GameMill Entertainment's upcoming Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl has received praise from fans for its similarities to the iconic Super Smash Bros. series. Because Smash is widely regarded as the trendsetter of the platform-fighting genre to which both games belong, fans have been eager to see what aspects carry over to All-Star Brawl. The recent announcement that Ren & Stimpy will appear as a single playable fighter continues this trend by playing off of one of Smash Bros' most iconic mechanics: fighter duos.
With recent announcements including the ability to wavedash -- a mechanic that revolutionized competitive play in Smash Bros. Melee -- and breakdown presentations of each character's play-style, it is clear that GameMill Entertainment is leaning into the similarities between its game and Smash. Another iconic aspect of Smash Bros. fighter design is in the existence of fighter duos -- playable fighters that, while acting as a single character, actually include two distinct characters.
Examples of this style of fighter in Smash Bros. include Rosalina & Luma, Ice Climbers and Banjo & Kazooie, the last of which seem to be the primary inspiration for Ren & Stimpy's design in All-Star Brawl. These fighters all consist of two different characters who work together as a single playable fighter, allowing for many interesting mechanics. Rosalina & Luma and Ice Climbers, for example, can be separated from each other and controlled as two distinct fighters, giving players an incredible advantage over their opponents as long as they can maintain control.
There are also fighters in the Smash Bros. series that, while only allowing players to control one character at a time, allow the player to switch between two or more characters, such as Pokémon Trainer and Pyra & Mythra. These don't operate in quite the same way as the actual fighter duos, but they still leave a lot of room for creative use of the different characters. However, like Banjo & Kazooie, Ren & Stimpy cannot be separated and are always working in tandem.
This representation of Ren & Stimpy works perfectly for the characters considering how inseparable they are in The Ren & Stimpy Show. According to Matías R Singer, Game Designer at Fair Play Labs, Ren & Stimpy "have a knack for using each other as weapons, which really helps the slapstick comedy of the show come to life." Much like with Smash Bros' Banjo & Kazooie, the inclusion of these characters as a duo seems to provide less in terms of unique technical mechanics than it does regarding unique and interesting moves and animations.
For example, Ren & Stimpy's light neutral attack, called "Keep It Together," involves Ren holding Stimpy out in front of him and smacking him in the face. However, this is just the initial attack; continuing to mash the button makes Ren shake Stimpy back and forth by the collar, leading into a loop attack to rack up more damage. While this is mechanically no different from any other looped neutral attack, the concept only works because the duo is fighting as one. In true Ren & Stimpy fashion, it seems like most of what they do together in All-Star Brawl is not necessarily cooperative, but rather so aggressive toward each other that it somehow works out to their benefit.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl launches in fall 2021 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.