4/5 ★ – Concisus's review of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated.

First off, let me start by saying I played the hell outta this game when I was a kid. This review will be through the eyes of some rose-tinted, nostalgia heavy glasses, so keep that in mind while reading! I was overjoyed to find out that THQ Nordic were remastering one of the best Spongebob games ever made (yes, I will die on this hill). The original game had some clever writing and was pretty funny. Plus, there were some fun, creative platforming area's that were a blast to playthrough if you're a fan of the show. There was so much good about the game, so I'm overjoyed THQ Nordic only remastered the graphics and kept everything else about the game intact. Spongebob Rehydrated looks great. It's bouncing with color and personality that only enhances the experience. It feels like THQ Nordic reached into my memories and pulled out what I remember this game looking like (the original is pretty nasty to look at now). The gameplay is simple platforming where you switch between Spongebob, Patrick and Sandy. Each one of them has their own abilities for you to get around the map/unlock "golden spatulas" (the game's version of Super Mario stars). There are many distinct levels fans will recognize from the show., like Jellyfish fields, Flying Dutchman's Ship, or even Sandy's Treedome. It's great having a mini Bikini Bottom to explore and talk to characters in. It feels like the devs at the time took everything about the show and crammed as much of it as they could into this game. The whole game just feels like a giant, crazy episode of Spongebob that you get to interact with. It also helps that the writing is great. I laughed more than a few times at the constant jokes the game is always throwing at you. The original cast (besides Clancy Brown/Mr. Krabs and Ernest Borgine/Mermaid Man) also return as their respective characters. It's difficult to find anything wrong with this game through my rose-tinted glasses, but it definitely has it's issues. For one, I really don't like the sandboarding segments. Racing down a mountain can be fun a few times, but they shove a sandboarding segment into almost every level. There's even a whole level only containing these sandboarding races. By the time you reach that level, you'll already be sick of sandboarding. Also, some of the platforming can be a bit annoying and dated, but I'll blame that for being a product of it's time. It's nice that the devs give you a lot of Wile E. Coyote time at least. If there's anything to take away from Spongebob Rehydrated, play this game if you're a Spongebob fan of any kind. There was so much love put into this game by the original devs, I'd hate for any Spongebob fan to miss out on it. Or check it out if you're a fan of platformers or collectathons (I platinumed this game in less than 2 weeks!). I love this game. It fills me with joy that whole new generation get to try it out for themselves now!