Stages are available as DLC, either alone or as part of bundles with characters. DLC stages can be bought for one version or both for a discount.
Dream Land (64) – Kirby
The classic stage from the first game in the series. This was our Battlefield before we had access to a Battlefield. Three platforms over solid ground. The only remarkable thing about this stage is the fact that sometimes Wispy Woods will turn towards the fighters and blow air at them. This will push them towards the edge of the stage, but not over it.
Suzaku Castle – Street Fighter II
Suzaku Castle comes bundled with Ryu. This stage is a fair battleground with no tricks or gimmicks. It has a little bit of everything. The left side has two small platforms, one on top of the other. The right side has two larger platforms that run all the way off the side of the stage. The left side is more for aerial battles while the right is better for ground skirmishes. The small signs will break if you launch an enemy near them. This doesn't really do anything, though. It's just a nice reference to
Street Fighter II, as is the fact that the music changes when time gets low or someone is about to lose their final stock.
Peach's Castle (64) – Super Mario
This stage first appeared in the very first
Super Smash Bros.. This strangely cramped stage has a few little tricks and traps. Most notably are the bumper, constantly floating slowly left and right above the upper platform, and the lower platform, which moves through the central platform left and right. Be aware of where it is when knocking your opponent away, as it is naturally easier to recover of the long lower platform is on your side. The two triangular blocks can interfere with your launches. Try using the undersides to bounce enemies off of to arc them down.
Hyrule Castle (64) – The Legend of Zelda
This stage is pretty straightforward. Shaped like the roof of a castle. The central tower has three platforms on it. The upper one is close to the upper blast line. The small structure on the right side has a solid roof. The only thing to watch for is the small tornado that appears from time to time. It will appear and a random place and do a little damage to anyone who gets sucked into it before blowing them straight up. It's not really that dangerous.
Super Mario Maker – Super Mario Maker
This stage, inspired by
Super Mario Maker, is randomly generated when the match begins. Once it starts, it remains the same until the end of the match, with a hand (or paw) occasionally appearing to reset any broken blocks or fallen platforms. The "theme" of the stage switches among four different
Mario games, but this is purely aesthetic. If the default stage music is being used, it will also switch to match the visual style. The stage can be either a standard floating island type stage, or a walk off stage. Various objects and elements can be used, and they won't all be used every time. Donut Lifts will fall after they've been stood on for a specific amount of time, cumulatively. Brick blocks are breakable. "?" blocks contain items, and tend to favour Mario items such as mushrooms and shells. There are different types of platforms, including conveyor belts, thick and thin regular platforms, and moving platforms that will travel along a visible path. If the path runs off screen, it will move beyond the blast line, KO'ing anyone without the foresight to get off. Ice and lava are less common. Ice is slippery, of course. Lava will do 25% damage to anyone who touches it. There's no way to save stage layouts but most of them can be recreated in the stage builder if you find something you really like.
Duck Hunt – Duck Hunt
Welcome to Duck Hunt, home stage of Duck Hunt, from
Duck Hunt. This stage has been unlockable in the Wii U version of the game since launch, but it was added to the 3DS version for free later. Designed to give the appearance of a 4:3 NES game on a wide 3DS screen, you can fall off the screen at the black bars on the sides. Certain segments of the grass will randomly move to the foreground layer, which means you can disappear behind them. The trees and bush can be stood on. A standard game of
Duck Hunt will take place as you battle, with flying 8-bit ducks that can be killed by attacking them. The 8-bit version of the dog will pop out and smile if you kill one or two of the ducks, or mock you if they get away. The score counter at the bottom will increase as you kill ducks, including 10,000 points for killing all of the ducks in a round. This doesn't actually do anything, though.
Midgar – Final Fantasy VII
Midgar is included with the Cloud character DLC. This stage is yet another Battlefield until the summon materia shows up and makes everything go crazy. One of five random
Final Fantasy VII summons will appear when a piece of summon materia is collected, and they'll fight on the side of whoever holds the materia. Ramuh electrifies rearranges the three floating platforms. One platform will remain electrified for a time after, and the charge will occasionally move from platform to platform. The charge does damage to any enemy nearby and launches enemies that happen to stand on them. Ifrit summons a jet of fire that will either lift one end of the stage into the air or push the entire stage to one side (closer to the blast line), depending on where it hits. The fire will pierce the stage and damage foes. Leviathan summons a tidal wave that washes friend and foe away if they fall off the stage. The water flows from right to left. Hitting the water on the right side of the platform can cause you to hit the platform and take damage. Falling into the water on the left side can carry you away and KO you. Odin splits the entire stage in two, right down the middle. Any enemy unfortunate enough to be caught in the slice will take heavy damage and likely be KO'd. The two halves of the stage move apart and, no matter which team you're on, you don't want to be in the middle when they come back together because you'll be crushed to death. Finally, Bahamut fires a giant pillar of energy at one spot on the stage, marked with a red circle. Stay away from the pillar if you don't want to take a ton of damage. The energy "splashes" where it meets the large platform, so take extra care down there. If an enemy is KO'd by a summon, the point goes to whoever collected the materia. You can actually continue to score kills in Stock mode after you've been eliminated if your summon is still active.
Umbra Clock Tower – Bayonetta
The Umbra Clock Tower is included with the Bayonetta character DLC. The scene of the intro battle of the very first
Bayonetta. This stage is less complicated than its constantly moving background and many enemies make it seem. Bayonetta's angel foes appear in the background of this stage as it passes back and forth between the human realm and Purgatorio. Debris will appear around the main central clock face platform, and can be stood on or, if it's thin enough, passed through. If you're standing on debris as it exits the top of the stage, you won't be knocked out. Instead, it will disappear and you'll fall safely to the ground, provided you aren't smacked out of the air by a foe. The time on the clock's face is whatever your system's clock is set to.
NEXT: Modes
