SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated

SpongeBob: SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated sinks under its reverence to nostalgia.

Nostalgia and a new paint job aren't enough to save you from the dull, frustrating, and wonky experience that is SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated.

With a remake, all of this, along with the often questionable level design, could have been corrected. But with SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated aiming to be as faithful to the original as possible, these issues only serve as a reminder of how much better the industry has become at making 3D platformers.

SpongeBob Rehydrated is a vibrant remake of a much loved PS2 platformer. It's a little rough around the edges, but it's a solid effort that brings back a type of game that's all too rare on modern machines. The simple fun of collecting, bashing enemies, and exploring a beloved location is very much here, and fans young and old will get a kick out of this underwater excursion.

Considering the long-reaching cultural impact that the SpongeBob cartoon has had on modern pop culture, it’s nice to see that the franchise got at least one solid video game that properly represents the unique draw of SpongeBob and his friends.

It’s a solid execution on a game that has only grown with popularity since its release. For those ‘90s kids out there, it offers a moment of relaxation, a short break to slip back to a time that was a bit easier than now. Much like SpongeBob, I need it.

Nickelodeon and Stephen Hillenburg stumbled upon something unique when they created SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob's infectious positivity has allowed the show to continue to this day and spawn numerous films and games alongside it.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated gives the original a nice paint job but fails to do much more than that.

SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is a nostalgic blend of platforming, exploration, and light combat. The adventure is driven by collecting Golden Spatulas and Shiny Objects in a colourful Bikini Bottom. The new graphics look incredible and, from some angles, could pass as movie-quality CGI. SpongeBob’s fluid moveset and open level design are highlights, but restrictive gameplay mechanics for Patrick and Sandy, along with occasional camera and control issues, counter this. SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is an amusing, straightforward collectathon best suited for fans of the show or genre, or anyone with a craving for good old-fashioned platforming.

Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is a solid experience. It's a little long for me, and there's some very annoying progress hindrance where they want you to revisit stages in order to move the story forward and collect more Golden Spatulas (this game's equivalent of Gold Stars/Shine Sprites/Power Moons from Mario games.) If you enjoy exploring this world though, it might not be frustrating to you to have go and complete more missions and see more of the game. It's a fun, lighthearted jaunt of a gaming experience, and I think if you can find it on a sale, you'll be in for a good time, especially if you're an established fan of the franchise.