Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom

Are ya ready kids?

Spongbob Squarepants is back and rehydrated in this updated version of the 2003 hit! Get your Golden Spatulas and grab onto a fish hook as we dive into the remake of the cult classic – Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated.

The Good

Graphically, the game is a 10 out of 10. The polished visuals capture the look and feel of Bikini Bottom. The character models are fantastic! I think Sandy has to be my favorite because you can see through her space helmet.

Additionally, the story is fun and a lot of the jokes made me laugh out loud. The gameplay could vary more often, but I liked the “slides” which were reminiscent of the Kingdom Hearts Tarzan levels.

The Bad

While the graphics have improved, the gameplay hasn’t. When I first started playing it, the wave of 2003 platforming nostalgia rushed back and not in a good way. The controls are clunky and unable to be changed in the menu. The characters’ hitboxes seem inconsistent and the jumping was very finicky. I did get the hang of it eventually and the level design of later areas helped immensely. Flying Dutchman’s Graveyard and Spongebob’s Dream are the stand out levels in this.

The game adds multiplayer and it’s underwhelming. It allows 2 players to fight against robot hordes. Despite incorporating some original, scrapped ideas into this mode and adding 4 playable characters, there is little of value here. The time would have been better spent improving certain gameplay elements of the single player.

The Overlooked

The music is only a few measures long and gets so repetitive that I had to turn it off. You’re spending awhile in each level and to hear that same looping music for 30 minutes straight would drive anyone to the brink of insanity. They really should have overhauled these songs and given the fans new music for the re-release.

Each character has their original voice actor EXCEPT Mermaid Man (RIP Ernest Borgnine) and Mr. Krabs. Not only do these characters talk a lot, but they sound NOTHING like their cartoon counterparts. It really sounds like temp VO that was left in. Very disappointing.

There should also have been different skins/costumes for the characters similar to The Simpsons Hit and Run. At the very least they could have thrown in an additional playable character. With 20+ years of content, there could have been a lot of fun additions to this game.

Overall, this title just bobs in the water and doesn’t do much. It’s fun at times and tedious at others. It’s less “Rehydrated” and more just spritzed with water. The visuals excel while the gameplay sinks to the ocean floor. In a world where we have phenomenal platformer remakes like Spyro and Crash Bandicoot, this one is barely able to keep its head above water.

Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is a disappointing 4 out of 10 stars.