Planet Zebes: Brinstar

This is a featured article.

This article is about the stage introduced in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For other uses, see Planet Zebes (Disambiguation) and Brinstar (Disambiguation).

“	It's the dreaded, legendary ocean of acid! The rising and falling ocean of acid changes the field of play greatly.	„
—Smash Bros Dojo.

Brinstar in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Planet Zebes: Brinstar, simply titled Brinstar in later games, is a stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that depicts Zebes's deep caverns, and is based on the area of the same name.

Description

Adventure Mode title.

This stage is essentially a redesign of the Planet Zebes stage from Super Smash Bros. Acid constantly surges up and down (similar to Lava Tides) from the core and deals damage on contact; when the acid level is high, it serves as a "cushion" that prevents fighters from being knocked out by falling off of the main platform.

Two of the three floating platforms are held up by fleshy stalks; these can be destroyed by repeatedly hitting them, causing the platforms to tilt at an angle. Additionally, if players attack the part of the floor composed of reddish bubbles (resembling those found in Norfair), it will split the main platform into two parts, making it harder for players to fight. Any damage done to the stage will gradually be regenerated.

The Torizo from Super Metroid can be seen standing up and walking around in the background. Near the Torizo are bricks with angry faces, based upon those found in the blue-rock areas of Brinstar in Metroid. The animation of the Torizo turning around is simply a hopping animation when viewed in slow motion.

The "Brinstar Brain" is attached to the ceiling in the far background of the stage. When the acid lake fully submerges the stage, the "Brinstar Brain" becomes agitated; however, it does not affect the gameplay at all and is merely an aesthetic detail. There is also a pulsating heart-like organ beneath the stage, which has a similar aesthetic to the brain.

The stage is available from the start in all of its appearances. The player fights Samus and/or Zero Suit Samus in most game modes. In Melee's Adventure Mode, after fighting Samus, the player must evacuate Zebes in one minute and traverse a tall escape shaft.

Music

• Brinstar (Melee)
• Brinstar Depths (Melee)

In Melee, Brinstar Depths (Melee) may randomly play on this stage instead of Brinstar (Melee) during Adventure Mode. In Brawl and 3DS, it can be played on this stage during other game modes.

In Ultimate, any song from the Metroid series can be played on this stage. By default, Brinstar (Melee) is the most frequently played song, and Title Theme - Metroid is the second-most frequent song.

Official data

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Official Game Guide

"Inspired by: Metroid
This stage contains a cluster of platforms suspended within a cavern. Over the course of a battle, the cavern occasionally fills with acid, rendering any submerged platforms unusable. Any fighters who touch the acid will be launched into the air with a damaging attack, so move as needed to keep clear of this environmental hazard. There’s a weak spot near the center of the lowest platform - destroying this spot will temporarily split the platform in half.

The platforms tremble each time the acid level rises or lowers. At its highest point, the acid covers the three lower platforms, leaving a single platform as the only safe perch."

Super Smash Blog

9/25/2018
Today's Stage
Brinstar

"This stage is an underground cavern on Planet Zebes, where the Metroid Series takes place. Although the rising and falling acid at the bottom of the stage can deal severe damage, touching it when you're falling off the stage can actually help you recover!"

This blog post erroneously states that Zebes is the setting of the Metroid series. It is the setting of only three games, one of which is a remake: Metroid, Super Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission.

Tips (Ultimate)

• Acid Lake – "The level of the acid lake rises and falls. When at its highest point, all platforms but the highest ones will be swallowed up."

Trivia

• This stage is called "4-1ZEBES" in the Melee debug menu. "4-1" refers to its placement as the fourth stage in Adventure Mode.
• Although based primarily on Brinstar, elements of this stage are also reminiscent of Tourian. The "Brinstar Brain" is a brain-like organism evocative of Mother Brain, while the fleshy stalks of biomatter holding the stage together are similar to the Zebetites that protected Mother Brain. Like the Zebetites, the stalks must be hit repeatedly before they break, and they will regenerate if left alone. However, they still regenerate if destroyed, after some time.
• The stage's return in Ultimate was first implied via the assets in the background of Ridley's character page, before being confirmed in the August 8, 2018 Nintendo Direct.

Gallery

Link and the Ice Climbers fight on Brinstar in Melee.

The "Brinstar Brain" in Melee.

The tunnel extending into the background in Melee.

The Torizo in Melee.

Brinstar in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

A battle on Brinstar in Brawl.

Brinstar in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

Brinstar submerged in acid in Ultimate

Image tweeted by Masahiro Sakurai on June 5, 2020.

Image tweeted by Sakurai on September 11, 2020.