Ever since the first characters to be featured in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl were announced in July, there has been much speculation on whether the game would include live-action characters from shows such as iCarly (Sam's buttersock anyone?), Victorious (Andre's grandma would be perfect!) and Drake & Josh (Crazy Steve!)
Unfortunately, we shouldn't hold our breath. Not only is the team at Ludosity - the studio behind All-Star Brawl - relatively unaware of Nickelodeon's spate of live-action shows ("they haven't aired in Sweden," says Joel Nyström, producer and CEO at developer Ludosity), but the team feels like they may not be the right fit.
"I'd assume they don't feature a giant, two-ton hammer suddenly produced from your back pocket," Nyström told GamesRadar when asked about including live-action fighters. "There's just so much weird and zany stuff to draw from the animated shows! And there is no shortage of amazing characters there."
To be fair, whereas Smash Bros. can easily incorporate existing game characters with a well-known fighting style or weapon, it's a lot harder to pull in two live-action stepbrothers into a brawler game.
Despite the lack of live-action fighters, the team "fought to include" some unexpected fighters, like Powdered Toast Man from The Ren & Stimpy Show. Ultimately, the team at Ludosity picked characters they "felt had opportunities for unique move-sets, and fan favorites," explains Nyström. "Our process for creating the move-sets involves the entire team to come up with ideas, we collaborate on an online whiteboard and just draw and draw, silly stuff, cool stuff, anything goes. Our core team of designers then narrows it down to something coherent. As the characters are implemented, we put an enormous focus on playtesting – where we balance and tweak so that it plays well. In this stage [of development], we've also sometimes changed out a move if it didn't quite work, but most characters have had only minimal changes."
Nyström and the team at Ludosity know that Super Smash Bros. is the blueprint from which Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl was drawn – but they believe they've got something new to bring to the table. Nyström calls the comparison "fair", saying "Smash Bros. is the grandfather of the game," but he's quick to point out some distinctions.
"Every new platform fighter brings something unique to the fight and I personally can't wait to see what this genre can become in the future. With Nick All-Star Brawl, we have made a more streamlined experience with a control scheme that draws from the lessons of the entire scene – while at the same time keeping it competitive. And above all else, fun!" We'll have to play Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl to see what the new control scheme feels like, but streamlined is always a good thing, especially in colorful brawlers that can often lean towards the chaotic.
Ludosity is behind another streamlined platform fighter called Slap City, so the devs are well-versed when it comes to making a successful brawler. "Slap City has an extremely diverse, fun roster in terms of playlists," Nyström says when asked what the team has learned from the 2018 game. "That and the very strong core gameplay mechanics is why so many have fallen in love with it, I think. We hope to continue this legacy with All-Star Brawl and even expand it."
It'll be exciting to see how Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl plays, how each character fits into the fight, and how the Ludosity team plans on growing what is already set to be an iconic game full of iconic characters.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is set to release fall 2021 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Click here for all the info!
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Originally published: August 27, 2021.
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