‘Nickelodeon All Star Brawl’ Review (Nintendo Switch)
When you think platform fighter you think Smash Bros. Guaranteed. No matter the generation of console Smash Bros. has ALWAYS been king of that format – there’s a reason people play the game competitively, even if Nintendo have had issues with that. Over the years there have been a number of attempts to capitalise on the popularity and create new platform fighter franchises. Yet none of them has ever succeeded to the extent Nintendo’s Smash Bros. franchise has.
The latest attempt at creating a new platform fighter takes a leaf out of Nintendo’s book and brings together a bunch of Nickelodeon’s characters in a HUGE roster of fighters – including SpongeBob, Lincoln Loud, Ninja Turtles Michelangelo and Leonardo, Oblina from Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, and Invader Zim to name a few. Yes, Nickelodeon All Star Brawl IS the Nickelodeon equivalent of Nintendo’s famous multiplayer fighter. However there are just enough differences – thanks to the wide range of characters – to make this stand out from Nintendo’s franchise. Just.
However what this game can’t do is compete with that other game. Yes, despite featuring a range of characters with more varied abilities and skills than those in Super Smash Bros. (there I said it) you can’t help play the game and think “I wish this was as fun as Nintendo’s offering.” I honestly found playing Nickelodeon All Star Brawl to be more of a chore than fun, and even in multiplayer mode the game has a number of problems.
What Nickelodeon All Star Brawl does do right is essentially copy the Smash Bros. mold. There’s no major changes to the familiar format – which was a major problem with the likes of Playstation’s All-Star Battle Royale from years ago – and the game plays for all intents and purposes like Smash Bros. JUST like Smash Bros. What is interesting is the attempt to have some characters perform just like their animated counterparts, not just in the animations and voices but also the moveset (Ren and Stimpy use log as a weapon for example) HOWEVER… that only applies to some of this games characters, others feel like their mere skins on a generic animation and moveset. Which will disappoint those looking for huge amounts of fan service a la Smash Bros.
There’s also issues with the level design. Everything in Nickelodeon All Star Brawl looks good I’ll give them game that. However… Whilst there are plenty of “standard” levels that provide plenty of scope for great gameplay there’s others that make life difficult, too difficult. You have to wonder why the developers would create levels that make even surviving, never mind fighting, hard. It seems the antithesis of making a fun game. Really.
All in all, Nickelodeon All Star Brawl is a bit of a letdown. Whilst it can be fun for a short while, especially if you get plenty of players around the TV, there’s nothing here we haven’t seen before or hasn’t been done better. Ultimately this feels too much like Nickelodeon and the licensors chasing a piece of Nintendo’s gaming pie but getting it all wrong.
Nickelodeon All Star Brawl is available on the Nintendo Switch now.
