SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake

- Reviewed on PS4 -

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake released on January 31st, 2023.

With the success of the last SpongeBob title, it was only a matter of time before THQ Nordic blessed us with an all-new SpongeBob IP. This new SpongeBob game being SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake!

Filled to the brim with iconic SpongeBob characters, locations, music, and even pop culture (like memes and costumes), SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is undoubtedly an adventure worth experiencing, no matter your age.

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

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake's story is a classic SpongeBob trope of SpongeBob and Patrick messing with an item not fully understood, and after destroying Bikini Bottom with this item (vial of Mermaids Tears), SpongeBob and Patrick must traverse through multiple worlds (called wish worlds) to save their friends and home. 

With the help of Madame Kassandra, you (as SpongeBob) will go through these jelly-like portals and explore seven unique locations. These wish worlds include...

    - Wild West Jellyfish Fields
    - Karate Downtown Bikini Bottom
    - Pirate Goo Lagoon
    - Halloween Rock Bottom
    - Prehistoric Kelp Forest
    - Medieval Sulfur Fields
    - Jelly Glove World

Unfortunately, you can't play as other SpongeBob characters like before, but you do have Patrick (in a balloon form), who is essentially a flying guide, to help you continue along the right path and even provide humorous dialogue. 

Exploration is a major key to success in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. 

Not only are the worlds full of collectibles, but throughout the main story, you will gather side quests from the main hub world (Bikini Bottom), that allow you (give you purpose) to revisit completed worlds and find these collectibles. 

SpongeBob (you) will also unlock special powers throughout the journey.

Such powers include Spinning, Ground Pound, Gliding, Karate Kick, Fishhook Swinging, Dodging, and more!

These powers unlock in a special order, that allow you to revisit previous wish worlds and access areas that weren't accessible on your first go (similar to the collectibles). 

Combat is the best part of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake in my opinion. THQ Nordic did a phenomenal job of making the combat not only look amazing, but also feel amazing. 

You can incorporate your powers into fighting, and also use the enemies against each other if you wish!

My only gripe is the enemy design, however. It doesn't take much to realize that the jelly like enemies in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, are quite essentially reskins of Battle for Bikini Bottoms robot enemies (with few exceptions). 

The frame rate in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake (at least on PS4) is great but does have its fair share of frame rate drops, freezing's, and even audio desyncs during dialogue / cut scenes. 

Desyncs aside, the graphics in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake are extremely detailed and crisp for its cartoon nature. 

The animations and sound design are a step above its predecessor and makes for a great experience during the seven-hour (average) story. 

Some can argue that the wish worlds are a little short in length, but the whole point of this type of game is for the player(s) to revisit the worlds post-game, and with their new knowledge / powers, unlock the other cutscenes that are hidden throughout each world. This makes for greater longevity and is something I admire about SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. 

The final aspect of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, that was heavily showcased in the trailer, was the costumes in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. 

Jelly is the main currency in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake where you can use it to purchase costumes. 

To unlock new sets of costumes, you must collect Gold Coins by exploring and completing minigames in all wish worlds. 

The costumes are completely cosmetic changes, and not power / physical changes to the gameplay.

In the end, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is nearly a perfect SpongeBob game. 

With the original voice actors and original music (plus remixes), SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a huge step forward in the franchise that makes me excited for future SpongeBob titles!

Pros: 

    - Outstanding Graphics
    - Longevity
    - Original Voice Actors
    - Great Music
    - Fun / Smooth Controls and Combat
    - Plethora of Extras (Costumes, Unlockables, Collectibles, etc.)
    - Lots of Powers to Unlock / Use

Cons:

    - Frame Rate Drops, Freezes, Audio Desyncs
    - Reskinned Enemies (Not All)
    - Can Only Play as SpongeBob

My Rating for SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake (on PS4):

4 / 5


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Disclaimer

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



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