SpongeBob SquarePants is an American institution at this point. With this comes a deluge of video games and outside media to keep that gravy train flowing. Thankfully, SpongeBob SquarePants has had it better than most, even gaining itself a much beloved video game in Battle For Bikini Bottom, a game that people of a certain age say is their Super Mario 64. I won’t go that far, but it was a fun game that earned itself a decent remastering recently. With Rehydrated, the love for SpongeBob SquarePants is still alive and well and so THQ Nordic figured they might as well take another shot at a new video using that loveable undersea sponge..
The development team at Purple Lamp really seem know what they are doing as they have managed to create a charmingly fun experience that anyone in the family can enjoy on multiple levels. Those who grew up with SpongeBob SquarePants can easily share the experience with a new generation, together. A lot of this comes from the fun nature of the cosmic story that allows the game to really play to the characters not only to their fullest, but in new ways thanks to the bottle of mermaid tears that shatter the fabric of reality under the sea and scatter SpongeBob’s friends across time and space.
Each wish sees a new world created (7 in total) for the SpongeBob to explore and save each member of the krusty crew. Each world in itself feels like one of those special episodes of the show where the gang is visits someplace or are remembering a long forgotten time. Squidward might be a director in a Hollywood inspired land, Mr. Krabs a notorious thief in the Wild West, and many more. And with each world comes the use of new outfits that grant SpongeBob new powers and abilities, albitites that you can then take into other world to access new areas and secrets. And since SpongeBob is the only character this time around those abilities (costumes) help mix the game up.
This style of story works really well for the kids out there who love the program. You get fun and inventive worlds that keep you hooked. This helps to stem off the boredom that so many 3D platformers face once you fully understand the game. Sure, it’s still pretty repetitive like most, but the story and settings make it feel far less so, especially since there is quite a lot to do in the game. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is targeted at kids but also tries to cater to fans who grew up with Battle For Bikini Bottom with a more robust experience, but it’s this merging that might cause some issues.
The issue is that kids games tend to be pretty easy as children who watch the show probably aren’t quite yet capable of dealing with complex game mechanics and a questing systems. I personally don’t think this is the case and that we’ve far too long given a pass to mediocre kid-friendly video games. Kids aren’t stupid, and video games are a great way of helping push their brains forward. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is more adult under the hood in that there are a lot of collectibles that require you to grind and replay levels to unlock. A lot of people have called this a negative as kids might not be able to experience, at least not easily, the full breadth of the game, but so what?
I’m tired of kids video games being knocked around for being too simplistic and boring, but whenever one tries to give those same kids more challenge and depth, adults complain. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake does a great job of giving kids the ability to play the game normally and straightforward with the core story. Sure, they might miss out on the cool extra bits and extras, but those bits are for the SpongeBob fans of old who love the grind to complete the full experience. It also allows kids to come back to the game and see their hard work rewarded for playing better and smarter. A family-friendly game should cater to the family with different levels of enjoyment and not just to the 9-year-olds playing.
Graphically, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake looks fantastic on PC and runs smooth even on mid-range gaming PCs. The world is bright and vibrant and in turn makes Bikini Bottom look better than ever. Along with the great visuals is the great voice work being done by the series cast. Everyone sounds great, better than ever for a video game, and with Clancy Brown finally voicing Mr. Krabs, we finally get the complete SpongeBob experience. The writing is also on point with a lot of laughs and gags along the way. But what about the gameplay experience?
Well, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake doesn’t really venture away from the tried and true formula for most SpongeBob SquarePants platformers in the 3D era. You attack enemies and most will die in a single hit, with the more complex ones taking a maximum of three to take down. There is a lot of forgiveness in the action and most players won’t find themself tanking any sort of damage against the basic mobs of enemies. You get a nice dodge-roll that adds a lot of for into the mix but in reality only makes the combat much easier. And while SpongeBob has more combat options to work with than in previous outings, the hitboxes can sometimes cause issues with their inconsistences. There will be cases where you’ll swear you connected but the game says otherwise.
At a near budget price of $40, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake offers a lot of what fans of the undersea sponge will love. It might not dethrone Battle For Bikini Bottom as the greatest SpongeBob SquarePants to ever grace mankind, but it’s a solid entry and just as good at that title, but that’s coming from someone who only every played Battle For Bikini Bottom years after it initially came around. In the end I’m just really surprised that SpongeBob SquarePants is getting really decent video games for how long the property had been around, and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is no different.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake shows that Nickelodeon’s little yellow sponge still has a lot of life and fun left in him.
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