SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake: A Sequel That Does Not Quite Meet Expectations

The mid-2000s was an end of an era when it came to video games based on licensed media. Younger readers may not remember that there was a time when any movie, tv show, or toy property that came out had a tie-in video game that varied in quality from fantastic (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue, or Spider-Man 2) to virtually unplayable (Whiffle Ball or Iron Man). One of the better licensed games to be released was SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle For Bikini Bottom which was the second game from the franchise to be released on the PlayStation 2. The game played a lot like Super Mario 64 in that it was a platforming collectathon and holds a special place in the hearts of many players over a certain age. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is designed to be a spiritual successor to the original (which was remastered back in 2020 so this is built with similar assets), however, it fails to capture what the original managed to do.

The Cosmic Shake follows the titular SpongeBob and his best friend Patrick as they receive the gift of wish-granting mermaid tears from a fortune-teller. They get overexcited over the new gift and accidentally tear holes in the fabric of reality making the multiverse bleed all over Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob and Patrick need to work together to put everyone back where they’re supposed to go and fix the breaks in reality.

The biggest problem with this game is that it is a linear goal-focused platformer where the player has to get from point A to point B on the map and fight a boss, and then move on to the next level. There is not necessarily anything wrong with that specifically, however, the platforming controls are inconsistent and frustrating. Several points over the game require the player to jump from platform to platform or glide with a pizza box but the jumps require a level of precision that the game is not prepared to deliver. At the same time, there are environmental factors and switches that need to be hit with a ranged attack that will take several attempts to actually work as intended.

There is a somewhat baffling decision when it comes to laying out fight sequences within the game where it takes on a Devil May Cry or Hi-Fi Rush-type locked-in room where you fight waves of goo monsters which differs greatly from the previous game. On the one hand, there was nothing more frustrating than trying to jump from platform to platform and some robot with a ranged attack would knock you down to the bottom, but on the other hand, the lack of enemy variety in this game and the fact that the enemies are designed to be more annoying than a risk to you losing makes the gameplay in these portions feel repetitive and boring. Since the player doesn’t get a bonus for clearing the round quickly or efficiently or with style, doing the fights in this manner does not make a ton of sense. This is especially egregious when the game does not punish the player for losing in any way beyond having them go back to the last checkpoint.

The other big issue with the game is replayability, which is a big point when it comes to buying a game. The first game, because it had this wide open world that the player could explore at their leisure, took a lot longer to beat to 100 percent. A completionist could beat this game to 100 percent in under 20 hours and, after playing, there isn’t much to drive a second playthrough. The cutscenes are constant and all over the game to the point where it feels like Pokémon Black and White or Pokémon X and Y where the cutscenes drag the gameplay to a halt to exposit some story and move along.

The game does have entertaining moments and people may find it entertaining. Let’s be honest though, this game is probably best enjoyed by its target audience. That said, at $40 it is a little steep for the experience it is giving so maybe wait for Black Friday or a summer video game sale to get it for around $20 or less.

Final Rating: 6.5/10