're so close to the ultimate number, just throw it in there - it's not like it'd be hard to create, since they'd only have to touch up Port Town Aero Dive.

Icicle Mountain
Reason: Vertical - vertical stages are unpopular.
Fix: Being able to say "EVERY STAGE EVER IS BACK" would be very popular. Bring it back.

Brawl:

Rumble Falls
Reason: Vertical - vertical stages are unpopular.
Fix: Being able to say "EVERY STAGE EVER IS BACK" would be very popular. Bring it back.

Pictochat
Reason: ??? - arguably inferior version of Pictochat 2...?
Fix: Just... bring it back. Can use the same terrain and background as Pictochat 2, and I don't imagine the sketches are hard to create.

3DS:

Pac-Maze
Reason: Relies on multiple screens to function. Ghosts turn blue only on one player's screen after they eat a power pellet.
Fix: Only let one player consume a power pellet at a time (once one player gets to theirs, all others on the screen disappear - or just don't work till the other player's pellet expires - and put the pellet owner's marker (e.g. P1) over all the ghosts so players know only that person is immune to them.

Rainbow Road
Reason: For Smash 3DS, the track was ripped directly from Mario Kart 7 and tweaked, they have no such game to rip the track from on the Switch.
Fix: Spend the time to re-create this stage from scratch, it'll be well-worth it as players have been craving an HD version of the stage for years. Hopefully just didn't meet the deadline and will be in for DLC.

Wii U:

Jungle Hijinxs
Reason: Dual-plane mechanics likely don't function with the Stage Morph option.
Fix: Include it and make it unplayable when using Stage Morph if necessary. A well-liked stage should not be removed purely because of some new flashy gimmick.

Orbital Gate Assault
Reason: Would likely be created from scratch. Took over a year to make for the Wii U version.
Fix: Spend the time to re-create this stage from scratch, we're so close to having every single stage that it'd be worth it. Hopefully just didn't meet the deadline and will be in for DLC.

Woolly World
Reason: ??? - yarn textures were possibly very intricate and hard to recreate for the Switch?
Fix: Spend the time to re-create this stage. We're so close to having every single stage that it'd be worth it. Hopefully just didn't meet the deadline and will be in for DLC.

Pyrosphere
Reason: Ridley appears as a boss, but is now a playable character in the game.
Fix: Make it clear that the boss Ridley is a clone (which it is in the source game) - put a flashing warning in the background before it appears saying "CLONING IN PROCESS" ?

Miiverse
Reason: No longer exists - real-time posts can no longer be displayed during the course of a match as none exist.
Fix: Change the functionality of the stage so that the background messages are just the "greatest hits", if you will. Famous messages such as "Metroid can't roll" or "Nice water".


There ya go and there you have it, those are all the possible reasons and fixes I can think of. I wouldn't lose too much sleep if Miiverse didn't get in, as it always felt more like a gimmick than a stage, but it'd be a crying shame to lose all the others. Pyrosphere is a hard one to justify but I wish they'd find a way.

*gasps for air*

What do you think??

I feel like this would unplease more people than excite them. Why have double the odds when hitting random to get two very similar stages? I agree a few of these should have been prioritized, but so many of them would be needless additions

 

[MrSmashFour]

I feel like this would unplease more people than excite them. Why have double the odds when hitting random to get two very similar stages? I agree a few of these should have been prioritized, but so many of them would be needless additions

I could deal with not having Sector Z, Planet Zebes, Mushroom Kingdom, Mute City and Miiverse (though it's still a crying shame being so close to having the ultimate stage number and not quite reaching it) but the exclusion of all the others is sad - regardless of how unfair some of the stages are (looking at you, verticals). Really hope they'll be in for DLC as I don't think there'll be any more core stages.

 

[MacDaddyNook]

In regards to Miiverse, I don't see why they couldn't incorporate an in-game drawing/sharing app like how it's handled in Splatoon 2. Players could go to a mode in the Vault or Games & More option and then select a character to support, post their message, and have it appear in the stage for that character. Splatoon 2 already has this ability where players can post messages/drawing for normal and Splatfest categories (with the latter being further organized into the category of which side that player picked) and the drawings appear in-game as signs and graffiti, so it shouldn't be hard to do the same with Smash.

 

[TheTrueBrawler]

The posts could easily contain spoilers to recent stuff, and they might also be NSFW which shouldn't be acceptable in a game currently given the ESBR rating E10+. I saw these often on the Miiverse back when it was still a thing. I don't think a sequel to such a stage would go over well.

 

[MacDaddyNook]

The posts could easily contain spoilers to recent stuff, and they might also be NSFW which shouldn't be acceptable in a game currently given the ESBR rating E10+. I saw these often on the Miiverse back when it was still a thing. I don't think a sequel to such a stage would go over well.

I understand the concern, people did abuse the stage last time, though it's to be expected when any user-made content is allowed without heavy vetting. I imagine that they were well aware of this back when the Miiverse stage was originally made, and if it didn't bother them then, I don't see it being much concern now.

With that said, I don't see it coming back anyway since to implement the stage, an addition drawing/sharing function must be added to the game which ultimately takes time and resources away from other content. They still could included like Splatoon 2, but it doesn't seem likely.

 

[Mr. Pacman]

Osohe castle from Mother 3 would make a perfect stage tbh

 

[BonafideFella]

All I want is a nice, even number of 106: Rainbow Road returning from 3DS, but revitalizing it to be based on MK8's Rainbow Road.
A stage based on never-represented-before series (Mumbo's Mountain please)
And a stage based on mother%$#!ing Flip Wars, with all the mechanics from that game carried over.

 

[TMNTSSB4]

Rainbow Road returning from 3DS, but revitalizing it to be based on MK8's Rainbow Road.

That would be a no for me...keep the better and beautiful looking MK7 version (plus it’s already able to be ported over to the Switch)

 

[Buzzwole]

I'm still bummed that out of ALL of the places they could have chosen for a Splatoon stage, they picked Moray Towers.

 

[MrRoidley]

Mute City, Planet Zebes or Sector Z not coming back are definitely not related to them "being similar"
Otherwise we wouldn't have:

• Super Happy Tree and Yoshi's Story
• Kongo Jungle 64 and Kongo Falls
• Town & City and Smashville (they're basically the same stage with slightly different backgrounds)
• And to a lesser extent Brinstar and Norfair (same concept but Norfair kicks it up a notch), Dream Land 64 and Green Greens (again same thing here)

About Jungle Hijinxs: if the problem is Stage Morph, 8-player Smash or whatever, treat the cannons as stage hazards, do not put them or the background area in those modes. Many stages did that in Smash Wii U already (Luigi's Mansion, Pyrosphere)

And about the biggest loss ever I guess, Poké Floats: I'm kinda surprised it didn't come back. It was insanely popular, and just like Melee ported over Pokémon Stadium 2 models to make it, they could as well port Pokémon Go ones to remake it this time around

Oh well, I do think many of those missing stages will come in DLC/updates. I know it seems petty to want more after having 103 stages, and the stage selection is no short of awesome, but when you have almost all stages, the ones that are missing stick out like a sore thumb

 

[Fell God]

Mute City, Planet Zebes or Sector Z not coming back are definitely not related to them "being similar"
Otherwise we wouldn't have:

• Super Happy Tree and Yoshi's Story
• Kongo Jungle 64 and Kongo Falls
• Town & City and Smashville (they're basically the same stage with slightly different backgrounds)
• And to a lesser extent Brinstar and Norfair (same concept but Norfair kicks it up a notch), Dream Land 64 and Green Greens (again same thing here)

About Jungle Hijinxs: if the problem is Stage Morph, 8-player Smash or whatever, treat the cannons as stage hazards, do not put them or the background area in those modes. Many stages did that in Smash Wii U already (Luigi's Mansion, Pyrosphere)

And about the biggest loss ever I guess, Poké Floats: I'm kinda surprised it didn't come back. It was insanely popular, and just like Melee ported over Pokémon Stadium 2 models to make it, they could as well port Pokémon Go ones to remake it this time around

Oh well, I do think many of those missing stages will come in DLC/updates. I know it seems petty to want more after having 103 stages, and the stage selection is no short of awesome, but when you have almost all stages, the ones that are missing stick out like a sore thumb

I would gladly blow money on Pokefloats even if it were an obvious cash grab of day 1 DLC and I wouldn't complain. Probably the most important missing stage.