Mute City

Mute City
File:FZeroSymbol.png
Universe	F-Zero
Appears in	Melee
Availability	Starter
Tracks available	Mute City
Tournament legality Melee Singles: Banned Doubles: Banned
Article on F-Zero Wiki	Mute City

Mute City (ミュートシティ, Mute City) is a stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee that is available from the start. It is Captain Falcon's home stage, and he is faced here in All-Star mode.

Origin

Mute City 1 (Figure Eight) as it appeared in F-Zero X.

Mute City is one of the main settings in the F-Zero series, usually being where the first track in each game is located. In this stage, the layout and overall design of the track is very similar to the first Mute City track in F-Zero X, Figure Eight (stage 1 of Jack Cup, the first in this game). Also, the buildings in the background are retained from F-Zero X along with the objects on the track (such as the "X's", the speed boosts, the pink pit areas, etc). In F-Zero there are areas where the track gets slippery. These slippery areas are also in F-Zero X. In this stage, the pink pit areas are slippery and could be a reference to the slippery areas in both F-Zero games. In F-Zero X, there are spinning signs that say "Nintex". In this stage in Melee, there are spinning signs, but the signs says "Smash 2". In F-Zero, a sound is played every time the player crosses the finish line. In Melee, the sound is played when the "GO" notification is up and the platform starts to move. The F-Zero machines seen on this stage are based off the ones in F-Zero X. In F-Zero X, when the player crashes and "retires", the vehicle is left on the track. In Melee, if the player gets an F-Zero machine damaged enough, it explodes, retires, and is left on the track. [1]

The music that is used in this stage comes from F-Zero's Mute City. The music is also in F-Zero X which sounds closer to the remixed version of the track in Melee. [2]

Description

The stage begins on the track at the starting point of the race. A sign will appear and say "GO!!!", then a platform will appear from underneath the characters, hovering over the track. If a player makes contact with the track while the platform is hovering, they will be damaged; it is possible to tech on the track, but at the end of the tech, the character will receive damage as usual. After a short way through the track, the platform will stop momentarily, allowing the characters to fight on the track again. This is a set pattern and will occur in the same way each time; the sole exception to this rule is the loop at the end of the track, where the platform will take off from the track altogether and fly through the air. Any players falling off the platform and unable to recover here will be KOd. The stage then touches back down on the track for the last time and reveals its last variation before going back to the finish line, where the stage loop is restarted.

The thirty F-Zero Racers are another level hazard. They drive around the track continuously (though they only appear on certain segments of the track, and at alternating times and laps) and will damage any player upon contact, sending them upwards. However, the racers can be damaged and even destroyed by hitting them with explosives (such as the Motion-Sensor Bomb), powerful attacks and items (like the Hammer and Home-Run Bat) and immovable Pokémon (like Venusaur or Charizard).

The process will keep repeating itself, where the platform will rise up and take the characters to another part of the track to battle on. Towards the end of the track, the platform will hover over open space around the aforementioned loop, and any character falling into the space will be KO'd. The platform will then arrive at the finish line again and the stage will start over.

Tournament legality

Mute City is currently banned in Melee, though it was a common counterpick stage in past rulesets. The reason for its banning is due to a lack of ledges that can be grabbed and the stage's primary platform size; it can just barely provide sufficient space for two combatants, and it becomes far too small for doubles play. Similar to Fountain of Dreams, the stage can also lag in doubles play, making gameplay detrimental in such cases.

Trophy information

Mute City trophy in Melee

F-Zero courses are set hundreds of feet above ground and kept afloat by opposing-gravity guard beams on both sides of the tracks. Mute City, which grew from an intergalactic trading post to a city with a population of over two billion, is the most famous stop on the F-Zero Grand Prix. This course layout is from the F-Zero X era.

Gallery

• 

  The starting area (note that when the match starts, the floating platform will start above here)

• 

  The second area which is just from the starting line.

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  The third area, where the platform goes through the tunnel underpass.

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  The fourth area.

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  The fifth area, where the lone platform tilts slowly to the left and right.

• 

  The final area, and at this point, the stage cycles back to the beginning.

Trivia

• In the "Special Video", during Pikachu's scene (when it uses Thunder), one of the "stops" of the stage is shown with two spinning platforms, when in every mode there is only one platform, and it moves laterally. These two platforms do appear in the trophy of Mute City (under the main platform, inside the track).
• Players can actually stand on top of the "GO!" sign at the beginning of the track, but because the first area is ahead of the sign, the player can only spend a fraction of a second on it.
• Racers are far larger and slower relative to the track than in F-Zero X. F-Zero tracks are typically extremely wide so as to accomodate the extreme speeds.