The (Almost) Perfect Remake: SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated

The first video game system I ever bought was the Nintendo GameCube when I was around 5 or 6, and when I bought it, the only games I had were The Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Edition and Super Monkey Ball. I played the latter and enjoyed it, and didn’t play Zelda much because it was too complicated for my kiddy brain to handle. And so, the search began for a new game I could play, and being a fan of SpongeBob SquarePants, I immediately looked to see if there was a game for the GameCube that starred the yellow sponge. Sure enough, I got my hands on SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, and everything changed.

If you’re a big fan of video games like I am, there are a few games that you will view with a particular fondness, no matter how much time has passed since you first picked them up. It’s important to note that these games need not be masterpieces or extraordinarily good – if you had fun playing it as a kid, it will hold a special place in your heart, no matter what. For me, Battle for Bikini Bottom is one such game. I spent countless hours on this game, and I loved every second of it. Unfortunately, I never finished it because my game disc got too scratched up, but it remains one of the best video game memories I have. And I’m not the only one who feels this way – the game is a cult classic, having gained a massive following over the years. Back in the 2000s, licensed games generally had a bad reputation due to being rushed and shoddily made, but this game broke the trend, being up to the standard that major 3D platformers of that age usually were.

Having heard me wax lyric about the game so much, you can imagine my absolute delight when I heard that THQNordic and Purple Lamp Studios were partnering to make a remake of the game. Titled Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated, the game would be a play-by-play remake of the original classic, complete with brand new textures, animations and even some content that didn’t make the cut for the original game. It was a dream come true for me and for so many others across the world; given that Battle for Bikini Bottom was a licensed game from the early 2000s, it was quite rare for it to remain in the public eye as much as it did, and even rarer for it to be completely remade in the way it was. Needless to say, I was psyched. Finally, I bought the game on launch day (June 23rd, 2020) and have been playing it for the past week. So, does Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated serve as a faithful re-imagining of the original game?

Oh boy, you bet it does.

The plot is as simple as you’d expect it to be for a SpongeBob game; Plankton’s latest scheme to build a loyal army of robots backfires when he activates them while a switch on his machine is flipped to ‘Do Not Obey’, and it’s up to SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy to stop the army from taking over Bikini Bottom. From the moment I booted up the game, I could tell that the developers wanted to make the game as aesthetically pleasing as possible because the game looks stunning. Colours practically jump out at you from the screen, and every inch of Bikini Bottom is full of life. Some of the environments look utterly unrecognizable from the original thanks to the new textures – areas like Jellyfish Fields and Kelp Forest have been transformed from barren wastelands into lush areas teeming with personality. However, while it looks great, it can feel too saturated at times, with WAY too many colors popping out. This is a result of the developers going for a more modern look that SpongeBob has now, as opposed to the slightly muted one the cartoon had back in the days of the original game. This is by no means a detriment; it’s just something I noticed at times – it still feels fresh and exciting.

The actual gameplay has also aged reasonably well, despite the passage of time. During the game, you play as SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy, and all of them are easy to play as. SpongeBob is the most versatile of the lot, having access to two special moves in addition to his usual attacks, and he’s by far the floatiest, which makes him ideal for platforming. Patrick is sturdy and notably much better to use than in the original game. His throwing mechanism is smoother and feels much less clunky. Sandy is arguably the best character to use overall - she’s quick, nimble, and her attacks are devastating. Her lasso is extremely fast, and the fact that she can glide with it makes it ideal for platforming. Of course, not all the characters are available in each level, but this is never a problem because each level can be done adequately with the ones you have at your disposal.

As for the actual content, true to what the developers initially said, it is practically the same game, back to front, down to the iconic music tracks (except they’ve been enhanced, of course), dialogues, and even the one-off lines said by the characters during gameplay. The level layout is the same, the location of the iconic Golden Spatulas is the same – virtually everything has been preserved. I’ve seen a couple of reviews from several….notable companies take issues with this (looking at you, IGN and GameStop), but in my opinion, the fact that nothing was changed is a good thing. Dumbing it down or making the game easier by removing hard parts of the original would detract from the overall experience. While the platforming style of the game is old and thus may be significantly harder than a lot of 3D platformers today, I, for one, think it was necessary to keep it that way. Making the game more comfortable would have been a disservice to its fans.

However, some negatives need to be addressed. The fact that the original cast voices their characters is terrific and makes for a very compelling package when combined with the updated visuals, but the voices for Mr. Krabs and Mermaid Man still sticks out like a sore thumb. I understand that there wasn’t much the developers could do about it, but it’s still a minor complaint. Furthermore, there seem to be some frame rate issues in some areas of the game on the Nintendo Switch in particular. Personally, it hasn’t been game-breaking, but I can understand why it would be a point of inconvenience for some. I wish I could say the same about the loading times, however – 15 to 20 second loading screens that appear every time I die on a level provides a break in immersion that, after a while, feels hugely irritating. In addition, I haven’t tried the multiplayer mode, but if what people have said about it is anything to go by, then…

I know that a lot of these issues are system-specific, or they’re because of the updated graphics and that there are likely going to be patches to address some of them, but omitting them from the discussion would only serve to sweep them under the rug. Let me be clear: this game is NOT perfect. It has its fair share of issues; there’s a certain level of un-polish the game has, and it doesn’t feel as good as it can be. However, giving it a 5/10 or a 2/10 (again, looking at you, IGN and GameStop) is folly and flat out disrespectful to the love and care that went into this game. For a game that had a short development cycle and is being sold at $29.99 (HALF the price of a full Switch game), it deserves so much more love. Overall, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is a solid remake that, while occasionally haunted by the ghosts of its past, is still enjoyable enough for you to escape to a far easier time in a moment.

Score: 7/10