Yes Patrick, Mayonnaise is an instrument if you try hard enough

2021 saw the release of Nickelodeon All Star Brawl. The game was met with lukewarm reception with most of the complaints coming from the lack of voiced characters.

The mechanics, character selection, gameplay and overall fun factor were very much present and met with open arms. Though the game had its setbacks, like the aforementioned lack of voiced characters and limited choice of arenas to fight in, the game was widely accepted by those who enjoy arena fighters.

MSRP: $39.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $39.99

Fast forward to 2023 and we now have the much anticipated sequel that promises many improvements on the original’s already solid foundation.

I am happy to report that over my last week with the game, I am thoroughly impressed in what the game has to offer. From the improved gameplay mechanics to the fully voiced cast, the game absolutely shines through in a year where it could have easily been overshadowed by the many other great games that have been released.

Let’s start with the most obvious and sought after improvement, the voice cast! So, MOST of the characters in the game are voiced by their original actors that you love and remember. Those that are not voiced by the original VA, do a great job in making it difficult to decipher the difference. I am very impressed with the level of voice acting in the game and had an absolute blast listening to the back-and-forth banter between characters like SpongeBob and Squidward.

This time around the game also features a full campaign mode similar to that of Super Smash Bros. The campaign makes you start out with SpongeBob to get a little back story and some time with the new gameplay mechanics the game has to offer. After completing your first run, you will unlock new characters to make future runs with.

The campaign is a ton of fun and the devs did a great job of introducing the new mechanics in a way that makes the player feel accomplished and not overwhelmed. However, the drawback here is the sheer number of odd “levels” that are just super quick instances if buying a new Power up. These would have been served much better as a menu BEFORE your next fight rather than a level of its own.

The story is just kind of whatever and doesn’t really offer anything too interesting in terms of storytelling. But it does offer some fun fights as well as some engaging back and forth between characters.

Next up is the slime meter! Basically, this serves as your special meter. The more damage you do to opponents the quicker this meter fills, once full, it allows you to use your special ability which is almost always guaranteed to provide you with a knockout.

You can tell the devs put a lot of love and time into the special abilities as they all have some sort of reference to each character’s own worlds and lore.

The characters this time around are even better than the last, which already had a great selection. The addition of so many more characters make the replay ability near endless as there are now a ton of characters to learn to master!

In a world dominated by Super Smash Bro, Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2 stands out on its own in so many great ways. If you’re like me and enjoy playing games with your kids, this game is a must buy!

Review copy of game provided by publisher.