Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl: Pros & Cons Of Playing TMNT’s Michelangelo

TMNT’s Michelangelo is extremely fun to play as in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, thanks to his rushdown playstyle. But do his downsides hold him back?

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Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl’s Michelangelo is the perfect character for fighting game lovers who prefer to rushdown their opponents. The ninja from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has accompanied his brother Leonardo in the most recent clone of Super Smash Bros., and the two have quickly become some of the best characters in the game. However, Michelangelo still has downsides that players should be aware of in order to get the most out of him.

All-Star Brawl models itself after Super Smash Bros., particularly Super Smash Bros. Melee, the second installment of its respective series that remains popular 20 years after its release. Both games are based around fast-paced, combo-heavy combat that benefits players who use aggressive playstyles mixed with technical mastery. And while Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is still new, its technical depths are quickly being explored by those most familiar with the fighting game genre.

Michelangelo is one of the best characters for players who are familiar with Super Smash Bros. Melee’s fighting mechanics. His close combat specialties thrive in the hands of players who want one hit to string into a zero-to-death combo while using movement abilities like wave dashing and dash dancing, previously seen in Smash Bros. However, Michelangelo’s strengths may not pan out well for those who choose to main him in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. For those who are still wavering on whether to play Michelangelo, the nunchuck-wielding pupil of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Master Splinter, here are the pros and cons of choosing the hero in a half-shell.

Pros Of Playing Michelangelo In All-Star Brawl – Combo Potential

As a rushdown character, Michelangelo fits really well into the fast-paced, aggressive gameplay of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. Being slow is usually a detriment in fighting games, as speed allows players to better punish opponents and evade projectiles. This is especially the case for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl’s gameplay, which rewards quick button smashing more than anything else. Michelangelo not only has the pace to chase opponents, but his moves themselves come out surprisingly fast given their large hitboxes. This is especially true for his neutral air, which is perhaps Michelangelo’s best move.

Indeed, Michelangelo’s neutral air opens up plenty of opportunities for combos. Though several of his moves have too much knockback to allow for true combos, neutral air has the speed, range, and low knockback to allow for long strings of hits that can even result in zero-to-deaths. One of the most popular ways to combo with Michelangelo is to grab the opponent, use up throw, use neutral air twice while moving forward, and then repeat. Players who choose Michelangelo can complete this combo all the way across the stage until their opponents fly off of it, and even then, Michelangelo can confirm KO’s by following his opponents off the stage and using more neutral airs. While the best neutral air in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl goes to Aang, the versatility of Michelangelo’s still makes the move incredibly strong.

Michelangelo is also very good in the neutral state. His projectile “Pizza Throw” is thrown at the perfect height to hit almost all characters in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl’s cast regardless if they are crouching or not. Additionally, a piece of the pizza flies off upon hitting an opponent, and if this extra piece also hits the opponent, the projectile deals a surprising 15% damage. If fighters make it past the pizza, though, Michelangelo can surprise them with his either his neutral light or strong. Both moves come out with humongous hit boxes because of Michelangelo’s nunchucks, and even the light move has a lot of knock back that can shoot players off the stage at mid-level percentages.

Cons Of Playing Michelangelo In All-Star Brawl – His Low Skill Ceiling

Michelangelo’s strengths may ultimately play into his downfall as Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl’s mechanics evolve. As seen in similar games like the Super Smash Bros. series, more complex characters with higher skill ceilings tend to be the best as the meta progresses. Fox and Falco in Super Smash Bros. Melee are the most pertinent examples of this, as their move “Shine” has opened up such a deep pool of options that players are still discovering new ways to use it 20 years after the game came out. Only characters with an extremely broken tool like Jigglypuff’s “Rest” or Marth’s insane grab range have been able to remain viable. Michelangelo has neither the extreme complexity of Fox nor the broken tools of Jigglypuff, making his future in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl decent but not great.

However, Michelangelo does have at least one broken tool, but it is illegal to use. Michelangelo was banned from Super Smash Con and its Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl tournament because it was discovered he has an endless combo and can infinitely stall games. While both of these options are brilliant to have, they ultimately lead to tournament bans, which discourages players from using characters with them. This issue becomes exaggerated as a game ages because other characters will have much more developed metas than those who are left to the wayside due to tournament exclusions. Michelangelo may face this fate as players become more familiar with Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.

Additionally, Michelangelo’s neutral strong has an inherent flaw to its design that makes it difficult to use despite being a good move. Usually, multi-hit moves function by making the first hit send the opponent towards the player so that the second move will more likely land. But in another way Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl follows Super Smash Bros., both hits of Michelangelo’s neutral strong attack send opponents forward, so players have to properly space the attack in order to get the most out of it. This is made incredibly difficult by Michelangelo’s play style. Unlike his brother Leonardo, Michelangelo is all about rushing down opponents rather than maintaining specific distances. Thus, trying to space for Michelangelo’s forward smash feels awkward and unnatural when using the character. And considering that the move is one of Michelangelo’s strongest, his kit becomes a lot weaker as a whole without its use.

Despite his flaws, Michelangelo is still currently one of the strongest characters in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. His rushdown playstyle, lengthy combos, and move coverage make him perfect for exploiting Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl’s mechanics while also providing options for every situation. Nevertheless, players should keep in mind the Ninja Turtle’s low skill ceiling may not offer him the longevity other characters have in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/nickelodeon-allstar-brawl-tmnt-michelangelo-pros-cons-strong/