Developer Purple Lamp Studios has been honing its craft engaged on a number of licensed video games, with a couple of SpongeBob title underneath its belt.
Its newest effort, SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide, is one other 3D platformer driving the wave of nostalgia attributable to its remake of the fan favorite, Battle for Bikini Backside Rehydrated.
Very like its earlier effort, The Cosmic Shake, Titans of the Tide is a stable, enjoyable journey that is clearly made by followers of the long-running cartoon sequence, however some tough edges and reliance on outdated concepts maintain it again from greatness.
There is a particular provide on the Krusty Krab, and it is drawn the eye of two of the ocean’s strongest beings: King Neptune and the ghoulish Flying Dutchman.
The pair conflict, with the latter’s spectral powers turning Bikini Backside residents (together with SpongeBob) into ghosts and inflicting widespread mayhem.
Fortuitously, the oblivious Patrick Star is away from the fallout, and when he reaches the Krusty Krab, he and SpongeBob uncover a novel capability to swap between their common our bodies and ghostly varieties. This additionally acts because the crux of the gameplay.
You’ll be able to change between SpongeBob and Patrick just about everytime you like, and doing so is important, as they every have distinctive talents.
For instance, Patrick can burrow via the sand and choose up heavy objects, whereas SpongeBob has his karate kick and might blow bubbles.
Utilising all these talents is vital to getting via every degree, generally requiring fairly dextrous character swapping to navigate platforming sequences.
It is a neat concept and executed moderately properly; ranges are designed in such a strategy to encourage you to maneuver between the characters continuously, and even the fundamental fight incorporates the mechanic, with some enemies a lot simpler to take care of relying on who you are controlling.
For these with an urge for food for a fairly simple 3D platformer, that is ticking a lot of the proper bins.
We had been initially fearful that the ghostly theme of the sport would possibly make it too one-note, however there is a respectable selection within the phases regardless of the set dressing.
Your hub this time round is an airship constructed from what was once the Krusty Krab, and it is not an unlimited area to discover, however there may be extra to see and do there as the sport goes on.
From there, you may dive all the way down to areas outdated and new, like a low-rent resort referred to as Goldfish Island, the decadent halls of King Neptune’s palace, and even a brand new, snowy spin on Jellyfish Fields.
It feels pretty aware of play, and positively appears the half, with vibrant visuals that echo the present. That is helped immeasurably by having what appears to be the whole solid onboard for voice work; even the additional voices from unnamed Bikini Backside residents are recognisable.
The solid does its greatest with a script that lacks a few of the snappiness of the cartoon. There are some humorous traces and moments all through, however some interactions really feel just a little stunted.
What cannot be knocked, although, is the developer’s clear love for the sequence, because it’s completely full of references and jokes that followers will eat up. The clearest proof of that is within the costume choice for SpongeBob and Patrick, the place you may discover outfits from quite a few episodes.
You should buy any unlocked costumes with the cash you choose up throughout play, however there’s extra on provide — underpant items, which enhance your well being, and show gadgets that’ll present up within the hub.
The sport might be one of many higher SpongeBob video games to launch in recent times, however there are a few issues that cease it from laying declare to being prime of the pile.
Firstly, we will not ignore a few of the bugs we encountered. A soft-lock state of affairs within the second half of the sport pressured us to start out over once more, and there are another, far more minor points, like textures taking a very long time to load in correctly.
Secondly, there’s the sensation that Titans of the Tide remains to be borrowing closely from Battle for Bikini Backside, a platformer launched greater than 20 years in the past.
Some mechanics and strikes really feel like they’re lifted straight from that template, and whereas there’s positively an effort right here to attempt one thing new, we will not assist however really feel a few of its fundamentals really feel just a little dated at this level.
That being mentioned, followers aren’t going to thoughts. In the end, the sport is one other very serviceable SpongeBob platformer that riffs on the de facto favorite, and it brings nearly sufficient contemporary concepts to the desk to justify itself.
Conclusion
SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide is not going to blow anybody away, but it surely’s a superbly respectable 3D platformer that largely captures the vitality of the present. Swapping between SpongeBob and Patrick is a neat mechanic that is used very properly all through, and ranges are huge and assorted as you discover Bikini Backside and speak to its populace, all of whom are voiced by the correct solid. It positively has some tough edges and a few comfortable writing, and it will not win over any SpongeBob detractors, but it surely’s a very good all-ages sport for each children and longtime followers.
