Which would be more resource heavy?

Question

I'm to the point in development that I can start thinking about stage design. But which would be more efficient?

A. Create separate scenes for each stage?
or
B. Contain all stage assets within ONE scene and utilize culling?

The game I'm working on is a 2D pixel art game with NES style graphics.

Answer 1

A is the best option for lots of reasons.
If you just tried storing every little object into one scene, you would have a layout so complex it will be painful to work with.

The game I'm working on is a 2D pixel art game with NES style graphics.

Then unless you plan on having 20 000 or more objects on screen at once, you have little concern with resources.
It is 8 000 - 10 000 for mobile.