SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - A Review

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is one of the best platformer titles I've ever had the fortune to play - if not THE best. It's funny, it's nostalgic for someone who watched the show religiously as a kid, and it's seriously tough in some places without being completely unfair. It could even beat the Spyro series in some regards!

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However I'm hoping the few issues I did have with the game get addressed in the upcoming Rehydrated remake. I felt the slide sections could be tweaked because right now they're incredibly difficult to navigate - the infamous Kelp Slide especially. Too fast, hard to turn, and sometimes the environment blocks your view.

The camera is a little funny and was almost impossible to use to get my bearings. It only seems to have two speeds; barely moving, or going so fast I felt the need to keep a bucket close by in case the urge to vomit arose. Some camera sensitivity settings would be great!

And finally, locating items can be tricky on such large levels. The addition of an item tracker wouldn't go amiss but I can understand some people would be against it. Maybe it could be included in the remake as an ability you only receive after finishing the game or collecting enough Shiny Objects?

For the most part however, I really enjoyed my time with SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom and I can't wait for Rehydrated. Let's hope Purple Lamp Studios do it justice!

ABOUT THE GAME
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is a video game based on the Nickelodeon animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, developed by Heavy Iron Studios, AWE Games, and Vicarious Visions, and published by THQ. The game was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube consoles as well as separate versions for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Advance. The Microsoft Windows version of the game is a point-and-click adventure game, whereas the 6th generation consoles received a 3D platformer. The Game Boy Advance received a 2D platformer version.

All versions of the game feature an original storyline, in which the player attempts to defend Bikini Bottom from an invasion of robots created by Plankton with a machine called the Duplicatotron 3000, playing as SpongeBob in all versions, as well as Patrick and Sandy in the console versions. The game was released on October 31, 2003, in North America and in Europe on November 28, 2003.

Battle for Bikini Bottom received mixed or average reviews according to Metacritic. Edge included the Game Boy Advance version on its list for top handheld video games of the 21st century. It became a commercial success and has since gained a cult following and a large speedrunning community and presence.