Will Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl bring the Smash Bros. magic to Xbox?
After Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl‘s initial reveal, many were understandably skeptical. On paper, a Super Smash Bros. clone filled with licensed Nickelodeon characters sounds like a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, we’ve seen far too many titles try and fail to capture the magic of the iconic fighting franchise. Let’s take a moment to pour one out for Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.
As an enormous fan of Super Smash Bros., I have and likely will play pretty much any attempt to replicate this formula. However, what has some members of the competitive fighting game community excited about Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl how Ludosity and GameMill Entertainment genuinely seem to get what makes Super Smash Bros. so special. This team isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel or introduce cheap gimmicks but instead caters to what the most hardcore fans want from a platform fighter.
After watching several developer deep-dive videos on the mechanics of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, as well as multiple character moveset breakdowns, I’m feeling good about this game’s release. While this title isn’t quite the Xbox first-party mascot fighter of our dreams, it very well could be the most successful Super Smash Bros. clone we’ve seen on Xbox far.
What is Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl?
Source: GameMill Entertainment
To ultimately defeat an opponent in a platform-fighter, one must smash them off-screen. This emphasis on stage control and environmental awareness is drastically different from traditional fighting games that involve depleting a health bar.
It makes matches feel more like an intricate chess game than a combo-driven slugfest.
We are still awaiting the final list of modes and features available when Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl launches on Oct. 5. Right now, it’s unclear if this title will feature a traditional campaign or suite of single-player modes, but it appears that there will be plenty of content to enjoy multiplayer. However, the team has confirmed four-player local and online multiplayer as well as roughly 20 playable fighters. The team from GameMill has also done a great job of trickling new character reveals ahead of the game’s launch, so there may still be surprises in store.
Why Super Smash Bros fans should be excited for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Source: GameMill Entertainment
Super Smash Bros. has always had a rocky relationship with the fighting game community. Members want Super Smash Bros. to cater more heavily to competitive play, but Sakurai and company don’t want to see it as a strictly competitive fighting game. This disconnect has led to a rollercoaster of controversial changes amongst various entries in the series. .
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl seemingly brings back this cherished movement technique, as seen in a gameplay video. It’s unclear how the technique in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl compares to the original, but this has the competitive community feeling a certain way.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl seemingly brings back wavedashing, a cherished movement technique.
As what appears to be another answer to frustrations from the Smash Bros. fandom, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl proudly utilizes rollback netcode. When it comes to fighting games or other genres that require low input delay and precision, proper netcode can make or break the online experience. Universally-praised titles like Mortal Kombat 11 and Killer Instinct feature rollback netcode, which simulates frame inputs from opponents rather than waiting for responses like standard delay-based netcode. Generally speaking, this reduces input delay and offers nearly lag-free online matchmaking. If properly implemented, we’ll be living in a world where Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl has better netcode than Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Can Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl fill the Smash void on Xbox?
Source: GameMill Entertainment
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl has all the makings of a worthy Super Smash Bros competitor. With a focus on competitive play through wavedashing and improved netcode, as well as a general love for these iconic characters (I mean, they even put in the Stupid SpongeBob meme as a taunt), there’s a real chance this game gives Super Smash Bros. a run for its money. At the very least, hopefully this becomes one of the best fighting games on Xbox and provides some smashing fun for Xbox players while we wait for Microsoft to throw Master Chief, Senua, Marcus Fenix, Banjo & Kazooie, and Voodoo Vince in their own mascot fighter.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl releases on October 5, 2021, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
Windows 11 build 22468 is rolling out in the Dev Channel with more fixes
It’s another week, which means it’s time for another Windows 11 preview build for Insiders in the Dev Channel to test. Today’s build is 22468 and includes only fixes and improvements, no new features. Top billing for today’s build are improvements to VPN settings, and the ability to turn off recent search items in the Search hover UI on the Taskbar.