Brawlers usually turn out to be some of the most time consuming games of any genre I play. Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion XL began on the Nintendo 3DS but is now migrating to consoles with a variety of improvements and additions that will make Punch Time Explosion live up to its “XL” name. Number One, Captain Planet, “HIM”, Samurai Jack, and much more of our youthhood cartoon favorites appear in the game and are ready to duke it out against each other for bragging rights.
At its core, Cartoon Network PTE XL is both very straightforward and inviting to casual gamers and casual fans of the individual cartoon series that make up this game. Dual Pixels was given a hands-on preview of the full title at the New York Comic Con where we were demonstrated the co-op story mode and local multiplayer battle mode. PTE XL features 26 characters collectively with levels inspired by set pieces of the actual cartoon shows. Fans of Cartoon Network will immediately see the creative thought behind Punch Time Explosion XL especially if this is their first time playing the series.
From a gameplay perspective, Punch Time Explosion XL plays almost identically to the Super Smash Bros. series, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing by any means. In Battle Mode PTE XL lets you size up any mix of the 26 playable characters in up to 4-player free-for-alls. PTE XL’s default controller scheme gives you bumper guards, on PS3 and Xbox 360 respectively (L1/LB, R1/RB), to protect yourself against attacks and to sidestep. The face button controls for PTE XL are fairly simple with X/A for standard attacks, Circle/B for grappling, and Triangle/Y for jumping from what I can remember. Every playable character features a cinematic “Punch Time Explosion”, an ultimate attack that can be obtained once your special gauge is filled. For example: Numbuh One (Kid’s Next Door) will draw his wacky hot sauce guns as artillary to defeat his enemies; all damage and attacks are handled by you during real time gameplay. Synergy attacks are universal cooperative attacks handled by two characters from completely different cartoon series yet they feature the same creativity as PTE attacks.
In addition to the standard multiplayer brawler modes that you can expect, PTE XL features a in-depth story mode that will explain why these cartoon universes have collided to create this very game. Playable with up to 4-players (co-op), PTE XL’s story mode is reminiscent of the hit downloadable title Castle Crashers. These adventure levels featured in the story mode are inspired by Cartoon Network series set pieces such as Ben 10, Chowder, Power Puff Girls, and much more.