I’M READY! I’M READY! I’M READY! I’M READY!

I never played the Battle for Bikini Bottom when it was released on GameCube, PS2, and Xbox. I think by that time I was wise enough to steer clear of licensed games. Oddly though I have only ever heard praise of Battle for Bikini Bottom, and I was a SpongeBob fan so I am surprised that for some reason I had not played it until now.

Honestly, there isn’t much to say about the gameplay. It is a very solid 3D platformer. Collect things and do small missions and puzzles to collect more things and once enough things have been collected more areas unlock. Multiple characters with different abilities, mini games, and boss fights break up the monotony. The main collectible is golden spatulas and the equivalent of coins are called “shiny things”, because being creative is hard, but sometimes being derivative isn’t a bad thing, and Battle for Bikini Bottom is definitely not a bad game.

CONSOLES: PC, PS4, XB1, SWITCH
MSRP: $29.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $29.99

The story is that Plankton created some robots, and those robots are taking over Bikini Bottom and have kicked Plankton out of his own restaurant. It’s basically just there to give SpongeBob and friends enemies to fight that don’t mess with the canon of SpongeBob (who is generally non-violent). They work in a lot of characters from the show and the dialog is okay, but I wish they had Mr. Krabs be less involved with the plot because while the voice actor is doing a decent impression, it is clearly not Clancy Brown. Nor is Mermaid Man the late Ernest Borgnine, however it did sound like Barnacle Boy was still Tim Conway, and if so that means that are likely using the audio from the original game and it sounds really good still.

While they may not have remastered the audio, the visuals definitely have seen an upgrade. This game is pretty and very colorful, clearly taking cues from the more recent SpongeBob movies and not the TV show. I think it makes sense to not try to emulate the look of the cartoon show, because what works in 2D doesn’t always translate well to 3D, but I know some people who are familiar with the original didn’t like the previews. I think the game looks wonderful most of the time, especially in the more grassy areas.

There is a horde mode that was not in the original game and it is online and local, but it’s limited to two players. It’s nice but not necessary when the game is only $30 and there is plenty of game for that price. They also apparently included content that was cut from the original game, but as someone who never played the original I can’t really comment on what is different, but nothing felt out of place so I have to say they brought it in organically.

There were a few technical glitches, but nothing game breaking. It feels like the best B-tier platforming game I have played in a long time, and doesn’t feel as dated as I expected it to. I think fans of SpongeBob, parents, and fans of 3D platformers should really think about getting this game. It’s a lot of fun and it’s being released at a discount price, which is crazy because it’s clear Purple Lamp Studios has put a ton of work into this remake. It’s probably one of the best ways a person looking to just have some fun can spend $30.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.