SpongeBob SquarePants Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated

- Reviewed on PS4 -

SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated released on June 23rd, 2020. 

This game is / was a remake of the original Battle for Bikini Bottom which released on October 31st, 2003, for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, PC, Game Boy Advance, and Xbox.

SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom was my number one most played game as a child growing up on my PS2. I absolutely adored Battle for Bikini Bottom and I was so excited to learn that THQ Nordic was going to remake my favorite childhood game!

Buying this game was different from others because I actually bought this game the day it came out without watching reviews beforehand. I trusted THQ Nordic with essentially, my childhood! I am glad to say they reached my expectations and delivered well on their remake.  

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is an exact replica of the original game, including...

    - Same Plot
    - Same Locations
    - Same Characters 
    - Same Collectibles

I am not saying this is a bad thing, I am so happy they stuck with the original and didn't change hardly anything EXCEPT the graphics. 

THQ Nordic upgraded Battle for Bikini Bottom's graphics to fit today's standards and really gave this remake a "glow" in a sense. 

Normally I am not a huge "graphics connoisseur" when it comes to Video Games, but I really did stop and look while playing this game to admire the new cartoon glow THQ Nordic added. 

Nostalgia was through the roof while playing this game, especially when it came to that old school Battle for Bikini Bottom music! It sent me back to my childhood and playing the original for hours at a time and never finishing the game because I normally didn't as a child. 

This all stems from the fact that this is a remake of a game I already experienced years and years ago, however I believe that for all the new players who never played the original, they also will fall in love with the music of this remake! 

The main plot of Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is that (SPOILER) Plankton created a whole army of robots to take the Krabby Patty Secret Formula, but in classic SpongeBob fashion, Plankton forgot to hit the "Obey" switch. The camera focuses on the "Don't Obey" switch and all mayhem ensues. 

So of course, the main enemy within this game is of course Plankton's robots. 

There are many varieties of robot enemies in SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, the names of all these robots are...

    - Fodder
    - Ham-mer
    - Tar-Tar
    - G-Love
    - Monsoon
    - Chomp-bot
    - Bomb-bot
    - Bzzt-bot
    - Arf
    - Arf Dawg
    - Sleepy-Time
    - Tubelets
    - Chuck
    - Slick
    - Duplicatotron 1000

Along with these main robot enemies, there are also robot boss battles that you must win after getting enough golden spatulas for each section of Bikini Bottom.

They go in this order...

    - Robot Sandy
    - Robot Patrick
    - Robot SpongeBob

As an added bonus because of the remake, THQ Nordic added the scrapped Robot Squidward Boss Battle that didn't make it into the original game. 

This mode / battle is multiplayer only, with local co-op and online capability options. 

As a lover of this game / remake, I did not like this added mode, and I would've been just fine if it was still scrapped completely. 

This is a big con about this game honestly, this multiplayer boss battle is simply fighting waves of robots from the main campaign. 

There's no voice acting between all the characters and no ending cut scene(s). I did appreciate the fact they added more playable characters such as Squidward himself, Mr. Krabs, Robot Plankton, and even Gary but in the end, the new multiplayer mode just felt rushed in a way. 

Combat in general is a very fun aspect of SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated and all the previous powers make a return!

You can play the main campaign (and multiplayer) as three different characters such as...

    - SpongeBob
    - Patrick
    - Sandy

Visiting bus stops allows you to swap characters (only two characters per station).

SpongeBob also has combat abilities that he can use to fight Plankton's robots!

You can ground pound robots using bubble feet after jumping.

You can create a bowling ball out of bubbles and throw it at enemies from a distance.

Also did I mention, you can form a bubble missile to hit buttons and of course enemies from an even further distance!

All these power ups for SpongeBob were in the original but being able to play as SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy all over again in 2020 is / was a true blast especially for nostalgia reasons!

Now let's talk locations because boy o boy does this game stick true to the television series. 

Advancing (location wise) to other places requires you to collect golden spatulas and after you collect a curtain number of spatulas, you can go to other SpongeBob related locations such as...

    - Jellyfish Fields
    - Downtown Bikini Bottom
    - Goo Lagoon 
    - Mermalair
    - Sandy's Tree Dome
    - Police Station
    - Shady Sholes 
    - Sandy Mountain
    - Krusty Krab
    - Chum Bucket
    - Movie Theater
    - Kelp Forest
    - Flying Dutchman's Graveyard
    - SpongeBob's Dream(s)
    - SpongeBob's Pineapple
    - Squidward's Home
    - Patrick's Rock

The movie theater is an optional location but requires 40,000 shiny objects! Throughout the game however there are obstacles that require 2 - 4,000 shiny objects, so to get 40,000 you need to go back and grind to get that much money which I found very exhausting. 

I was disappointed with the movie theater because after I spent an hour trying to get 40,000 shiny objects, the movie theater only had a few concept art pictures while the original Battle for Bikini Bottom had a lot more. 

My experience with SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated was an amazing / short one. 

I have never finished a game so quickly than this remake before because (like stated earlier) this was my favorite childhood game of ALL time!

I got a platinum trophy on my PS4 for this title, and I will always love THQ Nordic now for remaking my childhood and the end result(s) was outstanding and WAY past expectations!

Yes, there was some cons to this title for me at least, including the lack of content in the Movie Theater and also the Multiplayer mode.

However, minus those two small things, the main overall campaign of sorts was an amazing nostalgia filled adventure I will never forget! 

Pros: 

    - Remake Stuck to the Original
    - Graphics Upgrade was Amazing
    - Combat Felt Great
    - Animation(s) was a Big Improvement from Original 
    - Music was Still on Point and Stuck to TV Series
    - Fun Easter Eggs Sprinkled Throughout Game 
    - All Voice Acting was Great 
    - Nothing was Too Cringey Even for Adults   

Cons:

    - Movie Theater Lacked Content for the In Game Price (40,000)
    - Multiplayer Mode was Not Great (No Voice Acting or Cut Scenes)

My Rating for SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated (on PS4):

4 / 5


-----



Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Legend of Korra: A New Era Begins

- Reviewed on  3DS  - The Legend of Korra: A New Era Begins released on October 28th, 2014.  Based in the world of Avatar, The Legend of Korra: A New Era Begins is a turn-based strategy game that actually takes place during books (seasons) two and three of the mainline series.  Though Avatar fans would enjoy this title, the laggy input, absurd cutscenes, and dated graphics wouldn't appeal to audiences (I feel) now a days.  This review WILL have  Major Spoilers  so keep that in mind before continuing... The Legend of Korra: A New Era Begins revolves around Korra being stripped of her bending.  The first few missions in this 3DS title are to familiarize the player(s) with how the turn-based combat works.  After you complete missions, you'll eventually unlock the Water, Earth, Fire, and Air bending elements.  This game mechanic blends in well with the mediocre story of Korra facing these chi-blockers and facing off against a new a...
Read more

Layers of Fear

- Reviewed on  Switch  - Layers of Fear released on February 16th, 2016.  To me, I went into this game completely blind with the expectations to have a very scary gaming experience, instead I got more of a walking simulator game with only a few scary moments, and the rest of the game was puzzle related.  Layers of Fear has its fair share of creepy, uncomfortable moments but in the end, this title failed to give me the horror aspects I have grown to love in video games.  This review WILL have  Major Spoilers  so keep that in mind before continuing... You play as a painter who slowly goes mad trying to get the perfect painting masterpiece.  With your daughter gone (SPOILER) because she was taken to a new home / family, and your wife unfortunately dead, the main protagonist must suffer through the horrific process of constant flashbacks and nightmares.  The main issue I have with Layers of Fear is the fact that there is only two chapters th...
Read more

Stardew Valley

- Reviewed on  Switch  - Stardew Valley released on February 26th, 2016.  When it comes to relaxing, stress free games to enjoy, you would be crazy if you did not pick up Stardew Valley.  Stardew Valley has the enjoyment to bring gamers and even non-gamers to the playing field.  This review WILL have  Major Spoilers  so keep that in mind before continuing... Your journey begins when (SPOILER) your grandfather passes away and he grants you his farm land, which of course you rename and customize as you wish. I think there could've been a better way to see how you gain your farmland, but even though I wasn't a fan of this opening, the rest of this enormous, glorious game made up for it. You can choose a different type of farmland as well, that being the default version, water version, and many more. After you settle in, you can also play split screen co op which is a massive plus for people who want to play a nice, relaxing, enjoyable game like menti...
Read more