Long-banned Smash Melee stage once again legal for first time in 7 years

With The Big House 11 just around the corner on Oct. 20, Smash Bros. players are eagerly anticipating the next installment of this long-standing tournament series in Detroit, Michigan.

In a massive development, tournament organizer Juggleguy made the announcement on Sept. 24 that Kongo Jungle 64 is coming back as a doubles counterpick in Super Smash Bros. Melee, surprising players and producing mixed reactions.

Back when the Melee’s competitive scene was initially forming back in late 2001, Kongo Jungle 64 was a staple choice. Returning from the previous Smash Bros. installment on the Nintendo 64, this stage featured a lush jungle from the Donkey Kong Country series overlooking the sunset. The key features were the rotating platforms in the center, the tall platforms on both sides of the stage, and the fact that you could return to stage from directly below. But of course, none of this compared to the star of the show.

At the bottom of the stage is a barrel that shuffles side-to-side throughout the fight. Much like in the Donkey Kong Country games, you can enter this barrel and blast out of it in whichever direction you’re facing at the time. While this provides for a novel casual experience, all of these stage features historically posed one massive problem that led to the stage’s removal from competitive play: camping.

Longtime fans of the scene will recall Rockcrock versus Pink Shinobi, the game that most people in the community will point to if you ask why this stage is banned in singles. In this game played 14 years ago, Shinobi’s Peach floated from one high platform to the other, while Rockcrock’s Ganondorf had no chance of catching up due to Ganondorf’s slow movement. There are also examples of Jigglypuffs using the barrel to camp indefinitely underneath the stage.

The announcement of Kongo Jungle 64’s legality was met with mixed reactions. On one hand, many players are excited for the wacky shenanigans of Kongo Jungle returning to the big stage. Jeffrey “Axe” Williamson, one of the best doubles players in the world, responded to the announcement with “count me in lol.” Meanwhile, other figureheads in the scene worry about the last-minute nature of this crucial announcement. Kris “Toph” Aldenderfer, a long-time commentator and Smash personality, highlighted the lack of visibility in the ruleset prior to players registering and how that might hurt the competitive nature of the event.

The critics raise a valid point in that rulesets should ideally be made clear prior to players signing up. That way, if nothing else, the players know what they’re signing up for and can get their money’s worth. 

That said, the return of Kongo Jungle is a historic event in the Melee community. Seeing Slippi kids try to learn this mess of a stage for the first time is sure to get a lot of laughs, and bringing the generations together is a testament to how far the Smash Bros. community has grown.