MAIN PLOT:
Deep in Cyberspace, the villain Hacker explores the far reaches of the seemingly endless digital realm in the hopes of obtaining some kind of power that can be used to finally usurp Motherboard. Here, he discovers a mysterious gateway, a nexus between worlds. Knowing there is an opportunity to gain unlimited power and influence from it, he establishes a brand new secret base from which he can study these newly discovered worlds. Once enough data had been obtained, he chose to reach out to certain villains he saw were intelligent (enough), offering the chance to join a new alliance of evil strong enough to not only defeat their arch-foes at long last but also take over the greater multiverse.
Zach Varmitech saw this alliance as a new scheme to become rich beyond his wildest dreams. With a whole multiverse at his disposal, he could take control of as many innocent animals as he saw fit and have them build an endless number of establishments, businesses, resorts, you name it.
Dr. Two-Brains sees an opportunity to not only continue being Fair City's #1 villain but also become the #1 villain of the multiverse... and, of course, obtain an endless supply of cheese.
The most unhinged member of the group was Odd Todd, hailing from an alternate variant of the Odd Squad universe where Todd successfully took over. Though he may have already won in his world, Todd jumps at the chance to spread oddness throughout the greater multiverse, believing that chaos makes the world more interesting.
With the new alliance formed, how will they crush their foes and take over the multiverse?
...with a big party tournament. It was mostly Todd's idea, but the whole team knew it was one of the only ways to really get all these characters together without scaring them away—something seemingly innocent and wholesome in order to trap all opposition. Invitations were sent out throughout the universes:
"You are cordially invited to the Grand All-Stars Party Tournament. This wondrous event aims to bridge all gaps between vastly differing communities. Teams of four will compete for the title of Grand Champion in several memorable events. Do your best, but remember to also have loads of fun. Treat the festivities as if they were your last. That is all... [H]"
MODES:
Story Mode
Quick Match
Minigames
Collection
Options
MAIN GAMEPLAY:
The main draw of the game is the 4v4-styled matches. Both teams have two main players on the board: The first character is the "Leader," and is the main character you control for most of the match. The second character is the "Sidekick," who is also controlled after both leaders' turns. The third and fourth characters are "Support (Active and Passive)," and while they aren't usually on the board, they can be summoned on certain board spaces to help out, either directly or by giving you a boost via encouragement. Minigames utilize a varying number of team members, though the leader is always given playable priority in single player. Much like Mario Party, the main goal is to obtain the highest score before the end of the final turn, achieved by collecting objects, winning minigames, and successfully solving problems you encounter on the board. Co-Op and Versus multiplayer is also possible, of course.
CHARACTER INTERACTIONS:
Certain characters and teams have special intro dialogue before the match starts, both as opponents and as teammates. These are another big selling point for the game, encouraging mixing and matching various characters from many different and diverse educational worlds.
STORY MODE:
Build your team of 4 characters to take on the Grand All-Stars Party tournament. This mode is structured similar to a fighting game arcade mode, where you face a series of opponent teams, then the final boss team. Each canonical team has their own endings, but other smaller endings can also be unlocked through themed "Special Edit Teams." The matches go as follows:
-First Match (random team)
-Second Match (random team)
-Intrusion (VS the Mid-Boss Team)
-Semi-Finals (random team)
-Tournament Finals (VS your team's rival team, if playing as a canonical team)
-Final Battle (VS the Final Boss Team)
-Secret Battle (VS Mister Rogers, only if certain conditions are met)
If playing as Team Bad-Guy, the game's main antagonists, the final battle will be against a unique team consisting of Digit, Martin Kratt, WordGirl, and Agent Olive. When playing as Team Henchmen, the mid-bosses, the Intrusion is against a unique team consisting of Jackie, Inez, Aviva, and Captain Huggyface.
QUICK MATCH:
Play a quick game on any of your unlocked boards. Also has the option of a more Mario Party-styled 4-player, single-character match.
MINIGAMES:
Play any of your unlocked minigames.
COLLECTION:
A place to view all of your unlockables (team endings, alternate costumes and colors, etc.)
OPTIONS:
Adjust your options. Yeah, all of these non-story modes have been really descriptive, eh?
EX Characters:
Certain characters have separate "EX Characters" hidden on their slots. These are typically reserved for different incarnations of a character if they had been rebooted, or for characters who are twins. For example, the original Daniel Striped Tiger can be chosen under the current Daniel Tiger, and both can be placed on the same team.