Spongebob Squarepants is a favorite cartoon character of my generation. Battle for Bikini Bottom is a stellar game that was first released nearly 20 years ago. This game has a new coat of paint with its newly released remaster. Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated might be new, but the base game hasn’t changed an ounce; this might not be the best for it. This game tells the tale of Spongebob trying to collect the lost Golden Spatulas as he takes on Plankton’s evil robots. Plankton starts things off by stupidly making his robots attack everyone, including him. He coerces Spongebob into helping him get back into the Chum Bucket. Spongebob will have to traverse many fan-favorite locations to save the day.
Players will take on quests from different characters like finding socks and taking down enemies. They will explore the far reaches of Spongebob’s world and explore the whole town of Bikini Bottom. It’s great to be able to explore the world like this, and I’m a big fan of the show, so it was a treat. The levels in the game are all different locales in the show. Some of them needed expansion as there wasn’t enough content in the episode. Players should enjoy running around these locations and seeing what the game developers decided to include. It makes the show feel a little more grounded in something, as there is more to explore than what the Television show shows.
The idea of a collectathon Spongebob game is also great. There is a nice chunk of collectibles for people to collect. Players should never find that they don’t have something to gather until near the end of the game. It’s a solid adventure reminiscent of older collectathons, and I appreciate it. Players can play as three characters in this game. They can, of course, play as Spongebob, but they can also play as Patrick and Sandy. Each of these characters has their playstyles, but the player can only use two of them in any given level. Players will know which characters they can use based on the actions they can take. It’s only possible to switch between characters at bus stops which, they could have fixed for this updated game. It’s all okay; players will always have access to Spongebob as he is the main character.
Spongebob is quick and can smash into objects floating above him. He can take out enemies with a spin and his spatula. Spongebob has access to his bubbles; these bubbles can take on different shapes, and some are special attacks. Watch out for Bubble Buddy as he will gladly share two bubble blowing techniques with our hero. Patrick is slower, but he is also quite strong. Patrick can pick up heavy objects to fling himself across pits. His strength is unmatched, and he can get to areas the other can’t simply because he is stronger than Spongebob and Sandy. While he might be stronger: his speed is far lower than the other two, so always keep that in mind. Sandy is the best of the three characters, and her skills surpass both Spongebob and Patrick. She can hover quickly between platforms with her lasso. Her mastery of karate is also helpful in taking down enemies. All in all, she’s a strong character who will take no prisoners. The game has voice acting, which is always great. The only characters to have different voices are Mr.Krabs and Mermaid Man. While Mermaid Man’s voice actor may be dead, I think it’s odd that they couldn’t redub the Mr.Krabs voice lines. That seems like a no brainer, but it doesn’t hurt the game too much. I still think having the actual voice actors speaking the lines is great, and helps make the game shine.
This game also includes a new horde mode. This mode is brand new to the game and allows for two players to team up to take down waves of enemies. Horde mode is a fun add on to the game, as there never was a multiplayer mode in this game before. Plus, it allows players to play as four other characters who aren’t playable in story mode. Horde mode allows players to battle Robo Squidward and his allies through 26 different islands. Players can control the like of Mr. Krabs, Plankton, Squidward, and even Gary. Spongebob, Sandy, and Patrick round out the squad of seven, and players can play locally or online multiplayer. Horde Mode is a great mode to play as it changes up the formula of the game and allows for some fun combinations.
Spongebob Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is a fantastic remaster of a classic game. I enjoyed jumping back into a game that I played when I was younger. While it hasn’t aged too well, it is worth picking up. The game plays out as an extended Spongebob episode of sorts, and I appreciate that. Spongebob and co need to save Bikini Bottom, will the player help them out?
Disclaimer: A review key was provided