Well, well, well, look who decided to show up to the party with a brand new wardrobe! As a dedicated, slightly-too-invested player of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, I've gotta say, the initial release felt a bit... naked. I mean, come on! We're talking about a game starring the most iconic cartoon characters of my childhood, and they only had one outfit? That's like going to a black-tie event in your pajamas, which, to be fair, is something I might do, but SpongeBob should have better standards. The lack of alternate costumes was a real bummer, making the game feel visually repetitive and, let's be honest, causing some serious 'wait, which Reptar am I?' confusion in the heat of battle. It was the game's biggest 'oof' moment. But hey, better late than never, right? The devs heard our collective, slime-covered cries and dropped a free update packed with fresh fits. It's about time our favorite toons got a glow-up!

Let's talk about the drip, baby! This update isn't just throwing a new color palette at us and calling it a day. Nah, they went full nostalgia mode, pulling outfits straight from the deepest, most beloved corners of Nicktoons history. Every single fighter on the roster gets something special. It's like a walk down memory lane, but with more punching. Check out some of these absolute bangers:

• SpongeBob SquarePants: He's rocking the legendary '#1' hat from the 'Bubble Bowl' episode! Instant win. That hat holds more power than the Krabby Patty secret formula.

• Sandy Cheeks: Our favorite squirrel scientist is suited up in her purple pre-hibernation competition uniform. It's the outfit she wore when she nearly got herself frozen solid for science. Talk about commitment to the fit.

• Aang: The Avatar himself gets a slick, spiffy hat. It gives off major 'trying to look inconspicuous in the Fire Nation' vibes, and I'm here for it.

• Invader Zim: He's finally in his terrible, no-good, very bad human disguise. The sheer cringe of this outfit is its power. GIR is probably losing his mechanical mind somewhere in the background.

• The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Leonardo & Michelangelo): They can revert to their classic, black-and-white comic book origins. This is a deep cut for the real OGs, and it looks so cool and gritty.

The trailer for this update, which IGN dropped, had a super retro, VHS-style vibe that just screamed '90s Nicktoons.' It was perfect. All these costumes dropped for free back on December 3rd for most platforms, with Switch getting them later in the month. No microtransactions, no battle pass grind—just pure, unadulterated fan service. A real W for the community.

Now, I can't help but compare, because let's face it, the platform fighter scene is getting spicy. While we were over here begging for costumes, Warner Bros. was cooking up MultiVersus. And let me tell you, that game came out of the gate swinging. It launched with alternate costumes and full voice acting. I mean, Kevin Conroy as Batman? Maisie Williams as Arya Stark? That's the kind of premium polish that makes you sit up and take notice. MultiVersus looked at the standard and said, 'Hold my chocolate milk.' It's free-to-play and mashes up everyone from DC heroes to Scooby-Doo to Game of Thrones. The competition is officially not playing around.

But you know what? This costume update for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a huge step in the right direction. It shows the devs are listening. It adds that layer of visual variety and personalization that was sorely missing. Now, when I'm getting my butt kicked by a particularly skilled Powdered Toast Man, at least he'll look fabulous doing it in a different outfit. It helps with clarity in chaotic 4-player battles and just injects more of that classic Nickelodeon personality into every match.

Feature	Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (Post-Update)	MultiVersus (Launch)
Alternate Costumes	✅ (Free Update)	✅ (Available at Launch)
Voice Acting	❌ (Still silent... sad trombone noise)	✅ (Full cast with iconic actors)
Business Model	Paid Game	Free-to-Play
Nostalgia Factor	MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE 🤯	Seriously High 🦇

So, where does that leave us? The costume update is a fantastic, much-needed addition. It's the content patch we deserved. But the elephant in the room—or should I say, the silent giraffe in the room—is still the lack of voices. Hearing these characters quip and yell during fights is a big part of the charm. Here's hoping the next free update brings the noise! 🤞 Until then, I'll be maining Hat-Wearing Aang and enjoying the new layer of strategy: picking an outfit that psychologically intimidates my opponent. It's 2026, and the platform fighter wars are more exciting than ever. Game on!

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is available on all major platforms. Now with 100% more fashion sense.