Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Reviews
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is, well, fine. It will provide a good few hours of harmless fun and raise more than a few smiles in the nostalgia sector of the cortex as Reptar beats on April O'Neil. Underneath that initial sheen however is nothing of real interest. Thankfully, support seems to be very much active and maybe the initial issues will be focused on to provide a more well-rounded, in-depth experience. For now, though, the shadow of its inspiration looms heavy and ensures that this will not be challenging for any place in the top tier of party'esque fighters for some time.
If Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl came out twenty years ago it would have been a smashing success, ignoring that many of the characters within didn't exist back then.
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.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a fun premise that is performed mildly, missing out on the complexity of its inspiration and resulting in a shorter replay value.
With its in-depth but still accessible combat system and a great look when it comes to its visual worlds and character depiction, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl needs nevertheless to improve its technical performance given its propensity to fluidity issues. Performance issues notwithstanding, this is a great package of fan service and those with a taste for Nickelodeon animation series will be delighted with this effort.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a solid alternative to Smash, and it is on basically every platform. It won’t overtake the king or even make it worried, but for the lower price (I have seen it on sale for sub $20) it is more than worth checking out. I had a ton of fun with it and just wish it had a bit more content and a bright future.
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).
All-Star Brawl lacks some polish and personality, but packs and unexpected punch.
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.
Sadly it is very tough to suggest anyone picks Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl in the state it is in currently. It is very bare-bones in content, unbalanced, and feels soulless and cheap. Apparently, the developers are looking to further add to the game post-release but this model makes it feel like an overpriced Early Access run. The basics just aren’t here for the game, and I can’t help but feel that between the memes and rollback inclusions, they just doubled down on meme culture to sell copies of the game and hoped the fighting game community would stick with it.
With a little more content, better accuracy and the desire to integrate a little more those who do not know this style of play, the title could be a small reference in the field, but for now, the copy is not perfect. Fortunately, the developers have announced that they will take special care in the follow-up, and no doubt expand the roster. To see in the long term therefore.
Review in French | Read full review
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a project that exudes everywhere the passion of its developers for extremely competitive platform fighters, especially those from Super Smash Bros., and the ambition to create their own work that reflects this feeling and makes it evident to the eyes from an audience with a similar taste. The game works perfectly well for hardcore gamers, who are looking to competitively improve themselves in high-tech, fast-paced battles, but it's not recommended for those who just want chaotic and uncompromising smackdown fun.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The fighting title of Nickelodeon characters bursts with force, offering a title that adapts to any user and that respects the essence of each of the series to which it makes reference.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a great idea with some powerful nostalgia and a winning formula behind it, but the execution is lacking. With lackluster aesthetics, spotty online issues, and a host of other issues, it's not a great experience for those accustomed to highly polished alternatives, namely, Super Smash Bros. I believe it will find its audience, but it doesn't straddle the line between casual and competitive as effectively as the original Nick cartoons seamlessly wove adult jokes into children's shows. Ultimately, the idea may be more exciting than playing the actual game.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl offers a smashing competitive experience… but that's about all the substance it has.
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?
Brawl it out as your favorite Nickelodeon characters in bombastic platform battles! With a power-packed cast of heroes from the Nickelodeon Channel.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
All-Star Brawl deserves a Kid's Choice Award for Most Kneecapped Game of 2021: a nuanced platform fighting foundation so damaged by slimy timeline & pricing expectations.
There's a lot to like here, even if there's plenty of room for improvement. It's far from esports ready, but it does feel like a solid first step for a great new franchise.