Imagination makes gamers explore every nook, cranny

Spongebob SquarePants:

The Cosmic Shake Rated E for Everyone (PS4,PS5,Xbox Series X,S,PC,Switch)

Cosmic Shake takes the formula of Rehydrated and creates a solid platformer that may not reinvent the genre but fans of Spongebob or platformers will have more than enough reason to pick up this title.

The visuals of Cosmic Shake look great. All the characters from Spongebob to Patrick are easily recognizable and detailed. The level design and textures on each of the game’s levels look great. The game has no cloudy textures or details that look out of place. Some levels truly show the love and imagination the developers had, making players want to explore every nook and cranny of the level.

Cosmic Shake takes Spongebob and his best friend, Patrick, on their latest adventure. The story revolves around Spongebob being given a bubble blowing liquid from a shady merchant called Kassandra. This liquid alters reality and you’re tasked with restoring everything back to normal.

The game has you starting in a hub level of bikini bottom. Bikini bottom is a large world or level to explore in itself. Kassandra gives Spongebob portals that will give you a new world to explore. Cosmic Shake takes the move set of Rehydrated and ups the count.

Players are given costumes which work as the move set for that level. Players have a large variety of costumes throughout the game.

One of the first levels is the Wild West Jellyfish Fields. During this level Spongbob has the cowboy outfit and you’re introduced to riding your trusty steed the seahorse. All the player has to do is move the seahorse right or left with the thumbstick and players can also jump with the seahorse. The controls of any platformer is one of the most important things to consider.

Thankfully this game has solid controls. No matter if you’re jumping onto boxes or buildings, the game controls well. Riding different creatures like a Seahorse, Gary etc. all respond well.

Move sets have seen an increase as well. Players can use pizza boxes to glide across gaps, etc. Some other new additions are the ability to body slam, karate kicking enemies, balloons, etc. to get to new areas and more.

Each level is a fair size with tons of collectibles, secrets and even side missions. Players can revisit different levels to try and find collectibles players missed the first time around. The levels are fun and varied introducing new costumes, move sets and level designs. Even with all these positives the game does have an issue. The developer targets 60 frames a second for that smooth experience for players. Sadly the game chugs and slows right down during some levels. The issue with this is the fact that it can happen during combat or even worse during platforming sections. This slow down can make button presses and jumps being delayed.

The good thing is in the entire 12+ hours of me playing the game I experienced this issue a handful of times. The levels have small puzzles at times requiring you to find the pattern etc. The puzzles aren’t overly complicated.

There’s a nice variety of enemy types requiring different methods to defeat them. The enemies also follow the theme of that level. The different worlds also have bosses that Spongebob has to battle. The bosses are varied, requiring the player to work out the pattern and that bosses weakness.

The entire game has a nice challenge, this isn’t an easy game and will require fast reflexes and good timing.

The player will get around nine plus hours just completing the main missions not counting collectibles, side missions etc. I had a blast playing through the game’s cool levels, varied enemies and moves. The game is also only around $40 making it a must for any fans of Spongebob or just wanting a fun platformer with some cool levels.

Spongbob Squarepants: Cosmic Shake gets a must buy 8/10.