Review for Spongebob Squarepants: Battle For Bikini Bottom. Game for PC, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2, the video game was released on 21/10/2003
It was the year 2003 and among the very long list of games available for PlayStation 2, the beloved sea sponge that would have filled the afternoons of many people appeared. However, what surprised the public most was the particular result of the videogame transposition of SpongeBob in the now historical Battle for Bikini Bottom. A title that is still considered among the best platform adventures of the time, so loved that the audience clamored for his return.
So after 17 years from the original chapter, THQ Nordic and Purple Lamp Studios bring back to life SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated. Will the memories and nostalgia be the same as 17 years ago or is it still possible to see a classic SpongeBob platform adventure in 2020? Find out in this review.
Are you ready guys? Yes, captain!
Getting to the main menu with the famous SpongeBob theme is already a blow to the heart for those who spent their childhood watching the numerous episodes of the cartoon, it is difficult not to hum it at least mentally and it is difficult to hold back the smile of nostalgia that one feels in the move between the first game screens. Starting from the beginning, the plot of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is the same as the original 2003 title. Plankton is grappling with a new diabolical plan that this time involves the creation of an army of robots, but it is a pity that he forgets to activate the obedience command and consequently the uncontrolled robots begin to invade all Bikini Bottom turning it upside down and threatening the tranquility of all citizens.
Contextually SpongeBob and Patrick express a desire to play with robots and after watching the news, SpongeBob believes that it was his desire that caused the panic in Bikini Bottom and it will therefore be his task to restore order by trying to find out who is behind the robot invasion.
Like most animated episodes, the plot of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is a mere excuse to let us live experiences and situations outside from the ordinary, filled with that peculiar madness that only SpongeBob and the various inhabitants of Bikini Bottom can transmit. We will therefore find ourselves exploring the various areas in search of Golden Spatulas, Yes, you read that correctly. If in Super Mario 64 you collect the stars to proceed from world to world, SpongeBob settles for Golden Spatulas for access other settings.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated leaves the freedom for the player to move freely for the various levels in a open map connected via the main gaming hub, i.e. Bikini Bottom. Once you have collected the required golden spatulas you will be able to enter the next world.
Each setting has a series of gold and collectible spatulas, some linked to the macro plot of the area, while others will be well hidden and others will require the use of specific abilities or characters.
In fact you will not only be playing as SpongeBob. During the adventure you can impersonate Patrick, which can throw objects and enemies or Sandy who can make longer jumps and use his lasso to hang on to some peculiar floating icons of Texas (Sandy's native reason).
In SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated in addition to exploration there will also be the iconic boss fights, each of them will require you to use specific skills and take advantage of the moment of weakness to infer your attack, on the whole, only some fights are actually difficult, while others are reduced to a mere waiting for the right moment without an actual level of challenge.
The cornerstone of the entire experience of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated however, the pure exploration remains and if you have seen at least once an episode of SpongeBob Squarepants it will amuse you and not a little to visit the iconic places, such as the houses of the protagonists, the Krusty Krab, Rock Bottom and the fields of the Flying Dutchman.
The reproduction of the game worlds remains almost faithful to the original title, making some improvements where the original was flawed, such as in the Algae Forest which in the Playstation 2 version was completely dark and not very visible while now, it enjoys a much better brightness .
In addition to this, scattered throughout Bikini Bottom there are real quotes to some of the most popular episodes, which most of the time have brought us a smile and a few laughs, as in the case of Rock Bottom and the episode in which SpongeBob has to take the bus and lose sight of it every time he approaches a vending machine. Small pearls that are worth even more to enthusiasts than a golden spatula.
Two is better than one
One of the main new features of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is the introduction of a multiplayer mode, both local and online, for two players. This mode was created to bring back to life some elements cut from the original title such as the boss fight against Robo-Squidward (which we would have expected to see in the single-player campaign). The multiplayer iteration features a classic clash of enemies in hordes scattered around different islands, every five islands completed you can activate a platform that will destroy one after the other the tentacles of Robo-Squidward, the growing difficulty of the experience makes the multiplayer sector fun and never boring, albeit an end in itself, given that, a warning to trophy hunters, there is no trophy related to this mode.
We would also like to specify that until the release of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated it was not possible to try this mode online but only locally, therefore it is not possible at the moment to guarantee whether playing online (which in any case will require a Playstation subscription Plus or Live Gold if you play on consoles) you come across lag and issues arising from it. However, we trust that the management of a multiplayer sector for two people will not create any kind of problem
Remake or Remastered?
There is always a lot of debate about the definition of Remake or Remastered. Over the last few years the phenomenon of restoring old titles has become a standard, on the one hand because it translates into guaranteed sales if you work the right franchise, on the other hand, it provides both old and new players the opportunity to try titles. sometimes completely unknown in a better, curated light that makes a title of the past captivating to modern eyes. Since the first announcement, the various news and the marketing process spoke of a remake, it must be said immediately that this is not, perhaps having used the term "Rehydrated" in the title is an honest way not to make the term Remake explicit. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated hangs more on the Remastered side than the Remake side. The level structure is the same, as are the dialogues, quests, challenges and narrative structure.
The work that was applied in SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated it's more of a love letter to all fans of the game, bringing to modern times the same sensations that would have been felt in 2003 playing the title for Playstation 2 with the means of 2020, however, using an Unreal Engine that once again demonstrates its complete malleability even in transposing iconic characters such as SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward and all the main iconic characters of the saga. Let us specify however, the change is there, you notice and appreciate it. Bikini Bottom shines more than ever with bright colors and with characters who appear to have been taken and thrown into the game directly from an episode of the animated series.
The perfect imperfection
Not all that glitters is gold and in the case of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated it must be admitted, not everything works as it should. In the version tested on PlayStation 4 we ran into some bugs that will surely be solved with some patches, yet, despite everything, while you are pad in hand you feel that something is missing. In the "Rehydrated" we would have expected an absence or at least reduction to the bone of the loads and instead we will find ourselves waiting, albeit for a little less than ten seconds for some absurd uploads even simply to go from one room to another in Spongebob's house. Same uploads that appear suddenly, threatening whenever we fall into dangerous areas or off the map.
We don't expect the absence of uploads that the new generation of consoles has shown us, but at least a reinterpretation of the gaming hub to ensure a smoother process would not have minded us and would have made the whole experience even more modern. instead of keeping that literal Playstation 2 game feel exported to Playstation 4. The more you play SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated the more you will begin to forget about these problems, which yes, they are obvious, but they represent in part the soul of the game, which floods you with comic sketches, quotes, encounters with characters from the series animated and difficult platform phases, sometimes extremely punitive that will make you slowly close your eyes and mind, leaving you overwhelmed by the emotions and sensations of playing carefree and worry-free on Playstation 2.
Technical side and dubbing
A big surprise and mention should be made for the dubbing, now available compared to his absence in the original from 2003. Hearing the original voices is a cupid's arrow straight to the heart for fans and we were amazed by the perfect adaptation to game situations, demonstration that dubbing in the field of animated series represents an excellence of which every now and then we must be proud of it, so much that even abroad the dubbing of SpongeBob is envied and playing it will be like living a long and great episode of the most loved sea sponge ever.
The technical sector is what stands out most in this restoration work for SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated. Colors, animations and lights are now more accurate, the character design is perfectly in line with their animated counterparts, so faithful that you will often want to sit still to see what the characters are doing without receiving any input from us.
Even the cutscenes, typically before the boss fights, have been revisited to give it an even more cinematic touch which outlines more the maniacal care for the protagonists and supporting characters.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is a love letter to all fans of the original Playstation 2 title. A title that definitely points to the nostalgia effect and that, net of some imperfections, still manages to be a valid three-dimensional platform adventure. An old-school title that winks at modern times, but struggling to reach today's standards. Those who spent their childhood watching episodes on SpongeBob Squarepants will not be able to refrain from trying this title, will not be able not to smile and will not be able to stop laughing in front of some iconic quotes, but how this game has managed to capture a large slice of users , we are sure that if you want to try a classic adventure with carefree and fun, all you have to do is head to Bikini Bottom!
► Spongebob Squarepants: Battle For Bikini Bottom is a Platform-Adventure game developed by and published by THQ Nordic for PC, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2, the video game was released on 21/10/2003
