Video Game Vintage Title: Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion

Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion

Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion is a 2011 crossover fighting video game developed by Papaya Studio and published by Crave Entertainment, for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released on June 2, 2011, in North America and in Europe on April 20, 2012. A port of the game for major game consoles under the name Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL was released in North America on November 15, 2011, and May 18, 2012, in Europe.

Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion Plot

In the beginning, the announcer of the game, Space Ghost, decides to take the day off and watches Dexter's Laboratory. However, to his horror, he finds Dexter's world facing a very strange, utter destruction, which soon crosses over into the network's other shows such as Kids Next Door and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Much to his surprise, he then sees Ben Tennyson's nemesis, Vilgax invading Marzipan City of Chowder. Ben is transported into Marzipan City, where he confronts Chowder, who has been corrupted and as a result, turned evil. Chowder comes back to his senses and teams up with Ben, and the two of them set off to find Vilgax, who escapes whilst the heroes beat some enemies that are trying to beat up Mung Daal, Chowder's employer.

The Ultimatrix detects that there's a dimensional disturbance, as Marzipan City is disintergrated. Ben and Chowder are then brought to Bellwood, Ben 10's universe, and are transported to the Null Void whilst fighting and freeing a corrupted Buttercup (who somehow got into the Ben 10 world). The three find Vilgax, but are suddenly brought to Primus to fight Ultimate Kevin Levin/Kevin Levin 11,000 while Vilgax escapes yet again. After the battle, Ben's world is also erased, but the three heroes are saved by Dexter, who's built a machine that allows them to travel to the different dimensions. They then go to Stormalong Harbor, Flapjack's universe to have him help out too, but the harbor is attacked by Stickybeard and his crew.

While the others retreat, telling Flapjack they'll return, Flapjack fends off the candy pirates (along the way finding Captain K'nuckles), then the two of them fight Vilgax and a corrupted Numbuh One. After Vilgax escapes, Numbuh One joins with Flapjack and K'nuckles to defeat Stickybeard. When Bubbie the Whale finds out Flapjack is under attack by Stickybeard and his pirates, Bubbie swallows up Flapjack, Captain K'nuckles, Numbuh One and Stickybeard, making it harder for Stickybeard to do battle, (Because Flapjack and Captain K'nuckles have been inside Bubbie a thousand times.) After Stickybeard's defeat, the heroes are picked up by the others and brought to the KND Sector V Treehouse in Numbuh One's dimension.

Numbuh One, Flapjack, and K'nuckles then defend the Kids Next Door's treehouse from the candy pirates, but Numbuh Two says he does not know how to get them back. Meanwhile, back in Dexter's dimension, Dexter is busy formulating a plan to fix the dimensional meltdown. Unfortunately, Father sneaks in and, using his fire power on a nearby temperature gauge to heat it up, sabotages the lab, sending Ben, Chowder, and Buttercup right into the City of Townsville (the Powerpuff Girls' dimension), where Mojo Jojo is on a rampage in a giant robot. There, they find Blossom and Bubbles (who were, for some strange reason, corrupted, but returned to normal once they accidentally hit the travel machine's door, which the announcer said was too painful to even watch). The group fights their way through the bustling metropolis, but then fight amongst themselves to decide who should go to face Mojo. The winner of the fight then destroys the robot's power core. Mojo then escapes, and the heroes leave as the dimension is destroyed.

Next, the group finds themselves in Foster's Mansion (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends' dimension). There, they rescue a corrupted Mac and Bloo and defend Cheese from villainous forces. After that, Mac and Bloo join up with the heroes and head out just as their dimension is destroyed. After a quick stop to pick up Numbuh One, Flapjack, and K'nuckles at the KND treehouse in the KND universe, the now-one team returns to Dexter's lab, which is, by now, heavily damaged. After the group fights their way through (rescuing Monkey in the process), they find Father, who then fights the player and Numbuh One. After Father escapes, the heroes are attacked by Aku (the Shogun of Sorrows, the Master of Masters, etc.).

After Aku is defeated, the heroes travel to Endsville and encounter Grim. After fighting their way through the wrecked up town, escaping a wild tornado, defeating General Skarr in his helicopter, rescuing Grim's corrupted masters, Billy and Mandy, and battling an army of zombies, the group goes to the Underworld. There, they find and defeat Mojo Jojo and Father. They then escape the dimension as it, like all the others before it, is destroyed (Chowder just barely making it, thanks to a lollipop K'nuckles holds out). They then take the capsule (the Announcer noticing how it's surprisingly roomier than it looks from the outside) to one more place to visit; Samurai Dojo (Samurai Jack's dimension). After defeating the corrupted samurai warrior, Jack joins up with the heroes, but are attacked by Vilgax. After Vilgax's defeat, the now rather large group travels through Jack's world and defeats an army of Ultra-Robots.

As the dimension capsule prepares to make one more warp to save the universes, it suddenly explodes for some reason, leaving the heroes floating in a very odd and unrecognized dimension. There, the heroes find the main villain responsible for the whole dimensional meltdown - the Announcer's TV remote! The Announcer then watches, shocked, as his own remote control transforms into a giant robot, revealing it had been responsible for the destruction of the individual worlds. It then entraps the heroes in an energy ring and is about to send them through a portal to oblivion, presumably to permanently erase them and their shows forever.

The Announcer says that he should have not bought a discount remote (the type of remote the evil TV remote was) and that the heroes had the fire, had the heart, fought on earth, fought on water, and with their powers combined, something should have happened. Chowder then farts, causing the Announcer to say, "Hey, who just broke the wind?" The elements the Announcer mentioned then combine to summon Captain Planet, who uses his powers to free the heroes. The final battle between the heroes (Ben, Dexter, Chowder, Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, Numbuh One, Flapjack, K'nuckles, Mac, Bloo, Monkey, Grim, Billy, Mandy, Samurai Jack, and Captain Planet) and the evil TV remote ensues.

Once the evil TV remote is defeated and turned into a normal remote control, Ben and Dexter reinserts the batteries to restore the universes and, after one last goodbye, everyone is returned to their home dimensions. Chowder is returned to Marzipan City, Mac and Bloo to Foster's Mansion, Dexter and Monkey to Dexter's Lab, Numbuh One to the Kids Next Door Sector V Tree House, Samurai Jack to Samurai Dojo, Grim, Billy, and Mandy to Endsville, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup to Townsville, Flapjack and K'nuckels to Stormalong Harbor, and Ben to Bellwood. Everything then goes back to normal, except, as the Announcer points out, that he now doesn't have a remote and must get up and change the channel himself. Then, he wonders if he could get a lava-man to change the channel for him with a giant lever, the idea of which he likes the sound of.

Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion Gameplay

Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion is a mascot brawler fighting game bringing together several characters from the Cartoon Network Multiverse in one epic battle that plays very similar to the Super Smash Bros. series. Up to four players (human or CPU controlled) can control a character and fight on a multi-tiered 2D stage. Players may use various items that appear randomly to get the fighting edge over their opponent. Additionally, the stage may use set elements in order to take out other players. For example, in the Dexter's Lab Stage players can pull 2 different levers, one setting off a conveyor belt, and the other firing a deadly laser.

When players strike one another, glowing cubes will fall out of them. If players collect enough of these cubes, they will fill up their special meter that, when full, unleashes a powerful "Punch Time Explosion" (the equivalent of a Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. Brawl) attack against their opponents. For example, Ben turns into one of his aliens and launches missiles all over the stage.

In the XL version, fighting characters can team up with certain assist characters (the equivalents of Assist Trophies) and do Synergy attacks. For example, Madame Foster brings a plate of cookies to the arena, Chowder eats them, turning fat, and Madame Foster rolls him around the stage.

Each character has their own special move set that uses different elements from their respective shows. Each has an up, down, and side attack. Most characters have a projectile attack. Captain K'nuckles is the only character who has a disabling attack. Ben seems to be the protagonist of the game.

Reception
The 3DS version of Punch Time Explosion was received with mixed to negative reviews. On IGN, the game a rating of 4.5 (bad). It said, "...the fun comes in very small doses." and "the levels, though aesthetically varied, are basic and boring", criticizing its poor gameplay and plagiarism of the Super Smash Bros. games.