Bittersweet Nostalgia – A ‘Spongebob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated’ Review
Diving into the world of Bikini Bottom felt like seeing an old friend after a long time. 17 years after the release of the original, Spongebob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated brings Spongebob back to the world of 3D platforming in what can best be called a fresh coat of paint over a cult classic. With the recent success of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy, the thought that fans of the original Battle for Bikini Bottom could receive something similar generated some excitement.
Having played the original version countless times as a kid in 2003, I was enthusiastic at the prospect of returning to a childhood favorite. However, I found myself having mixed feelings on the experience I had throughout the ten-hour campaign of the remake. Besides the vastly different art style, it felt like there was very little changed in the game to justify a remake. I began questioning why this remake even existed and if my fondness of the original had blinded me to the problems it possessed.
The story of Spongebob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is very typical of an episode of the television series that you might see on a weekday afternoon. In an attempt to steal the Krabby Patty Secret Formula, Plankton uses his newest invention, the Duplicatotron, to create an army of robots to follow his orders. Plankton fails to realize that the Duplicatotron was set to “Don’t Obey” and is kicked out of the Chum Bucket by his creations. At the same time in another part of Bikini Bottom, Spongebob and Patrick are playing with toy robots and horses. Before they head home for the night, they use Patrick’s magic wishing shell in the hopes of playing with real robots. The next morning, Spongebob wakes up to see his house destroyed by the real robots and that the world he loves is now in trouble.
This sort of story and the world around it does an excellent job at capturing the humor and references of the on-going television series. Just like the show though, there is nothing remarkable or memorable about the plot. Certain quotes or scenes may stick out to players, but it fails to leave any lasting impressions. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the fact that the game would occasionally remind you through it’s characters, it’s pretty easy to forget the plot. Fortunately, the gameplay and item collecting greatly support the below average plot. There are also problems with the weird casting choices and reused dialogue.
While a majority of the characters in Spongebob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrate are voiced by the actors from the television series, there is a noticeably different voice actor for Mr. Krabs. THQ Nordic commented on this and stated that they received “universal feedback from fans” and wanted to keep it original. One may argue that it is a part of the charm of the original game, yet it feels out of place and just hilariously awful. Overall, I couldn’t help feeling sad about the missed opportunities for better dialogue and for Clancy Brown to surprise us by voicing our favorite money-loving crab.
At its core, Spongebob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is very much a standard 3D platformer. Being the titular character, a majority of time is spent playing Spongebob as you explore Bikini Bottom and search for the cause of the robot invasion. Variation in gameplay comes from the playable characters that are provided based on the layouts of the 13 diverse levels. Besides Spongebob, Sandy Cheeks and Patrick Star are also playable characters. Swapping characters can be done through bus stops that are scattered within the levels. The characters that are available on a level are based on their abilities and are often required to progress further. Every character has the ability to double jump in order to safely reach most platforms, but it’s their combat and utility abilities that make them unique.
Spongebob excels in combat and hitting hard-to-hit buttons with his bubble techniques that are taught to him periodically throughout the game by Spongebob’s bubble friend, Bubble Buddy. Among his arsenal of abilities, my favorite was the bubble bowl attack since it allowed me to destroy robots from a safe distance. Sandy thrives in combat with her expert karate attacks and a lasso that can both drag enemies towards her and allow her to glide across large gaps. Lastly, Patrick primarily relies on his body as a means to survive and navigate levels. He has the strength to pick up objects and enemies that are otherwise too heavy for Spongebob and Sandy and can use his weight to clear enemies that are in his way.
The glaring problem among these three characters is that Patrick is by far the worst one to play. Throwing robots and belly slamming the enemies gets boring very quickly. Outside of specific scenarios that need Patrick to progress, there is very little reason to use him when Spongebob has a more entertaining and useful playstyle. Given that this game was supposed to be a remake, it would have been delightful to see Patrick outfitted with a new playstyle that is as fun as his friends.
Among Battle for Bikini Bottom’s few changes are the updated visuals.Jumping and fighting through each of the familiar locations around Bikini Bottom felt exhilarating. Moving away from the washed out colors to a brighter color palette makes the world pop out much more. Each level is visually stunning and better represents the cartoon. One of my favorite levels is Rock Bottom; a level that perfectly captures the dark and scary aspects that Spongebob feared in the show. Just like the original game, each location introduced specific mechanics and a unique level design. When we visit Rock Bottom, we learn the importance of sneaking and how it will help us navigate past the sleeping robots scattered throughout the level. At no point did it feel tiresome or repetitive to navigate through. The glue that ties all of these levels together is the massive hub zone that is split into three sections. Each section has three levels to unlock and explore, as well as being their own mini-levels filled with hidden collectibles and missions. This sort of hub-style design is always a lot of fun for me as it encourages exploration and gives the player the chance on how they want to structure their playthrough.
In order to progress through the story and to open up a new level to explore, the player must seek out collectibles hidden in Bikini Bottom. Spongebob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated contains a relatively fun experience in the collectathon genre. When you’re not fighting through the horde of robots or trying to not fall off a platform, the game allows you to hunt for two specific collectibles: Golden Spatulas and Patrick’s Socks. Golden Spatulas are required to open up new levels and to move the story forward. These can be acquired through a multitude of different tasks, like collecting paintings for Mrs. Puff or defeating a boss like King Jellyfish, the tasks are easy to complete. Patrick’s Socks are a bit harder to find since they are hidden throughout each of the levels in the game. The only way to find them is by thoroughly exploring the levels. However, acquiring these socks is extremely rewarding because for every ten socks given to Patrick, he’ll reward you with a Golden Spatula.
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