3.5/5 ★ – Manic_Zucc's review of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake.

I’ve got quite a bit I could say about Cosmic Shake. Not only am I a longtime SpongeBob fan, but Battle for Bikini Bottom was one of the games that made me fall in love with Video Games in the first place. I was shocked when a remaster of that classic came out a few years ago and was even more shocked when a sequel dropped last year. Just now getting around to finishing it and I have to say I’m mostly satisfied. Let’s start positive, I was blown away by how funny this game is. It’s no secret that SpongeBob as a franchise has become much more hit or miss with its writing since the early seasons. Heck I don’t even think BfBB had all that great of writing. So I was pleasantly surprised with how often this game made my laugh with its legitimately clever jokes and fun call backs to the show. If nothing else the developers clearly have a lot of love for SpongeBob franchise and that alone stops this from feeling like a soulless cash grab. Another perk is just how many moves SpongeBob has. Basically all the attacks from BfBB return alongside some new things like a dodge roll, a homing kick, and the ability to glide with the Krusty Krab Pizza (very reminiscent of Link’s glide from Breath of the Wild). I generally found him to be a fun character to control in both combat and platforming and that contributes to an overall positive experience. There are a few areas in which the game falls short for me. The biggest one being the shift to a more linear level design. Every world you enter has a clear beginning, middle, and end with the next world not opening until you complete the previous. This is contrary to the previous game which dropped you into a comparatively more open area that includes tasks which rewarded you with Spatulas you could use to open new worlds. This helped BfBB feel much more customizable, while Cosmic Shake feels more limited in comparison. The general lack of Boss Fights was also a strange back pedal from the last game as those were often some of the best sections. Another downgrade for me was the level themes. One of my favorite aspects of the first game was being able to explore iconic locations from the show like Jellyfish Fields, Goo Lagoon, and the Kelp Forrest. Here most of the levels take on a more generic theme like “pirate” or “old west” without actually referencing the show (outside the outfits worn by SpongeBob). There were a few exceptions to this like the level based on the caveman episode and the Glove World section, but I wanted more of that. I wanted to feel like I was in the world of SpongeBob and I rarely felt that way. At the end of the day I still think Battle for Bikini Bottom is the better game, but the Cosmic Shake definitely had a lot going for it. I would definitely be open to see this team tackle another SpongeBob game in the future as they have clearly demonstrated their passion for the series. The world needs more solid 3D platformers.