Nickelodeon has had its share of long-running, iconic animated series and a massive roster of games, from racers and brawlers to adventure titles. They’ve never done something quite like Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny, though. A loving tribute to not only Nicktoons we know and love, but also TabletopRPGs in a fantasy adventure that fuses all their worlds into a whole new dimension.

Petit Fabrik and Fair Play Labs have captured both the essence of Nicktoons and the overall feel of Table Top RPGs in a way I wasn’t quite expecting, which is perfect for introducing kids to adventuring.

One does not simply walk into this realm. Timmy Turner’s love for the Table Top RPG, “Creatures and Chasms”, leads to a very true-to-form wish to be in that world, and of course, Cosmo and Wanda, his fairy godparents, oblige. In true “The Fairly OddParents” style, “be careful what you wish for”, as it isn’t only Timmy and the fairies who are transported.

Timmy, in his new Wizard threads, makes fast friends with other dimension-hoppers, SpongeBob, in knight form, Sandy Cheeks, the squirrel barbarian, Kotara, the spellcaster/healer, and Leonardo, the ninja-turtle-turned-samauri. These are just the first encounters, with more friends to come as the adventure progresses.

Exploring the first areas of Bikini Bottomshire was a slow burn. Early on, I played as Kotara, fending off jellyfish and fish people, natives of SpongeBob’s home world. Early on, the basic attacking and linear, isometric levels felt quite underwhelming. It doesn’t really start feeling like a full-blown epic quest until the story begins to unravel. Upon arriving at The Tumble, the hub area where all the characters convene, was where the journey really felt like it had begun.

Progressing with an overworld map going from level to level, every few levels change, drawing inspiration from different dimensions. From SpongeBob’s equivalent of Bikini Bottom to the sewers, home to certain martial arts masters, and beyond, I looked forward to seeing what was next. The map is surprisingly large, and I sunk a ton of time immersed in the story. Areas could get samey after a while, but there were just enough areas in each region to jump to the next setting before it got too tiresome.

Where Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny really shines is in the heroes; the quintessential charm of each of them stands out in their characterisation, with a few minor exceptions of jarring voice acting, most felt pulled right out of their original shows. They all look adorable, taken into a united art style that feels whimsical and a lot more geared towards a younger audience, as well as with the enemies and worlds.
​
Gameplay is straightforward but challenging enough to keep you on your toes. Basic attacks are fine, but as characters level, they gain skills in their specific classes’ combat style. I spent most of my time as Kotara, using her waterbending to drench enemies, and using Leo to slice and dice with various ninja gear. Character movesets strike a nice balance between close-range and vast area of effect attacks, satisfying to pull off and great for handling a rush of enemies.

Combat walks the line of family-friendly perfectly; it never feels outright violent or overly complex; it’s perfect for sitting down with kids and playing casually alongside them, with up to 4-player splitscreen co-op being an option as well. To top it off, on PlayStation 5, I was able to re-assign skills to L2, R2, Square, and Triangle easily to how I saw fit, and it ran as smoothly as I could ever wish for.

Add in the traditional RPG staples of finding loot and utilising gear with the best stats, and you have a simplified entry point to basic action-adventure games. There are side-quests throughout, but most fit the “fetch quest” style, and, in most instances, trigger into the next level, so backtracking, apart from a few cases, is almost non-existent. Familiar foes have made their way into the world, too, from a jacked-up Plankton and a particular nightmare-fueled doll who becomes significantly more nightmarish, but some boss fights felt underwhelming.

Overall, though, apart from the limited gameplay mechanics, the game still offers a pretty satisfying and strangely addictive experience. The story was oddly interesting, with some awesome cutscenes ripped straight out of a Nickelodeon show. I could easily watch this as an animated among Nickelodeon’s other hits.

Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is a family-friendly fantasy adventure that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did. For the kids at heart, it’s not necessarily as involved as a standard RPG, but for training their kids for a lifelong love of gaming, Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is a fantastic place to start.

Written by: Yasmin Noble