With platform fighting games expanding to multiple franchises and IPs,Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2re-enters the market with a new game. Alongside containing multiple characters from players' childhoods, you also have some excellent mechanics that make it fun as both a competitive and party game, allowing various players to enjoy the game.

However, the game has fast movement and many differences from other platform fighters, which can lead to confusion and struggles for players. Alongside wave dashing, a new meter system, and plenty of other mechanics you can use, you can make the most of what the game offers and help yourself win more matches.

Spongebob in the Hub World after losing the first run in the Campaign Mode in Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2.

Understand The Gameplay Changes From The First Game

Expect multiple gameplay changes from the first game.

You shouldn’t hop into the game expecting to know exactly how it plays, as the changes greatly impact how it works and what you can do.

You can no longer strafe, so you won’t be able to keep yourself facing one direction. Because of that, you’ll need tothink more about your positioning and the way you face, since your air light forward and light back are dependent on where you’re facing.

Patrick slamming his rock home on the ground to use his Ultimate Attack in Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2.

The game has swapped the high, mid, and low systems for direction inputs. For example, you have up, side, down, and neutral light and special attacks, which allow you to intuitively perform moves with ease and quickly learn what each character does.

You can also dodge in this game,offering you invincibility frames rather than just dashing through the air. However, if you air dodge, you won’t get to perform another action for a few moments, so you’ll need to be careful when you use it.

Spongebob using his neutral light attack to get some damage on Jenny in Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2.

Use Your Slime Meter Offensively

Your Slime Meter will fill as you fight in a match,represented by three segments on your HUD.Once full, your chartacter can perform certain special abilities to help you.

You haveSlime Charge, Slime Special, and Slime Cancel. Slime Chargeallows you to empower one of your charge attacks for a segment of meter,allowing you to knock back enemies farther, and the same applies to a Slime Special,which lets you use an empowered version of your special moves.

Spongebob using his Ultimate Attack where he drives a boat with Mrs. Puff in Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2.

ASlime Cancel lets you remove the end lag of your light attacks into other moves, leading to deeper combos and even kill confirms, whichcan be great for characters that have laggy movesif you want to combo them,such as Ember, Donatello, and Reptar.

Slime Canceling And Slime Specials Are Versatile

While they can be used offensively,Slime Canceling and Slime Specials have their defensive uses,since Slime Canceling removes any end lag you have on your light attacks, andyou can use it on laggy moves to keep your character safe.

For instance, Ember’s Up Light has a ton of lag, so if an opponent blocks the move, they can punish you with a strong combo, making Slime Canceling crucial for avoiding damage.

Patrick using a Slimeburst to survive an attack from the Girl-Eating Plant in Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2.

The same applies to Slime Specials sincethey usually increase the speed and distance of your special moves, which includes your up special. If you know the distance on Spongebob’s Up Special and feel it won’t reach the ledge, use the enhanced version to cover that distance and stay alive.

Remember that Slime moves are meant to be versatile, so you shouldreact to the situation and your opponentto make the most of your meter.

Spongebob grabibing the ledge with the Cabbage Man nearby in Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2.

Your Ultimate Attack Should Be Used Strategically

Your Ultimate Attack allows you touse all your meter to perform your most powerful move, enabling you to take enemies out quickly.

However,these specials don’t have an amazing range, meaning you’ll need to use them at the right moment to avoid wasting your meter, making thema high-risk, high-reward attack that can turn a battle in your favor.

Ultimate Attacks are a great way to avoid worrying about Slime use. If you want to keep it simple and focus on your neutral game rather than developing strong combos,Ultimate Attacks can help you avoid wasting meter without worrying about those details.

Try using your Ultimate Attack for a large edge-guarding hitbox, as a punishment for laggy moves, or tomake your opponent play defensively and around your special.

Use Slime Meter Defensively

While offensive options may seem like the way to go, Defensive Slime Meter usage can save your stocks and help you survive for longer. This can be a great choiceif you find yourself dealing with rushdown characters, on your last stock, or about to lose.

Block and Slimeburst are your main defensive options, so if you perform a block, you may use Slime, whichprevents you from losing some of your shield health. Since a shield break leaves you vulnerable for multiple seconds, you can avoid this challenging situation by using your Slime.

Slimeburst is an interesting mechanic thatallows you to cancel knockback by using two bars of Slime.If the enemy hits you with a strong hit, you can use your Slimeburst to stop your momentum and help you recover, allowing you to survive longer.

Remember that your opponent can also use their Slime defensively, so you should alwayspay attention to how they play.

If you notice they keep using Slimeburst or Blocking, youmay want to grab them and keep up the pressure to deal with these points.

Review Your Ledge Recovery Options

Since this game doesn’t have a traditional health bar,knowing how to recover will play an integral role in survival, so you should understand your ledge options.Whenever you grab the ledge, you gain temporary invincibility, and you have multiple choices to make to help you get back to the stage.

You canjump from the ledge and dodge to the stage or forward, or you can also do a neutral get-up that has you stand up from the ledge. You can also hold the Shield button to roll onto the stage for additional invincibilityor drop down and re-grab the ledge if you want to mix up the opponent.

It comes down to seeing what your opponent does and reacting accordingly.If they’re waiting away from the ledge, re-grabbing might be better, while jumping into a wave dash and shielding can work in different situations.

Remember thatyour recovery options go beyond jumping and using your up special. For instance, an air dodge can help you reach the ledge safely while also dodging any potential edge guards, allowing you to recover and even perform a reverse edge guard.

It’s also crucial togo through your character’s moveset to see if they have any unique moves that help them with recovering.