In the second of this three-part series, I take a look at many of the Super Smash Bros. Melee stages that are far from the worst in the game, but also not ideal in competitive play.
As the fixation on the Super Smash Bros. series continues, so does this three-part series on a ranking of every stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the nearly 25-year-old GameCube mainstay that remains a fixture in the esports world.
While I’ve never been better than average at the game, especially by competitive standards, it remains an absolute blast to play all these years later, with this game alone providing me with timeless memories at numerous different stages of my life, ranging from winter break in 2nd grade to my freshman year of college and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
With Melee being among the games I have spent the most time on in my life, I figured that the game’s enduring popularity makes it a fun and meaningful one to continue to dive into all these years later – especially when viewing the game from a more casual lens.
In ranking every stage of the game, I hope to connect to and relate to experiences that a wide range of people had playing this game. While my wife and I play under the competitive ruleset that in turn has shaped my view of what stages are fun to play on, I also spent countless hours as a kid playing this game, fighting on wack stages with items turned all the way on.
Although this ranking does take the competitive ruleset into effect by factoring in which stages have the fewest hazards and are the easiest to engage in pure fighting in, I also try to take into account how most people enjoyed this game in its heyday – four-player free-for-all battles where the last thing on anybody’s mind was wavedashing and Smash DI.
Though the six tournament-legal stages are the ones I usually enjoy and play the most, I did my best to set that aside when ranking every stage in the game.
20. DK Island: Jungle Japes
Representing the DK universe, Jungle Japes appears to be a better stage than it ends up being on first sight, with treacherous waters and limited stage space making this a challenging theater for fights.
While the essentially instant KO waters serve as the main hazard, the small size of the side platforms limits most of the action to the larger two-level center platform, making for very little margin of error on this stage.
Additionally, a recurring Klaptrap enemy can appear and deliver up to 30% damage, making this stage feel like another one where players have to navigate too many other elements outside of simply fighting the battle.
19. F-Zero Grand Prix: Mute City
The second stage themed after the F-Zero universe, this stage offers a little bit more real estate fighting than Big Blue does, but it’s still incredibly difficult to have a hazard-free battle on this stage.
Situated on a platform that moves through different sections of the Mute City racetrack, the stage’s lack of grabbable edges and remarkably small size makes recovery quite difficult for many characters.
This of course isn’t to mention the insane damage that can easily be racked up by falling off the platform on a section over the racetrack, a factor that can heavily play into the favor of more aerial-based characters such as Peach and Jigglypuff.
18. Mushroom Kingdom
Based off of a clone stage that served as the lone unlockable stage in the original Super Smash Bros., Mushroom Kingdom returns in Melee, taking elements from the iconic Level 1-1 in the original Super Mario Bros.
While the theming and immersiveness of the level is excellent, just as it was in the game’s predecessor, the stage’s remarkably small size and walk-off horizontal blast lines keep this from being the best setting for a fair fight.
In addition to easy horizontal KOs, the orientation of the bricks can conversely lead to tons of damage being racked up without a KO, with very little opening on the ground for a vertical KO.
17. Mushroom Kingdom: Rainbow Cruise
Themed after the “Rainbow Ride” level in Super Mario 64, Rainbow Cruise is easily one of the better-themed stages on the game, taking players from the moving cruise ship through a series of airborne Mario obstacles.
Unlike some other stages that feature rapidly changing platforms, Rainbow Cruise does allow a bit more time for fighting – but is still unquestionably a stage that favors characters who are able to quickly move through the air.
With floatier characters like Jigglypuff and Peach almost guaranteed to have an easier time, there’s also simply too much opportunity for unfortunate error unrelated to combat during most parts of this stage.
16. Yoshi’s Island: Yoshi’s Island
Adequately themed after Yoshi’s debut as a character in Super Mario World, this is another stage that excels with theming but notably struggles in terms of being an adequate level for a fair fight.
The biggest issue with the stage comes in the form of a gaping hole in the center of the stage that can be propped open by hitting (often incidentally) the rotating blocks.
Additionally, the stage includes a walk-off blast zone to the upper-right, making horizontal kills disprportionately easy to achieve when on the right side of the stage – which is where battles are likely to mostly take place to begin with given the limited real estate on the left side of the stage.
15. Planet Zebes: Brinstar
A more modernized adaptation of its first appearance in the original Super Smash Bros., Brinstar remains a vivid trip inside the Metroid universe, including the trademark rising and falling acid that acts as both a hazard and life-saver.
The platform layout of the stage is quite solid, with a fleshly blob of material creating a bridge that can be damaged or destroyed between the two main surface-level platforms.
Ultimately, the stage’s most distinct feature is also its biggest drawback, with the acid once again being another gimmick that favors floaty characters, who can more easily evade the hazard and the ensuing damage.
14. Eagleland: Onett
The other EarthBound themed stage in Melee, Onett supplies both personal nostalgia and elite theming in the village-like setting, contrasting from the skyscraper-filled Fourside.
While the stage has plenty of surface area and is far from the hardest stage to get uninterrupted combat in, there are still plenty of drawbacks that keep Onett from being one of the game’s elite stages.
The recurring vehicle traffic, while avoidable, serves as a constant hazard that can do serious damage, while the stage’s walk-off horizontal blast lines and low ceiling make for generally easy KOs all-around.
13. Dream Land: Green Greens
Aesthetically similar to the Dream Land stage originally seen in Melee‘s predecessor, Green Greens offers a new twist to the Kirby-themed stage, adding two new side platforms and corresponding sections of star blocks that include bombs.
Although the stage’s music and setting are intoxicatingly nostalgic, it’s still not the best place for an even battle, mostly owing to the relative ease of KOs that the stage supplies.
In addition to the aforementioned bombs, the stage’s rather large horizontal footprint leads to abnormally close blast lines in both directions, giving ample opportunity for “cheap” low-percentage KOs from just about any character in the game.
12. DK Island: Kongo Jungle
The flagship Donkey Kong stage new to Melee, this stage offers a more minimalist adaptation of its predecessor in the original Super Smash Bros., including a smaller base platform and one small side platform on the right end of the stage while keeping the trademark cannon barrel and Klaptrap below it all.
While a fun, mostly hazard-free stage, the small size makes battles involving more than two players incredibly difficult, while encounters with the Klaptrap can cause significant self-inflicted damage.
Additionally, the right-side rock platform can lead to more stagnant battles if a player utilizes it to disengage and camp with projectiles, making this a stage I still typically avoid.
11. Mushroom Kingdom: Princess Peach’s Castle
Differing from the minimalist Kongo Jungle, Princess Peach’s Castle is a more maximalist take of its predecessor in the original Super Smash Bros., including a more detailed background and much larger stage surface.
The stage’s lone hazard is unfortunately a dealbreaker when it comes to this stage being used competitively, with the exploding Banzai Bills often landing one-hit KOs to anyone within its vicinity – often taking up a good portion of the stage.
Additionally, the stage’s walls can create opportunities for inescapable combos, which while not much of an issue in casual play, could be exploited with items as well against lower-skilled players.
Leave a Reply