In the last couple of years, both Nickelodeon and Warner Bros have attempted to capture the essence ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatewith crossover fighting games of their own. Last year, Nickelodeon released the flawed but funNickelodeon All-Star Brawlwhile Warner Bros. just recently launched the free-to-playMultiVersus. Both games provide a decent amount of fun, but the choices that Player First Games made forMultiVersusputs it leagues ahead ofNickelodeon All-Star Brawl.
Both platform fighters bring together IPs from across the catalogs of each studio.MultiVersuspits characters like Arya Starkand Bugs Bunny against the likes of the Iron Giant and Batman, andNickelodeon All-Star Brawlbrings together characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and Aang to fight against Michelangelo and Hugh Neutron. Both games serve as love letters to the history of the companies, butMultiVersushas been able to pull in a larger audience and has seemingly leftAll-Star Brawlin the dust. This is due to many factors that include opting for the free-to-play model and including voice actors at launch, and it is something thatAll-Star Brawlcould have prevented.
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Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Was Lacking Features
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawlreleased a year beforeMultiVersusentered open beta, and it gave players aSuper Smash Bros.gameoutside the Nintendo Switch. It was published by GameMill Entertainment and brought together many iconic animated characters from across Nickelodeon’s history. It served as the latest entry in the recent resurgence of Nick-based titles that has seen the release of two different Kart racers and a remake ofSpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom. Fan anticipation was high for the game, and it mostly delivered.
The gameplay ofNickelodeon All-Star Brawlwas a lot of fun, and it gave players thatSuper Smash Brosfix that they wanted. However, there was a lot missing from the title which prevented it from being heralded as the next big fighting game. For starters, there was zero voice acting at launch which gave the game a lifeless feel. There were no quips, no antagonizing voice lines, and every character felt empty. They all looked and played like how the characters would probably feel, but their personalities were limited.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawlwas criticizedfor lacking of content since it only offered local or online competitive play. This would not be as much of an issue if it was free, but the developers were asking for players to hand over $50. That is no small amount of money, and players want to receive a decent amount of content before they fork over that cash. Instead, they were greeted by very few modes and a small roster that didn’t meet the asking price for some fans.
Since release,Nickelodeon All-Star Brawlhas added more charactersto its roster, voice acting, and items that can be enabled during the fights. This has brought the game more in-line withSuper Smash Bros., but the damage has already been done. Players have moved on to other platform fighters, or have just gone back toUltimate. What could have been the next big fighting sensation has mostly fizzled out, passed by its competition.
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MultiVersus Has Done Crossover Fighting Games Right
Anticipation was high forMultiVersus, and it has mostly delivered on what platform fighter fans want. The game has brought together all sorts of iconic characters from across Warner Bros' roster of IPs, and each one feels like they belong in the game. It has proven to be immensely popular with fans of the genre, and Player First Games seems committed to making it as good as it can be,
One of the big draws toMultiVersusis that it does away with the large asking price of its competitors and is instead a free-to-play game. It is far easier to convince someone to pick up a free game than fork over $50, and that has helped boost the player count significantly. Instead,MultiVersusfeatures microtransactions and a battle passthat are pretty in-line with other multiplayer free-to-play games, and so far do not seem to be predatory.
MultiVersusalso launched with voice actingwhich puts it significantly higher thanNickelodeon All-Star Brawl. Each character feels like they stepped right out of whatever IP they came from, and some actors even came back to reprise their roles for brand-new voice lines. This gives the game life and boosts the enjoyment for many players as they hear characters from across IPs interact for the very first time.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Missed Out
MultiVersushas been able to pull in millionsof players, and it is still only in season one. The roster and map count will only grow. It has been able to push past its competition due to many factors, and has delivered a strongSuper Smash Bros.experience outside the Switch. Time will tell if this success will last, but for now it seems thatMultiVersushas a pretty strong future ahead of it.
This could have beenthe fate ofNickelodeon All-Star Brawlas well, but it fizzled out instead. If it had launched with voice acting and as a free-to-play game then it may have had more staying power. Platform fighter fans may have still been talking about it and anticipating the next addition to the roster, but that did not happen. While it was nice to seeNickelodeon All-Star Brawl’s developers add features that were missing at launch, it happened too late.
If GameMill Entertainment has plans to keepNickelodeon All-Star Brawlafloat, then it needs to followthe example ofMultiVersus. The first game had a lot of promise but fell short on some vital features, and that allowedMultiVersusto fly past it. The game needs to feel alive from day one and do away with the asking price of $50, or include more modes to justify that price. Doing those small things could significantly improve the game’s lifespan, and give players even moreSmashclones to turn to.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawlis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
