SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is nostalgic but doesn’t think outside the square pants – Hands-on impressions

SpongeBob SquarePants is a character that multiple generations can recognize and enjoy together. In a way, he and his undersea pals have become as timeless as the multitude of Disney characters that have popped up over the years. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake does a great job sticking to the SpongeBob game formula just like the Battle for Bikini Bottom remake did before. Even so, it does little to set itself apart from other products by the standard run-of-the-mill nostalgia factory. 

During my time running through the different variants of Bikini Bottom, I felt like I was in the SpongeBob version of the MCU multiverse. This was great for a lot of laughs, and all the lines were well-executed from the original voice cast, but The Cosmic Shake grew stale as it failed to innovate on how it operates compared to its predecessors. 

SpongeBob is as childish as ever

The Cosmic Shake, like previous SpongeBob titles, focuses on the destruction of Bikini Bottom. Instead of Plankton being the culprit, however, it is SpongeBob and Patrick along with the obviously evil mermaid Kassandra. After the SpongeBob universe is torn to shreds thanks to SpongeBob and Patrick’s insane number of wishes, they must traverse the new worlds and rescue their friends. While the story felt refreshing to a degree, it didn’t do much to stand out and was more like a “best of” of the SpongeBob franchise. 

The story has some truly amusing moments for any SpongeBob fan, whether it be hearing the random dolphin noises or remembering the first time you heard “Sweet Victory” from the beloved “Band Geeks” episode. There is a little bit of something for fans of all ages, but there could have been a little more to the story than rehashing episodes of the past. 

Story aside, the developers managed to snag the entire voice cast of the series to play their roles in The Cosmic Shake. This made it easier to fall for the game’s nostalgic spell, especially since Mr. Krabs didn’t sound like a cheap imitation of himself this time around. 

Same old amusing gameplay

Those who have played Battle for Bikini Bottom will have no problem playing The Cosmic Shake. Both games operate in the same way with slightly different abilities that help make The Cosmic Shake refreshing to play. Thanks to the shift in reality, you will not be fighting a fistful of jelly enemies with different abilities. While most of the game was relatively easy, I did find myself occasionally getting thrown off the map or receiving heavy damage during a boss fight. It was a pleasant surprise to have a SpongeBob game, of all things, to me on my toes. 

Completionists will have plenty to do as they progress through the game. I spent a large portion of my time tracking down various objects like fortune cookies, sticky notes, and golden spatulas. As I unlocked new abilities, I went back to the levels I had already completed to find more items. This massive collect-a-thon allowed me to unlock hilarious costumes for SpongeBob. Those who go the extra mile are rewarded for their efforts with unlockables such as the obligatory Golden Spatulas that really drive home that nostalgic feeling. 

Nothing technically wrong with it

There isn’t anything wrong with SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. Like its predecessors, it is a fun game that won’t take you extremely long to beat. I had a blast reminiscing about older episodes from my childhood and got rewarded with the occasional joke that kids wouldn’t completely understand nowadays, like Patrick asking for mayonnaise during a bard competition. If you have the time to enjoy a childish story with predictable gameplay, then definitely consider giving it a try — just don’t expect anything deeper than a YouTube compilation of your favorite moments from the show.