Licensed video video games have had a spotty observe document through the years. Throughout the GameCube period, getting a licensed online game (particularly 3D platformers) was an nearly month-to-month incidence. Now that development has died down, however on occasion an organization tries to convey a license IP to video video games, and often it doesn’t work out nice. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake may be one of many first licensed video games in years to interrupt that mildew. Whereas it nonetheless suffers from the standard licensed online game trappings, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a 3D platformer that stands out and must be checked out.
The principle premise of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is that SpongeBob and Patrick are given a bottle of mermaid tears to make use of as bubble cleaning soap. These tears have magical powers, and, as is regular for SpongeBob and Patrick, issues get out of hand and actually tear the material of the universe aside. Now, it’s as much as Patrick and SpongeBob to restore the harm. The story is your typical licensed online game story, which truthfully isn’t a nasty factor. What makes SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake so fantastic is that it does an excellent job of re-creating the texture and humor of the primary three seasons of SpongeBob SquarePants. To be truthful, I solely watched the primary few seasons of SpongeBob earlier than dropping off as I received older. Nonetheless, I’ve some nostalgia for these older episodes, a time when the episodes felt genuinely humorous and extremely intelligent. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake does an excellent job at offering that stage of humor. It’s intelligent, witty, and genuinely goofy, however not so goofy that you simply roll your eyes.
The precise gameplay itself of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a 3D platformer. You’re put in these massive sandbox worlds to run round and discover, beat up enemies, and decide up a ton of collectibles alongside the best way. All through every stage, you be taught new strategies that can assist you progress, corresponding to studying the right way to grapple and swing or to make use of a surfboard to glide throughout massive distances. Every stage includes a distinctive theme and usually modifications up the strategies it is advisable to use so as to progress. Truthfully, the platforming is kind of enjoyable and surprisingly correct. There was an extended time frame when licensed 3D platformers made the precise platforming really feel floaty, janky, or simply plain damaged. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake fortunately feels good to play and feels even higher to regulate the precise platforming.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a very good wanting recreation. If you happen to’re acquainted with the latest Battle for Bikini Backside remaster (which appeared…meh), this recreation is a large visible enchancment across-the-board. Characters really feel extra alive and convey much more expression than the earlier remaster. Plus, the worlds really feel way more in-depth and vigorous than ever earlier than. It’s a leap in high quality that I wasn’t actually anticipating however was completely satisfied to have. It genuinely feels such as you’re enjoying an episode of the TV present.
My major situation with SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake has to do with its puzzles and fight. Little question this recreation is aimed in direction of a youthful viewers, so the puzzles are aimed to be extra simplistic and straightforward to unravel. The difficulty is that the puzzles by no means actually change. So, that tremendous simplistic puzzle on the very starting of the sport is the very same simplistic puzzle on the finish, which is genuinely disappointing. It offers you the sensation of when you’ve seen one puzzle you’ve seen each puzzle.
The opposite major situation has to do with fight. In SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake you come throughout loads of enemies it’s a must to karate chop, assault along with your bubble wand, and/or floor pound. The issue is the fight by no means feels nice. There’s at all times a half second delay between urgent the assault button and it really taking place, which supplies the fight a janky feeling. It additionally doesn’t assist that just about each enemy will be defeated utilizing the very same assault. It simply felt pretty boring after an hour or two. It might’ve been nice if there was some method to change up what assault labored on what enemies or to simply change up how the precise assaults really feel. Perhaps that is one thing that may be addressed in an upcoming patch, or possibly this was a purposeful design selection. Both method, as a result of fight is such an necessary a part of the gameplay, it simply doesn’t really feel overly nice.
Total, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a enjoyable recreation followers of the 3D platforming style ought to try. It’s simply among the best licensed video games to return out in quite a lot of years. Visually, the sport seems to be like an episode of the TV present, with tremendous vibrant colours and worlds which are vigorous. There’s additionally the good humor discovered inside the recreation, harking back to the early seasons of SpongeBob when the jokes felt intelligent. That stated, it’s not with out its faults. Finally, the puzzles and fight—two main areas of gameplay all through Cosmic Shake—aren’t nice. The puzzles are extremely simplistic and by no means change as the sport goes on, and the fight simply feels off all through your complete recreation. Neither factor is a recreation breaking component, however they do take away from a enjoyable expertise. In the long run, for those who’re a fan of 3D platformers or fan of SpongeBob SquarePants, there’s sufficient enjoyable available in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake that it’s best to try.