Wednesday, May 8, 2024
PlayStationReviews

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated: a chumbucket load of fun!

SpongeBob SquarePants has been hit by a new surge of popularity since a particular tweet from Nickelodeon appeared on the internet. As you would expect, people have had mixed opinions on SpongeBob being queer, with some threatening to boycott, but mostly it’s been rather smooth sailing for this loveable sponge. After all, he has nothing to worry about when SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is fun enough that fans would be wrong not to give it a try!

SpongeBob SquarePants has had more than a few games in his name, but Rehydrated might be the best so far.

The original game was released back in 2003, and it was met with a fairly mixed reception. Since then, it has received a large following, with dedicated fans having very strong opinions of it. I am most certainly not one of these fans, but since SpongeBob is an asexual king, I felt it best to cover this game anyway.

The premise isn’t hard: Plankton has decided that, in a desperate attempt to grab the secret Krabby Patty formula, he’ll create a robot army to get it. There’s just one slight problem: he forgot to turn on the switch that made the robots listen to his every command. Whoops? With Bikini Bottom in complete chaos, it’s up to SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy to put a stop to it.

The gameplay is simple enough. SpongeBob has three lives – which are pieces of underwear, several different attacks and the goal is to find items in order to progress throughout the story. The best item to find, however, is the Golden Spatula. You’ll need these to access locked off areas, some of which give side quests to you in order to help you get more spatulas. In these areas, you’ll find boss battles, characters like Mr. Krabs and Squidward, and new items that’ll help you prepare for the battle against your robot overlords.

You know, if someone had told me that I’d be enjoying playing a SpongeBob SquarePants game, I’d have probably laughed. But no, Rehydrated is, weirdly enough, a game that’s off-the-walls characters and narrative is what makes it so appealing in the first place. It’s wacky, silly and doesn’t try to hide it. In a world where everything is bloody well miserable, Rehydrated is a fresh reminder that joy can be found. Even if it’s in a SpongeBob SquarePants video game.

Don’t get me wrong, the game isn’t anything groundbreaking. But if you have a young kid, or are just a general fan of SpongeBob SquarePants, you’ll see enough of what makes the show great in this simple, but fun video game.

Spongebob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is available on Xbox One, PS4 and PC (Steam).

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