Following the rehydrated version of the classic Battle for Bikini Bottom title, Purple Lamp Studios and THQ Nordic have once again set up a collaboration with Nickelodeon in order to release a new Spongebob Squarepants title. Now, they have launched the new platforming adventure game Spongebob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake and it is here for all to enjoy!

While there are some changes to the game in consideration to their last game, it is fair to count the fact that they had more freedom with a new adventure over a remastered one. This time they took a more kid-friendly gameplay approach while maintaining the classic humor and styling of our beloved cast of characters from the show. Whether you are an adult looking for a new nostalgic journey or a younger fan looking forward to seeing what’s next, this game was designed with you in mind.

Story

Spongebob and Patrick set out to enjoy another free day with plans to go to glove world. By the end of the day, they happen upon a mysterious vendor who is eager to sell them anything that catches their attention. After setting their sights on a favorite tool of theirs, Spongebob leaves the stall with a new mysterious bubble wand.

After playing around with the wand and testing what magical powers it withholds, they are reapproached by the mysterious vendor who is in distress. Hoping she reached them in time before disaster struck, she tries to warn them not to use the wand, but it’s too late! Spongebob and Patrick had already made bubble figures of all their favorite friends and places!

Once the first bubble pops, the series of disastrous bubble popping continues until a wormhole opens breaking the fabric of reality as they know it! Now, stuck being the one of the few able to keep their wits after the event, aside from Patrick turning into a balloon that stays near Spongebob the whole time, they ask the wisdom of the mysterious vendor on how to set things back to normal. She advises they must enter each portal into the new reality that was created, dressed accordingly each time, in order to get their friends and places back.

Honestly, after playing through this game, I have to say the story is as wild and comical as any fan of the Spongebob series would expect. While the circumstances appear to be dire, the approach to fixing them isn’t just simplistic but able to be done while the pair enjoy a new adventure! Each change in reality is like a fitting universe, devised after the characteristics, dreams, and aspirations that the character is known for. With fitting worlds to visit, new outfits for each new level, and plenty of chances to be a hero, this story was definitely well-advised by writers who understand the cast of characters and not just the main two.

Gameplay

Much like in the classic rehydrated title, you can expect there to be a lot of platforming, a little bit of action, and big levels to explore. By default, the settings have a market set to always show where the main quest continuation is at so you never get lost, which is great for the younger audience who are new to gaming as it is. Luckily, that can be turned off and isn’t a permanent fixture of the game for those who prefer to figure out the game themselves.

They did make a few changes to the platforming and movements though. In this game, you have your standard movement, jump, and double-jump, but you also are able to glide for a short period of time and even use combat moves to get around. They added a flying kick to the list of moves and it works rather literally where you can use it to hit specifically marked boards and some other items, such as balloons, and by hitting the marker Spongebob will fly to it with a kick. This does destroy whatever he kicks, but they utilize this in many platforming areas.

A lucky feature in this title is that if you fall while platforming, Patrick ‘saves’ you which really means they put you back where you jumped from and simply take one health point. This is much better than losing all progress and falling to the bottom of the map, forcing you to climb back up - however, there are points you aren’t high enough for the save and do fall to the bottom, but it is nice to have a buffer between heights.

You’ll also come across new items to interact with. These are things such as a slingshot that flings you, a bubble board that you can use to cruise on for a short run, and more. You’ll come across these items even in earlier levels before you can utilize them, which means that there is reason to return to levels. It is nearly impossible to collect all of the gold coins and jelly in each level on the first play through it, so for completionists, you’ll need to head back into old levels after you unlock more ability interactions.

Boss fights are interesting in this game as well. Each one has to be handled differently, so make sure you understand their movements and environments if you want to come out on top. Luckily, for those who struggle here, Patrick will bring health and you can usually find plenty of health in these battlegrounds as objects are destoryed.

Speaking of health, this is marked by how many pairs of underwear you have left. You start out with five and lose one every time you get hit, but bigger enemies and in various places you’ll be able to find a fresh pair. If you look around well enough, you may find a golden pair of underwear which will actually extend the amount of pairs you can have (meaning you have more health).

Audio and Visuals

This time around, they opted for the new style aesthetic that we are seeing from more Spongebob media and that is the slightly over-saturated 3D designs. While I am personally not a big fan of this, it does give off a ‘new media’ presence to it which is likely what they are going for. That said, the world itself is all very vibrant and colorful which is always nice to see in game’s like these. Even the flower clouds in the sky seem to be more prevelent than in previous titles.

As for the games music, sound effects, and voice acting - it is all on point! It is like they pulled all the creators of the actual Spongebob show and had them work on the sounds for this game because it is more than fitting. From the style and genre used for each level to the quirky dialogue we hear from the characters along the way, everything is true to the characters, even if sometimes annoying when repeated often.

Replayability

As I mentioned, you unlock item interaction abilities throughout the game and some of these items will be found in levels before you learn how to utilize them. So, those who like collecting everything and traversing the entirity of each level, there is plenty of reasons to go back through the game. As for those who just want to experience the story and game again, I can see some people enjoying it enough to do so. Plus, there is the factor of whether you play with the quest tracker on or off that can change up the overall challenge level of the game.

What It Could Have Done Better

I think it would have been better if they showed more of the gameplay settings to the player directly as they start up the game. At first, I thought the quest tracker was a mandatory feature until I explored the settings and found where I could turn it off. Instead of just letting players load into the game with these kind of defaults on, they should be asked to the player as they start the game if they want it on or off from the start. Even though I believe it to be a great addition to the game, I am one of those that preferred to figure the game out myself without a direct guide.

Some inputs can be cleaned up a bit. The glide option they added to the game is cool but a bit finnicky. Sometimes, I could simply jump and hold the button to pull the glide out while other times I had to press the button again to pull the glide out. I tested this multiple times and it seemed to always be different. I’m not sure if this is a Nintendo Switch only issue, but it was frustrating nonetheless.

Verdict

Spongebob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake is a title worthy of the F.U.N. song! They managed to make a new adventure with the same sort of comical mishap that is a quests successful journey that Spongebob is known to pull off. Even through his own oblivious antics, he pulls off being a hero even though he is the one that caused the problem in the first place. It is a fitting tale to the Spongebob I grew up watching and a great continuation of the franchise’s game series overall. Definitely a title I can recommend to both older and younger players.

Spongebob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake is now available on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.