Planet Zebes

Planet Zebes
Planet Zebes File:Metroid Icon.gif
Universe	Metroid
Appears in	SSB
Availability	Starter
Tournament legality Super Smash Bros. Singles: Banned (Occasionally Counterpick) Doubles: Banned (Occasionally Counterpick)

Planet Zebes serves as the lone Metroid installment stage for the original Smash Bros. Like most other stages, it did not return in Melee, and is often banned in standard tournaments for its interference with gameplay though in a few tournaments it is allowed as the size of the stage is perfect for aerial combos while not being too large.

"Planet Zebes" can also refer to the area in which all Metroid stages are located (with the exception of Frigate Orpheon): Brinstar, Brinstar Depths, and Norfair.

Ridley is occasionally seen flying in the background.

It is the home stage of Samus Aran, and after unlocking, Captain Falcon (both characters are bounty hunters and come from science fiction game series).

Layout

Planet Zebes consists of a rough, jagged base, three main platforms (two of which are sloped at an angle), and one smaller platform ascending and descending at the far right of the stage. Hazardous acid rises from below, submerging most of the base and occasionally two of the three platforms, though it never rises high enough to reach the topmost platform.

Touching the acid results in damage and serious knockback, sometimes even a KO if the player's damage meter is high enough. Contradictorily, it can also be used strategically as a means of salvage if [the acid] is risen high enough. In the event of a player being knocked off of the stage and into the acid, it will launch him or her skyward, allowing them to reuse their recovery or simply fall back onto the stage. Obtaining a Starman (or any form of invincibility) grants invulnerability to the acid, allowing the player to walk through it. However, if, while invincible, the player falls off the stage and through the acid, he or she will self-destruct. It will not "bump" the player up, as they are immune to its burn.

Relationship with Brinstar

Some stages in the original Smash Bros. were recycled or heavily modified for Melee and can easily be identified for their use of inspiration, including Planet Zebes (Brinstar).

Similarities

The two stages share much common ground in that

• both have rising and falling pools of acid.
• Brinstar's acid moves in the same pattern as Zebes'.
• the music is nearly the same, though Brinstar's is slightly remixed.

Differences

Despite their similarities, however, Zebes and Brinstar seem more to differ from one another. For example,

• Brinstar, in retrospect, is much smaller than Zebes.
• the two platforms adorning either side of Brinstar are constrained by fleshy stalks that can be broken if attacked, causing the platforms to slope at sharp angles.
• the small ascending and descending platform in Zebes has been removed in Brinstar.
• Brinstar's acid has significantly less knockback compared to Zebes'.

There are several other minuter details. A cluster of organic material conjoins the base of Brinstar and splits the stage in two when destroyed. Also, Ridley is no longer seen flying in the background, but is instead replaced with a giant throbbing alien organism, as well as a Chozo Statue that occasionally gets up and roams about.

External Links

Music for Planet Zebes