The Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl developers announced Monday that a new update for the brawler has added a much-requested feature; voice acting and items. In addition, the patch introduced a handful of balance changes affecting both characters and stages.
The latest update initially became available for PC, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, launching later in the day Monday for the Nintendo Switch. When looking for online matches, players will now have the option to select between a quickplay queue where items are available and the standard, item-less quickplay queue.
The update has also introduced voice lines from many of the characters’ original voice actors, including Tom Kenny as SpongeBob and Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick. Additionally, there are some new voice acting lines for NASB from entirely new voice actors; for example, TMNT’s April O’Neil is now voiced by Abby Trott, who has never voiced her in any other media before.
Our next major FREE update is here – and it's a big one! We're super excited to announce that voice acting and items are available TODAY on PC, @Xbox and @Playstation. @Nintendo Switch coming soon! #NickBrawl pic.twitter.com/nTLK5T6zEG
— Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (@NickBrawlGame) June 6, 2022
Patch notes for the NASB voice acting update
The new update also added several universal changes — perhaps most significant for competitive play is the removal of hitlag when attacking a guarded opponent. As a result, more attacks will be safe on block than before. This, combined with the default stock being raised from three to four, should make for more strategic and engaging matches.
The game’s air dash mechanic has received further changes, now adding a two-frame start-up before their air dash begins. This start-up is bypassed when the character makes contact with the ground, however, meaning the change should not affect wavedashing.
Several of the tournament-legal stages also received minor changes, most notably Tremorton Joyride. There, the developers revamped the collision system for the moving platforms, eliminating some of the glitches previously associated with the stage and platforms.
As for character changes, Sandy received numerous adjustments to her jab while Nigel incurred multiple neutral-air nerfs. Meanwhile, Shredder, Garfield and Jenny received changes to the first hits of their multi-hit aerials, making it possible to dodge out of the moves with directional influence. Lastly, Lucy now jumps higher while in Ghost mode and lower while in Vampire mode.
