Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Stage Creation Contest (Complete)

[Deleted member]

Retro stages, huh? It got me thinking about Nintendo's large vault of forgotten games. Do I go deep, dig around for some kind of hidden treasure - or do I stay near the surface and work with something people are familiar with? At the very least, I wanted to try my hand at a somewhat unconventional stage. One that bends-- no, breaks the rules, like so many retro games did back then.

With those themes in mind, I weighed my options. Mach Rider, perhaps? Too obvious, and how would it work without being too similar to Mute City 3DS? How about Excitebike? I'm sure someone else will tackle that one. Maybe I could revisit my Balloon Fighter idea? While still pretty cool, we already got a stage based on it. Instead, I settled on a game that never really got the mania it deserved due to seeing the light of day at a bad time.

That said, let me uncover my entry for the week, hailing from Mole Mania:
(If you hadn't figured it out from the bad wordplay)

View attachment 152252

View attachment 152253
In Jinbe Land Underground, the fight takes place in a large, square room. ​

As the stage features walls and ceilings instead of platforms and edges, it is quite similar to traditional fighting game stages. In Smash Bros., however, you win by knocking your enemies out of the ring. How is that even possible here? Well, weaker attacks will have you bounce around from the walls and the ceiling, but strong attacks will --

View attachment 152254
C-crash! With too much damage, you will be sent flying out from the top! ​

Apparently, there's a whole world out there! Who knew Jinbe's farm has such a pretty forest? It's only understandable if you want to spend more time up there - though not everyone is equally happy with your residence. While your foes might dislike you fleeing from the battle, there's someone who dislikes it even more.

View attachment 152256
Get back in the hole quickly, or Jinbe will come out and try to put you six feet under himself!​

The mad farmer Jinbe appears! And my, is he powerful! As you might know, Jinbe can only be defeated by breaking his castle, but since it isn't anywhere near, around you'd better run. Not only does he pack a mean wallop, he really wants to keep his farm in the best shape possible.

View attachment 152257
It seems large iron balls are the best way to keep your farm tidy. Who knew?​

If there aren't any fighter above ground level, Jinbe rolls around large iron balls that fix any holes. We're no scientists, so we're not sure how it does - but hey! What works, works. However, if you get launched into a wall, you crash through the sides too. No iron ball can fix holes underground, so those craters are permanent. In longer battles, you may even get to the point where you can blast your foes out of the sides of the stage! No fight is the same when you're below the surface.

Music
I think it'd be pretty cool to see mash-ups of some of the themes featured in Mole Mania.

1. Forest Theme
2. Pipe Theme
3. Jinbe's Castle Theme + Heading to Level 8 Theme + Final Boss Theme
4. Boss Battle Theme
5. Level Select Theme + File Select Theme
6. Title Theme
7. Cabbage Minigame Theme + Big Cabbage Theme + Saved a Kid Theme
8. Reading Sign Theme + Credits Theme

Notes:

1. Unlocked through reaching 200% in a single fight.
2. Teching is your friend on this stage.
3. The walls staying how they are is a reference to how your tunnels are permanent in the game (unless you reset the level, as far as I know), while holes can get plugged (by barrels or Jinbe - though I felt irons balls were more fun in this case (and easier to create an image for)).
4. I wanted to make a stage that does not only feature a cave of life, but makes it the core mechanic for some super casual fun - and what would be a better fit than a game that's built around being in caves and tunnels? This is obviously not meant as a competitive stage at all. It might drop me a fair few points in the Playability category, but I wanted to do a silly this time around.
5. Obviously not fit for 8 player smash. The size portrayed also is be a bit too small for 4 player Smash, but the images do show what I'm aiming for with this stage without losing readability.
6. I loved the tone of voice of the Smash Dojo, so I attempted something similar. Hope I managed to imitate the style!
7. Mockups made using various parts from Kirby Triple Deluxe, Kirby Star Allies and Donkey Kong Country Returns as well as some stock material. The logo was done in a style similar to how Mole Mania appeared on the 3DS eShop version, with the Smash 4 font. Gotta stay true to that Nintendo style!

For those who might be wondering, I am allowing this stage as an entry. You all know how I don’t allow carbon copies of previous submissions in this contest and while this stage is quite similar to the one Opossum submitted in Round 5 it does enough differently to where I’ll allow it.

 

[Cosmic77]

Aaaand psb123 beat me to it.

I have to say, I do think Opossum's stage "Jinbe's Farm" from the last retro round is extremely similar to the one submitted by splat though. It's probably just a coincidence, but we should really create some guidelines on similar stages for future rounds. I'm afraid that someone might "borrow" some ideas from another stage and sprinkle in a few new ones so they can pass it off as their own.

 

[splat]

Honestly, I just dropped in on page 21 and hadn't really looked back at earlier posts/rounds - I just read the rules on page 1 and rolled with it. This thread is kind of hard to navigate due to long posts and heavy images, so I figured I'd spare myself the effort of reading everything back.

Scrolling back to Opossum's stage I can see the many similarities between theirs and mine, which is weirding me out to be honest (though there's only so much you can do with the burrowing mechanic, I guess). I assure you that this stage was conceived without knowledge of Opossum's Jinbe's Farm.

That being said, I understand completely if you guys decide to drop my entry from the round. I wasn't really anticipating on winning anyway due to lower playability and I'm certain I'll score pretty low on originality now, too I had fun coming up with the stage, so I'm good with whatever call you ultimately decide to make.

Cosmic77 's suggestion of guidelines would be helpful (perhaps even a chronicle), especially for those like me who want to join the contest at a later stage and aren't really familiar with earlier entries.

 

[TKOWL]

So glad I can finally use this stage idea!

Stage Name:
Gyromite

Series:
Gyromite (Robot Series)

​

Description:
Created in 1985 in order to give the NES a toy-like marketing push in America was ROB the Robot. He was a gizmo that would detect light flashes from the television screen as commands to move his claw-like hands up, down, and around. He launched with two games, Gyromite (which came packaged with most ROBs) and Stack-Up (which was sold separately). In Gyromite, player 1 controls Professor Hector as he climbs around a construction site picking up sticks of dynamite before the time goes out, avoiding duck-like enemies called Smicks. Hector is a very limited character, only able to climb up ropes and defend himself with vegetables around the stage. However, by pressing Select, he can input commands to ROB by having him spin gyros and press buttons on the second controllers to raise and lower the red and blue platforms. This functionality was slow and clumsy, which was criticized at the time and even now, but this charming visage allowed Nintendo to meet their goal of marketing themselves with a toy, and ultimately lead to Nintendo's market dominance and business in the game industry to this day. Because of this, Nintendo often admonishes ROB with cameos and even the playable character spot in Smash Bros., but it is extremely odd that ROB is the only playable character without any stage from his own series. This stage will hopefully fix this glaring oversight.

This stage takes place on a modern graphics updated version of the setting of Gyromite, which I always interpreted as being on a construction site and added the feeling of a nighttime city with search lights shining in the back, in order to emulate the NES game's black background. Fighters are put on a rectangular solid platform, with a smaller pass-through platform above it. They are suspended by green ropes, but these cannot be climbed and are merely aesthetic. It's a simple stage, except for the main gimmick: there is a red and blue platform on both sides of the stage extending the fighting space. Professor Hector will be clambering around in the background avoiding Smicks and picking up pieces of dynamite, and will sometimes flash a signal at a giant ROB in the distance. This ROB is hooked up to a Gyromite set, and will do numerous things, from spinning his gyros to placing them on the red and blue switches next to him. When he does so, the red and blue platforms will raise and lower, respectively. The platform shifting usually isn't huge, however, but it has two great effects. If a platform is raised up, it can act as a solid wall and a high point that fighters will have to be aware of. If the platform raises up for a recovering opponent, however, they will have a much harder time reaching back up to the stage as their ledge is much higher up. Inversely, once the other side's platform goes down, recovering opponents will have an extremely easy time getting back to the stage, as the ledge will be right there. With its lowered state, however, a fighter might be waiting there with a smash attack ready to catch them. The red and blue platforms can either raise together or separate from one another, but they will never be in the same position from one another unless they are in their neutral position.

As mentioned before, Professor Hector and Smicks walk around in the background, doing their actions from their base game. The flash of light Hector shines to alert ROB is a light color and, while noticeable, is not distracting to the fight at hand. Sometimes, Hector might pick up plants and chuck it at the Smicks, or the Smicks themselves might defeat Hector, causing to have to respawn. These are all aesthetical and have no effect on the actual match.

Unlockable?: Yes (Unlock R.O.B.)

Music:
Gyromite (Brawl Remix)
Gyromite ver. 2 (New Remix)
Devil World (Combination and remix of all the tracks in the game like Balloon Fight Medley)
Clu Clu Land (Brawl Remix)
Nintendo Sports Medley (A lost track from Brawl)
Excitebike Arena (Mario Kart 8)
Tetris: Type A (Brawl Remix)
First Battle (Joy Mech Fight) (Remix)

 

[Kevandre]

So glad I can finally use this stage idea!

Stage Name:
Gyromite

Series:
Gyromite (Robot Series)

​

Description:
Created in 1985 in order to give the NES a toy-like marketing push in America was ROB the Robot. He was a gizmo that would detect light flashes from the television screen as commands to move his claw-like hands up, down, and around. He launched with two games, Gyromite (which came packaged with most ROBs) and Stack-Up (which was sold separately). In Gyromite, player 1 controls Professor Hector as he climbs around a construction site picking up sticks of dynamite before the time goes out, avoiding duck-like enemies called Smicks. Hector is a very limited character, only able to climb up ropes and defend himself with vegetables around the stage. However, by pressing Select, he can input commands to ROB by having him spin gyros and press buttons on the second controllers to raise and lower the red and blue platforms. This functionality was slow and clumsy, which was criticized at the time and even now, but this charming visage allowed Nintendo to meet their goal of marketing themselves with a toy, and ultimately lead to Nintendo's market dominance and business in the game industry to this day. Because of this, Nintendo often admonishes ROB with cameos and even the playable character spot in Smash Bros., but it is extremely odd that ROB is the only playable character without any stage from his own series. This stage will hopefully fix this glaring oversight.

This stage takes place on a modern graphics updated version of the setting of Gyromite, which I always interpreted as being on a construction site and added the feeling of a nighttime city with search lights shining in the back, in order to emulate the NES game's black background. Fighters are put on a rectangular solid platform, with a smaller pass-through platform above it. They are suspended by green ropes, but these cannot be climbed and are merely aesthetic. It's a simple stage, except for the main gimmick: there is a red and blue platform on both sides of the stage extending the fighting space. Professor Hector will be clambering around in the background avoiding Smicks and picking up pieces of dynamite, and will sometimes flash a signal at a giant ROB in the distance. This ROB is hooked up to a Gyromite set, and will do numerous things, from spinning his gyros to placing them on the red and blue switches next to him. When he does so, the red and blue platforms will raise and lower, respectively. The platform shifting usually isn't huge, however, but it has two great effects. If a platform is raised up, it can act as a solid wall and a high point that fighters will have to be aware of. If the platform raises up for a recovering opponent, however, they will have a much harder time reaching back up to the stage as their ledge is much higher up. Inversely, once the other side's platform goes down, recovering opponents will have an extremely easy time getting back to the stage, as the ledge will be right there. With its lowered state, however, a fighter might be waiting there with a smash attack ready to catch them. The red and blue platforms can either raise together or separate from one another, but they will never be in the same position from one another unless they are in their neutral position.

As mentioned before, Professor Hector and Smicks walk around in the background, doing their actions from their base game. The flash of light Hector shines to alert ROB is a light color and, while noticeable, is not distracting to the fight at hand. Sometimes, Hector might pick up plants and chuck it at the Smicks, or the Smicks themselves might defeat Hector, causing to have to respawn. These are all aesthetical and have no effect on the actual match.

Unlockable?: Yes (Unlock R.O.B.)

Music:
Gyromite (Brawl Remix)
Gyromite ver. 2 (New Remix)
Devil World (Combination and remix of all the tracks in the game like Balloon Fight Medley)
Clu Clu Land (Brawl Remix)
Nintendo Sports Medley (A lost track from Brawl)
Excitebike Arena (Mario Kart 8)
Tetris: Type A (Brawl Remix)
First Battle (Joy Mech Fight) (Remix)

I love the idea of having two separate stages that have HUGE ROB statues. That would be the best, since ROBs are a dying race and they deserve it

 

[Deleted member]

Poll for Round 23 is up. All options from before other than what became the current round are still there. The new voting option is Crossover Stages.

You know how Playstation All Stars Battle Royale had stages that merged two different game series into one? That's the kind of stage this round is for.

Normally I don't allow these in the regular rounds but it is one of a few ideas for different kinds of categories besides just being from a certain series. I'll admit that a lot of those ideas I was going to go for with the extension to the contest, but after realizing my math was off I had to cut most of them out. But Crossover stages remained on the back burner. And now it's an option for the Round 23 poll.

I understand completely if you guys decide to drop my entry from the round. I wasn't really anticipating on winning anyway due to lower playability and I'm certain I'll score pretty low on originality now, too I had fun coming up with the stage, so I'm good with whatever call you ultimately decide to make

I'm actually going to leave that call up to you. It's going to depend on whether or not you want to stick with your current submission or make a new one that might do better. I will say that I think your concerns about your score for your current submission will end up being validated.

 

[Cetus]

Would Tetris be eligible? I'm not sure about it being a Nintendo game, but the theme song appeared in Smash anyways.

 

[TKOWL]

The only thing about a Tetris stage that's questionable is the fact that The Tetris Company owns the rights to Tetris, and their history with Nintendo is a bit rocky. Nintendo hasn't published a version of Tetris since Tetris DS in 2006 (and even then it had a period where its production got halted because of copyright issues), and they later pulled the 3DS Virtual Console release of GB Tetris (although they did air it on the Nintendo World Championships last year). With their license over the rights flip-flopping so much I don't know if Sakurai and his team would want to bother with putting in a stage. I think for the sake of this contest, though, it should be allowed.

 

[Deleted member]

Would Tetris be eligible? I'm not sure about it being a Nintendo game, but the theme song appeared in Smash anyways.

Tetris is allowed for this round. But bear in mind that TheMarioAddict did submit a Tetris stage for fun after Round 5 ended (you can find it on about Page 6) so it may run the risk of being too similar to a past submission to be eligible.

 

[Jamisinon]

Would Tetris be eligible? I'm not sure about it being a Nintendo game, but the theme song appeared in Smash anyways.

If you are worried about Tetris there's always Dr. Mario. Maybe even Yoshi's Cookie if you wanted to get crazy.

 

[Deleted member]

If you are worried about Tetris there's always Dr. Mario. Maybe even Yoshi's Cookie if you wanted to get crazy.

"tl;dr, if you're going to include something from the long standing series you'll have to throw them into some kind of "cycle through multiple games" stage or else it won't count." - Round 22 rules.

 

[Jamisinon]

"Clay Shooting"

Origin: Duck Hunt
Growing up I had the Mario Bros./Duck Hunt 2-in-1 game and I'd put the zapper right up to the TV so I wouldn't have to listen to the dog laugh. My sister loved the Clay Shooting though. It was far more challenging, especially with two clay pigeons. So I'm bringing back Clay Shooting, the better version of Duck Hunt.

Admittedly the blast zone sizes both vertically and horizontally would be the same as what Duck Hunt had in Sm4sh. But no tree to camp and no bush or dog to get in the way of the stage. The base platform would mimic the screen of Clay Shooting in Duck Hunt. It's mostly flat but it has two small slopes on either side. These wouldn't be so steep that that would block you from rolling but they do create a height difference allowing players to get to the slightly lower part of the stage and crouch under potential projectile spam.

Spoiler: Clay Shooting Stage

To keep the stage interesting and keeping in fashion with the mini game that goes on in the duck hunt stage I'm having clay pigeons come out onto the screen. Unlike the original Clay Shooting which had the clay pigeons start in the foreground and shrink in size as they disappeared into the background the clay pigeons now enter from the sides. This prevents them visually getting into the way. They will start up relatively high vertically and glide lower. The speed at which they enter the screen will be relatively slow.

Spoiler: Clay Pigeons

The sides and initial height the clay pigeons enter the stage will be random. But they will be high enough so that they are extremely unlikely to interfere with gameplay when they first enter the screen. Sometimes they will come two on one side, sometimes split. But they will always come in twos. The clay pigeons won't get so low as to come in contact with the stage or get too close to it. The best way to describe what I envision is imagine that red balloon on smashville, the one everyone loves to pop, now imagine two of them enter the screen and move at about the same speed but sink a little bit. You'll get the classic noise of the clay pigeon breaking every time you break a clay pigeon. You'll also get the classic visual explosion and score indicator. The bottom of the screen will show the score and number of clay pigeons hit exactly like the classic Clay Shooting.

You'll of course get the bonus sounds for getting 10 clay pigeons in a row. The background will display this and you'll get that satisfaction of not missing any. You'll want to go out of your way to get the clay pigeons just like that smashville red balloon. It super rarely impacts gameplay but it's always fun to fight over who gets to pop it, almost like it's a smashball.

Spoiler: Perfect

I wanted a stage that was completely competitively viable but still had a fun mini game to it. I think the stage would really fit in with smash, and would be a Duck Hunt stage with less "jank." The clay pigeons would be considered a hazard so with toggle off they wouldn't interfere at all with gameplay.
Music: It would simply be that classic Duck Hunt Theme. Similarly to how Duck Hunt used medley's and classic NES titles Clay Shooting would do the same. Classic tracks from games like World Cup, Jackal, and maybe just maybe NES Batman.

 

[Luminario]

So I thought I might give this a shot. I don't have photoshop or anything, so the images with like 5 lines straight from Paint will look painfully blasé.

Popples (Panel de Pon)​

Right-to-left scrolling stage that travels across all 9 Fairy Worlds of Popples, with a rainbow bridge connecting each one. Each world has hazards unique to it, and the order you travel to them is randomised, though each world is traversed once until all 9 have gone, where it loops back to Lip's Flower World and the world order is randomised once again. Each world lasts for about a minute, with 15-20 seconds on the rainbow bridge. It should be noted that the diagrams are simply a small example of what I'd imagine the stage could do. In reality, a non-stop scrolling stage that stays in each world for about a minute is going to need a bit more than the snippets from Paint I made.

Lip's Flower World
The starting stage. This world is pretty basic, simply a flat stage with a few flower platforms littered around for variety. Pretty much looks like Dreamland 64.

Spoiler

Windy's Cloud World
This world is filled with moving cloud platforms over the bottomless pit. The clouds have various lengths and move back and forth various distances too. A few solid clouds are also littered around the world, allowing for a quick breather between the moving platforms.

Spoiler

curves to the left and right are the hard platform clouds.

Sherbet's Ice World
This snowy world has icy flat plains and snowflake platforms that are slippery to walk on, broken up by snowy rolling hills with the odd breakable snowman in it. The snowflake platforms move either left or right, but unlike Windy's platforms they don't go back and forth. Think generic snow stage set at night with light snowfall and aurora in the background.

Spoiler

Light blue is the icy terrain, dark blue is snow.

Thiana's Forest World
This world has fighters in extreme close quarters. The tree branches create a sort of maze that makes it difficult to spread out. throughout the hard platform maze are some soft platforms you can pass through and breakable vines that block your path. You know the wooden maze type levels from the Kirby games? This world looks like that.

Spoiler

double brown line is the hard platform with single line as the soft. lime green is the breakable vines, curved line to the right is a funnel to push all fighters through a chokepoint.

Elias' Water World
This world is filled with flowing water that pushes fighters around, similar to Distant Planet's rain river effect. Waterfalls littered around the area push fighters down, making it hard to gain any sort of height on a jump.

Spoiler

The light blue shows the flowing water. to the left is the water pushing towards the pit and to the right is the waterfall that weights fighters down.
Has this type of aesthetic

Ruby's Jewel World
This sparkly area has jagged jewels that poke out, injuring fighters if they touch them. These hazards poke out of large jewel walls that can be on both the top and bottom of the stage, and can mess up killing opponents since they can bounce right off them. Sharp jewels also float around the stage, creating even more hazards to avoid. Looks like a jewel encrusted cave with a lotta purple for the platforms.

Spoiler

Red shapes are the sharp gems.

Flare's Fire World
This scorching section has magma flows and eruptions all over the place. The lava is in small pockets on the ground, filling all the bottom blast zones, and the eruptions are timed, which can help fighters avoid being damaged and even get a stylish kill on an opponent. Around the centre of the stage is a huge pool of lava with a small platform that moves along with the stage, and fighters are required to fight for control of this platform so that they don't end up in fiery hell off to the sides. Typical volcanic stage aesthetic.

Spoiler

Arrow represents the time eruptions and red lines show lava. Brown platform to the right is the boat along the lava.

Neris' Sea World
This world takes place in an underwater cavern. The main hazard to watch out for in this world is deep water, as it encompases most of the floor of this world. Coral sticks out from the wall behind to save fighters from a watery grave, but some of the coral is breakable and some gives way if a fighter stands on it too long, letting them fall into the sea below. hard platforms break up the deep water every so often.

Spoiler

The pink lines are the regular coral platforms, the blue are the ones that give way after a second, and the green are the breakable ones. Deep blue like is the deep water.
Looks like this in-game

Seren's Moon World
The final world in this description takes place on glittering star platforms in front of a beautiful starry sky. The main hazard here are gravity shifts, which periodically activate and lighten every fighter, similar to the Flying part of Pokemon Stadium 2. Large and slowly rotating stars are also set throughout the world, with a large crescent moon that blocks the way facing right before tipping like a see-saw to the left, letting the fight continue on.

Spoiler

The rotating star and the see-saw moon both shown here.
Has this aesthetic all over.

Music
Lip's Theme (Brawl Remix)
Flare's Theme (Original)
Sherbet's Theme (Remastered Version)
Neris' Theme (Original)
Evil Minion's Theme (GC Version)
The Place where Evil Sleeps (Remix)
Panel de Pon Medley

 

[Kevandre]

In the last two days I've created hella stages to prepare for the frontrunners... lololol

 

[Cetus]

Ice Hockey (NES Sports Series)​

Origin: Ice Hockey for the NES

For a stage, I looked towards the NES sports series to find something interesting and the most prominent one was the game called Ice Hockey released in 1988. It's a simple but important game in Nintendo's history, helping kickstart Hideki Konno's career. So, to represent this, I made a stage that would incorporate a few vague elements from the original game while still being a viable stage to fight in Smash.

(The image linker isn't working for some reason so here's the stage. https://imgur.com/a/jF4hFRO)

This stage would have everyones favorite... ice physics. But here, I don't think it'd be much of a problem because it's a flat stage and you can use the added momentum to your advantage, unlike a platforming ice stage where you have to be extremely precise with every jump. As for the hockey elements I talked about earlier, this stage would also have a hockey puck in the middle that has a hitbox. Players can use attacks on this puck to send it across the ice and towards the opponent for a small bit of damage. And if they manage to score, the puck will disappear, the player scores a goal, and it reappears after a few seconds. The goal has no real benefit to it, but it keeps in the spirit of the original game.

Unlock: Beat 5 enemies on stages with ice physics.
Music: Ice Hockey Main Theme (Remix), Summit,

First time doing this so I don't expect much. But I just want to get into the rhythm of things at least.

 

[Guh-Huzzah!]

First time doing this so I don't expect much. But I just want to get into the rhythm of things at least.

I'm not gonna tell you what you scored, but you didn't do bad. so don't worry.

 

[GolisoPower]

Stage Name:
Excitebike Track

Origin:
Excitebike

Gimmicks and hazards:
Bumps in the track

Description:
Here in the starting line of this round is the Excitebike Track, the main setting of the Excitebike game and a track in Mario Kart 8/Deluxe. The stage has two layers like Jungle Hijinx, but the way you access the other layer is by the curves in the track, which is the only thing the players can stand on. In the straight parts of the stage are ramps of different shapes and sizes that can be used as scaling platforms, and are placed differently every time this stage is selected. You can KO opponents like a normal stage, but since the track itself is the only thing accessible, walk-offs are impossible.

Unlockable?:
Yes. KO 10 opponents with the Wario Bike.

Music:
Excitebike Medley
Excitebike Arena (Mario Kart 8/Deluxe)
Big Blue (F-Zero)
Mute City(F-Zero)
Mario Kart 8 Medley
Hyrule Circuit (Mario Kart 8/Deluxe)
Splattack! (Splatoon)
Animal Crossing Circuit (Mario Kart 8/Deluxe)

 

[PeridotGX]

Exitebike

Exitebike is a classic game released as a lunch title for the NES. It's a simple racing game that came almost 10 years before Super Mario Kart! In SSB, it appears as a mix of it's NES and MK8 appearances. It's layout, like in MK8, is randomized out of a few elements: Hills for elevated platforms, Mud that slows you down, exetera.

About 45 seconds into the track, the stage scrolls to the right. This loads a new layout at random. This Stage is usable in 8 player Smash. The hazardless version of the stage only has 1 hill in the center and doesn't scroll. This stage is unlocked by winning 8 matches with either Captian Falcon or Diddy Kong

Music

Exitebike Arena
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHQwAjB9DMI

Mute City SSB4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyJaZIW-le4

Main Theme (Super Mario Kart)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGuXIKPjwq4

Title Theme (Diddy Kong Racing)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwU_WueGQQM

Famicom Grand Prix music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAcAZWIrGTg
​

Notes: This stage was a long time coming. I considered it for the OG Retro Round, I considered it for Mario Kart, I even considered it for the FFA round. Still, I'm not satisfied with how it turned out, especially because the idea was already taken. I need to stop procrastinating and make the stages ASAP, if not make them in bulk early on.

 

[Deleted member]

Reminder that Round 22 ends tomorrow.

 

[splat]

I'm actually going to leave that call up to you. It's going to depend on whether or not you want to stick with your current submission or make a new one that might do better. I will say that I think your concerns about your score for your current submission will end up being validated.

I don't really care for the lower scores, but I noticed I was really peeved about looking like I copied Opossum's earlier submission, so I went back and worked on one of the stages I planned way back in 2014/2015:

(Yes, I know we have a Balloon Fight stage already, but this one's different - like how both Summit and Icicle Mountain are based on Ice Climber)

​

As I've only had the last couple of hours (busy work schedule) it's hardly polished, but since the deadline is coming up I kind of had to finish it now. Instead of creating multiple images that show various elements of the stage, I decided to put it all in one image and label them seperately. It may a bit much to take in at once, but hopefully I managed to explain everything properly.

In this case, I wanted to make a scrolling stage without any of the issues I usually have with scrolling stages.

A: THE SAFETY NET
The main platform of the stage is a large net that's being held up by a couple of balloons. Offset against the backdrop, it seems like it's floating up slowly, and drifts back and forth ever so slightly. It's curved just a bit to be noticable, but not enough to be annoying.

B: ON THIS ISLAND I LAND
As the main platform is drifting upwards, it passes by a bunch of tiny, floating grass islands. You can land on them, as DK so kindly demonstrates, but don't stand on there for too long, or you might miss your ride (and find yourself outside the blast zones, too)!

C: AN AIR FIGHTER, ARE YA?
Every now and then, a Balloon Fighter passes by. They move in a bouncy pattern, flapping their arms wildly before gaining height. If you try to land on their balloons, they'll pop and you bounce off, as Roy so kindly demonstrates! After both of their balloons have been popped, they'll plutting to the ground. Poor guys! Bump into them from the bottom end and get a couple of percent's worth of damage.

D: CLOUD STRIFE
Better watch out, as sometimes a thunder cloud will drift by instead of a grass island. Get too close and -- ZAP! You'll be in a world of hurt, as Wario so... kindly... shows us?

Music
Balloon Kid - Stage 1 & 5
Balloon Kid - Credits + Stage 2
Tingle's Balloon Fight - Night Theme
Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love - Train To Everywhere
Nintendo Land - Balloon Trip Breeze
Sky Skipper - Theme
Kuru Kuru Kururin - Opening
Kuru Kuru Kururin - Cloud Land
Pushmo World - Mallo's March

Notes:

1. Again, there are some scale issues for readibility. The main platform is a bit too cramped, for example.
2. Unlocked by getting 10 star KO’s on Balloon Fight.

 

[Deleted member]

Alright guys, Round 22 is officially closed. See you on Sunday with the grades for it.

 

[Guh-Huzzah!]

Just wanted to go ahead and say, I'm Blips, The 3rd Judge, Ya Know. Just got a name change, so I Just thought I'd let you all know.

(On a side note, Looks like Smaller Mario Games is gonna win. I Pray Wario Land counts as a Smaller Mario Game. I love that series.)

 

[Deleted member]

Just wanted to go ahead and say, I'm Blips, The 3rd Judge, Ya Know. Just got a name change, so I Just thought I'd let you all know.

(On a side note, Looks like Smaller Mario Games is gonna win. I Pray Wario Land counts as a Smaller Mario Game. I love that series.)

You uh, do see the Yoshi and Wario option in the poll right

 

[splat]

You uh, do see the Yoshi and Wario option in the poll right

What games are considered to be smaller Mario games? I noticed Mario Platformers, Mario RPG's and Mario Kart rounds have been held previously. Does that mean that the following are considered eligible?

• Mario Sports games
• Mario & Sonic games
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong
• Mario Party
• Marioverse titular games (Super Princess Peach, Luigi's Mansion, etc.)
• Mario themed games (Picross, Fortune Street, Puzzles & Dragons, etc.)
• 'Retro Mario games' (Mario Paint, Mario CDi games, etc.)
• Super Mario Run
• EDIT: and Mario + Rabbids, of course

Or are any of these considered ineligible (or being held for a later round)? I would like to do some research before starting work on something.

 

[Deleted member]

What games are considered to be smaller Mario games? I noticed Mario Platformers, Mario RPG's and Mario Kart rounds have been held previously. Does that mean that the following are considered eligible?

• Mario Sports games
• Mario & Sonic games
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong
• Mario Party
• Marioverse titular games (Super Princess Peach, Luigi's Mansion, etc.)
• Mario themed games (Picross, Fortune Street, Puzzles & Dragons, etc.)
• 'Retro Mario games' (Mario Paint, Mario CDi games, etc.)
• Super Mario Run
• EDIT: and Mario + Rabbids, of course

Or are any of these considered ineligible (or being held for a later round)? I would like to do some research before starting work on something.

Mario Party is the only one of those not to be eligible since it has it's own category. Everything else you listed applies to Smaller Mario Games.

 

[Guh-Huzzah!]

You uh, do see the Yoshi and Wario option in the poll right

That's why i said "pray"

Anyway, Good luck on the grades guys!

splat Dangit, I want a Mario CDI Stage now, xD I'd love to see fighters battle on MS Paint.

 

[Kevandre]

That's why i said "pray"

Anyway, Good luck on the grades guys!

splat Dangit, I want a Mario CDI Stage now, xD I'd love to see fighters battle on MS Paint.

Well for some reason Smashboards isn't allowing images right now. But I posted a picture of Pac Land from Smash 4

 

[Guh-Huzzah!]

Well for some reason Smashboards isn't allowing images right now. But I posted a picture of Pac Land from Smash 4

Ah, yes yes. How could i forget? The horrible stage also complements how horrible MS Paint is.

 

[Deleted member]

And here I was ready to get started posting the Round 22 grades, but image sharing isn't working right now -_- can someone let me know when it gets fixed?

 

[splat]

I don't know, I just managed to post an image without any issues (for completeness' sake: a PNG image hosted on Imgur).

 

[Guh-Huzzah!]

And here I was ready to get started posting the Round 22 grades, but image sharing isn't working right now -_- can someone let me know when it gets fixed?

If you see an image of a hot, sexy man. that means it's working.

(Yes, it's working)

 

[Guh-Huzzah!]

@psb123 Hey, ya there? not sure if you got the message of me telling you it's up.

 

[Deleted member]

@psb123 Hey, ya there? not sure if you got the message of me telling you it's up.

Don't worry. I got your message. I just haven't been in a position for a bit where I can actually type up the grades. Give me about a half-hour and I should be able to get started.

 

[Guh-Huzzah!]

Don't worry. I got your message. I just haven't been in a position for a bit where I can actually type up the grades. Give me about a half-hour and I should be able to get started.

Ah ok. Thought ya had them already, sorry.

 

[Deleted member]

Time for Round 22 grades!

psb123's grades:

Eclair Palace be Kevandre

Iconic Status: 3/5

Oh lack of exposure overseas, how you hinder games on Iconic Status. At least Prince Sable himself does have an assist trophy.

Originality: 9/10

Simple but effective. The spiked tops and their (very much appreciated) limitations is a new idea. At least I don't recall ever seeing it before. I also like how the witch whatchamacallit (witchamacallit?) punishes campers.

Playability: 7/10

The layout needs some work. Those platforms are raised up too high to make recovering from the edge as accessible as it should be.

Overall Score: 19/25

Gyromite by TKOWL

Iconic Status: 5/5

I don't really see how you couldn't call R.O.B. recognizable at this point. And considering this is one of only two games he worked with I think this stage speaks for itself.

Originality: 10/10

Well this is pretty much everything that goes on in a game of Gyromite with a few aesthetic touches that really give the stage some character. Most notably Professor Hector and the Giant R.O.B.

Playability: 10/10

Was a tad concerned at first about the ways the red and blue platforms affect recover. But given how this stage seems to emulate the slow moving nature of Gyromite I think players will have an easy enough time figuring out when the platforms will move.

Overall Score: 25/25

Clay Shooting by Jamisinon

Iconic Status: 4/5

It's very often paired up with the good old game of Duck Hunt and while this one doesn't stand out as much at it's partner there's still a lot of people who know what it is.

Originality: 7/10

While being almost the exact same layout as Duck Hunt from Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U, and yes, Smash Ultimate is the stages only problem here it is still a decent one. I do think you could have used the gimmick you were going for with a different kind of layout. At the very least it could have received a modern day visual upgrade like what Wrecking Crew got.

Playability: 10/10

I am glad I can at least say this stage is perfectly playable. The reason I am so glad for that is the effort you put into making it so. Clay Pigeons coming in from the sides sounds way better than from the foreground.

Overall Score: 21/25

Popples by Luminario

Iconic Status: 2/5

I wish I could give this a higher score but it's confusing branding across multiple regions leaves me with little choice.

Originality: 8/10

This kind of game is really easy to just make a "blocks falling from the sky" stage and call it a day. So I'm glad you changed things up a bit by making it a scrolling stage. But scrolling from right to left is, quite odd. I can't decide if that would throw too many people off or not. At the very least it would probably take some getting used to.

I also think the time spent in the worlds and on the bridge could be a little shorter. I do like how it's randomized and I know that it's not realistic to expect it to go through every world every match. But maybe 30 seconds in each world and 5 seconds on the bridge would have been a better route.

Playability: 6/10

Most of the worlds have hazards that are a decent hindrance to a comfortable fight. And they're the kind that are only made worse on scrolling stages.

Overall Score: 16/25

Ice Hockey by Cetus

Iconic Status: 3/5

Sports games based on real world settings are so weird in this area. Some people like them, some people don't bother giving the time of day. I supposed the NES era gave them a bit more ground to stand on but I think middle ground is the way to go here.

Originality: 10/10

The stage is pretty bare bones but it does have a layout that's very fitting for the source material. This is a bit of an odd one to grade but I settled on a perfect score because I feel like it would have detracted too much from the game it's based on if you tried too many crazy things.

Playability: 7/10

I don't like walk-offs and this stage sounds very much like it has those. Which sounds even worse because of the Ice Physics.

Overall Score: 20/25

Excitebike Track by GolisoPower

Iconic Status: 5/5

Old school hits of the NES era hardly get more iconic than Excitebike

Originality: 2/10

Going to be honest here. The only parts I really understand are the Dual planes and layout changing each time you select the stage. Both are gimmicks that have been used before (and the dual plane gimmick isn't even good) and anything else I can even grasp any sense of understanding on makes this just seem like an annoying stage to play on.

Playability: 1/10

Likewise here the small bits of this I can understand just don't very functional.

Overall Score: 8/25

Excitebike by PeridotGX

Iconic Status: 5/5

Same reason I gave GolisoPower

Originality: 10/10

We have seen the random layout thing before on Super Mario Maker. But this stage always start outs the same and then goes into a random scrolling layout. That's a very creative twist on the idea and something about scrolling through an Excitebike tracks just sounds like it meshes well with the source game.

Playability: 8/10

Sadly can't award this full points without an idea of what some of those scrolling layouts are.

Overall Score: 23/25

Balloon Flight be splat

Iconic Status: 5/5

Balloon Fight is one of those NES era hits that's hard to top in terms of recognition

Originality: 10/10

Not going to lie. This seems more faithful to the Balloon Trip game from Nintendo Land than anything. But considering that was both inspired by and expanded on the idea of Balloon Fight I'd say it works out.

Playability: 10/10

Hazards are there sure. But they're the kind that can avoid well enough under most circumstances and aren't a super big hindrance in the first place. This stage would certainly be more bland without them so I don't see a reason to take off points.

Overall Score: 25/25

Cosmic77's grades:

"Éclair Palace" by Kevandre:

Iconic Status: 2/5

Prince Sable has an Assist Trophy. I'm sure that boosted his popularity a little in Japan, but I don't think it did much for him overseas where his game was never even released.

To be honest, not many people will know what this place is supposed to be.

Originality: 7/10

The concept stays true to the game, but I don't think it's enough to make people want to choose this stage over others. I know this is a common complaint from me, but I really would've liked to have seen a little more in the stage. Maybe some background characters or something?

Playability: 8/10

The palace spikes and the witch cause you to get a few points deducted, but your stage isn't unfair or crazy with hazards.

Overall Score: 17/25

"Gyromite" by TKOWL:

Iconic Status: 4/5

Not exactly a well-known classic like Duck Hunt or Balloon Fight, but it's still got enough to its name to be remembered.

Originality: 9/10

It's a simple but charming gimmick. I like how you managed to incorporate it into your stage while staying true to the game. The background of your stage also seems like it would be visually pleasing.

Playability: 8/10

Those ledges can cause a problem for characters with awful diagonal recoveries. Donkey Kong would struggle here.

Overall Score: 21/25

"Clay Shooting" by Jamisinon:

Iconic Status: 5/5

The game looks exactly like Duck Hunt. That's your first hint. Then Duck Hunt (the character) uses a disk from this game in his moveset. That's your second hint.

Originality: 5/10

Don't get me wrong, I actually love the idea. It's just that this stage basically uses the same concept seen in Duck Hunt (the stage). Not entirely original.

Playability: 10/10

Can't find anything that would pose as an issue.

Overall Score: 20/25

"Popples (Panel de Pon)" by Luminario:

Iconic Status: 2/5

Another Japan-exclusive game. Even with Lip's influence in Smash and it's fanbase, I can't see many people recognizing this stage.

Originality: 10/10

I had to picture the backgrounds in my head, but the various layouts you came up with look interesting. I think they should keep the battles here fresh and interesting.

Also, I like the breakable snowman. Don't know if it has any effect, but I thought it was a nice touch.

Playability: 7/10

Lots of hazards and bottomless pits in your stage. None of them are extreme, but I do think they can pose as a challenge to matches with multiple players.

Overall Score: 19/25

"Ice Hockey (NES Sports Series)" by Cetus:

Iconic Status: 3/5

A bit more obscure than other NES games, but it's not completely unknown. At least it isn't Japan-exclusive.

Originality: 7/10

At first, I felt like you were trying to copy the same gimmick used in Duck Hunt, but it does seem to be a little bit different. Aside from this being a completely different genre, the fact that the puck can damage someone is unique.

Playability: 9/10

Deducting a point for ice physics, but everything else is fine.

Overall Score: 19/25

"Excitebike Track" by GolisoPower:

Iconic Status: 5/5

Heck, it even got a track in Mario Kart.

Originality: 6/10

I like what you came up with, but I wish you would've expanded a bit more on the theme. Maybe have Excitebikers occasionally go off the ramps and to tricks, causing damage to anyone who hits them?

Playability: 3/10

I'm sorry, but the layout of your stage has me extremely confused. It might have been better to just make one long layer with four ramps instead.

Overall Score: 14/25

"Excitebiker" by PeridotGX:

Iconic Status: 5/5

Same thing I said with the stage above yours. Excitebiker is pretty iconic.

Originality: 7/10

I like the use of the mud, and making this a side-scroller was a good idea. However, really wish you would've done more to make this feel like a race track. You have to add the Excitebikers, even if they're just a background element.

Playability: 10/10

Not much to nitpick on except for the mud, but it seems like its effects on a battle will be minimal.

Overall Score: 22/25

"Balloon Fight" by splat:

Iconic Status: 5/5

Well, it's already got one stage in Smash. What's another gonna do?

Originality: 10/10

I would love for this to be a real stage. Smash's top to bottom scrolling stages haven't been the best, but this seems like something that could actually work. It's not too fast-paced since the safety net always stays in the same place, and the various islands provide extra footing.

Playability: 7/10

More than a few hazards on this stage. None of them are bad enough to ruin the stage, but they aren't exactly minor either.

Overall Score: 22/25

Mr. Cotton's Grades:

Kevande’s Eclair Palace
Iconic Status: ⅗
Being a Japan exclusive really diminishes your score, but...Prince Sable already having an assist trophy, I’ll cut you some slack.

Originality: 10/10
Never would have thought of this stage. And adding the witch guy...person...thing. Is a very creative way to avoid camping.

Playability: 10/10
This stage feels just too perfect. The punishment for camping and the spikes hitbox being at the top and not the sides really makes this stage feel fair.

23/25

TKOWL’s Gyromite

Iconic Status: 5/5
Gyromite is one of the more iconic NES titles!

Originality: 10/10
The setting feels like it’s straight from Gyromite. And i love it.

Playability: 7/10
Well, it feels playable. But it sounds very complex…

22/25

Jamisinon’s Clay Shooting

Iconic Status: ⅘
Not the most iconic title, but it’s up there.

Originality: 2/10
This feels like a rehash of the Duck Hunt stage if I’m going to be honest.

Playability: 10/10
I don’t see how anything could interfere with the battle.

Score: 16/25

Luminario’s Popples

Iconic Status: ⅕
I have never heard of this game in my life.

Originality: 10/10
This feels like a fun stage to play on! I love travelling stages and the hazards and such feel unique and fun.

Playability: 10/10
It has some hazards, yet the seem to be fair!

Score: 21/25

Cetus’ Ice Hockey.

Iconic Status: 5/5
No matter what console or era your looking at, Sports Titles are always iconic.

Originality: 10/10
You really made this stage feel like a game of hockey. And it feels fun and unique.

Playability: 7/10
I can see the ice physics really messing up matches for fighters with good ground game, and just for fighters in general

Score: 22/25

Goliso Power’s Excitebike.

Iconic Status: 5/5
Excitebike is one of the most popular NES titles!

Originality: 10/10
Very original stage!

Playability: 3/10 What?! I might have just interpreted this wrong. But this is what i got out of your description.
Here in the starting line of this round is the Excitebike Track, the main setting of the Excitebike game and a track in Mario Kart 8/Deluxe. The stage has two layers like Jungle Hijinx, but the way you access the other layer is by the curves in the track, (So, by walking off the stage like Balloon Fight?) which is the only thing the players can stand on. (Then why do we see players standing on the ramps?)In the straight parts of the stage are ramps of different shapes and sizes that can be used as scaling platforms, (But you said you couldn’t stand on them) and are placed differently every time this stage is selected. You can KO opponents like a normal stage, but since the track itself is the only thing accessible, (So...can you or can you not walk on the track?) walk-offs are impossible.

18/25

Peridot GX’s Excitebike.

Iconic Status: 5/5
Once again, a very iconic NES title!

Originality: 10/10
I was going to take off points for copying Goliso Power, but psb123 told me you've had it in mind for a while now. So you should thank him for letting me know that xD

Playability: 10/10
The stage seems really fair, and nothings overpowered or broken.

25/25

Splat’s Balloon Flight

Iconic Status: 5/5
Another iconic NES title! You all are doing good on the Iconic Status!

Originality: 9/10
I usually would’ve taken off more points, but this stage is so different compared to the normal Balloon Fight stage that I’ll only take off one point.

Playability: 10/10
Gosh. I’m imaging how fun this stage would be. This is honestly a perfect example of what scrolling stages should be.

24/25

Total Scores:

Kevandre: 59 points

TKOWL: 68 points

Jamisinon: 57 points

Luminario: 56 points

Cetus: 61 points

GolisoPower: 40 points

PeridotGX: 70 points

splat: 71 points

The Winner is..............
Balloon Flight by splat

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!​

 

[Kevandre]

Congrats to splat - well deserved!

 

[Guh-Huzzah!]

Congrats everyone! hope you all had fun making these stages. I had fun grading them!

 

[Cetus]

Whoo! This was fun. Congrats to everyone ^^

 

[Guh-Huzzah!]

Whoo! This was fun. Congrats to everyone ^^

You should do more of these. I liked your stage, Very creative.

 

[GolisoPower]

Yeesh. Did worse than my Mario Kart stage. :/

But congrats to splat for his Balloon Fight stage.