SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review – A Cosmic Mix-up

Our SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review is an analysis of a game based on one of the world’s most popular animated TV shows, featuring characters that are firmly etched in the minds of every 90s and 2000s kid. has been done And even though his first fanbase has grown up and moved on to other things, the memories he created will always linger in the nostalgic fields of their minds and tug at their hearts.

During its runtime, the show has spawned a number of games including everyone’s favorite platformer Battle for Bikini Bottom, which received a remake in 2020 to generally positive reviews. The game was certainly prettier, but it also carried over most of the mechanics from the original 2003 version, which were very outdated at the time.

To make up for its shortcomings, the franchise spawned another massive platformer title called Spongebob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. But does it live up to the legacy that the bottle bikini has left behind? Or is it doomed to forever remain in the shadow of its critically acclaimed predecessor? Let’s find out in our SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review!

Story and setting

The story begins with our beloved SpongeBob and his best friend Patrick, a mermaid named Cassandra. This mysterious mermaid gives them bubble soap that has the powerful magical ability to grant any wish. Thus, our kind, and might I add inspirational, friends journey to Bikini Bottom, fulfilling the wishes of everyone they meet. Does grumpy old Squidward want to be famous for his paintings? No problem, his pesky neighbors are here to save the day!

However, every wish comes with a catch. And by granting too many wishes at once, magical tears appear across the multiverse, creating portals to different universes and scattering SpongeBob’s friends between them. In the process, it also inundates Bikini Bottom with a mysterious cosmic jelly, bringing with it many alien creatures. So our favorite duo must now go through different portals and rescue their friends, and restore Bikini Bottom to its former pristine state by collecting cosmic jelly for Cassandra.

There are 7 different worlds, or if you prefer we can address them as levels, in which the player must progress. Each level has a different theme, ranging from medieval times to the Wild West, and each one makes several references to the first season of SpongeBob SquarePants. These references are a nice touch and I had many moments of recognition while playing through the campaign. These were small tidbits for old fans, and they opened up many forgotten memories of my past and evoked deep nostalgia. There were very few references to the new season of Spongebob though, so young fans will be a little confused.

Now, the story isn’t anything major, but it does serve as a good and cohesive foundation for the events that unfold. Each of the iconic characters retain their original personalities which I really loved seeing, and yes, Mr. Krabs is as money hungry as ever. But, the core component of a platformer has always been the gameplay. So without further ado! Let’s move on to the gameplay section of our Spongebob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review!

Gameplay

Now the game is once again a 3D platformer, but the level design is more linear than its predecessor, with more open space for the player to explore. There are still many optional paths leading to different locations in a level, which can lead to different side objectives and secrets, but the point still stands. It preserves some sense of freedom but is limited in comparison. Still, this linear design works well for the title.

Another obvious difference from past major entries in the series is that you now play as just SpongeBob instead of multiple characters. On the one hand, you’re being given less choice, but on the other, you no longer have to constantly backtrack to specific locations to switch roles. But for what it’s worth, the platforming here is really good and SpongeBob’s moveset is also greatly expanded and improved here. Also, new techniques and move sets are introduced as you progress through the game, further reducing the need for multiple playable characters.

SpongeBob has access to basic combat abilities including attacking and rolling, but new items and abilities including karate kicks, grappling hooks, and more can also be unlocked over time. Each level is also designed in such a way that the player can use different abilities and items in combination with each other. This makes the gameplay feel fast and engaging from moment to moment, and also prevents abilities unlocked at the start of the game from becoming useless too quickly, as they do in many other games.

The game also has a variety of jelly monsters and each level increases their variety. There’s the usual fare of low-level melee and ranged enemies, and then there are special enemy types that have different abilities such as the ability to summon other allies. Some of these enemies cannot be defeated by the usual run-and-gun method and require a specific strategy to counter them.

Most enemies are a breeze to get through though, but some of them can present a bit of a challenge. However, sometimes the same particular enemy is repeated throughout many levels and they quickly turn from a fun challenge to an obnoxiously painful obstacle. Each level also ends with a boss fight with a major character from the series which, while not quite challenging, is quite fun to go through.

The two main collectibles are Cosmic Jelly and Doubloons. Cosmic Jelly is very common and scattered throughout the game, and can be used to unlock different outfits for SpongeBob. Completing optional objectives can also reward you with resources. Doubloons, on the other hand, are rare and require some exploration to obtain, and can be used to unlock tiers of new and improved costumes. Now, going off the main path to get those Doubloons might seem fun, but sometimes you’ll run into some challenges that can only be overcome with certain abilities. This requires progressing through the game, unlocking this ability, and coming back to get items.

Unfortunately, due to the linear level design, the motivation to do all this wears off after the first few tries. Also, these costumes don’t enhance gameplay in any way and only serve as cosmetics, so there’s no incentive to grind for them other than to look cool. While the gameplay and optional challenges are really fun, these poor awards leave no incentive for anyone to pursue them.

But enough about the gameplay, let’s talk about another important feature, which is the visuals.

Visuals and performance

The developers have nailed the game’s art style, and the entire time I felt like I was a part of a series I’ve loved for a long time. While the graphics and geometry aren’t overly detailed, the art style is absolutely eye candy. The colors look a bit muted compared to Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, and I honestly found them a little better than the muted colors of that title, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad by any means. In fact, they set the Cosmic Shake apart from its predecessor quite well.

Each level is uniquely designed and has its own aesthetic that sets it apart from the rest, and serves to support a different theme for each level. SpongeBob also changes his default outfit in each level, but the player can equip a custom outfit as mentioned in the previous part of our review. The voice actors also did a great job portraying all these popular characters.

However the graphical settings leave a lot to be desired, at least for the PC port. There’s no customization available, but that doesn’t mean the graphics are bad by any means. There are framerate issues here and there, especially when the screen gets really crowded when you’re surrounded by multiple enemies and just spamming attacks. I did experience some occasional graphical glitches, but they were very minor and barely noticeable. For the record, I tested it on my Core i7 6700 with a GTX 1060 6 GB, which is by no means a modern GPU, but the game isn’t that demanding either.

Decision

As we come to the end of our SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake review, I’d like to point out, if it wasn’t already apparent, that I really love this game. The developers just had to make a good platformer with a decent story because the characters and world are already well established and lovable. If developers succeed in the above two key aspects, they will sell themselves. And they did just that and more.

The gameplay and platforming here is really good, and I especially liked that each level unlocked new abilities for players to use in conjunction with their previously unlocked skills.. The story is decent and nothing out of the box, but the characters and the world flow harmoniously with it. It’s pretty reliable for a SpongeBob adventure.

Each level is beautifully designed with numerous references to the show itself. However, the enemies can be tiresome at times and the rewards are barely enough to justify the grind associated with them. Performance drops at high adrenaline points, where combat is at its peak, which can also hamper your gameplay. But overall, it’s a really good addition to the franchise and can go toe to toe with its critically acclaimed predecessor. The game is primarily aimed at kids, but that shouldn’t stop you from jumping in and having a blast.

This has been our SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles.