Super Smash Bros Ultimate is a massive monstrosity of a game. With over 70 characters, 900 songs, and 100 stages, the latest Nintendo fighter certainly isn’t wanting for content. But that doesn’t mean we can’t expect some more anyway – after all, four more fighter packs are on the horizon, following the recent release of Persona 5’s Joker.
More characters are on the way, but so are more stages, and let’s be honest, any Smash battle can only be as interesting as the stage you fight on. These are 7 stages that we would absolutely love to see in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
Source: Nintendo Fandom
Gangplank Galleon (Donkey Kong Country)
One of Smash Ultimate’s best music tracks is a remix from Donkey Kong Country 2. It’s a song called “Gangplank Galleon,” posted below for your listening pleasure:
Source: Nintendo Soup
Galar (Pokémon)
Pokémon‘s 8th generation is fast-approaching. It’s the first generation that will be on a home console (alright, hybrid), plus, the first mainline game to be in HD. It’s a massive step for Game Freak, and we expect that Nintendo will market the hell out of Sword and Shield.
So, what’s a better marketing push than a brand new Pokémon stage in Smash Ultimate? We’d expect one of the three starting Pokémon (Grookey, Sobble, and Scorbunny) to be included. But more pertinently, there should also be a stage based on Sword and Shield’s new region: Galar.
Based on the limited footage of Pokémon’s new generation, Galar seems to be based on the English countryside, with traditional cottages and storefronts. That said, the entire map is varied geographically–there are snowy mountains in the north and lake-filled wetlands in the south. It may be hard to tell where a stage could take place. Perhaps, to stay true to the English setting, it could be in a castle or quaint village. Who knows?
Source: Strategy Wiki
Star Hill (Super Mario RPG)
Alright, it’s about time Super Mario RPG got some Nintendo love. And what better way to bring back the classic Square-Nintendo crossover than a stage in Smash Bros?
We’d pine for a stage based off Star Hill, the heavenly cloud-bound city among the stars of the Mushroom Kingdom. This place is emotionally vibrant, and staggeringly beautiful, especially for a SNES game. The deep blue clouds are contrasted by the star flowers, littered over the expanse of the continent. And all this set to an enchanting tune of bells, organs, and xylophones. Listen to it for yourself:
We would kill for a stage like this in Smash Bros. Heck, we would kill for anything from Super Mario RPG in Smash Bros.
Source: Nerdist
Bob-omb Battlefield (Super Mario 64)
C’mon. You know this one has to be a stage.
Bob-omb Battlefield is one of the most iconic video game levels ever, much less, in the Super Mario series. Super Mario 64’s opening stage immediately establishes the world’s theme with a goofy soundtrack and an open level structure. It’s chalk-full of things to do, too! You can run to the top of the mountain and throw king Bob-omb off the edge. You can stomp on the chain chomp’s peg to get a free star. And later, you can shoot yourself through a cannon and fly all over the dang map!
Plus, like the rest of Super Mario 64, Bob-omb Battlefield is so colorfully resonant. The bright green grass and cherry red bob-ombs stand out against the relative drabness of the thwomps and other traps, and Mario’s red suit pops against everything!
Bob-omb Battlefield is wonderful, and frankly, we’re surprised it isn’t a Smash Bros stage already.
Source: Zeldapedia
Clock Town (Majora’s Mask)
So, there’s already Hyrule Castle from Ocarina of Time, but where’s the love for Majora’s Mask? It’s an incredible Groundhog Day-type game, and many people even consider it to be better than its predecessor. There’s already a stage for Great Bay, but that’s not enough. We need another stage!
Majora’s Mask’s opening area, Clock Town, is a village that Link revisits many times over the course of his repeated three-day cycle. There are dozens of charismatic, memorable characters scattered throughout Clock Town, and plenty of rupees to find, if you dig hard enough.
Perhaps in a Smash Bros stage, the fighters could battle atop the clock tower itself. This is where Skull Kid, influenced by Majora himself, summons the moon upon Termina. As the fighters duke it out, the moon could steadily approach in the background, offering both a stage hazard and a point of visual interest. After all, there’s no better time to fight than when a moon is about to crush you!
Source: Kikoskia
Lighthouses (Golden Sun)
Alas, it seems Nintendo no longer acknowledges their long-lost JRPG franchise, Golden Sun. We may never get another game in the series again. However, Isaac, the main protagonist, is still a trophy in Smash Ultimate, so maybe it’s possible Nintendo will give more callbacks. Let’s pretend so!
A prominent element of the Golden Sun series’ narrative is are lighthouses–four of them, in fact. Over the course of the first game, Isaac and crew must traverse the lands of Weyard to prevent villains Saturos and Menardi from turning on these lighthouses, and in the sequel, they must help do the exact opposite: turn the lighthouses on themselves.
So, perhaps these four lighthouses could be used as a stage in Smash Bros. The level could shift from one lighthouse to the next, transforming between the whole gambit as the fighters square off inside. If nothing else, it would certainly be visually interesting, and a great callback to the Golden Sun series.
Source: Mario Kart Racing Wiki
DK’s Jungle Parkway (Mario Kart 64)
Let’s be honest: Mario Kart doesn’t get enough Super Smash Bros representation. Sure, there’s Mario Kart 8’s Mario Circuit, but we feel like there are more Mario Kart games that should get their time in the spotlight. And what better game than the second game in the series, Mario Kart 64?
MK 64 has an original circuit based on the Donkey Kong Country franchise. It’s called DK’s Jungle Parkway, and as you might expect, it takes racers through the crowded jungles of Donkey Kong Island. The track is surrounded by banana-growing palm trees and takes racers across a rickety bridge into a dark cave.
For a stage like this one in Smash, we would expect something similar to Mario Kart Circuit. The battle arena would race along the dirt-brown track, weaving in and out of palm trees and gliding over bridges. It would a great representation of both Mario Kart and Donkey Kong.
Those are our favorites! Do you have any thoughts on would-be Smash Bros stages? Let us know! For more on Nintendo, be sure to read our list of times Nintendo was a little less than family-friendly. And for everything else video games, stay tuned to Culture of Gaming.
