A personal interest of mine has always been cartoons and animation, and Nickelodeon is a recognizable name to this and other generations who grew up with its classic characters. They've been no stranger to making video games of these characters over the years either, since the days of the Sega Genesis/Super Nintendo in fact. Fans of such will often tell you that most Nickelodeon games are actually of a decent standard of quality, especially for licensed games. Keyword here being "most". Being licensed games, there comes the realization that Nickelodeon will release a product to make some quick cash and the quality will often be an afterthought to the profit. This was the major concern of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, a platform fighter featuring some of the more iconic characters on the network. Although, these concerns dwindled over time when I noticed a specific name attached to the credits: Ludosity. Ludosity is the developer of one "Slap City", an indie platform fighter that is actually very enjoyable. I and others were a little more intrigued. Could this game have the possibility of actually being good? The answer of course is yes, the game is very good.
It's almost impossible to talk about this game, or platform fighters in general without directly referring to the game that basically invented the subgenre, Super Smash Bros. Smash's non-traditional approach to the fighting game format inspired many other games in its rise to popularity. People were quick to call Nick's All Star Brawl just another Smash clone, but there's somethings that are different that set this game apart from others, including Smash. The mechanics are quick to learn but have an underlying complexity to them that offers a more interesting gameplay experience. Air dashing across all characters, not seen in a platform fighter i've played, combined with the ability to perform the infamous Wavedash, only slightly adds to the already fast paced combat of the game. Even the slower characters move at a brisk pace and moves are incredibly snappy to the point where just one button misplacement can cost you a stock. The rock -paper-scissors parry mechanic can be a little hard to understand at first, but you'll quickly learn to act fast once it's effects kick in on the field. Most of the characters have a decent balance to their moves and speed to the point where tierlists are difficult to make because every character has something interesting in them. Speaking of characters of course, the roster. The selling point of the game of course is that you get to play as iconic Nickelodeon characters, coincidentally mirroring Smash's selling point of playing as your favorite Nintendo characters. Being a fan of cartoons, I and some others will be quick to tell you there are some characters the base roster should have had. Though, with promised DLC on the way I hope these qualms will be rectified in the future. Nevertheless, the roster is decent. Of course you have the most recognizable characters, Spongebob, Ren and Stimpy, Invader Zim, Danny Phantom, Reptar of Rugrats, 2 of the 4 Ninja Turtles (hoping the other 2 will be added), and then you have more newer characters like Lincoln Loud of The Loud House and the main characters of the two Avatar series, Aang and Korra. Though, there are some surprising picks like Oblina from the not super well known Aahhh!!! Real Monsters, and Powdered Toast Man, a side character to Ren and Stimpy. It's not known how much of the roster was Ludosity and how much was a Nickelodeon mandate but there was thought and care put into having each character look and play as in-character as possible. The models and animation vary, but the background graphics are consistently gorgeous. Stages like Jellyfish Fields, The Ghost Zone, Western Air Temple, and Powdered Toast Trouble among others are crafted to fit the style of their respectively shows perfectly. The music is the only aesthetic thing that's a little lacking though. Some tracks are nice and fit the style of the show, but others are either grating or just boring. Luckily the game isn't hard at all to mod on PC, which is something the devs even encourage for your own personal experience.
This game surprised me in the best way possible. I can't recall the last time I had this much fun in a fighting game, even going so far as to say Smash hasn't given me this level of fun in years with its recent entries. The devs truly made something special, more than just a licensed game. Even better, it's just getting started. DLC is coming which boasts not only new characters and stages but other things too, and I cannot wait to see what this team will cook up next,
It's almost impossible to talk about this game, or platform fighters in general without directly referring to the game that basically invented the subgenre, Super Smash Bros. Smash's non-traditional approach to the fighting game format inspired many other games in its rise to popularity. People were quick to call Nick's All Star Brawl just another Smash clone, but there's somethings that are different that set this game apart from others, including Smash. The mechanics are quick to learn but have an underlying complexity to them that offers a more interesting gameplay experience. Air dashing across all characters, not seen in a platform fighter i've played, combined with the ability to perform the infamous Wavedash, only slightly adds to the already fast paced combat of the game. Even the slower characters move at a brisk pace and moves are incredibly snappy to the point where just one button misplacement can cost you a stock. The rock -paper-scissors parry mechanic can be a little hard to understand at first, but you'll quickly learn to act fast once it's effects kick in on the field. Most of the characters have a decent balance to their moves and speed to the point where tierlists are difficult to make because every character has something interesting in them. Speaking of characters of course, the roster. The selling point of the game of course is that you get to play as iconic Nickelodeon characters, coincidentally mirroring Smash's selling point of playing as your favorite Nintendo characters. Being a fan of cartoons, I and some others will be quick to tell you there are some characters the base roster should have had. Though, with promised DLC on the way I hope these qualms will be rectified in the future. Nevertheless, the roster is decent. Of course you have the most recognizable characters, Spongebob, Ren and Stimpy, Invader Zim, Danny Phantom, Reptar of Rugrats, 2 of the 4 Ninja Turtles (hoping the other 2 will be added), and then you have more newer characters like Lincoln Loud of The Loud House and the main characters of the two Avatar series, Aang and Korra. Though, there are some surprising picks like Oblina from the not super well known Aahhh!!! Real Monsters, and Powdered Toast Man, a side character to Ren and Stimpy. It's not known how much of the roster was Ludosity and how much was a Nickelodeon mandate but there was thought and care put into having each character look and play as in-character as possible. The models and animation vary, but the background graphics are consistently gorgeous. Stages like Jellyfish Fields, The Ghost Zone, Western Air Temple, and Powdered Toast Trouble among others are crafted to fit the style of their respectively shows perfectly. The music is the only aesthetic thing that's a little lacking though. Some tracks are nice and fit the style of the show, but others are either grating or just boring. Luckily the game isn't hard at all to mod on PC, which is something the devs even encourage for your own personal experience.
This game surprised me in the best way possible. I can't recall the last time I had this much fun in a fighting game, even going so far as to say Smash hasn't given me this level of fun in years with its recent entries. The devs truly made something special, more than just a licensed game. Even better, it's just getting started. DLC is coming which boasts not only new characters and stages but other things too, and I cannot wait to see what this team will cook up next,