Stage
A stage is a location where characters fight. A stage can also be called a "map" or "board." The stages are usually locations that are from the character's universe, however there are some stages like Final Destination that comes from the Smash Bros. universe. There are many different type of stage that appear in the Super Smash Brothers series. The typical stage generally comprise a floored center with ledges on each side, separating the floor from the abyss, and platforms above to which characters can jump. Some stages, however, such as Fourside, can be much more complex, rife with moving platforms, walls and ceilings. Furthermore, there are some stages like Icicle Mountain that are stages that move. These stages sometimes depend on luck rather than strategy. There are also stages that have many dangers on them.
A stage can also have obstacles and enemies on them. These stages are designed to give characters challenges and take precautions while they are fighting. For example, the Mushroom Kingdom 2 stage has Birdo popping out from the side of the screen and firing her eggs at the characters. There are stages however that have simple designs and do not contain any obstacles or enemies. These stages include Final Destination and the Battlefield. These type of stages focus more on competitive play. A new type of stage that was included into Super Smash Brothers Melee is called moving stages. These stages include Icicle Mountain, Rainbow Cruise, Poke Floats, and Big Blue. A moving stage typically moves around while the characters are battling. Some of the movement of the stage in Icicle Mountain and Big Blue is random. As a result, these stages are discouraged by many smashers since luck is also a factor in these stages. However, stages like Rainbow Ride and Poke Floats do not have random movement and are played more than the latter.
There are also special stages that were not designed for battling like the stages in Adventure Mode of Melee. These type of stages were designed for a character to travel across the stage and reach a certain checkpoint. These stages include Mushroom Kingdom, F-Zero Grand Prix, and Underground Mazel. There is also another type of stage called a bonus stage. These bonus stages include Target Test and Board the Platforms. These stages were designed to test the player's ability to complete the task of the bonus stage by using the character's different abilities to achieve their goal.
Stages are also a factor that is included in tournament legality. Some of the stages in Melee had to be banned in tournaments because of numerous reasons. Some stages like Hyrule Temple and Yoshi's Story 64 were banned because they gave an unfair advantage to some characters during battle. Other stages like Icicle Mountain were banned during tournament play because the random movement of the stage disrupts the battling on the stage.
