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Something cosmic this way comes - SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review

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SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a lighthearted and colorful action adventure that might be meant for kids, but will satisfy any nostalgic adult who wants to relive an episode of the popular TV Show. The entire cast of original voice actors is here (including the return of Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs), providing witty dialogue that kept me giggling like a schoolgirl. Playing Cosmic Shake made me want to drop down and “do the sponge,” or at the very least, rewatch hours of old SpongeBob SquarePants episodes.

Developed by Purple Lamp and published by THQ Nordic, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake serves as a spiritual successor to SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated. The story follows SpongeBob as he travels through various worlds collecting cosmic jelly in an attempt to save Bikini Bottom. A simple enough premise, and though we’re talking about a video game based on a cartoon, the narrative was better than many games I’ve played in the same genre.

While traveling to Glove World, SpongeBob gets hold of a magic potion (soap bubbles) from a mysterious fortune teller named Madame Kassandra, who has bad guy vibes written all over her. These bubbles belong to King Neptune and are not to be used by mortals. So, of course, Bikini Bottom is flooded after using them, and worse yet, our hero accidentally rips a hole through the cosmic glue of reality. It’s up to SpongeBob to save his friends, collect this cosmic jelly, and bring it to Kassandra so she can “study it to save Bikini Bottom.” A damn good excuse to travel to a bunch of extraordinary worlds in different costumes if you ask me.

In Cosmic Shake, the costume shop is more than just decorative garb for SpongeBob to wear. I needed them to travel to the corresponding worlds of the costume. For example, a cowboy costume got me into the Wild West Jellyfish Fields. In contrast, a karate outfit got me into Karate Downtown Bikini Bottom. Collecting these outfits, doubloons, and other collectibles added a sense of accomplishment.

It took me only a short time to get the hang of Cosmic Shake’s relatively simple mechanics. Fun challenges like cactus soda-drinking contests and riding seahorses added to the silliness of the gameplay, and they were easy to pull off with my controller. SpongeBob had a variety of moves in his arsenal that made going around and bashing enemies enjoyable. I enjoyed trapping enemies in bubbles or doing a ground pound on unsuspecting opponents.

The range of enemies and their different approaches to attacking are also pretty dope. Some shoot projectiles, some use melee attacks, and some attempt to push SpongeBob off ledges. That last one frustrated me when I got shoved off a peak I’d taken ten minutes to platform up, but fair play. My biggest frustration, though, was the fact that the controls are not customizable.

When playing on the PlayStation 4, the X button was used for two functions: double jump and glide. It was this terrible decision, not the aforementioned pushy enemies, that caused me to fall off ledges most often. I regularly double-jumped when I wanted to glide or glided when I wanted to double-jump. It would have been much easier if I could’ve glided with another button.

Additionally, the game has some unfortunate bugs. In-game text occasionally spreads out off of the screen altogether, and I had to redo one lengthy section because I had reloaded the game from a save point and needed to replay a cutscene I had completed before I logged off. This would’ve been fine if I started off at the cutscene when I reloaded the game, but It didn’t. It took me around twenty minutes to figure out I needed to backtrack and retrigger the scene before I could progress.

I enjoyed my time with Cosmic Shake in spite of those problems. Between the perfect voice acting, the hilarious script, and the great recurring gags, such as a French narrator who keeps breaking the fourth wall, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is worth a trip back under the sea.

SCORE: 3 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Battle for Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a spiritual successor to Battle for Bikini Bottom and even uses the same game engine as the remake. If you have fond memories of that game, check this one out!

• SpongeBob SquarePants. Obviously, if you’re a fan of the pineapple that lives under the sea, you can’t miss his latest adventure.

💬 Is Cosmic Shake on your radar? Let me know if you'll play or skip it in the comment section.

Posted on 01/31/202326K Views