Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is a 3D platform adventure, developed by Heavy Iron Studios (who, incidentally, made the Godawful Evil Dead: Hail to the King), and published by THQ for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC and Game Boy Advance in 2003.

It, of course, features everyone’s favourite sea sponge, who you play*, and has about an equal amount of comedy and drama in its story-telling. Which is mainly aimed at kids, but adults can also appreciate it. *= Some areas require specific abilities to beat, so you must switch between Spongebob, Patrick and Sandy**, to best utilise their talents. **= To change characters, you must go to a Bus Stop and make the switch. The thing is: you can only swap between one pair of characters per level, so you need to make sure you pick the correct guys for the job.

Gameplay is mostly platforming; jumping; climbing; smashing; collecting items; avoiding hazards, and defeating robots. Each of the three playable characters also has their own special move that can devastate enemies or open up a previously hidden entrance.

The aim is to collect “Shiny Objects“, which kind of act like money, and also to collect “Golden Spatulas“, which unlock new areas. Ultimately, you then need to defeat “The Evil Plankton“, to save Bikini Bottom (which, if you haven’t figured it out yet: it’s the place where Spongebob lives).

As you would expect: Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is a colourful and jolly game, with Captain Pugwash-like pipe tunes playing in the background as you explore the surreal cartoon undersea world.

One thing that did bug me about the game was Spongebob‘s insistence on turning on a fifteen-inch pizza every time he wants to re-adjust his feet… It makes precise positioning difficult.

Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom has gained a cult following since its initial release, and is also popular in the speedrunning community.

A remake of the console version, called “SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated“, was released on 23rd June, 2020. It was developed by Purple Lamp Studios and published by THQ Nordic for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. It includes an all-new multiplayer mode and content that was cut from the original game.

More: Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom on Wikipedia
Steam: SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated on Steam
GOG: SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated on GOG.com