The effect is a roster of hollow, soulless characters that look like our favorite Nickelodeon stars, but aren’t. Slapping sounds, slide whistles, the whip of a tail, and the metallic clink of Zim’s spider-legs are the only sounds that characters can make. Aside from the announcer’s voice and background music, the only thing you’ll hear are generic sound effects. You’ll never hear so much as a grunt from Aang or a roar from Reptar.

It’s one thing not to hear Zim’s iconic nefarious cackle, Nigel Thornberry’s catchphrase, or the Ninja Turtles’ signature surfer dude affectation, but All-Star Brawl’s fighters are actually completely silent. It’s more than a missed opportunity - I’m actually creeped out by All-Star Brawl. I think Ludosity has worked incredibly hard to inject the personality of these characters into their fight moves and taunts, but the game is missing the only thing that would make these characters come to life - their voice. Related: Unused Announcer Voice Lines In Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Mention Jimmy Neutron, Squidward, Zuko, And Moreįorgive me for getting a bit ontological, but what makes a character who they are? Who is SpongeBob? Is he his personality, his machine gun giggle, and his unrelenting optimism, or is he a picture of a yellow sponge in khaki shorts? I would argue that a character is not just their silhouette - and they’re certainly not a series of combos and special attacks. If Nigel Thornberry doesn’t say “Smashing”, then is it really Nigel Thornberry? My major gripe, as petty as it sounds, comes down to the complete lack of voice acting. I love these characters, I love this genre, but I don’t think I can love this game. Even the ‘00s Nick characters from Avatar, Invader Zim, SpongeBob, and Danny Phantom have a special place in my heart. I’m also a ‘90s kid, the golden era of Nickelodeon when shows like Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys, Ren & Stimpy, Catdog, Hey Arnold, and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters were all at their peak. fan (shout out to my boy Sora) and by all accounts, studio Ludosity has proven itself to be quite skilled at making action platformers in the past.

Call me a party pooper, but something about Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl just doesn’t sit right with me.

All that nickelodeon staff