One of the coolest aspects of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate announcement was the sheer amount of content returning from the past four entries in the series. Not including any brand new stages, Ultimate already features a total of 84 returning stages. It’s an incredible amount, but there is a surprising 43 stages that are not returning and we’re here to catalog each and every one.
3DS Stages
Seven stages from the Super Smash Bros. for 3DS have not yet been seen in Ultimate.
Dream Land
Retro stages should feel right at home in Ultimate with stages like 75m, Pac-Land, and Balloon Fight already set to make their return. Dream Land is especially unique with its nostalgic color scheme and boxed-in camera, making it the perfect 3DS stage to make the jump.
Will this stage return? Likely.
Golden Plains
What an absolutely lazy stage, visually at least. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is usually regarded as the low point of the New series and its fuzzy and muddy look coupled with the eye sores they call platforms make it a stage we hope doesn’t appear again. The coin mechanic and the gold power-up were nice, but it’s only worth a return if the stage gets a graphical overhaul.
Will this stage return? Not Likely.
Mute City
Another retro stage! It’s simple, pretty, and presumably easy to import. Granted, we already have a potential Mute City returning in the form of a Melee stage, but this one is different enough to make it worth a second go.
Will this stage return? Very Likely.
Pac-Maze
Similar to Golden Plains, Pac-Maze sees players collecting objects specific to this stage to grant themselves a status effect boost for a temporary amount of time. Like all retro stages before it, it’s simple, basic, and it looks nice too. Should be an easy port!
Will this stage return? Likely.
Paper Mario
While it may not be the best representation of the Paper Mario series, it’s definitely an upgrade over a few trophies here and there. Each of the three stage transformations offer something a little different and the Bowser’s Castle area could benefit a lot from the larger screen.
Will this stage return? Likely.
PictoChat 2
As it was mentioned before, it’s not clear which PictoChat is returning but one has definitely been spotted. If we had to pick one of the two, we’d go with the stage that has newer and more refreshing transformations.
Will this stage return? Very Likely.
Rainbow Road
It’s true, we already have an abundance of Mario Kart stages confirmed to return, but how can you say no to Rainbow Road? This track is so closely tied to the series, it’s surprising it took so long for it to get an adaption in Smash. Yes, we definitely think this one will be back!
Will this stage return? Very Likely.