Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Review: Gameplay Videos, Impressions, Esports Appeal

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl isn't shy about the inspiration it draws from Nintendo's Super Smash Bros.—the only juggernaut character fighting game on the block with a serious competitive scene and broad outreach.  

But developers Ludosity and Fair Play Labs have boldly stepped into this arena with an effort that has the potential to steal some of that mindshare. In part, grabbing an epic cast of characters spanning decades of Nickelodeon programming helps. 

But so too does some brilliant gameplay that will feel instantly familiar to Smash fans, plus some features that hint at big things for a healthy competitive scene. 

While bold claims like the above have been made about other pretenders in the past, some of the decisions that went into this Nickelodeon Brawl give it a serious shot to be a contender. 

Gameplay

Nickelodeon Brawl does a really good job with its cast that spans literal decades. Characters from The Ren & Stimpy Show to SpongeBob SquarePants make an appearance, not to mention some beloved names from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

Each of these characters boasts a unique moveset and has fun show-themed moves and props. Like Smash, metas are sure to develop, and players will find mains they want to ride for the game's lifespan eventually. But out of the box, everything feels pretty well balanced. 

Smash players will feel right at home with the controls and feel of gameplay. It's a typical arena-based fighter where the goal isn't to deplete health bars but to knock the opposition off the stage. Players have an arsenal of character moves to help accomplish the feat, plus blocking, grabs and more.

For Nickelodeon Brawl, there are light and heavy attack buttons to help make the gameplay feel different. It's a subtle thing that makes pulling off combos a little simpler. Also making the cut are distinctive competitive-minded features like wavedashing and strafing. Smash players will pull them off right away with ease, while even casual players won't need long to figure them out, if desired. 

One of the notable changes is the ability to pull off grabs in mid-air, which can lead to more extensive in-air combos than Smash permits. Only time will reveal whether this becomes too strong on the competitive scene and will need tuned down, but for now, it's nice to have even more freedom than usual to get some wild fights going.

Like Smash, there's a surprisingly commanding sense of control over these characters and a precision that will allow skill gaps to show up on the screen. There's no sort of input lag or sense of floatiness that creates frustration. 

There's one big difference that will stick out unfavorably compared to Smash: the lack of items and weapons. That's a big element for the prototypical Smash feel that just isn't there.

And while the more competitive-minded players won't mind the lack of a serious RNG dice roll to each match, it does remove some of the random fun that makes casual couch sessions such a blast. The spirit of what helps Smash nail the genre does seem to be missing in this regard. Smash isn't the only big name on the block because of all the above, the presence of Nintendo characters and nothing else—the pick-up-and-have-fun element with a heavy splash of randomness is what keeps it so fresh. 

Still, casual players who don't even play fighting games or even have familiarity with controllers can still pick this up and have a good time. But what's here certainly feels more aimed at keeping the game healthy for a long time by carefully balancing the wants and needs of both the competitive and casual communities. 

Graphics and Presentation 

If one heard about a Nickelodeon-styled Smash game, they'd probably expect a true-to-cartoons-looking experience on colorful, varied stages that have strong themes from those shows. 

And that's just what Nickelodeon Brawl offers up. 

Whether it's stomping through a Ninja Turtles-themed sewer as Reptar from the Rugrats or bringing Patrick from SpongeBob to the Showdown at Teeter-Totter Gulch, there are a ton of visually pleasing levels from fan favorites that boast plenty of interesting things going on in the background. Not all of these are flat battlefields, either, as some feature multiple platforms or even rotating items to navigate while in the fray.

What players will most notice about the presentation side of things, though, is the sound design. The actual songs that pump out while fighting are just fine. But it is a little disappointing that actual character voices and officially licensed tracks from shows didn't make the cut. But it's one of those things that's easy to forgive once partaking in the action and only really felt when actually thinking about it. 

Not so easy to forgive is the lack of noises at all from characters. It's a little odd to bemoan a game for a lack of grunts and other fighting noises, but it's a weird void during combat that the music can't hide. These characters are fighting, after all, and they should probably be making some sort of noise, right?

One side note: The overarching presentation is just window dressing that will feel quite underwhelming. The menus players navigate through are just images. And there aren't any big unlockables or bonuses to write home about other than a "gallery" that unlocks pictures. 

Esports appeal and more

There's a huge amount of upside here for a competitive scene. 

While a player's predominant opinion of the game will focus on lacking things like sound, there's a refined, deep fighter just below the surface of those issues. 

Besides being uber responsive, as is necessary for a game like this, all the techs Smash players would expect will create a big skill gap. Wavedashing, shielding and grabs, to name a few, are all in and feel great. 

It actually has one rather notable control wrinkle that sets it apart from Smash—a strafe button that locks in a character's direction no matter where an opponent is on the screen. The competitive scene will dictate whether that's really so big of a change to the tried-and-true formula, but it feels like it could play a big role, especially when more than two players are on a stage in a match. 

The appeal is clear, even if the cast here isn't as recognizable or necessarily as beloved as Nintendo's collection of characters. Then again, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't know who SpongeBob is. 

Really, the cast shouldn't matter too much—if a fighting game is good, it should have a healthy esports scene. And this one is very good, though the presence of these characters should help reel in more viewers for matches than it otherwise would.  

Also a boon for the esports angle? The online play, as of writing, has felt buttery smooth. It's not as clean or confidence-inspiring as other mega, heavyweight 2D fighters that have huge competitive presences around the globe. But, so far, it actually feels more reliable than Smash servers, which is saying something. 

There isn't a laundry list of modes here. Players can take fighters local and online. There's a training mode and some arcade matches, but that's it. The game focuses on the fighting itself and nails that, so it's hard to complain about a less-than-robust set of features. 

There are also a ton of noteworthy options hidden in the menus. Prominent among those is critical damage features or the inverse, which could mean hilarious fights where one shot sends the character flying off the screen for a loss.

Conclusion

Nickelodeon Brawl is an odd mashup.

There's a massive ceiling for a competitive scene because the fighting is so good and the mechanics and techs available will create huge skill gaps. And the fighting is so meticulously crafted and laced with fan service that it's baffling that these characters don't make any noises at all and that something as crucial as items are just missing from the experience. 

But for players who can look past the faults, it gets the gameplay right—and that's the important thing. This is a fun, if not brilliant platform fighter accessible to all ages and skills. It's also the first to really feel like legitimate competition to Smash. 

Nothing will ever dethrone Smash, but there's so much good here that it's easy to see Nickelodeon Brawl carving out its own long-term niche on the market, especially if it keeps getting love in the form of proper updates post-launch.