Cloud Sea of Alrest
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Cloud Sea of Alrest | |
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Cloud Sea of Alrest as it appears in Smash. | |
Universe | Xenoblade Chronicles |
Appears in | Ultimate |
Availability | Downloadable |
Crate type | Normal |
Maximum players | 8 |
Cloud Sea of Alrest (アレストの雲海, Sea of Clouds in Alrest) is a stage in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate based on Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It is bundled with Pyra and Mythra in Challenger Pack 9, which is also part of the Fighters Pass Vol. 2.
Stage overview
The stage takes place on top of Azurda (also known as Gramps), serving as the home of Rex in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The stage continuously floats through the skies as other Titans fly by. There is a single floating platform on the left end of the stage, and Azurda's neck acts as a mild slope on the right side. Occasionally, Gramps will raise and lower his head, which will affect the angle of the slope. He will also turn his head to look at the Titans, which temporarily shrinks the size of the stage. The stage contains indications for when he is about to turn his head, such as his neck shaking, a windmill spinning faster than usual, and the door to Rex's house closing. If there are fighters standing on Azurda's head or hanging from his horn when he turns his head, they will slide inwards rather than fall off. Throughout the battle, Azurda will provide banter and comment on the state of the battle. When the battle starts, Azurda will say "I want to see a good, clean fight. Do you hear?" When a player is down to one stock, Azurda will say "It seems that we will soon have a winner!" Other examples include when a fighter is KO'd, Self-destructs and when a Titan appears in the background. He also possesses unique lines for Pyra and Mythra if they are present in the match.
Occasionally, the following Titans will appear in the background:
- Goldmouth, the Argentum Titan, with the Maelstrom following behind
- Gormott
- Uraya
- Mor Ardain
- Genbu
- Indol
The order the Titans appear is randomly selected at the start of the match; once all six have appeared the cycle repeats in the same order. Additionally, the lighting and color scheme of the background changes as the Titans appear.
The following characters appear as cameos in the background, with one Driver and Blade pair being randomly selected:
- Nia and Dromarch
- Tora and Poppi α
- Mòrag and Brighid
- Zeke and Pandoria
They can appear either in front, to the side or on top of Rex's house, standing either together in one spot or standing apart in two different spots.
Ω form and Battlefield form
The main platform of the Ω form and Battlefield form does not feature Azurda as the main platform, but instead uses a haphazardly constructed airship that matches the size of Final Destination and Battlefield, respectively. Additionally, the character cameos do not appear; however, the Titans still appear in the background.
Hazards Off
With hazards off, Azurda's head does not move at all, staying at the starting position throughout the match.
Origin
The general aesthetic of the stage comes from the beginning of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, when Rex lives on the back of Azurda and they swim around the Cloud Sea in search of salvaging opportunities. The Titans and other entities spotted in the background are all areas that can be explored in the game. The various background characters that appear on the stage are party members that Rex befriends throughout the game.
While the stage is a home stage for Pyra/Mythra and Shulk, they can only be present at the beginning of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 during a New Game+, as Rex loses Azurda as a home before encountering Pyra, with Azurda regenerating into a small larval stage for most of the game. Although Azurda regenerates into his adult form at the end of the game, Rex's house on his back no longer exists. Rex's fellow party members cannot be present on Azurda's Titan form at all until the very end of the game, as they do not appear at the start of a New Game+, unlike Pyra/Mythra and other Blades previously unlocked (including Shulk).
Tournament Legality
Despite a lack of disruptive hazards and Azurda’s head not moving when stage hazards are turned off (which contributes to the stage’s legality), the legality of this stage is not fully decided due to its recent release and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The clouds underneath the stage are opaque and block the view of fighters inside it.
Azurda's Dialogue
Azurda, whose back serves as the stage itself, has different lines of commentary that he can say throughout a match, including some exclusive ones for when Pyra or Mythra are in battle. The following is a list of his dialogue.
- Game start
- I want to see a good clean fight, do you hear?
- Game end
- Quickly! You had better hurry it up! - Time running out
- It seems we will soon have a winner! - One stock remaining
- Passerby Titans
- Mm? Why, that's...
- Ooh! We've got company!
- Argentum Trade Guild, coming through!
- It's the Argentum Trade Guild. Rex knows it like the back of his hand!
- Well I never, it's Gormott!
- It's Gormott Province, how splendid!
- That's the kingdom of Uraya! What a whopper!
- Oooh! The Ardainian Empire deigns to greet us!
- Ahhh! That big old turtle is the kingdom of Tantal.
- The Indoline Praetorium, graceful in its flight.
- Pyra/Mythra-specific
- Hang in there now, Pyra! - Pyra gets KO'd
- You're better than this, Mythra! - Mythra gets KO'd
- Ooh, that's delightfully warm! - Using Burning Sword
- Aah, the splendor of youth! - Using Sacred Arrow
- A KO is scored by any player
- Well played!
- Very well done!
- Ooh, very clever!
- They fell right into that one!
- No hard feelings, eh?
- Unsorted
- Ooooh... Don't fall apart now!
- Well well, it sounds like someone's popular.
- [exaggerated drawn-out groan]
- [two groans]
- [long relaxing groan]
- [yawn-like groan]
- All this fighting is making my back...terribly itchy.
- Oohhh yes, I much preferred it in this form.
- Oh come now, you're leaving yourself wide open!
- Well, it's never over 'till it's over.
- Oooh! Show some respect for your elders!
- Come on, launch them already!
- Quite the back-and-forth, isn't it?
- My back, a Smash stage! What will they think of next?
Gallery
Sora and Jigglypuff on the stage.
Names in other languages
Trivia
- Sakurai stated that the reason why Azurda is not the main platform for the Ω and Battlefield forms is because the development team thought he would be "crushed into jelly" if they tried to make him fit the shape and size of Battlefield.
- During one of Pandoria's animations, her glasses unfog, briefly revealing her eyes before they fog up again.
- Like with Pyra's fighter model and Mythra's appearance in Smash as a whole, Brighid's outfit as a background character has been modified from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 due to Ultimate's lower age rating, covering up her midriff and legs. However, she remains uncensored in "cutscene" footage in Pyra and Mythra's reveal trailer.
- The World Tree, a location in the original game, can be found at the beginning of the stage, when moving the camera to the left side. This applies to both its default form and its Ω and Battlefield forms.
- The tree will later be unviewable from the camera after a couple minutes, but will appear on-camera after ten.
- If at least one fighter is standing on Azurda's head, he will not turn to look at the background unless they move away.
- Despite the house on Azurda's back only existing at the beginning of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and the Titans forming new landmasses at the end of the game, Azurda claims that "[he misses] this old body" in Pyra and Mythra's reveal trailer, implying that the stage is intended to take place after the end of the original game (where he regenerates into his Titan form).
- The following Assist Trophies cannot appear on this stage: Moon, Metroid, Ashley, Burrowing Snagret, Devil, Vince, Dillon, and Squid Sisters. Additionally, the following Poké Ball summons cannot appear on this stage: Alolan Vulpix, Alolan Exeggutor, Fennekin, Pyukumuku and Marshadow.
Xenoblade Chronicles universe | |
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Fighters | Shulk (SSB4 · SSBU) · Pyra (SSBU) · Mythra (SSBU) |
Assist Trophy | Riki |
Stages | Gaur Plain · Cloud Sea of Alrest |
Other characters | Azurda · Dunban · Fiora · Metal Face · Nia · Rex |
Trophies and Spirits | Trophies · Spirits |
Music | SSB4 · Ultimate |