With Nintendo now on a new console with the Nintendo Switch 2, fans have been craving a new installment in the Super Smash Bros. platform fighter franchise. Typically, there has been a new Smash Bros. game with each new console generation, so it’s a fair expectation.
That being said, it’s tough to imagine where the beloved crossover video game series will go after Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The most recent installment included every character who has been playable in the past, with many of its own additions, plus a great single-player campaign, plenty of incredible new stages, and all sorts of new mechanics. Ultimate was a huge game, so much so that anything else might not compare.
Something that the next Super Smash Bros. could do that would be fantastic is include every stage that’s ever appeared in the series. They’ve had their “Everyone is here!” moment for playable characters, but there are plenty of stages that have yet to return after appearing in previous games.
I say bring them all back. Poké Floats, Pac Maze, Icicle Mountain, Pictochat, Pyrosphere, Rainbow Road, Woolly World, and others are noticeably absent from Ultimate despite all being fun to play on in the previous installments. Heck, Pac Maze is one of the most iconic and well-known levels in video game history and is a better representation of Pac-Man than the Pac World stage ever will be.
Sure, some folks may not enjoy some of these stages, especially the moving ones, but the point here would be the choice. The players should be able to choose what stages they compete on similar to how they’re able to choose the various rules of a match. If they don’t want to play on them, they don’t have to. For those of us who enjoy them, it stinks not being able to play on them in the newest game.
If the folks over at Nintendo would prefer, some of them could be replaced with updated versions. For instance, there have been a number of Pokémon Stadium stages throughout the history of Super Smash Bros., the same could be done with Poké Floats with newer Pokémon as the platforms. That way, these stages at least don’t feel absent.
With how Nintendo treats characters, trophies, spirits, Mii costumes, and other elements, they clearly love honoring the history of Smash Bros. and every game represented within it. A great way to do that is to bring every stage back. Then they could even build on that with a few new inclusions. These games aren’t just all about the characters. The stages are just as big of a part of each battle as anything else. It’ll be cool to see if it happens if or when that next Super Smash Bros. game does get announced.
Read Next: The Next ‘Super Smash Bros.’ Should Bring Back The Subspace Emissary
