What if we got sucked into a pen and paper role-playing game with SpongeBob, Timmy Turner, Jimmy Neutron, Katara and other Nicktoons characters? That’s what happens in this accessible, cartoony and licensed action role-playing game, which we tested on Xbox Series X. This is the XboxEra review for Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny!
I’m not bright, big words confuse me
The simple story of Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny starts with our Nicktoons characters, once again triumphing with their OCs in their off-brand D&D table-top RPG campaign. They feel like it’s all becoming a bit too easy, that perhaps they should up the stakes. So, Timmy Turner turns to his Oddparents, Cosmo and Wanda to ask for a wish. He wants the gang to play such a campaign… for real. Inside the game. And while the spell goes slightly wrong, the wish has been granted. Thus, Timmy and his friends are now within the game world they created, tasked with recovering a couple plot device dices to go return to our reality. A cute premise for a cartoony, top-down ARPG, isn’t it?
The game’s structure is a much more accessible, streamlined and simplified version action-RPG classics. Forget about the ridiculous depth and complexity of games like Diablo and Path of Exile – this one’s meant to be playable by young and inexperienced gamers alike, while hopefully still offering enough charm for adults to stick around. Indeed, you won’t find the astronomical skill trees and build variety seen in those games. No need to read a book chapter’s worth of text to figure out your new passive skill. Simplicity rules, though you can find various “advanced” ARPG tricks, such as various visual modes for the minimap and loot comparisons.
Brain blast!
Indeed, while Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny offers a whopping 9 playable characters, such as SpongeBob, Leonardo and Katara (no Garfield though, guess he was too busy karting), the individual depth for each is quite limited. It only takes a couple hours to level up your characters, and everyone shares XP, so even the ones you aren’t using get to the top rather quickly. There’s only 6 total skills you can choose from on a wheel of 4, so you’re only ever going to avoid using 2 spells at once. There’s a loot system with rarity and individual bonus numbers, but aside from raw numbers like attack and defense, their bonuses are really quite weak.
That isn’t to say the game can’t be quite a blast, as the title allows for a solo player or up to 4 local buddies to team up – no online modes, sadly. The game’s simplicistic dungeons become a lot more chaotic with friends, kids or loved ones by your side, though the action rarely has lulls even when playing alone. The levels are packed with crates and other items to destroy for money, and of course a large enemy count, though you rarely have to fight more than 4-5 at the same time. It’s quite standard ARPG fare, in that, just a lot more simplified. Spam attacks, evade, rinse and repeat. Explore the map, dodge a trap or two, open a chest. You know the drill.
Turtle power!
The game’s simplictic design is a godsend for accessibility, as it’s absolutely for a younger player’s first ARPG experience. Having said that, the game turns very easy quickly, as I’ve found little problem in beating the highest available difficulty for each level without dying, with only a couple boss encounters that may stump you a little if you come underleveled. This is unlikely to happen, though, unless you really rush through the levels. If you do the few extra side missions available and kill anything you find, chances are you’ll be multiple levels above the recommended number of the hardest difficulty after a few hours already, at which point nothing’s really stopping you anymore. Even when played solo, so without a teammate healing or reviving you, Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is never a difficult game.
Aside from the side missions, the sequential maps to complete also often have challenges to beat. These tend to be quite simple in nature, and merely boil down to beating a certain amount of enemies in a small circular arena before a time limit ends. There’s usually some extra trap patterns or a limit to how much damage we can get, but completing it all lends some nice loot at least. The maps also feature a few alternate routes, usually leading to some extra loot and enemies, but nothing fancy. I did find a location where you get stuck if you manage to get in, and another where you are supposed to walk into but the entrance is too tight. Oh well, nothing major.
Nickelodeon assemble!
Despite the obvious Nicktoons tie-in, with playable worlds set in iconic locations like Bikini Bottomshire and the Fire Nation, the game doesn’t have a lot of fan service. There are various voiced dialogues and some well animated cutscenes. But aside from the looks you recognize, the plot or the dialogue rarely does much to play with this clash of cartoon universes, nor with its faux-D&D world, though what little plot and exposition there is was enjoyable enough. At least, the various powers and skills do reflect the characters well, such as Susie Carmichael spawning in the iconic dinosaur Reptar to wreak havoc, or Leonardo‘s fast blade-based moves.
Not only the game is quite easy, with limited variety to boot, but it’s also pretty damn short. Even if you let your OCD prevail and explore every inch, destroy every box, finish every challenge, sidequest and Xbox achievement, it is unlikely you’ll spend more than 7-8 hours in the world of Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny. Focusing on the main path, in co-op, you could probably beat it all in about 3 or 4 hours. That’s not a lot at all, and with no online play, not much to grind for and limited replay incentives, you may want to wait for a discount on this one, as the 49.99 USD/49,99 EUR is rather steep for such an offering. At least, the developers seemingly bit off only what they could chew, as pretty much everything in the game feels fun, polished and easy to understand.
You’re a tiger baby, not a kitten
Despite everything, however, I had a great time with Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny. The simple gameplay formula and the local co-op options turn this ARPG romp into an accessible entry point into this exciting genre, with the 9 playable Nicktoons characters offering sufficiently diverse skills to bother trying ’em all. It’s a short game, with a very limited loot and build variety. Yet, the game’s solid pacing, cute presentation and fun combat still carry the experience all the way to the end, and I could see many younger folks have a blast, as their RPG-ified SpongeBob fights side-by-side with Jimmy Neutron against evil wizards and robots. I certainly had a lot fun, and I’m not even that young anymore!
Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny
Played on
Xbox Series X
PROS
- Charming presentation
- Simple yet fun ARPG combat loop
- 9 different Nicktoons characters to choose from
- Co-op for up to 4 players...
CONS
- ...but no online options
- Criminally short
- Limited variety and depth
