Duck Hunt (stage)

Duck Hunt (, Duck Hunt) is a stage that appears in Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, based directly on the NES game Duck Hunt. It was unlockable in at launch, and was added to  with free availibility in the 1.1.1 update.

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Ultimate, Duck Hunt is fought here in their unlocking battle. In, their unlocking battle is fought on because the game was not updated to change the unlock battle even after this stage was added.

Stage overview
The main body of the stage is a large dirt platform covered by grass, whose sides can be wall jumped off of. The bush on the right and the foliage of the tree on the left act as soft platforms. Occasionally, a patch of grass may pop up in front of the main field of grass, which hides characters and items behind it due to the stage's 2D effect. The look of the stage is based on the game's native 4:3 aspect ratio, with the side blast lines being located beyond the pillar-boxes on either side of the main platform.

The HUD displayed on the screen during play shows the round number, the quantity of ammo left, a duck meter, a gauge below the duck meter indicating the minimum amount of ducks to knock down, and the current score. The HUD in the standard version of the stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS moves with the camera.

During the match, one or two ducks appear at a time. They plunge into the grass when hit by an attack, increasing the score and occasionally dropping items. The 8-bit dog then appears to collect the fallen ducks or laugh if no ducks were hit, concurrently acting as a temporary platform. If players knock down the minimum number of ducks to move on to the next round after ten ducks appear, then the next round begins. Green ducks give 500 points, blue ducks give 1,000, and red ducks give 1,500. If all ten ducks are knocked down, a "Perfect" sign is displayed in the center of the stage just as in the original Duck Hunt, adding 10,000 points to the total. If the minimum quota is not met, it will restart from the first round. There are 10 rounds in total, with a maximum potential score of 158,000, before the score resets to zero and it resets to the first round. In 8-Player Smash, Duck Hunt's unlocking battle in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, All-Star Mode in SSB4, or when hazards are turned off, no ducks nor dog appear at all. Scoring points and advancing through rounds has no effect on gameplay whatsoever.

Ω forms and Battlefield form
In Super Smash Bros. 4, the Ω form removes the bush, the ducks, the dog, the tree, and the patches of grass the player can hide in. Additionally the platform is shortened slightly to match that of Final Destination. However, the HUD remains fixed and does not move with the camera.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Ω form and Battlefield form are similar to SSB4's Ω form; however, the main platform does not extend below the blast line and is resized and reshaped to match and, respectively. The three soft platforms of the Battlefield form resemble the texture of the ground and are unique to this form. The characters are still flat, which also flattens the hitboxes and alters gameplay significantly as a result.

Origin
The stage is based on the original Duck Hunt game for the NES. In the game, players use the NES Zapper light gun accessory to shoot their targets down. Players must choose to play either Game A, B, or C. One duck appears at a time in Game A, and two ducks appear at a time in Game B. In Game C, players are tasked with shooting clay pigeons which are tossed from the foreground to the background. This stage combines both Game A and B, as either one or two ducks will appear at a time.

Tournament legality
Prior to 2017, this stage was legal in most tournaments, however, the 2017 recommended ruleset has made this stage banned in tournaments. Reasons behind this ban included the singular tree which promoted camping against characters with poor vertical movement (most notoriously ), the low distance relative to the stage and the bottom/side blast lines, infamously the Duck Hunt dog itself who would occasionally interrupt gameplay (or even save a player from a punish) and the fact that the ducks, which would increase the score on the bottom of the screen when hit, may have been distracting for some players, as the game encouraged them to hit the ducks instead of focusing on the opponent.

However, arguments against the stage's ban included the relative neutrality of the main platform and advantages offered by the tree, allowing it to be used as a counterpick stage for characters with otherwise weak vertical finishers. Additionally, the ducks could be used as a technical advantage due to their ability to refresh stale moves, similar to hitting balloons on Smashville. Overall, this decision has been met with mixed reception, with one notable example of opposition being from ESAM, who has made a video addressing his feelings on the subject.

Trivia

 * Star KOs and Screen KOs occur in the 3DS version, but not in the Wii U version. This is also the case for Star KOs with the 3DS version of Super Mario Maker.
 * Although the fighters are 2D, the ground, tree, bush, and moving grass sections have raised 3D parts.
 * This is the only shared stage in Super Smash Bros. 4 to have an alternate track on the 3DS version that does not appear on the same stage on the Wii U.
 * Certain fighters benefit from the lack of a Z-axis for hitboxes in this stage, for example Charizard, who has a much easier time landing the sweetspot on its forward tilt as a result.
 * Duck Hunt is one of three stages that has been a starter stage, an unlockable stage, and a DLC stage, as it was each in Ultimate, Smash Wii U, and Smash 3DS, respectively; the others are and Pirate Ship.
 * Duck Hunt is also the second stage in the series to be added through a free update, succeeding Miiverse and preceding Small Battlefield.
 * In Ultimate, the following Assist Trophies cannot appear on this stage: the Moon, Nightmare, Andross, Jeff, Dr. Wright and the Squid Sisters. Additionally, the following Poké Ball Pokémon cannot be summoned: Abra, Snorlax, Lugia, Xerneas and Lunala.

Duck Hunt (escenario)