For a game that would have otherwise been dismissed as shallow shovelware,Nickelodeon All-Star Brawlwas surprisingly anticipated. Although the roster lacked representation of iconic series such asThe Fairly OddParentsandThe Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Geniusbecause of copyright issues, the developers clearly put as much love and care into the game as possible. Shows that Nickelodeon’s old days seldom referenced such asAaahh!!! Real Monsters,CatDog, andThe Wild Thornberrysare represented for the older fans, and there was an attempt at putting intricate mechanics to attract the competitive crowd, especially professionalSmash Bros.players.
Now thatNickelodeon All-Star Brawlhas been released, the reception has been mostly positive. However, that did not stop people from criticizing the game for flaws like an empty single-player mode and the lack of voice acting. Another prominent criticism was the lack of alternate costumes, which the developers have addressed byputting free skins intoAll-Star Brawl. While that shows that the people behind the game will listen to the fans, the existence of competitors likeMultiVersusdemonstrates thatNickelodeon All-Star Brawlis behind in the realm of platform fighters. The game needs to catch up before rivals can outdo it.
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What is MultiVersus?
Although the game’s director affirmed that the idea was conceived two years ago,MultiVersusseems to already outdoNickelodeon All-Star Brawldespite looking like to be a cynical attempt to cash in on whatNick All-Starstried doing at first glance. Indeed, it is a platform fighter using a plethora of characters from various franchises owned by a particular company. With the aforementioned company in this case being Warner Bros., the game is currently confirmed to haveGame of Thrones,DC Superheroes,Adventure Time,Steven Universe,Scooby-Doo,Looney Tunes, andTom and Jerryrepresentatives in the roster. With the obvious exception ofGame of Thrones, all of the represented franchises either started as cartoons or have well-known animated entries.
This is not a coincidence. Warner Bros. is not as associated with its animated properties as Nickelodeon, but it definitely owns some of the most iconic and successful characters in American animation.MultiVersus' character rosteraims to emulate the spirit ofNickelodeon All-Star Brawl. The presence of classics such asLooney Tunes,Scooby-Doo, andTom & Jerry, a pop-culture juggernaut likeBatman, and modern Cartoon Network staples likeAdventure TimeandSteven Universewas calculated.
As of now,MultiVersusclearly aims to replicateNickelodeon All-Star Brawl’s method of combining staples, modern icons, and nostalgic characters for its roster.MultiVersus’teamwork-oriented gameplayseparates it from the average platform fighter, which already differentiates it fromNickelodeon All-Star Brawl. Additionally, it is free-to-play and will feature cross-play. While the online mode’s effectiveness and how the inevitable microtransactions will play out remain to be seen, the game’s marketing is clearly trying to usurp whatever glory its Nickelodeon counterpart currently has.
What Can Nick All-Stars Do?
While perfectly functional,Nickelodeon All-Star Brawlis lacking in content. There is no voice acting, nor are there alternate costumes. DLC characters have been confirmed, but no one has been announced yet. The online also has connectivity issues and the single-player consists of a streamlined arcade mode for all the characters. While it is great that new skins are coming, they are part of the bare minimum for a platform fighter. Granted, the developers can hardly be blamed for the game seeming a bit unfinished due to the limited budget. This all depends on Nickelodeon’s willingness to not be stingy with the game’s updates.
If the big bosses give their employees enough money to please the fans and tweak the game properly, then said game will have a healthy life. The plans to giveMultiVersusupdates, new characters, and new modes on a regular basis are ambitious. If they are true, it shows that Warner Bros. has faith in the project, whether the reasons are creative or financial. The future ofNickelodeon All-Star Brawl’s ability to flourish lies on Nickelodeon itself, because the people that actually make the game clearly want to make the best work possible.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawlis available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
MORE:5 Things We Loved About Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (& 5 Things We Don’t)
