Race to the Finish (SSBM)
Race to the Finish, announced in-game as Race to the finish!, is a bonus game in the Classic Mode of Super Smash Bros. Melee. It is a timed dash to the end of a labyrinthine corridor with many doors along the way. Touching one of these doors will end the game and give players coins based on how far they got into the area. The area is initially fairly linear though not quite straight, with no hazards to start with; about two-thirds of the way through, there is a three way fork in the corridor with each way presenting a different hazard: the top path having spiked walls, the middle having lava, and the bottom having a bottom blast line and a sparse amount of platforms to get across. All paths later join up to lead to a short final stretch with a single spiked block floating just before the final door. When played in Classic Mode, the Battlefield music plays.
The stage can be used as a playable stage in VS. Mode through various cheat devices such as the Action Replay; only the first player can touch a door, which causes the game to freeze.
Time
Each character is allotted a different amount of time to finish, with the faster characters such as Fox having less time and slower characters like Bowser more time. The "speed" of a character here is based on a combination of dash speed, falling speed, and air speed. Other factors are not taken into account, including wavedashing speed, allowing some characters such as Luigi, the Ice Climbers, and Mewtwo to finish earlier than intended.
| Character | Time (seconds) |
|---|---|
| Mario | 49 |
| Luigi | 53 |
| Dr. Mario | 50 |
| Peach | 50 |
| Bowser | 52 |
| Yoshi | 42 |
| Donkey Kong | 43 |
| Link | 50 |
| Young Link | 46 |
| Zelda/Sheik* | 50 |
| Ganondorf | 54 |
| Samus | 48 |
| Kirby | 53 |
| Fox | 40 |
| Falco | 44 |
| Pikachu | 44 |
| Jigglypuff | 51 |
| Pichu | 41 |
| Mewtwo | 43 |
| Captain Falcon | 39 |
| Ness | 47 |
| Ice Climbers | 54 |
| Marth | 45 |
| Roy | 46 |
| Mr. Game & Watch | 48 |
* While Sheik is much faster than Zelda, they both have the same time, allowing Sheik to finish unnaturally early.
