Super Smash Bros. Brawl brought many changes to the Zelda representation. Not only did the Hero of Winds join the roster, but Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf would all have new models based upon their Twilight Princess incarnations. With these new heroes from Twilight Princess, a new stage was needed to match, and a beautiful sunset over the Bridge of Eldin would be the choice.
The stage is simple, mechanically, but it is the perfect choice for those looking for a picturesque background to look at during your match. The Bridge of Eldin is a completely flat stage on both sides, meaning you can walk into the left or right blast-zones. It hovers over the Zora River, and in the background we can see the Eldin Province and Hyrule Castle covered in an infinite dusk. Every so often, a horn blast rings across the bridge, and King Bulbin will join the battle riding his loyal Lord Bulbo. He does a cavalry charge across the stage dealing damage and moderate knockback to any fighter in his way. If that was not enough, he will also drop a bomb barrel in the middle of the stage. The bomb barrel deals heavy knockback to fighters and will then blow a gaping hole in the middle of the bridge, creating a pit where players might be vulnerable to spikes. After some time, a Twilight Portal will appear above and repair the broken bridge, however any fighters that were inside the pit while it gets repaired will be doomed to drown in the Zora River below.
The stage is a reference to, believe it or not, the great Bridge of Eldin in Twilight Princess, which connects the northern and southern Eldin Provinces. The Twilight Portal is a reference to the repairing of the Bridge of Eldin. After Link traverses over the bridge the first time, a large section of the bridge is taken by Twilit Messengers. Later Link and Midna use a Twilight Portal to repair the bridge, much like in the Smash stage. The King Bulbin hazard is a direct reference to King Bulbin, who rides a swine steed named Lord Bulbo. The Hero of Twilight battles this miniboss several times throughout the game. One of these boss fights takes place at the Bridge of Eldin. The infinite sunset is also a reference to this miniboss fight, as it ignores the day/night cycle of the game and will always take place at sunset.
As pretty as this stage is, it is unfortunately never tournament legal and only to be played in friendlies. Any stage where one can simply walk off to the blast-zone is not fit for a competitive setting. This type of stage allows for camping and easy KOs, which would be a boring match to watch. However, it’s beauty serves as a testament that sometimes, even in the realm of gaming, aesthetics alone can be a source of pure, unadulterated delight.
