Blast line: Difference between revisions

A '''blast line''', also called a '''blast zone''', is an invisible boundary on a [[stage]] that a [[character]] cannot cross without getting [[KO]]'d, and causing an opponent to go beyond them are the standard means of KOing opponents in standard [[Versus Mode]] battles. Blast lines are usually placed beyond the borders of the screen in which the stage is shown.

Most stages have left and right blast lines which are far away from the edges of the stage's platforms, and so cannot readily be walked into. Some stages, however, have what are known as '''walk-offs''', where a stage's platform doesn't stop at a ledge and instead goes all the way to the left and/or right blast line, which allows players to "walk off" the stage's boundaries and be KO'd (both versions of [[Mushroom Kingdom]] and [[Onett]] are prominent examples). The exceptions are [[Balloon Fight]] and [[Mario Bros.]] (in ''Ultimate''), where walking off the side of the stage wraps the player around to the other side. However, fighters are KO'd as usual on either stage if they are [[knockback|launched]] into the blast line. There is additionally a lower blast line which is triggered by falling below the bottom of the screen, which is what KOs characters that fail to [[recover]] after being knocked off the stage. Some stages have full floors and walls that prevent access to certain blast lines, but they still exist, should a character be glitched through the stage.

The upper blast line is different from the others in that characters can freely pass it without being KO'd in most situations; characters can freely jump and attack above the blast line (the cause of the [[Luigi ladder]]). Characters are only KO'd off the top if they are standing on platforms that leave the stage or they are being propelled upwards by [[knockback]] (including from [[windbox]]es), a broken [[shield]], a thrown {{b|Screw Attack|item}}, or the [[Wario Waft]]. These characteristics do not apply in the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''; the top blast line in said game will KO characters regardless of how they pass it.

In the first game, blast zones are fairly big, which makes characters with good recoveries, like {{SSB|Pikachu}}, live longer on most stages. Despite this, the absence of air dodging and wall teching, and the high hitstun, coupled with the fact there are few characters that boast long, safe recoveries, make [[edgeguarding]] an easy task compared to other ''Smash'' titles.

In a first for the series, blast lines are visually represented in a small graphic (called the [[radar]] in-game), similar to how they are delineated in ''Melee'''s debug mode, that appears at the side of the screen whenever a player approaches the camera boundary. Color-coded dots in the graphic indicate the player's position in the zone between the camera's boundary and the blast lines. This graphic can be made smaller or turned off entirely in the options.

 

An additional, lower "meteor blast line" now exists on all stages. This blast line sits between the camera's lower limit and the regular blast line and affects fighters with a speed greater than 3.<ref>[https://twitter.com/Ruben_dal/status/1221151119172345858 Ruben's tweet about the meteor blast zone]</ref> This allows players to go for riskier attacks (such as [[fast-fall]] down-airs) or to ensure a [[meteor smash]] KOs an opponent before they get to act again.

BlastLine.jpg|If the camera in ''Melee'' is modded to go beyond stage borders, a more realistic blast can be seen.

Kirbycide frame data.gif|In this animation, taken in ''Melee'''s [[Debug menu (SSBM)|debug mode]], Bowser is KO'd when the bottom edge of his hurtbox touches the bottom blast line.

SmashWiiUGame!.jpg|The lower blast line in {{forwiiu}} at [[Kalos Pokémon League]].

[[File:MushroomKingdomBlastLine.png|thumb|The blast lines on the ''Melee'' version of Mushroom Kingdom.]]

*On the {{SSB|Mushroom Kingdom}} stage of ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' (as well as its ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' remake) and the {{SSBM|Mushroom Kingdom}} stage of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', the camera can be panned far enough to see black signs with a red circle and the word "Danger" off to the side. The sign itself is behind the blast line.

*In the original ''Super Smash Bros.'', KOing a character through the upper blast line will always result in a [[Star KO]] or [[Screen KO]], including characters in horde battles.

*In ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' onwards, after a boss is defeated the blast lines are temporarily disabled until the screen fades to white. This is to prevent players from losing if they happen to defeat a boss offstage.