Battle it out with your favorite Nickelodeon characters in this exciting platform fighting game! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Review Overview
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Nonstop Nostalgia Quality Platform Fighting Gameplay Humorous Dialogue and Voice Lines | Campaign Feels Repetitive Despite Roguelite Elements No Timmy Turner Ridiculously Long Loading Times on Switch |
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Overall - 84/100
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 addressed all the negative feedback about the first game, and is now a legitimate player in the landscape of platform fighting games. It’s definitely up there with Smash and Brawlhalla in terms of its overall quality. Each brawler feels unique to play and all their attacks reference something from the show they star in. It’s also a nostalgic trip back in time, and is filled with fun references from popular Nick shows.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Story - 7/10
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 features a roguelite campaign game mode as its story mode. While it does have a decent story that explains why all these Nickelodeon characters are together, the campaign mode gets pretty repetitive, despite its roguelite randomness. Despite that, a story isn’t really all that important in a platform fighting game, as these tend to be more focused towards multiplayer gameplay.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Gameplay - 9/10
The game feels as good as platform fighting games come, rivaling the likes of Brawlhalla and the Super Smash Bros series. While I haven’t played the original Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, players have been reporting that the successor is leagues above the original. Each brawler feels unique and no two brawlers feel the same. What makes this game unique, other than the obvious Nickelodeon theme, is its Slime Meter, which when filled, augments attacks or performs a special move complete with a cutscene.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Visuals - 8/10
The game looks great. Each character looks nice, and has been 3D modeled to fit the overall art style of the game. Their animations are smooth, and directly reference something from the TV shows they’re in. The special effects also look fine and the colors are vibrant. However, in terms of visuals, the game pales in comparison to games renowned for their stunning AAA almost-lifelike visuals.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Audio - 9/10
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 brought back the original voice actors for their characters, which in my opinion, makes it feel like a special interactive crossover Nickelodeon episode. To add to that, the soundtrack is so nostalgic, and reminds you of the good old days of watching your Nickelodeon favorites after school. Each in-game moment is perfectly complemented by fitting music.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Value for money - 9/10
For only $50, you can get a Nickelodeon themed platform fighting game, which features all your favorite characters from the renowned TV channel. It feels just as good as the top games of the same genre, and boasts a seamless online multiplayer experience as well. Although the single player experience is lackluster, that’s okay because platform fighting games are meant to be played with and against real people.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Review: Five Star Brawler
Whether you’re at Jellyfish Fields or Jimmy Neutron’s Lab, you’re bound to recall happy thoughts from your childhood as you’re bombarded with fun references to your favorite cartoons. Each character is completely on point, and sounds exactly like their small screen counterparts, thanks to Nick bringing back the original voice actors being present for the game.
As a platform fighting game, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 holds its own against the top performing games in the genre. Each character has a unique moveset, translating animations straight out of their shows and into the game. For instance, Aang uses each of the four elements for his attacks. One of his moves involves sitting on the ball of air he’s constantly seen doing on the show. It’s simple enough to be easily picked up by beginners, but is complex enough to perform rewarding, but difficult to pull off combos. Its diverse roster gives players a variety of play style options.
Movement, combos, and combat are very similar to Brawlhalla and Smash. What sets it apart is its Slime Meter. Landing and taking hits will grant you slime, which you can then consume to enhance your attacks, or land a devastating special attack, complete with a cutscene should you land it. This feature is very similar to the three bars in Injustice and Mortal Kombat, which essentially work the same.
Its Campaign Mode features a single player roguelite experience. It features a story about stopping Vlad Plasmius, one of the Danny Phantom antagonists, as he attempts to take over the minds of everyone in the universe. The story does well in explaining the randomness and repetitiveness caused by its roguelite elements. What makes this game mode roguelite is its random levels per run. As you clear out each stage, you’ll have the option to choose between 3 random power ups. Unfortunately, the roguelite features don’t really bring upon the overwhelming urge to do one more run should you fail. It’s not a complete snooze fest though, as there have been some dialogue lines which made me really laugh out loud.
In contrast to the repetitive campaign mode, the multiplayer game modes are loads of fun. Platform fighters have been one of the best games for multiplayer mayhem, and this entry is no exception. Be it offline play with friends or online multiplayer, be ready (yes, like Spongebob) for some cartoon fun. Online multiplayer was particularly really fun. I didn’t lag once nor did my frames drop, which indicate stable dedicated servers for this game.
Pros of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
| Things Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Got Right |
|---|
|
Nonstop Nostalgia Quality Platform Fighting Gameplay Humorous Dialogue and Voice Lines |
Nonstop Nostalgia
This game makes you feel how you felt ages ago when you’d sit back and enjoy Nickelodeon classics after school. The characters, their behaviors, their voice lines, and the maps you play in are all on point. The storyline, complete with the voice-acted dialogue, makes the campaign mode feel somewhat like a special crossover episode. The actions each character performs in game is in reference to something on the show. For instance, one of Squidward’s attacks is the Krakatoa, which is in reference to his role in the unforgettable superhero themed Spongebob episode.
Quality Platform Fighting Gameplay
The gameplay in this title is smooth, responsive, fast-paced, and chaotic, but in a good way. In my opinion, it’s in the same league as genre leaders like Smash and Brawlhalla. The strong roster of playable characters adds to the overall greatness of its gameplay. Each of them feels completely different from each other. Danny can move around the map, overwhelming opponents with agility. Plankton is enormous and slow, but is compensated by his power and move variety. Garfield grows faster and stronger the more lasagna he consumes. The angry beavers assist each other, much like how Noob and Saibot does in Mortal Kombat. This roster ensures that there’s at least one character whose moveset compliments a specific play style. The roster is also culturally diverse, which is always commendable in any medium.
What sets this game apart is its Slime Meter feature. Since Slime can enhance moves, you can use it to cover for your character’s weaknesses. A good example would be like if your character doesn’t have a good recovery move, you can use slime with your Up Special attack to get much more vertical than you otherwise would’ve, allowing you to get back in the fight. This makes it so that each character is viable while still allowing them to feel unique. Additionally, it adds a layer of complexity to the game since there’s so much cool and creative stuff you can do with it.
Humorous Dialogue and Voice Lines
I couldn’t count how many times this game made me laugh out loud. Other than the references, there are so many gags and inside jokes in this game to brighten up your day. I almost spit out the coffee in my mouth when Spongebob said "What the barnacles is going on here?" with barnacles being a common substitute for the F word for Bikini Bottom residents. There’s also a scene where someone tells Spongebob that they need to work together to defeat a common enemy, to which he replied "Work together? Yeah, I don’t think Mr. Krabs is hiring at the moment."
Cons of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
| Things That Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Can Improve |
|---|
|
Campaign Feels Repetitive Despite Roguelite Elements No Timmy Turner Ridiculously Long Loading Times on Switch |
Campaign Feels Repetitive Despite Roguelite Elements
The campaign mode was fun, creative, and entertaining, thanks to everything we’ve already discussed. However, the roguelite elements weren’t able to invoke that overwhelming urge to run it back after a failed run. The risk vs reward balancing that you need to do when choosing power-ups simply isn’t in this game. Each playthrough is never the same, but it’s pretty close. The variety in the things you do is a nice touch, with platforming levels every now and then. However, even that gets repetitive. Nonetheless, it’s still really fun. It’s just not something I see myself spending hours a day on.
No Timmy Turner
Because of some licensing issues, Timmy Turner of Fairly Oddparents, one of Nickelodeon’s most iconic shows ever, isn’t present in this game. This is easily a con since Timmy is easily one of the fan favorites of Nickelodeon.
Ridiculously Long Loading Times on Switch
While I had no issues whatsoever with my playthrough on a PS5, players on Nintendo Switches have reported ridiculously long loading times. The video above shows a side-by-side comparison of a PS5 and Switch loading a match with the same characters and the same map. The PS5 was able to load the match in only 6.5 seconds while the Switch finished loading at 40.5 seconds. Take this into consideration when thinking of getting the game for Switch.
Is Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Worth It?
Worth every penny!
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a platform fighting game that ticks all the boxes with its strong gameplay, vibrant visuals, and great audio. Its diverse roster offers a variety of playable Nickelodeon characters, each equipped with a moveset and play style unique to them. It adds a unique touch to the familiar platform fighting gameplay with its Slime Meter feature. It boasts a decent single player adventure and a fantastic multiplayer experience. It’s loaded with hilarious gags and nostalgic references to Nickelodeon favorites. All that for only $50.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Overview & Premise
The most nostalgic and recognizable characters from various new and old Nickelodeon cartoons unite against a common threat - Vlad Plasmius. Stop the evil ghost from brainwashing the universe. Battle it out against other Nickelodeon favorites, in some of the most iconic environments of the cartoons.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 FAQ
Who is in the roster of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2?
The roster for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 consists of the following:
● Spongebob
● Patrick
● Squidward
● Plankton
● El Tigre
● Rocko
● Jimmy
● Lucy Loud
● The Angry Beavers
● Garfield
● Aang
● Korra
● Azula
● Raphael
● Donatello
● April O’Neil
● Danny Phantom
● Ember
● Grandma Gertie
● Gerald
● Nigel Thornberry
● Zim
● Jenny
● Reptar
● Ren & Stimpy
Who are the DLC characters in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2?
According to the official Twitter account of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, Mr. Krabs, Zuko, Rocksteady, and Iroh will be the first DLC characters to join the roster in 2024.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Trailer
Announcement Trailer
Game8 Reviews
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Product Information
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|
| Title | NICKELODEON ALL-STAR BRAWL 2 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | November 7, 2023 |
| Developer | Fair Play Labs |
| Publisher | GameMill Entertainment |
| Supported Platforms | PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PC |
| Genre | Action |
| Number of Players | Single-Player |
| ESRB Rating | E10+ (Everyone 10+) |
| Official Website | Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Website |
