Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is the latest from developer Ludosity and Fair Play Labs and is published by GameMill Entertainment. The game is available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The version we got to check out is on PC this time around, though we’ll most likely pick it up for Nintendo Switch later since that’s our go-to family gaming console. Anyways, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a fun, skill-based fighting game featuring 20 of Nickelodeon’s fan-favorite characters from various Nickelodeon cartoons. This includes SpongeBob SquarePants, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hey Arnold!, Invader Zim, Danny Phantom, The Loud House, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Rugrats, and more.

For the most part, this game is very similar to Super Smash Bros. and I’m sure you’re going to see a lot of comparisons with that game on other reviews. That is totally not a bad thing, however, considering that Super Smash Bros. is one of the most popular fighting games out there. Though the game may seem similar at first, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl does bring a lot of its own flair to the table that helps differentiate it from its competition.

Let’s start off with what is similar and that’s Stock Mode. This is basically your typical PvP mode where each player has a set number of lives. Players are eliminated when they lose all their lives. Timed Mode is like Stock Mode but instead, you have a time limit and the player with the most KOs after time expires, wins. Lastly, there’s an Arcade Mode that is basically just a single player against the CPU over a wide range of stages. It’s similar to like a story mode.

Now for what’s unique. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl has a mode called Sports Mode which is pretty cool. Depending on how you play, either you or your team must score goals with a ball in order to win. I’d say this mode is similar to soccer, but the goals are higher up like in basketball. You have to use your attacks to hit the ball and it’s honestly a lot harder than it sounds to make a goal.

In terms of actual gameplay, it’s very competitive and seems to be a bit more faster-paced than Super Smash Bros. The goal is still to try and knock your opponents off the stage and you still have the ability to hang off ledges and double jump to try and avoid a KO or KD. Your move set will consist of grounded light and heavy attacks, aerial light and heavy attacks, and special moves. What you don’t have are side light or heavy attacks, and no side special moves. There is also a thing called “wavedashing” which allows you to cover a lot of ground quickly. Super Smash Bros. fans should really like this.

Nickelodeon All-Star Rumble does have a diverse cast of characters you can choose from across all of Nickelodeon’s cartoon properties. There are 20 in total you can choose from, including fan favorites like Leonardo and Michelangelo from TMNT, Sponge Bob and Partick, Aang and Korra from the Avatar series, Cat Dog, Ren & Stimpy, and more. Each is modeled exactly like its television counterparts and each has its own unique moves and abilities. There are plenty of characters to choose from, each with their own skill levels, and you’ll eventually find a favorite. My son mains Lincoln Loud for some reason.

On top of that, there are also 20 stages to choose from, each based on their respective shows. If you’re playing competitive mode though, only found of these stages are used for competition and that’s Jellyfish Fields, Harmonic Convergence, Rooftop Rumble, and Irken Armada Invasion. The rest are considered casual stages that you can play in all other modes.

Like Super Smash Bros., the developers will be supporting Nickelodeon All-Star Rumble with post-launch DLC content such as new characters, updates, and possible more stages.

Graphically, the game is very impressive. Characters look the way that they should and the environments on each stage are very well thought out and unique to the cartoons they belong to. The environment is also always constantly in motion so it’s definitely a visual treat. Since we are testing this on PC, we were able to play this at a staggering 240hz and it simply looks so amazing and smooth. The colors in the game really pop and I’d say if you and your kids are into the Nickelodeon stuff, you’ll really enjoy this.

With that said, this Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is the closest thing to Smash Bros, that isn’t Smash Bros. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl holds its own against the competition and even surprises in exciting ways. My son is a huge Smash Bros player and even he has high praises for this as he doesn’t really like any other fighting games except for that. However, since its release, he’s been playing Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl nonstop, so that’s a really good sign.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

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Received game from developer and/or publisher for coverage purposes.
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