I have known SpongeBob since childhood, so the news of his return to the world of video games through the efforts of THQ Nordic was received warmly, even if he was no longer a child. Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated breathed life into the series in 2020, and developer Purple Lamp didn’t stop there, introducing a new adventure, The Cosmic Shake, two years later.
Developer: Purple Lamp
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Release date: January 31, 2023
SpongeBob’s day began as usual – after a good night’s sleep, he went to his best friend Patrick’s, on the way he had a fight with Squidward and saw Sandy.
The most interesting part of the day was a visit to the shop of the mysterious Miss Cassandra, a mermaid who collects unusual marine artifacts. From there, friends take soap bubbles that grant wishes, but they forget to read the rules of use. Guess what this led to?
Because of the prank of the hero, the world began to burst at the seams – an angry Poseidon scattered SpongeBob’s friends across parallel universes, jelly monsters began to walk around Bikini Bottom, and Patrick turned into a balloon. And to whom, if not our yellow sponge, to return everything to its place and save friends.
In SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, we’ll visit seven Dream Worlds where cowboys, knights, and pirates live, where they shoot cool karate-style action movies and other crazy things happen. Familiar characters take on unexpected roles – in Jellyfish Fields of the Wild West, Mr. Krabs will become a dangerous bandit, and in Bikini Bottom Karate Center, Squidward will try on the role of a film director.
In each world, Easter eggs, SpongeBob’s trademark jokes, references and just a pleasant cartoon atmosphere are waiting for us, which is enhanced by the voices of the actors from the animated series – even adults will be delighted here.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a classic platformer that consists of collecting balls, spatulas and other things, not a wide variety of fights and masterful platform jumping. The gameplay is very simple, even a preschool child can handle it.
The main adventures develop in those same seven worlds, and each will require from one to two hours of real time – the levels turned out not to be short, but not stretched out either. Each of us is sure to find something interesting, such as seahorse races, fights like in two-dimensional platformers, drinking cactus juice with Sandy and other scenes that dilute the gameplay
We are not obligated to strictly follow the plot – you can always interrupt and return to the hub, where there are secondary tasks, as well as re-visit the passed locations and discover secrets. In this, The Cosmic Shake is reminiscent of metroidvania, albeit a very superficial one.
The mechanics of collecting jelly bubbles and gold coins is tied to customization – for this currency you can open costumes, of which there are more than 30 in the game. Some of them open as you progress – so, before visiting a new world, SpongeBob changes into an appropriate costume, whether it be a cowboy, karateka or someone else. From the outfit you can guess what adventures await us.
The gameplay did not turn out so diverse as not to cause boredom over time. The combat system is very primitive, and the new tricks that SpongeBob gradually learns do not save the situation. There is nothing left of the enemies after one hit, and for stronger opponents, despite their various attacks, we apply the “click to death” approach.
On the other hand, do not expect an action platformer in the spirit of Dark Souls? The utterly simplified combat system of The Cosmic Shake quickly relaxes and helps to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the cartoon, feel the emotions of Sponge Bob, sincerely laugh at his signature jokes and wonder what the developers have prepared in the next world. It’s a great way to unwind if you’re fed up with complex and overloaded games.
Children’s delight is good, but I will also note a couple of moments from the side of a gloomy experienced gamer. Sharp animations immediately catch your eye, cut scenes end unexpectedly, and dialogues are interrupted when the characters seem to be about to start developing some topic. The plot inserts turned out to be short and abrupt. However, in the old platformers it was the same, it’s just that in childhood it is not so noticeable.
Another disadvantage is translation problems. Somewhere, words that are spelled separately are written together, and the task to find Plankton’s pet is called “Find a shelter place.”
From SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake you get exactly what you expect from a platformer with a children’s cartoon hero – a portion of nostalgia, simple and relaxing gameplay, familiar characters and not a hint of something grandiose.
I’m not sure that adult gamers will make it to the credits, open all the costumes and find all the carefully hidden golden spatulas – nevertheless, the gameplay quickly becomes monotonous, but if you are missing something simple and painfully familiar, Bikini Bottom is waiting for you.
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pros
Funny story with favorite characters
7 different game worlds, each with a new adventure
Simple, relaxing gameplay
The gameplay is diluted with various mini-games
Over 30 suits
Voice actors from the animated series
Minuses
Gameplay becomes monotonous over time
Translation errors
