Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Reviews
You might be able to stick around for long enough to choose your own main (mine’s Oblina, just FYI), but once you’ve done that, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl will have nothing else for you. Even playing with friends can’t manage to make the game exciting or engaging, and chances are, it’ll end up at the bottom of your gaming pile before you can say “smashing!”.
Sweet childhood, welcome back. Crashing its way onto the Playstation 5 this October is Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, a partnership and collaboration between Ludosity and FairPlay Labs. It’s the very first console title they are bringing into their newly procured Nickelodeon Brawl franchise which is otherwise focused on mobile gaming titles.
Unfortunately, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is simply punching well above its class. While younger kids might get a kick out of its cast of characters (although they’ll likely be wondering who in the world Powdered Toast Man is), there are far better family titles and platform fighters than this. Most of these shows were full of life and this game fails to capture almost any of that charm through its unrewarding gameplay and cheap presentation. While F is for friends that do stuff together, those that play Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl won’t find much F.U.N. here.
Nickelodeon All Star Brawl feels like a bit of an underbaked experience. Some matches feel like they have an incredible, speedy fluidity to them, so there’s clearly something interesting there, but it definitely needs some touching up to make it feel more balanced.
A fleshed out Nicktoons cast come together for a big brawl that leaves a lot to be desired.
Nickelodeon All Star Brawl is an easy to approach brawler in the same vein as Super Smash Bros. Whilst it does have some extremely intricate mechanics and technical aspects for high-level gamers to get stuck into, the average player may find it’s lack of core game modes and party-style options a major cause for concern.
This is one of those titles you walk into with at least a twinge of dread as a reviewer...
All-Star Brawl lacks some polish and personality, but packs and unexpected punch.
Although I was impressed by how solid its gameplay is, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl still feels like a hollow experience that could have been elevated to new heights if it featured additional modes and a more fleshed-out presentation complete with voice acting.
Ultimately, the success of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl lies in how lively its online community is. We’ve found players easily enough so far, but who knows if they’ll stick around. It’ll be a shame if they don’t though, because this is a competent brawler. Its pleasant visuals, varied roster of beloved characters and surprisingly deep combat make it one of the better Smash-type games out there. But if there’s nobody online to play with, its offline content will quickly lose its fun.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is clearly a clone of Smash Bros. which ends up pleasing for its solid gameplay and flawless online. However, the single-player content is basically non-existent and the multiplayer is very competitively oriented – those looking for something "chaotic" may be disappointed.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl attempts to follow the Super Smash Bros. formula, but it just doesn’t take things far enough. There’s a general lack of polish to its presentation and its physics, making it hard for even the most diehard Nicktoons fan to get engaged. Not even Nigel Thornberry and his smashing antics can save this platform fighter.
If developers Ludosity and Fair Play Labs can stick with the game post-launch and build it up, it could end up being a completely different story in a year or so, but as it stands, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl feels like the shell of what it could be.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a solidly built platform fighter, hampered by connectivity issues and compelling solo modes.
Nickelodeon All Star Brawl is a solid and very fast fighter that focuses its attention on delivering an experience that is competitive and fun. His faults are the lack of content, and the much-needed voice talent to bring to life the iconic roster of characters. All-Star Brawl can be improved but it seems that the game is not finished yet.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a platform fighting game that offers fun and good times with friends. Evaluated from this perspective the game delivers, and if this is what you are looking for, you will surely not regret it. However, this game could have been much better, especially in detail, fluidity and content. If you are able to look beyond its disappointing visual effects, or that its soundtrack is unoriginal, it may be that this game has something interesting to give you.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Despite the silence and the lack of story mode (it would’ve been great for Ren and Stimpy to have a grudge against Patrick), Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a thoughtful, beat-em-up, well put together game by the developers. Its’ gameplay is fun and easy to adapt to and its’ visuals look quite good considering the product at hand. The possibilities with the loaded cast are excellent, with even more waiting in the wings to join the fray. It won’t replace Smash as your favorite anytime soon, but it does make for a curious – and jam-packed – addition to your brawler collection. What we need are Rocko characters in here and, maybe, Danger Mouse for some nostalgia. Please?
Yes, the sheer hilarity of seeing Patrick Star beat up CatDog is still funny, but I don't think the lifespan of this game will increase over time. Watching all these fighters silently duke it out makes it feel like we're watching storyboards for a singular crossover episode. While that may entice you into watching the commercials, the final product just leaves all these popular properties feel compromised.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl may be basic on the surface, but the exhilarating gameplay and edge of your seat action more than makes up for its lack of content by providing players with a fun platform fighter that rewards those who take the time to learn its surprisingly complex combat mechanics. I just wish online multiplayer was more active (come find me online and let's fight! I main CatDog).
There's a good skeleton to Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl. The fighting is fast and extremely deep, despite having only one more attack button over the Super Smash Bros. series. For pro-type players who always play without items and can quickly master the game's nuances, this is excellent. However, the presentation is as basic as the game's modes, and the lack of anything that provides more of a Nickelodeon "feel" (e.g., voices and music) makes the whole thing feel rather cheap. While the online performance can be good, it doesn't matter much if there's no community behind it. The game is a contender, but some serious effort in more than a few areas needs to be done if Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl or a potential sequel wants to be taken more seriously.