Intro[]
Hello Smashtopia and welcome to what I'm hoping will be a weekly (or once every two weeks) project. Last year after discussing stage ideas with Jonno I decided to embark on a stupid idea; creating a list of 100 new stages for Smash. This took me about 2 months to put together as I tend to do things like this in an over complicated manner. I have problems.
So now that I have my list of 100 new stages for Smash, I thought it would be fun to share them all with you along with a bit of a writeup on each one. Some of these stages already have existing articles here on the Smashtopia wiki. Some of these stages are ideas I've had for years and just haven't put to paper yet. And some of these stages are fresher ideas that I only came up with when researching ideas just for this project.
Each week (or every other week) I'll be posting 10 of these stage ideas. This list is *not* in a set order. In fact, I did some randomization of the list so that there are no thoughts of “what you think x is better than y?!” Plus, it lets me spread out the various franchises a bit more.
One other thing I will mention is that when making this list of stage I did my best to *not* take into account any characters that would come with it. I didn't want to approach this with a thought of “Oh if I include Artisans as a stage here then that means I can get Spyro as a character!” In fact, I'll go ahead and tell you now that I only have 4 stages selected from 3rd party franchises that don't have any characters in Smash and none of them are from huge franchises.
With that all out of the way, let's get into our first set of 10 stages.
1. ZDR [Metroid - Metroid Dread][]
Metroid Dread is the latest game in the Metroid series (though Metroid Prime 4 is hopefully on its way soon) and in it Samus travels to the planet ZDR after receiving video footage of a living X Parasite on the planet. My vision for a Metroid Dread stage isn't to just take one of the various sectors and make it a stage as is usual for the Metroid franchise, instead I want to take inspiration from all of ZDR. Smash 4 gave us a colossal and mostly-enclosed stage with Great Cave Offensive and while it's far from being one of my favorite stages, I think it can serve as a good template for what a ZDR stage could look like.
It might be difficult to pull off, but I'm imagining the stage scrunching down each sector of ZDR into different areas of the map focusing on their various design elements to invoke the feeling of being in them while still incorporating the Danger Zones that help make battles doable on Great Cave Offensive. Additionally, I would have it so that 1 or 2 E.M.M.I. are always patrolling specific sectors of the map, and will rotate out to different areas as the match goes on. Like with the Danger Zones, if an E.M.M.I. catches a fighter when they have over 100% damage, they will be instantly KO'd.
2. Death Wind [F-Zero - F-Zero][]
Death Wind (and Death Wind II) is a racetrack from the original F-Zero game that wasn't seen again until F-Zero 99, and it's inclusion in that game that brought my attention to it. F-Zero 99 is the newest F-Zero game whose reveal shocked fans as all signs pointed to Nintendo not caring about the franchise anymore. Though many, including myself, would like to see a full new main title (Switch 2 launch title perhaps? Probably not.) My vision for this stage sees it as an evolution of the Mute City SNES stage from Smash 4 utilizing the classic design and graphical look of the stage from both the original F-Zero and F-Zero 99 while adding in some gameplay elements unique to F-Zero 99.
F-Zero 99 features a Super Boost mechanic which allows players to access the Skyway, an additional road with its own track above the normal course. In F-Zero 99 players need to charge up this Super Boost by collecting Super Sparks on the track or by bumping into other races and the Gold Bumper. I don't fully know how I would translate this mechanic into Smash just yet, but one idea is that the players can collect Super Sparks in the air while fighting, or by attacking the Gold Bumper when it shows up on the stage. Then once the players have collectively filled up the Super Boost meter, a new platform would appear that they'd need to get on before it carries everyone off into the air for a short time. This mechanic would (sort of) allow the players to *choose* when they want the stage to transition as opposed to most stages working off of a timer.
3. Great Pastoria Marsh [Pokemon - Pokemon Diamond/Pearl][]
One idea I was considering was to make a stage out of the Safari Zone from the original Pokemon Red/Blue, but I just wasn't getting inspired enough from it. But then I remembered the Great Pastoria Marsh, the Safari Zone in the Sinnoh region and suddenly I had some ideas. In Pokemon Diamond/Pearl the Great Pastoria Marsh has two major features, the first being really annoying mud that you could sink into and would have to mash the control stick to get out. The second being a train that could take you between the various areas of the marsh.
I picture this stage taking place at the front of the Great Pastoria Marsh with the ground broken up into two chunks by a train. The train would be a large solid obstacle that fighters can bounce off of, but will at times leave the station and open up the stage. Eventually the train would return to the stage indicated by some audio/video effect and if a fighter is standing in the train's way when it returns... well, let's just say they'll be taking a high amount of damage. The ground would also have patches of mud that fighters will have to struggle to get out of as it would lower their movement speed and jumping capabilities but there would be some floating platforms above section for fighters to get to and avoid the mud.
4. Rogueport [Super Mario - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door][]
Probably one of the most suggestions locations for a Smash stage from the Paper Mario games, Rogueport serves as the main hub for the entire game. It's here where Mario first arrives in the region, meets up with Goombella, and navigates to all the other central locations in the game. A stage based off of Rogueport could work as either a traveling stage visiting a few of the locations in the crime-infested town, or could just feature a singular location.
My personal view of the stage is a rather simple one. I would sit the stage in Rogueport's main plaza allowing the fighters to fight on both the streets as well as the rooftops, and those platforms connected to the rooftops. The gallows in the middle of the city could even be a platform that interrupts the path of the smooth ground thus making it so items like the Green Shell would bounce back off of it instead of continuing forwards. I think the background would also be filled with characters from the game, and not just limited to Rogueport citizens, as they gather to watch the match and cheer on their favorite fighters much like how they would at the Glitz Pit.
5. Gluglug Lagoon [Starfy - Densetsu no Starfy 2][]
I have never played any of the games from the Starfy franchise so perhaps there is a better location to use as a stage, but several years ago I decided I wanted to make a stage from the franchise and started looking up location names. I found Gluglug Lagoon, liked what I saw, and decided to run with it. That said, I would imagine Gluglug Lagoon is a well recognized location amongst fans considering it's the first level in The Legendary Starfy (the only game to get localized outside of Japan) as well as the second level in Densetsu no Starfy 2.
While Gluglug Lagoon is an underwater stage, the fighters would be able to run around and jump in it as usual. I picture the stage as having a solid bottom platform that extends all the way down as well as an upside-down t platform above it. Both platforms would have seaweed on them that fighters can run behind to hide, or attack for a chance to receive an item from them. Additionally, the sides of the stage will occasionally have rushing rippling water that can be flowing either up or down. If the current is flowing up, then fighters will be able to use it to float somewhat in place with little risk of being sent downwards past the blast zones. If the water is flowing *down* however... they may find themselves getting rapidly sucked downwards to their doom.
6. Alterna [Splatoon - Splatoon 3][]
While Splatoon 1 and 2's story modes had us venture into Octo Valley and Octo Canyon respectively, Splatoon 3 instead sends us to Alterna to face a new threat unlike DJ Octavio. Alterna is an underground facility located beneath Mt. Fuji housing a space rocket and throughout the Story Mode you spend time wandering around the facility and clean up all the fuzzy ooze covering the place. I won't say too much, but the rocket itself also features prominently in the story mode's finale.
Right now the only Splatoon stage in Smash is Moray Towers and while I'm not opposed to having stages based off of multiplayer maps, I think there's quite a bit of potential for more. The story mode is actually my favorite part of Splatoon and since Alterna is in the latest Splatoon game, and gives me more inspiration than Octo Valley or Octo Canyon, I decided to go with it. I imagine this as a “cinematic” stage, akin to Northern Crater where the fighters battle it out on a platform flying through the air more or less watching the events of Splatoon 3's finale occur in the stage's background. Perhaps the match could even start out on the ground with the platform lifting off into the air much like how the rocket eventually will.
7. The Dragon's Gate [Fire Emblem - Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade][]
I'd like to play more Fire Emblem games, but my baby self can only do casual mode. Alas. That said, The Dragon's Gate is an important location in Blazing Blade as it's the location where dragons once left the land of Elibe to live in their own world separate from humans and can only be opened again by another dragon. The game's story ends here with Nergal managing to open the gate and draw out three dragons before it can be sealed again.
The idea I have for this stage is to have a relatively smaller main platform in the middle with two towers of varying height to the left and right. Then for fun, a large hazard involving the gate itself could be used where a dragon is pulled through the gate to attack all of the fighters. If you want to keep it lore accurate, the dragon could just be a simple Fire Dragon. Otherwise if you want to stretch the truth a little, you could have the gate summon powerful villainous dragons from other Fire Emblem titles such as Medeus, Duma, Idunn, Grima, or Sombron which each of them having their own unique attacks.
8. Death Mountain [The Legend of Zelda - The Legend of Zelda][]
Death Mountain is a tall volcanic mountain which has been featured in a wide amount of Zelda titles. Death Mountain has been home to the Goron people across several titles, but has also been home to Dodongos, Gouen, and Dairas. Death Mountain is even iconic enough to the landscape of Hyrule, that it appears in both Lorule and the Dark World as well.
For Smash, I like the idea of Death Mountain being modeled after it's design in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Imagine fighting at the base of the volcano with small outcroppings of rock scattered against its front that fighters can jump to and battle upon. Of course, it wouldn't be a good volcano stage if there wasn't any lava so I imagine there would be hazards featuring lava flowing out from the top covering a large chunk of the volcano as well as flaming rocks that get spewed out from its top before tumbling down onto the stage.
9. Frontier Village [Xenoblade - Xenoblade Chronicles][]
Frontier Village is where Riki, and the rest of the Nopon, call home in the first Xenoblade Chronicles. The village itself is set in the largest and oldest tree in Makna Forest and gives major treehouse vibes. I don't know that it's a location most think of first when coming up with new stage ideas from Xenoblade 1, but I rather like the idea because 1. It gives a chance to highlight the Nopon and 2. I just like the idea of fighting inside of a giant tree okay. Heck, I even suggested it to Jonno a couple years ago as a idea for him to make into a stage.
I like the idea that you'd be fighting inside the tree and right in the middle of the village. So picture the fighters battling in the central plaza right in front of the Nopon's Sacred Alter. Fighters would be able to run up the slope on the left and jump up to the wooden platforms above for where the Nopon's homes are. No hazards for this one I think, but definitely let the Nopon hang out in the background going about their daily lives with some like Nene and Kino watching the battle excitedly.
10. Super Nintendo World [Nintendo - Super Nintendo World][]
And now for the strangest idea in this first set of stages, Super Nintendo World. If you don't know, Nintendo opened its own theme park back in 2020 called Super Nintendo World designing the park based off of the Super Mario games with Mario-themed landscape, characters, and other key design elements like ? Blocks and Thwomps. Then late in 2024, a new area of the park opened up based off of the Donkey Kong Country games. With time hopefully we'll see more areas added to the park based on other Nintendo franchises like The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, and Pikmin.
As for a Smash stage, I think the obvious answer is to make this a traveling stage where you fight in front of particular areas of the park before getting picked up and carried to another section of the park that way the whole park can be showed off. A stage like this would be a great way to show off their theme park as well as make a stage that pulls elements from multiple games and franchises. The layout for the stage is pretty much down for them already as well as you can literally just place the characters as if they were actually at the park being able to climb up the cliffs, hit the various blocks, and avoid the Thwomps falling from above. Start off in the Mario section, then head to Bowser's Castle, and finally (for now) taking the players off into the Donkey Kong area.
Outro[]
Well! How about that for our first 10 stages in my 100 New Stages for Smash project? 5 of these already exist on the wiki, and maybe someday the rest will as well! For now though, they'll just exist here.
Teasers for next time: A Pikmin stage, a boat, and the living dead!