Growing up in the 90s I was a big fan of pretty much all the cartoons Nickelodeon had to offer. I was also a big fan of Nintendo’s famous franchise “Super Smash Bros.” I only bring that game up because Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is essentially an unabashedly carbon copy of Nintendo’s version, but with a lot of cut corners. It is incredibly difficult to review this game without comparing it to it’s superior originator, but since it is a shameless copy for the most part, I don’t feel guilty doing so.
Starting out the roster of characters is fairly impressive, as it does a good job selecting icons from multiple eras of Nickelodeon’s animation. We got Ren & Stimpy all the way to some I haven’t even heard of from a show called “The Loud House.” It’s also really awesome seeing the presence of characters from the “Avatar: The Last Airbender” world. The game is complete with a roster of a total of 20. With such a rich animated history, there are some glaring omissions that I hope they add over time (give me Rocko and Angry Beavers!). What was disappointing also, unlike “Super Smash Bros.” Where new characters unlock over time, this game doesn’t do the same. What you see is what you get.
The very first issue I had with Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl happened almost right away when it’s become clear that all the dialogue is in text form. Half of the charm of all these characters are the talent that brings them to life with their voices. Cheap text boxes with uninspired writing really shows the lack of perhaps budget this title was given. There’s also a lack of keeping the average gamer playing with very weak unlockables that don’t really matter. Give us alternate costumes… something! As far as level designs go, there are more hits than misses and for the most part, all are fun to play on. There was some decent thought into the themes to each stage and making it a strategic aspect on how you are going to go about winning the fight.
The biggest highlight is, of course, the core gameplay. It runs pretty smooth and any “Smash Bros.” Fan will fit right at home. Online play is also pretty good, a feature that its competitor lacks, so that’s a big plus for many fighting gamers. I see real eSports potential here. I do hope if this game does get a big following, perhaps the developers will get more funding to really Polish and enhance this entire experience.
All in all, I can see an initial curiosity to want to play Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl with so much nostalgia attached. For gamers who don’t have a Nintendo to play a Smash game this also may cure that itch. But like I said, almost every aspect here seems eighty percent there, but not quite. With so many cut corners it angers me that the potential seems squandered. But if you can look past that aspect, and just focus on the fighting, there could be hours of enjoyability here before losing steam.
6.5/10
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is published by GameMill Entertainment. For more information, visit www.NickelodeonAllStarBrawl.com.
PlayStation Review
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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