Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is an action role-playing game that draws its cast from current and past Nickelodeon shows such as The Fairly OddParents, Rugrats,SpongeBob SquarePants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The various characters and villains are all reimagined as fantasy-class battlers in a variety of medieval worlds.
Dice of Destiny kicks off with Timmy Turner and his two fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda, finishing up a game of “Creatures and Chasms.” It’s all great fun, but Timmy wishes they could actually be in the game for some real Dungeons & Dragons-like battling. With a wave of his magical wand, Cosmo opens a swirling portal—created by the dice from the game they’re playing—and Timmy and his fairy cohorts are sucked in.
The trio awake to find that the portal also pulled in characters from other (Nickelodeon) worlds as well. There’s a yellow knight named SpongeBob here, a barbarian called Sandy Cheeks, a spellcaster named Katara. And Timmy himself is now nothing less than a wizard!
SpongeBob declares that they were all about to set off in search of stars that they had seen falling from the sky. But it turns out that the stars are actually the magical game dice that supercharged Timmy’s wish. And the heroes (and other Nicktoons individuals who pop up as the game progresses) will need to find all of the dice if they want to get home.
Of course, they must face villains—such as Angelica Pickles and the now massively muscular Plankton—who want those magic dice as well.
Players must choose characters to represent them (in solo play or as part of a co-op team), then venture forth to fulfill quests. They’ll explore different Nickelodeon-inspired fantasy lands, fight off attacking creatures and bosses, and gather the powerful dice so they can return Nicktoon characters to their own dimensions.
Each cartoony character has his or her own fantasy class and abilities. SpongeBob, for instance, is a tank-like knight who can (appropriately) absorb enemy blows and spin attack back with a spatula in his hand. He regains depleted HP by gobbling up a Krabby Patty.
Other examples include Timmy Turner (who uses magical ranged attacks to drop enchanted mushrooms from the sky and blast his opponents with a crackling ray of light) and Katara (who manipulates water to freeze enemies in place or heal teammates). Players can also outfit their characters with armor, cartoon weapons, rings and amulets—all of which make a difference as enemies become more powerful.
Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is designed to be played offline in either single-player mode or with up to three other friends in a local co-op mode.
This is a colorful and fun adventure that allows players to jump into mess-free RPG battles, take on quests and protect others. The game’s story, solid voiceovers, and funny, recognizable characters all help immerse and engage younger gamers. (Though being able to read is required.)
Each game map is designed after a specific Nickelodeon show, and so the darker areas are never too frightening or intense. And there are many references to specific events within the shows themselves. These nods will appeal to fans without detracting from the fun for those who aren’t as familiar with a given show or series.
There are many battles in the game mix, using magical blasts, spatulas, katanas and wizardly powers. Some of those battles can involve slightly intense swarms of cartoony enemies and cries of pain. But there’s nothing messy: Foes generally disappear after being defeated, often magically reappearing later to fight another day.
There’s nothing offensive or foul in the mix. But characters do call out exclamations of “oh, darn!” And some of the quipping jokes might make parents roll their eyes a bit. For instance, one character notes: “That woke me up like a glass of ice cubes dumped into my shorts.”
Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is a game for young players who love to gobble up past and present Nickelodeon shows yet long for RPG battling with no nasty aftertaste.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
