Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Review – A Slime Fight in The Limelight
The original Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl was released in 2021. It had a few features, but they were good. Despite the absence of many single player modes, character voices and items, the basic gameplay kept the game going until online updates improved it over the course of the next two-year period. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 comes with these improvements, plus more. Fair Play Labs is a developer that has taken its time to learn from past mistakes. While the game may not be without faults, this sequel will more than make up for it.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 comes with 25 characters. This is exactly the same as in its predecessor when you add DLC. Unexpectedly, a large number of characters are not returning for the second installment. There were only 14 fighters, so 11 had to be replaced. You have a right to feel disappointed if one of your favorite characters was removed, but you can also consider it a positive. Squidward and Jimmy Neutron are notable examples of the exceptions that were made in the first game. Fair Play’s team has more creative freedom with the character mechanics because of the new roster. The game also feels novel despite the similar gameplay.
All-Star Brawl 2’s strongest features are the core combat elements. It doesn’t matter how much side content there is if you can’t play the basic game modes. It’s a fast-paced game with precise movement. You can land powerful attacks that are both satisfying and deadly. And if you absorb them, they will be devastating. Fair Play has struck a successful balance between depth and approachability.
Slime meters are a good example of how to achieve this balance. The meter increases as you play the match. The meter slowly grows, and you can choose from a wide range of options by pressing one of your triggers. The slime meter can be used to make attacks more powerful, to cancel an attack, extend the life of your shield, and even stop your momentum from causing you fly offscreen. Slimemeters are only useful for casual players once they reach maximum levels, when you unleash your ultimate moves. The character-specific cinematic attacks will only be lethal if your opponent has a very high level of damage. This makes for an exciting finish to the match.
Although the slime meters allows more advanced play at higher levels, I’d have preferred more in-depth tutorials for newcomers to reach those levels. It’s hidden in a single-player menu tab, a section called “How to Play” that provides a basic overview. More complex moves (like certain slime abilities) are covered in quick text boxes. There would have also been a benefit to having character-specific tutorials on some of the mechanics. You can, however, pause the video and view the descriptions under the “movesets”.
All-Star Brawl 2’s biggest addition is the campaign mode. Due to a dastardly plan helmed Danny PhantomVlad Plasmius’ universe is doomed. Fortunately, Clockwork is also from Danny PhantomThe Clockwork Rewind feature will reverse time in the event that you do not succeed. It is a nonsensical, frustrating story that undermines the achievements of the players by reversing the clock and inventing new problems. This didn’t affect the overall campaign because the story is only a tiny part of it and the gameplay was still incredibly fun.
Structure-wise, this is a Roguelite. The runs are split into three sections, which you can navigate by following a set of menu screens. You can choose from a variety of activities, some which require you to face off with henchmen and villains in Nickelodeon series, others where you have to complete platforming or pop balloons. If you are successful, you can play as mind-controlled characters in the game. The final area of each level is the boss. For example, Sartana, Shredder, or Shredder. These battles are hit or miss; late-game bosses are oddly much easier thanks to their simpler stages and general lack of movement – The Flying Dutchman, a boss from the first area, consistently gave me the most trouble.
In the hub, you can unlock different upgrades that will give you more lives, heals, or better upgrades mid-run from shops. At the very end of the game, my Azula build was completely messed up. Most attacks were poisoning foes while healing me. It’s a really satisfying power-crawl. Even though I found the story to be a complete failure, I still enjoyed talking with different shopkeepers on my run, such as Mrs. Puff from Avatar, Hugh Newtron or the Cabbage Merchant in Avatar The Last Airbender are some of the characters I interacted with. It’s interesting to try out different characters and see what they do.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 builds on the foundations laid down by its predecessor. Fair Play is a platformer that improves on the core mechanics of the series while adding side content. It’s nothing mind-blowing, and it’s certainly not the next Super Smash Bros., but it’s engaging, exciting, and worth your time.
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