The Eleven Stages I Want In The Next Super Smash Bros.

Well, my last two lists have been about the best and worst stages to ever be featured in the Super Smash Bros. series so I might as well talk about the stages I’d love to see in the next installment. With such a huge selection of characters and franchises, I find it hard to believe Nintendo would ever be pressed for ideas for stages. Personally, I’m of the belief that every character in the game should have their own stage for when you fight them in Classic or All-Star mode. I remember finding it very strange that Young Link’s home stage in Melee was Jungle Japes.

What happened to you, man? You used to be cool.

So, in an attempt to come up with ideas for stages to be added into the next Smash Bros.,I give you my list of the eleven stages I’d love to see. Why eleven? Because I came up with one last minute and didn’t want to get rid of anything. Now, it was hard coming up with this list. There’s tons of ideas for stages I’d love to see, many of which from the franchises that already get the most stages. I tried to be fair and give each franchise one stage but I couldn’t do it so there’s two Zelda and Mario stages on the list anyway, OH WELL! 

11. Boxing Ring

Spitting not included.

Let’s face it, there’s a very strong chance Lil’ Mac will be in the next Smash Bros. He’s a very popular character from a classic series that recently got revived, plus, he already knows how to fight so he has an advantage over 90% of every other Nintendo character out there. So it only makes sense for a stage dedicated to Lil’ Mac to take place inside a boxing ring. I might be alone, but I’d love for the boxing ring to be 8-bit and have the 8-bit crowd in the background and maybe even feature referee Mario come out and hurt you sometimes. Characters like Glass Joe or King Hippo could show up and mess with the fight, it opens up a lot of opportunities. Or it could just be another flat stage along the lines of Final Destination so all the tournament players could be happy. I don’t care one way or another as long as we get the boxing ring in the next Smash. And hey, if Lil’ Mac isn’t playable for some reason, it could be King Dedede’s from Castle Dedede.

10. Casino Night Zone

Tails not included.

Now, this one probably should have been left off of the list because there’s no guarantee Sonic will be back in the next Smash and if he isn’t, obviously they wouldn’t have a stage from the series. However, because of the way fans are and the fact that Mario and Sonic are certified friends now, I think they also have no choice but to put Sonic in the next Smash. So, my choice for a Sonic stage would be Casino Night Zone from Sonic 2. Obviously, Green Hill Zone is the best choice to represent the Sonic series but think beyond that, a casino themed stage is another great representation of the franchise. Casino Night could have bumpers, flippers, those blue platforms that move up and down. It would offer up a lot of chaos but could also be really fun. I’d love to see what they could do with it.

9. Macbeth

Well, at least we got the Landmaster part.

I don’t know about you folks, but I am so sick of Star Fox stages that take place on the Great Fox. The tried to stray away from it with Lylat Cruise in Brawl but you’re still on some generic spaceship doing the same thing you’d do on the Great Fox. It’s boring and it’s worn out it’s welcome. If I were to pick a stage from Star Fox, it would either be something on Sauria, from Star Fox Adventures (Mostly because I’d love a stage on the ground and I want Krystal playable) but beyond that, I’d love to see Macbeth from Star Fox 64. Instead of taking place on the Great Fox, it could take place on the train. You’d be running along the top of the train as Arwings fly overhead and shoot at it. Maybe at the end of the stage, the train can blow up and you’re now forced to fight at the base or on the ground. Or you could just run on top of the stage at all times. Who knows. All I know is, no more random spaceships!

8. Skyloft

It's so pretty.

Now, I haven’t played Skyward Sword yet but if the next Smash is anything like the last three, the Link featured will be the one from Skyward Sword. So naturally, his stage should take place in the main location of that game, Skyloft. There could be floating bodies of land you could jump on, maybe some Loftwings come in once and a while and mess you up or you could jump on them. Maybe the stage could even transition from day to night and during the day, the colorful characters of Skyloft are out and about in the background, living their lives and at night, Keese and Remlits come out to mess with the fighters. It could be interesting and I guarantee it would be a beautiful looking stage. Maybe it could even move similar to Delfino Plaze. The possibilities are endless!

7. Tiny Town (Reddy Land)

It could be madness in all the right ways.

Here’s perhaps the most unlikely stage on this list, Tiny Town from Kirby: Canvas Curse. I’ve wanted a stage based on Canvas Curse since the game was released and because of it’s obscurity in the franchise and the fact that new games keep being released (an Epic Yarn stage would also be rad) but I’d still love to see it. Basically, it would work in a similar fashion to Mushroomy Kingdom mixed with Pictochat. You move along the rainbow colored platforms as more get drawn and you have to jump to those while avoiding obstacles and stuff. I wouldn’t want it to move too fast because those stages get annoying but it could be a very creative and very fun stage unlike many we’ve seen so far. I went with Tiny Town because I think it looks the most interesting but any stage from Canvas Curse could work as long as the gimmick remains the same.

6. Sunset Shore

So cool.

The second I saw this stage in Donkey Kong Country Returns, I knew I wanted it in the next Smash Bros. Imagine a stage where you’re playing as the silhouette of your character with nothing but a few articles of clothing shining in one bright color? It would certainly look really cool. It wouldn’t have to be a very fancy stage, there doesn’t have to be some insane gimmicks or tons of pits to fall into, though those bush enemies could be neat. I just want a sunset stage where your character is mostly black. They’ve featured all blacked out characters in the Event Matches before so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

5. Moonside

Melcom et owoonside.

Wecomel to Soonmide. Yes, Moonside would be an awesome stage to be included in the next Smash. Okay, yes, it’s just an alternate universe Fourside, which was already a stage, but Fourside was awesome and it would be even more awesome if it was lit up like Las Vegas. Maybe it could even be reverse Fourside, with the buildings and platforms being in an alternate order. Or, preferably, a completely different set of buildings and obstacles all together. Maybe you could have to avoid Abstract Art or Enraged Fire Plug or perhaps Evil Mani Mani could be in the center of the stage and occasionally come to life and unleash some sort of attack. All I want is a really cool Earthbound/Mother stage that isn’t gigantic and impossible to kill people on. I love the concept of New Pork City but man did they drop the ball. Moonside would be a great way to make up for it.

4. Hyrule Castle (Wind Waker)

It's black. It's white. It's tough for you to get by.

While the Pirate Ship stage was perhaps the best form of representation they could have made for Wind Waker since it takes place on the sea, I was a little disappointed by the all-around genericness of the stage. There’s no familiar locations or faces from the game, with the exception of the King of Red Lions. While I think the idea of being lifted up into a tornado was cool, why wasn’t Cyclos or Zephos seen when you reached the top? The Pirate Ship felt like a missed opportunity to me. So, I came up with my own idea for a Wind Waker stage based on a specific location, namely Hyrule Castle. Basically, when the stage starts, you’re inside the castle when it’s monochrome, there’s no color and everything is destroyed such as the giant Link statue in the background, whose pieces would act as platforms. As time goes by, the stage would slowly fill with color and the broken areas would fix themselves, rearranging the stage. On top of that, enemies in the background would also reanimate and occasionally interfere with the battle. Not too often but enough to make use of the creative enemy designs in Wind Waker. I think it could offer up a very unique experience and would give The Wind Waker a slightly less generic stage. Assuming they keep Toon Link, that is.

3. Gangplank Galleon

I bet you read "Gangplank" wrong at first.

Rumble Falls was an awful way to represent the Donkey Kong series and I think a stage from Diddy’s first starring role should have been featured because he was new and it would have been awesome. So, Gangplank Galleon would be an obvious choice and, depending on if they make it in, it could be the home stage of Diddy, Dixie or K. Rool. The entire theme of Donkey Kong Country 2 is pirates. The Kremlings and enemies all wear pirate garb, the stages often feature ships, anchors, ropes and all kinds of crazy pirate things like that so why not make a stage that just takes place on the ship? It could be larger than Pirate Ship and feature climbable ropes that lead you to sails or crow’s nest. Stacks of barrels could line the bottom and act as platforms, maybe even cannons could be fired or parts of the ship could collapse and lead to the ocean. Gangplank Galleon should have been in Brawl and I will be completely upset if it isn’t in the next game, especially if Dixie or King K. Rool are featured.

2. Space Junk Galaxy

More exciting than the Observatory would be.

At this point, it’s almost a guarantee there will be some kind of Super Mario Galaxy stage in the next Smash. There were two games in the series, they sold like hotcakes and they feature the most creative locations in all of Mario. I personally would go with Space Junk Galaxy because it represents both games better than any of the others. First of all, it’s got space right in it’s name, so it could have some crazy gravity and spherical platforms if they wanted. Second, those platforms that form together when you jump over them? Yeah, those would be awesome. Your friend throws you off the stage, thinks you’re going to fall to your death and bam, you land on a reappearing platform and the match continues. Maybe the Yoshi Head planetoid or Olimar’s ship could appear as the main platforms. The idea of having gravity effect the stage, as well as disappearing platforms, already has me giddy to what they decide to do with a Galaxy stage in Smash. I can only hope it’s this one.

1. Bowser’s Castle/Airship Fortress

Needs more lava.

Yes, the Mario stages are both number 1 and 2 but come on, Bowser deserves his own stage! For the longest time, I couldn’t decide if I wanted Bowser’s Castle or the Airship Fortress from Super Mario Bros. 3 so I came up with an idea, why not just combine the two? It could play similar to Rainbow Cruise but less annoying. You start out on one of the Airships, it’ll scroll just like in Mario 3 and you have to avoid Bullet Bills and flamethrowers and what not. Then, when you reach the end, the ship either crashes or docks and you’re now outside of Bowser’s Castle. There could be lava pits on either side of the stage, Thwomps in the sky that can crush you and it would just look insanely cool, especially if it’s based on the castle from Paper Mario. Maybe the Clown Car can make an appearance as a platform. Then, if the match lasts long enough, the Airship rises from the ground and it all starts over again. It has the possibility to be the greatest stage in Smash history. While I do think it’s unlikely Nintendo would combine the two, I think it is very possible we’ll get one of the two in the next Smash. Bowser’s deserving of his own stage and the castle is an obvious choice but the Airships have made reappearances in every major Mario game since Galaxy so it’s likely.

Well, there you have, my top 11 choices for stages in the next Smash. Now, I’m sure there’s plenty I left out. Off the top of my head, Viridian Forest from Pokémon, Balloon Fight from…Balloon Fight, Sauria from Star Fox, Rainbow Road, Mother Brain’s Chamber from the original Metroid, the Underworld from Kid Icarus, Shy Guy’s Toy Box from Paper Mario, Diamond City from WarioWare, I could go on and on. But hey, enough about me, let’s talk about you. What would you like to see in the next Smash? Do you have any super cool ideas you’d love to see but doubt would happen? Hit up the comments below!