Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
- October 4, 2021
- Fair Play Labs
- 5h median play time
Probably the most fun you can have in a Nickelodeon videogame, this is a derivative but fun fighter that kids will enjoy, but will probably do quite well in the competitive community too.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a platform fighter game that features popular characters from various Nickelodeon shows. Players can compete in multiplayer matches with up to 4 players, both locally and online. The game offers a variety of stages and abilities to use, making for a fun and engaging experience for fans of all ages.
Reviews
- Fast-paced and satisfying gameplay that feels rewarding.
- Diverse character roster with unique movesets that represent their shows well.
- Active developer support with frequent updates and community engagement.
- Lacks polish with issues like no voice acting, limited single-player content, and unbalanced characters.
- Online matchmaking can be laggy and inconsistent, making competitive play frustrating.
- High price point does not reflect the current amount of content available.
- gameplay927 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is generally praised for its fast-paced, fluid mechanics that appeal to both casual and competitive players, drawing comparisons to classic platform fighters like Super Smash Bros. However, many reviewers note that the game suffers from a lack of content, repetitive mechanics, and some unpolished elements, such as animations and online stability, which can detract from the overall experience. While the core gameplay is engaging and offers a high skill ceiling, the absence of features like voice acting and varied game modes leaves players wanting more.
“The gameplay is pretty good, the stages are fun (space madness is a guilty pleasure honestly), and the music is pretty solid.”
“Fun and well-rounded roster, silly stages and items for diverse play sessions, gameplay that's very fun and easy to get into but has a very high skill ceiling and allows for complex techniques, and really good voice acting.”
“The gameplay feels so fast and satisfying and complex.. I really can't recommend it enough to platform fighter fans.”
“This game is at best fun for a week until you realize that you will have to wait on average 15 minutes to find a single person to play online, all the characters feel the same, the mechanics and animations feel horridly jank, every patch there's a new game-breaking bug and the rollback is so bad that you literally lose control of your character.”
“While I do like the nostalgia of some of the old school Nicktoons characters, the gameplay is awkward at best, clumsy and clunky at worst.”
“The simple and cheesy gameplay really diminishes any true value from a competitive standpoint and just makes playing this game boring for the most part.”
- music262 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it underwhelming and repetitive, lacking the iconic themes from the Nickelodeon shows. While some tracks are praised for being catchy and fitting the gameplay, others are criticized as generic and uninspired, leading to a sense of dullness during matches. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a significant area for improvement, with many players expressing a desire for more variety and recognizable music.
“The gameplay is pretty good, the stages are fun (space madness is a guilty pleasure honestly), and the music is pretty solid.”
“The maps in the game look breathtaking honestly and I love the music on a lot of them especially the jellyfish fields map, that song slaps so hard.”
“Even if you somehow aren't already sold on the game, you can still get a taste of the OST since it is free, but damn every tune manages to be super catchy and there still is no single piece of music that was even mediocre.”
“The game's music is underwhelming.”
“In All Star Brawl, the most exciting music is the menu music; the rest feels soulless.”
“The music is very lacking, uninspired, and in many cases comprised of stock sound effects and memes.”
- graphics165 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the aesthetic details and character designs, while others criticize them as bland and lifeless. Many acknowledge the limitations imposed by the game's budget, leading to a lack of polish and performance issues, but some still find the visuals serviceable enough to enjoy the gameplay. Overall, while the graphics are not groundbreaking, they are seen as adequate for the game's fun factor, with hopes for future improvements.
“The amount of love and care put into these visuals is super noticeable with how well the characters translate into 3D, representing the original style of these iconic characters while still fitting within NASB's style. This is probably the best Garfield has looked in 3D.”
“Graphics and presentation: this game really does look nice.”
“The gameplay is everything I hoped it would be so far, the visuals are quite impressive and immersive (at least to me on my PC), the music is good, there's a decent selection of different levels, I was able to play with my Xbox controller no problem and was able to map the controls right away in the character selection menu.”
“The visuals are rough.”
“When a 50 euro game has worse graphics, animations, polish, and less interesting movesets than a free-to-play game that's in alpha (Multiversus), that's a bad sign.”
“Unfortunately, the cartoony graphics can only do so much to hide the below-average graphics.”
- humor127 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with many players finding it hilarious, especially when playing with friends. The quirky character designs, funny animations, and comedic references contribute to a lighthearted atmosphere, making for entertaining gameplay moments. However, some players note that the humor may not hold up outside of multiplayer settings, and the game can become repetitive over time.
“Every match is just laughing yourself to tears while finding new and exotic ways to piss each other off with bizarre OP strategies made funnier by the janky animations.”
“If you do have someone to play this with, get ready for the most unbalanced and hilarious smash clone that you've ever played in your life.”
“The gameplay itself tends to feel a tiny bit janky as well in terms of sometimes moves will just look or feel like they come out of nowhere, the way things combo into each other can be a little disjointed at times, but sometimes this can lead to hilarious moments.”
- story70 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 37 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional story mode, with many reviewers noting that the single-player experience consists of basic arcade-style matches without any narrative or character development. While some players find the gameplay enjoyable, they express disappointment over the absence of a cohesive story, voice acting, and meaningful content, suggesting that the game feels incomplete and could benefit from a richer narrative experience. Overall, the consensus is that the game is fun in multiplayer but falls short in delivering a compelling story.
“Of course, I would really like to see new story games with these characters.”
“There's a few things I would've added personally, more characters, voice lines/character interactions, and maybe more of a story mode - nothing fancy like Super Smash Brothers Ultimate's, but something to keep players invested, even if it is goofy.”
“The game also needs a story mode and boss.”
“There is no story mode or any voice acting.”
“There is no opening or ending to the arcade game, no story, no introduction to the game, and there isn't even any type of acknowledgement you beat the run except for a score and some unlocked static 3D model shots.”
“The game is bare bones empty; there is no story or game mode that's not 1v1, and one of Smash's appeals was they made a story connection for all the characters featured.”
- stability44 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with players reporting numerous glitches, lag issues, and unbalanced gameplay, particularly in online modes. While some users noted improvements over time and expressed hope for future patches, many still find the experience frustrating due to persistent bugs and poor netcode. Overall, the game lacks polish and stability, impacting the enjoyment of its otherwise fun mechanics.
“The combo game is super fun and it runs great when there is a good connection.”
“Nobody playing online, multiple glitches in basic parts of the game, terrible control and feel in the game in general.”
“One of the maps literally freezes your game most of the time.”
“Online is horrible and nearly unplayable, it's laggy and buggy.”
- monetization40 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many reviewers expressing disappointment in its lack of meaningful content and updates. Despite some recognition of the developers' efforts, the overall sentiment is that the game relies heavily on nostalgia while failing to deliver a polished experience, leading to feelings of frustration and disillusionment within the gaming community. Suggestions for a free-to-play model with microtransactions indicate a desire for a more player-friendly approach.
“Cash grabs like this are the reason this industry has become morally bankrupt.”
“It's a shame because the developers actually care about this game and are still supporting it with free content, but Nickelodeon is very strict and limiting and ultimately turned what could've been an awesome game into a lazy feeling cash grab.”
“No costumes, no voice acting, what a soulless cash grab.”
- optimization20 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for significant performance issues, including lag and stuttering, even on wired connections. Many stages suffer from poor frame rates and lack rollback optimization, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience that feels rushed and unrefined. While some players appreciate the unique aspects of the game, the overall performance detracts from enjoyment, making it feel repetitive and unbalanced.
“Optimization: 4/5”
“Games just bog down to a spam fest, everyone just air dash cancelling their safest move again and again and again in neutral, with performance issues on certain stages, and just no variation in any of the games made it really, really unfun after just a few days.”
“Lag and stuttering can still be experienced even with a wired connection.”
“The problems lie in the obvious rushed release (poor optimization, bare-bones game modes, etc).”
“Majority of stages have performance issues that cause the game to run at a stuttering frame rate or slow motion.”
- replayability16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed, with some players enjoying the fun and chaotic nature of the brawling, while others find the online match connectivity issues severely limit their experience. Although there are hours of potential enjoyment, many users feel that the lack of engaging content and inconsistent netcode detracts from long-term replay value. Overall, the game may provide temporary fun, but its future replayability is uncertain.
“Much fun, endless goofy replay value.”
“The replay value on just the brawling will last me many hours of fun.”
“Replayability is always hard to rank in fighting games, since the main appeal is playing online and playing matches.”
“It doesn't have much replayability though, I probably will play it more but as it stands it's kinda boring.”
“I can give that a pass for the next week but this game has no replayability for the foreseeable future.”
“Leaving a bad review until this game is in a more playable state.”
- emotional12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional responses to the game highlight a mix of frustration and enjoyment; while players appreciate the fun gameplay and improved online features, they express disappointment over technical issues like character animations and online performance. Overall, the game elicits strong feelings, with some players feeling compelled to abandon it due to these frustrations, despite recognizing its potential for enjoyment.
- character development10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is characterized by a unique and sometimes unconventional design, with some characters appearing clay-like. Despite a relatively small cast, players appreciate the balance and the evident passion behind the character design, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
“A genuinely fun game with obvious heart put into the character design and gameplay.”
“Everything about the game is spot on, visually and with character design.”
“The character design and cast are relatively small, but the game seems balanced; honestly, it feels like a labor of love.”
“Some character designs are weird; at times, they look like they are made with clay.”
“The character design and cast are relatively small, but the game seems balanced. Honestly, it feels like a labor of love.”
“Next is the character design.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Players express that grinding in the game is extensive, often requiring significant time investment, likening it to needing a second life to manage it. Additionally, there are concerns about potential future DLC content being monetized, as many feel the current offering does not justify the game's price point of $40-50.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“I just hope they don't start DLC farming. This game is $40-50; future content should be free as I feel we don't have that much value in content yet.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as enjoyable and competitive, particularly appealing to fans of the characters and those looking for a fun experience with friends. While some users note that the game could benefit from minor improvements, the overall vibe is positive and engaging.
“The game could use some touch-ups here and there, but I'm really enjoying the atmosphere so far!”
“If you are a fan of these characters, a fun time with friends, and a somewhat competitive atmosphere, this is the game for you.”
Critic Reviews
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl review
Probably the most fun you can have in a Nickelodeon videogame, this is a derivative but fun fighter that kids will enjoy, but will probably do quite well in the competitive community too.
70%Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Review – Almost Ready For Slime Time
70%PS5 Review - 'Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl'
60%