Great Bay
| The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Termina: Great Bay | |
|---|---|
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{{{content2}}}  Great Bay as it appears in Smash. | |
| Universe | The Legend of Zelda |
| Appears in | Melee Ultimate |
| Availability | Starter |
| Crate type | Normal |
| Maximum players | 4 (Melee) 8 (Ultimate) |
| Article on Zeldapedia | Great Bay Coast |
Great Bay (グレートベイ, Great Bay) is a stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It could be considered Young Link's home stage, as he is the main character in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, from which this stage originates. He is fought here when being unlocked.
In All-Star mode, this stage is where Link and any of his teammates are faced.
Stage overview
The left side of the stage consists of three platforms. The bottom ones have enough space for two fighters, and the left one floats and reacts to the fighters' weights by rocking. The raised platform, which has barely enough space for four characters, is solid: this can be exploited by throwing opponents against its bottom to cause a stage spike and possibly an early KO. However, in Ultimate, players swim on the water's surface, so it's more difficult to KO with a stage spike than in Melee.
The right side is occupied by a large turtle which acts as a platform. When the battle starts, the turtle is present and looks to the left: after about 30 seconds it sinks, carrying away any fighters still on it. It periodically emerges and sinks again, and can either look left or towards the screen. The trees on its back act as further platforms. The parts not covered by grass have lower traction, like ice and oil. Notably, when the turtle is absent the right blast line is very far from the stage: therefore, staying on the right is in this situation very advantageous.
Tingle floats around on a red balloon over the bottom right platform. His balloon acts as a platform: standing on it for enough time or attacking it makes it pop, causing Tingle to fall down on the ground or in the water while flailing his limbs. Contact with him in this state causes 1-2% damage and negligible knockback. After a while, he reinflates his balloon and floats back up: if Tingle falls on the lower left platform, when he reinflates his balloon he is trapped under the main platform and his balloon automatically pops.
The Moon in the background steadily falls: when it gets close enough to the ground, the Four Giants appear, stop it and throw it back up into the sky. The cycle lasts about three minutes, and has no effect on the gameplay.
Ω form and Battlefield form
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Ω form and Battlefield form are set far above the water with the coast seen in the background. The main platform is the same structure that the Marine Research Laboratory is on, but resized and reshaped to match Final Destination and Battlefield, respectively. The three soft platforms of the Battlefield form are metallic and are unique to this form.
Ω form in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Battlefield form in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Hazards Off
With hazards off in Ultimate, Tingle never appears and the turtle remains in its initial position.
Origin
This stage is based on the Great Bay Coast of the Great Bay region from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and takes place on the platforms that house the Marine Research Laboratory; however, its structure and orientation are slightly different in this stage. In Ultimate, the design of the Marine Research Laboratory and the buildings in the background have been changed to reflect their appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D. Ultimate also includes small additional details, such as a Heart Piece to the left in the background, in the same location as Majora's Mask.
In Majora's Mask, Owl Statues act as warp points when using the Song of Soaring and, in non-Japanese versions of the game, as quicksave points. One of such statues is outside the laboratory in Great Bay.
The Turtle in Majora's Mask allows Link to reach the Great Bay Temple after it is awoken; however, it is found in a different location of Great Bay, nowhere near the laboratory.
Tingle's design and behavior is also taken from Majora's Mask, which is also his debut game. He appears in several locations floating from his balloon, including the Marine Research Laboratory. Link can pop his balloon to make him fall to the ground and purchase maps from him.
In Majora's Mask, a Skull Kid, under possession by the evil Majora's Mask, sends the Moon on a collision course with Termina. Link has three in-game days to stop it, which is accomplished by freeing the Four Giants, who are able to catch the moon before it hits Clock Town. The time limit can be extended by traveling back in time to the beginning of the first day. The 3-minute cycle in this stage is a likely reference to the original 3-day cycle.
Tournament legality
Great Bay is banned in tournaments, the primary reason being that the stage allows for ample camping opportunities, including circle camping, by allowing characters to easily go from one bottom platform to the other, through going underneath the impassable main platform or over the top of it. The main platform can also allow very early KOs from stage spiking when players fight on the lower platforms.
Gallery
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Ness and Sheik walking out of the laboratory in a beta version of the stage.
Remnants of the laboratory within the stage in Melee.
Only three beams can be seen in this beta version.
The full view of Great Bay in Melee, including the underwater ground.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Isabelle catching Snake with her Fishing Rod on the stage.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
グレートベイ | Great Bay |
 English |
Great Bay | — |
 French |
Grande Baie  Grand baie  |
Great Bay |
 German |
Schädelbucht | Skull Bay |
 Spanish |
Gran Bahía | Great Bay |
 Italian |
Grande Baia | Great Bay |
 Chinese |
Great Bay | — |
 Korean |
그레이트 베이 | Great Bay |
 Dutch |
Grote Baai | Great Bay |
 Russian |
Великий залив | Great Bay |
Trivia
- In early builds of Melee, the Marine Research Lab in the background was part of the arena, allowing characters to walk in and out of it. It was moved into the background in the final version, though some remnants of the idea can be seen by using unrestricted camera hacks. Furthermore, the platform on the right side of the stage was composed by only three beams instead of the final five, much like the lab's appearance in Majora's Mask.
- Hacked cameras show that there's a complete underwater floor below the stage.
- To the left of the main cove where the platform exists is a second cove; within it is a cluster of 6 islets, matching Fisherman's Island, the location of a minigame in which the player must jump to the designated island in Majora's Mask.
- Great Bay is the only retro The Legend of Zelda stage to not be in either version of Smash 4.
- In Ultimate, there is a Piece of Heart to the left of the main cove in a hole in the cliff, matching the location of the Piece of Heart in Majora's Mask.
- Because the Moon is already part of the stage, Great Bay is one of the stages where it cannot be summoned as an Assist Trophy. Additionally, Phosphora and Kapp'n can only be summoned on the stage's Battlefield and Omega forms. Abra and Marshadow also can only be summoned on the Battlefield and Omega forms.
- If Meta Knight uses Shuttle Loop under the main platform while above the water, he will be KO'd instantly when he loops back up.
External links
| Stages in Super Smash Bros. Melee | |
|---|---|
| Starter stages | Brinstar · Corneria · Fountain of Dreams · Great Bay · Green Greens · Icicle Mountain · Jungle Japes · Kongo Jungle · Mushroom Kingdom · Mute City · Onett · Pokémon Stadium · Princess Peach's Castle · Rainbow Cruise · Temple · Venom · Yoshi's Island · Yoshi's Story |
| Unlockable stages | Battlefield · Big Blue · Brinstar Depths · Final Destination · Flat Zone · Fourside · Mushroom Kingdom II · Poké Floats |
 Unlockable Past Stages
|
Dream Land · Kongo Jungle · Yoshi's Island |
