Two years ago, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl proved that 1990s-era Nicktoons could deliver a world-class platform fighting game. It was just a little rough around the edges. Now, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 ($49.99) finishes the fight by adding the extra characters, gameplay modes, and overall polish that the fantastic foundation lacked. An awesome, approachable fighter with plenty of depth, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is an Editors’ Choice winner (available on PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox) and one of the best games of 2023.
Improved Presentation
The original Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl was such a surprise hit because, frankly, it initially didn’t look that great. The visual style did its best to capture the iconic looks of its cartoon combatants, but it was painfully obvious the game was working with limited resources. Totally rebuilt from scratch, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 impresses from the start.
(Credit: GameMill)Characters are more detailed and expressive. From colosseums to urban technodromes, stages have more detail and impressive lighting effects. Instead of being patched in later, the characters feature voice acting from the start. Even the menus pop with pizzazz. However, the game still lacks official Nicktoons music; instead, you hear background music meant to evoke those vibes. Despite this, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 carries itself like a flagship product, not a fan game that happened to score the license while no one was looking.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2's Roster
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 launches with 25 playable characters, with more coming as DLC. That’s on par with what the first game offered. In fact, much of the roster is taken from there. Of course, you can play as popular characters, such as Aang (Avatar), Lucy Loud (The Loud House), and good old SpongeBob SquarePants. Those returning veteran characters are reworked with new moves and playstyles, so they don’t feel like lazy returns.
The game also introduces many new characters. Azula (Avatar) strikes foes with fire and lightning, while Raphael and Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) bring their fun martial arts techniques. The new characters include fascinating new gameplay archetypes, as well. For example, Jimmy Neutron puppeteers his robot dog, Goddard. The two Angry Beavers let you swap between the fuzzy fighters as though you were changing stances.
(Credit: GameMill)Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's massive roster has spoiled me, because my only complaints with Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2's lineup are the missing characters that appeared in the first game. That’s inevitable in fighting games, but it still stings. After all, it hasn’t been that long since the first Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. So long, Catdog and Helga Pataki. Another one of the cuts is Hugh Neutron, who was released as DLC only a year ago. Perhaps the franchise will one day have its “Everyone Is Here!” moment if the series keeps going strong.
Slime Time
As previously mentioned, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a platform fighter, a fighting game sub-genre all about knocking opponents off the stage rather than whittling down their health bars. Smash Bros. is obviously the heavy hitter, but the genre also includes popular titles like Brawlhallla and Multiversus (currently on hiatus). The first Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl already had top-tier mechanics thanks to the dev team’s deep ties to the hard-core Super Smash Bros. Melee community. The game’s air dodging system lets you wavedash, after all. The sequel pushes things further.
Ground and aerial attacks still come in light and heavy variations, but now you have a few more directional attacks. In that same vein, each character gains a side special to complement up, down, and neutral special moves. On defense, you now block with a Smash Bros.-esque shield that breaks if you take too much damage. The game turns off special items by default, but you can allow a random power-up like Sokka’s boomerang if you want to get wacky.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2’s major new feature is the Slime Meter. Similar to traditional 2D fighters like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, characters now build meter as they land attacks. You can then choose to spend that meter on various slime abilities that vastly increase your strategic options. Burn a bar of slime to make a move more powerful like adding an extra fireball or increasing its range. Use slime to improve your recovery so you can make it back onto the stage. Use slime to cancel animations, reduce lag, extend a combo, or combo break. With a full Slime Meter, you can even unleash your ultimate attack, complete with a nifty cutscene.
(Credit: GameMill)Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 plays like a dream, and the sheer possibilities that the Slime Meter presents means we can’t wait to see it played at the highest level in esports tournaments (Nickelodeon should bring this to Evo). The only potential downside is that managing meter adds another layer of complexity to a fighting game framework famous for its accessibility. You don’t need to tap the Slime Meter, but you'll be at a disadvantage by overlooking it.
Cosmic Cartoon Clash
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 carries the first game's single-player and multiplayer modes forward. You can battle friends locally, take on CPU challengers in arcade mode, or hop online for casual and ranked matches. This time, the game features crossplay on all platforms and smooth rollback netcode—everything you could want for online play.
However, the sequel gives solo players more to do thanks to its new campaign. Taking inspiration from Hades (or maybe Streets of Rage 4), Nick Brawl 2’s campaign is a roguelike that tasks you with stopping Danny Phantom big bad Vlad Plasmius from destroying space and time. To do so, you tackle a gauntlet of random challenges that mix up the game’s content in fresh and exciting ways.
Battle an opponent for the first time to unlock them as a playable character in your next run. Beat up waves of minions, such as Foot Clan ninjas. Enjoy minigame stages that evoke classic Smash Bros. memories. You’ll even encounter fearsome bosses like The Flying Dutchman and The Shredder.
As you progress, you gain currency to spend on various bonuses like faster attacks or projectiles that freeze foes on contact. Some power-ups are only active during your run, but there are others you can permanently purchase in the hub world. The abilities also reference other Nicktoons, similar to spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. At one point, I began each match as a giant who made enemies explode whenever I grabbed and tossed them.
Don’t expect many epic cutscenes or much bespoke material. However, the campaign is a creative and clever addition that makes Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 a much stronger and more well-rounded package than the previous game. It’s exactly what you want from a sequel.
Can Your PC Run Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2?
Considering its technical improvements, I was expecting Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 to be a bit more demanding. However, it runs on the Nintendo Switch as well as the more powerful PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
On PC, you’ll need a rig with at least an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 CPU, Nvidia GeForce 510 GPU, 4GB of RAM, and 12GB of storage. I played Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 on Steam Deck at the High preset, and it maintained a stable frame rate just barely below the 60 frames per second target. It supports Steam Achievements, Steam Remote Play Together, and game controllers.
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The first Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl was an entertaining fighting game with caveats that were tough to ignore. With its polished presentation, exciting roster, and varied single-player campaign, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a straight-up amazing fighting game with few asterisks. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate casts such a gigantic shadow that still makes all competitors seem small, but Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is an excellent alternative that deserves to delight an entirely new generation of kids raised on Nick, earning it our Editors' Choice award.
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