Given its roster of 89 fighters, it comes as no surprise that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate also has a high number of stages, 115 of them to be exact. Some of the stages featured are unique, intricate and comples, while others are simple and straightforward.
The many stages in the game vary in difficult and even fairness. Indeed, not every stage in Ultimate is entirely fair to play on. Certain stages come with a unique stage hazard or gimmick that can make fighting in extremely frustrating to the point of unfairness.
Spirit Train
As the name suggests, Spirit Train takes place on the Spirit Train, one of the strangest items in the Legend of Zelda series. The stage itself is always traveling, moving to the left, and anyone who stands on the tracks behind the train is in danger of getting dragged into the right blast zone.
Much of the fighting takes place within the train's carriage, which can be replaced during the match. One carriage has a break in the middle of it, one through which players can fall. Two other trains will appear on the stage: an armored train that rams the Spirit Train into the blast zone, and a Dark Train that will explode on impact.
Pac-Land
Pac-Land gets a bad rep in the Smash community, partly due to how it's designed. Apart from its appearance, this side-scrolling Pac-Man stage comes with a few untimely obstacles, all while scrolling from right to left.
While traversing through Pac-Land, players have to put up with pitfalls, damaging water spouts, and log bridges that either spin or collapse. The scrolling speed in Pac-Land is also dependent on the location of each player, with moving ahead speeding it up and lagging behind causing it to slow down.
Peach's Castle
Peach's Castle might be nostalgic to some since it debuted in the original Super Smash Bros., one of the best Nintendo 64 games that still hold up today. Still, it does come with some faults, including unfair hazards. Recovery is limited to the top platform due to the two floating platforms present, which make it difficult for some fighters to recover.
Perhaps the most egregious feature is the Bumper, which floats in the middle above the stage's second platform. It's stationary in 1P mode, but in other modes, it moves to the left and right. This can mess up some players' blast trajectories, leading to some rather unfortunate deaths.
Distant Planet
The stage layout in Distant Planet is kind of funky, to say the least. On the left, there's a slanted surface that gets very slippery when it starts raining. On the right is a Bluborb waiting to devour any unfortunate player that falls in its mouth.
The main platform consists of vines with three leaf platforms above it, and all of it is quite bouncy. The leaves sink whenever someone is standing on one, and the vine platform wobbles slightly whenever someone walks on it or jumps off.
WarioWare Inc.
At first glance, WarioWare Inc. seems pretty harmless. Taking place in an "elevator room," its main platform and four small platforms (two on either side) make for a simplistic stage layout. However, it is dominated by a stage gimmick that involves WarioWare's main attraction: microgames.
While they're duking it out, players have to watch out for random and chaotic minigames that occur constantly during the match. Some minigames require players to dodge a car, chisel a block, and even taunt to receive rewards such as an item drop. In some instances, a stage hazard in a minigame may even outright KO the player.
75 M
Based upon the original Donkey Kong arcade game, 75 m is littered with narrow platforms and ladders. It's also a very spacious stage, with its width making the small platforms look scattered. Trouble Bugs move across the platforms and ladders, easily getting in the way of some players.
However, reigning at the top of the 75 m stage is classic Donkey Kong, who will occasionally appear in the foreground. Coming in contact with him deals some damage and knockback. Four springs with plenty of knockback appear from the left when Donkey Kong appears, bouncing over at irregular times.
Kalos Pokémon League
Kalos Pokémon League is admittedly a beautiful stage. The main hall is adorned by colorful stained-glass windows in the background, and the stage transitions to four unique chambers. However, each chamber comes with its own hazards, including some of the best legendary Pokémon from the franchise in each chamber.
Whether it's Rayquaza flying through the air with its electricity, or Manaphy turning the stage into a kitchen sink, players can expect to find themselves constantly on edge when fighting on this Pokémon League stage. That's not to mention the flaming platforms, giant swords, and water streams that can deter anyone from victory.
Gamer
Gamer often plays with no background, which gives it a kind of eerie feeling. But it's the hazard on this stage that will give players the most anxiety. That stage hazard? 9-Volt's terrifying mother, 5-Volt.
Every now and then, 5-Volt enters the room looking for fighters with her line of sight represented by a light beam. Anyone spotted in this beam of light gets damage and plenty of knockback, as 5-Volt becomes angry. The fakeouts on this stage are meant to frighten players, who will have to fight in constant fear as they hide behind stage objects to avoid 5-Volt's wrath.
Mario Bros.
The Mario Bros. stage takes its design from the original Mario Bros. arcade platformer, a classic game that's playable with Nintendo Switch Online. The stage features the iconic green pipes at the top, POW block at the bottom, and long blue platforms. Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers are also present, spawning from the green pipes and dealing a ton of knockback.
Because of the enemies' high knockback, players can easily be KO'd if struck by them. Players can run offstage to the other side to avoid getting hit by Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers, but it hardly makes up for the unfairness of these hazards.
Great Cave Offensive
Great Cave Offensive is, in a word, offensive to many Smash players. It's an enormous stage, making for a cat-and-mouse scenario where a player has to chase down their opponent. It's very easy to get lost in the stage, especially for those new to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Danger Zones are found throughout the Great Cave Offensive, dealing 30% damage. Spikes and minecarts are a few other obstacles in this behemoth. Racking up KOs can be quite the hassle, as fighters will be bouncing off the walls before touching a Danger Zone, just as long as they're over 100%.