With the announcement of the new Super Smash Bros.-inspired platform-fighter Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl came endless discussions of the game becoming the “Smash killer.” While it doesn’t quite live up to those lofty expectations, it definitely delivers with a strong competitive experience and a deep mechanical system that warmly welcomes hardcore players. But in my time with the game, I found that may be all there is to All-Star Brawl. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a new crossover fighting game by Ludosity, the team behind the critically acclaimed platform-fighter Slap City. The game stars some of Nickelodeon’s most iconic and obscure characters, with the likes of SpongeBob SquarePants and Reptar thrown into an arena to battle it out Smash Bros. style. While its main claim to fame is being “Smash but with Nicktoons,” upon playing NAS, I immediately saw the game has its own unique identity. The visuals are vibrant and cartoony, the gameplay is free-flowing with a high skill ceiling, and...
Strong combat mechanics; Tons of player freedom; Great online; Good music and visuals;
Lacking in content; Very competition focused; Unpolished in many areas; No voice acting;