I don't know how Fair Play Labs have done it. Everything else GameMill Entertainment has published has been the drizzling shits, whether through deadlines, funding, or using the cheapest developers they can find. You would expect All Star Brawl 2 to be garbage, more games for the mill. But Fair Play Labs are just so passionate, so devoted to making the best possible Smash clone, with licensed characters given due care and attention, with quality modes and decent online, that they've pulled a miracle out. They've made the best Smash clone I've ever played.
My playthrough consisted of trying a few modes out, including the online, but mostly of many, many hours of the campaign mode, a roguelike jaunt through three large zones of group battles, one on ones with possessed characters, power-up stops, minigames, and boss battles. I used most of every character I could in this mode, but mostly focused on Rocko, Spongebob, Raphael, and Patrick. This mode is THE mode. Endlessly fun, and hilariously broken by the time you've funnelled enough slime and splats into the permanent power-ups in this mode. It sounds funny, but I appreciate this as a workaround to unlocking characters. Serious online players don't want to have to unlock characters before they get to grind them out, but the experience of unlocking new guys to play as is crucial to the casual experience. It's the best part of smash, and having unlocks in this one mode brings that feeling out nicely.
Mechanically this is... kind of brilliant? You've got all your air dodges and wavedashing and such that a melee player would want, but with some good additive changes to the Smash formula. You have a slime meter that lets you beef up your specials, as well as granting you a cinematic ultimate move when full. Your chargeable, smash-esque moves are on a separate button to your light attacks, removing the need to 'smash' the analogue stick. More accessible to kids, innit. The only thing you really lose is that not all your buttons do something different between side and neutral, but like... who cares? Immensely playable. Great game feel. Only occasionally bugged out the arse, and even then it's had regular updates to smooth stuff out.
I just really like this. Mr. Krabs just got added in as dlc. I should try him out as a main. The fun never ends. But sincerely so.
Fuck GameMill.
My playthrough consisted of trying a few modes out, including the online, but mostly of many, many hours of the campaign mode, a roguelike jaunt through three large zones of group battles, one on ones with possessed characters, power-up stops, minigames, and boss battles. I used most of every character I could in this mode, but mostly focused on Rocko, Spongebob, Raphael, and Patrick. This mode is THE mode. Endlessly fun, and hilariously broken by the time you've funnelled enough slime and splats into the permanent power-ups in this mode. It sounds funny, but I appreciate this as a workaround to unlocking characters. Serious online players don't want to have to unlock characters before they get to grind them out, but the experience of unlocking new guys to play as is crucial to the casual experience. It's the best part of smash, and having unlocks in this one mode brings that feeling out nicely.
Mechanically this is... kind of brilliant? You've got all your air dodges and wavedashing and such that a melee player would want, but with some good additive changes to the Smash formula. You have a slime meter that lets you beef up your specials, as well as granting you a cinematic ultimate move when full. Your chargeable, smash-esque moves are on a separate button to your light attacks, removing the need to 'smash' the analogue stick. More accessible to kids, innit. The only thing you really lose is that not all your buttons do something different between side and neutral, but like... who cares? Immensely playable. Great game feel. Only occasionally bugged out the arse, and even then it's had regular updates to smooth stuff out.
I just really like this. Mr. Krabs just got added in as dlc. I should try him out as a main. The fun never ends. But sincerely so.
Fuck GameMill.