SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game

- Reviewed on Switch -

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game released on October 4th, 2024.

Developed by PHL Collective, this title had me curious the moment I saw it announced. 

The marketing leaned hard into its absurdity, and let’s be real, any game where Patrick Star is the lead character? I'm in. At least, I thought I was...

As someone who’s been a lifelong fan of the SpongeBob universe, I couldn’t help but pick this up the moment it went on sale. Unfortunately, The Patrick Star Game left me more confused than laughing.

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

Let’s start with what works, because there are some genuinely fun moments in here.

The humor is classic Nickelodeon. From the goofy lines Patrick blurts out at random, to Squidward being roped into weird jobs he wants nothing to do with, every character sounds and feels like they stepped straight out of an episode. 

Even the background music is loud, proud, and full of nautical nonsense.

The game takes place in a semi-open Bikini Bottom sandbox. 

You play as Patrick (obviously) and explore different sections of the city like Jellyfish Fields, Rock Bottom, and Goo Lagoon (just to name a few).

At first, I thought the idea of a Patrick centric sandbox was actually pretty genius. But after spending a few hours with it, the lack of structure really starts to show.

There’s no real main plot here.

You just bounce from mission to mission, helping side characters with strange requests, like delivering kelp burgers, burping to push jellyfish out of the way (yes, really), or entering “Ragdoll Mode” to break obstacles with your flopping body. 

It’s chaotic… and not in a good way.

Now, don’t get me wrong, some missions did stand out.

Sandy’s flying sections? Super fun, and the best feeling part of the whole game. Mrs. Puff’s boating school races were tight and actually felt like a challenge. And Mr. Krabs’ cooking minigames? Surprisingly engaging, even if the controls were frustrating at first.

Speaking of which... the controls.

They’re just... weird. It took me a while to even understand how Patrick’s toolkit worked. 

You’ve got standard platforming moves, a ground pound (that barely feels impactful), a burp attack (that I honestly never used), and of course, the goofy ragdoll dive. The problem is: nothing feels tight. 

The movement is floaty, jump precision is unreliable, and button input lag is definitely a thing on Switch.

Even after you finally get used to the controls (which I did), the experience still feels rough around the edges.

The frame rate on Switch is another major issue. Especially in busier areas like downtown Bikini Bottom, the game slows down dramatically. 

It’s not quite unplayable, but it absolutely takes you out of the moment, especially in a game that relies on timing and reaction during some missions.

Now let’s talk visuals. The graphics are colorful, very on-brand for SpongeBob, and the environments are creative. 

However, sometimes the color saturation felt a little too high, like someone cranked up the vibrance slider and forgot to turn it back down. 

Still, the character models are well-made, and fans will appreciate the effort put into keeping things authentic to the show.

The biggest missed opportunity by far is the lack of a cohesive story. 

I get it, Patrick isn’t the smartest starfish in the sea, but even a loose story about him trying to find his ice cream, or rescue SpongeBob from some nonsense villain, would’ve given more purpose to the gameplay.

Instead, it just feels like a collection of wacky minigames in a colorful sandbox with no end goal.
And while that can work for some games, this feels like it desperately needed a reason to keep playing.

Pros: 

    - Classic SpongeBob Humor and Characters
    - Enjoyable Character-Specific Missions (Sandy, Mrs. Puff, Mr. Krabs, etc.)
    - Colorful and Authentic Environments
    - Great Music and Voice Acting
    - Fan Service Galore

Cons:

    - Poor Frame Rate on Switch
    - Clunky and Awkward Controls
    - Ragdoll / Burp Mechanics Feel Useless
    - No Main Story or Progression
    - Oversaturated Visuals at Times

My Rating for SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game (on Switch):

3 / 5


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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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