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

Growing up with Battle for Bikini Bottom and the movie tie-in games on PS2, I would’ve never guessed that another game like that would get made. But alas, due to the success of Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, the people at THQ Nordic used existing assets and some newfound time to create new assets and build a whole new adventure. And it’s pretty solid! Not as good as some of its predecessors, but certainly made with love. SpongeBob accidentally wishes for so many things with this jelly he comes access that he ends up tearing Bikini Bottom apart into 8 cosmic realms. It’s up to him and Patrick (now as a tiny balloon guy) to save the city and collect all the jelly to restore what was broken. If it sounds ridiculous, it’s because it is. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. The game plays pretty similarly to the previous games, with a whole new set of combat moves to mix things up a bit. Some combat moves even aid in advanced platforming that felt really fun to engage in. Enemies were not as fun to fight in this game though, with many of them just being different Jelly themed enemies. Boss fights are kinda cool though! The collectibles are not as fun either. They’re just jelly balls, not that fun shiny currency that made fun noises when collected. Each world has side missions once you’ve beaten it, which gives you a reason to go back and explore. Rather than grabbing Golden Spatulas, (which are still in the game as a rare collectible), your focus is to obtain these golden coins to unlock new costumes to purchase with your Jelly. This progression is nice, but I almost wish I could spend my jelly on other things to unlock more parts of Bikini Bottom. This game looks beautiful, even with me playing this on Switch, rather than my Xbox Series X. The animation is really well done, and the characters have never looked better. Sound design is also a huge plus here. Even as I’m writing this during the credits, famous songs from the show are playing and putting a smile on my face. I love it! The original score is also fantastic, and feels very in-tune with the show. This game’s writing and style honestly feel ripped right out of the earlier seasons of the TV show. My favorite reoccurring gag in the game is these gross closeup cutaway shots of characters to emphasize a gross thing about them, and Patrick going “EEEW!!” It caught me off guard every time, and it was hilarious. In fact, most of Patrick’s writing had me cackling. This game is extremely charming, even if the gameplay got repetitive over time. Where it fails in gameplay innovation, it makes up for in new combat, funny gags and a whole lot of heart. This could’ve easily been a generic platformer tie in to the show, but like the games before it, it managed to make something special. It’s not my favorite, but I can’t say I didn’t have fun playing this one! 7/10, really hoping this isn’t the last we see of Bikini Bottom in this style.