SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: BATTLE FOR BIKINI BOTTOM – REHYDRATED
Not quite Bikini Rock Bottom
Perhaps a remaster that nobody was asking for, but anyone yearning for a colourful platformer will find that there’s a lot of fun to be found in
Bikini Bottom. Spongebob, Patrick, and Sandy1 fight to protect Bikini Bottom from Plankton’s robots, which are terrorising the town, although Mrs Puff is still focused on keeping a driver’s licence away from our sponge at all costs. Priorities, Mrs Puff!
The platforming and collectathon nature of the game makes it hard to put down, with spatulas and socks to find, and unique objectives in each level to complete. Whacking Tiki boxes to collect Shiny Objects quickly becomes an addictive task. The three characters share some basic mechanics, but you have to switch between all of them if you want to 100% the game. Spongebob can roll into a ball, Patrick can lift heavy objects, and Sandy can swing around like a flying squirrel – but clunkier.
Although the gameplay and character models feel refreshed (Patrick’s limbs are delightfully floppy), the level design pales when compared to newer 3D platformers. Fully remade, 2 including a remastered soundtrack, Battle For Bikini Bottom proves to be fun on a technical level, but the barren worlds, many NPCs you cannot interact with, and vexing objectives (the rolling ball in Mermaid Man’s lair, anybody?) make it fun and frustrating in equal measure. Fans won’t want to leave this one at the bottom of the sea. Mitchell Lineham