One of the biggest announcements from the THQ Nordic anniversary stream was the reveal of a brand newSpongeBob SquarePantsgame, specificallySpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, which is being framed as a sequel to 2020’sSpongeBob SquarePants: Battle For Bikini Bottom — Rehydrated. What’s important about this release is that developer Purple Lamp Studios is setting some lofty expectations, as it carries the torch lit by developer Heavy Iron Studios back in 2003 with the originalBattle For Bikini Bottom. Not only has the developer remade the game, but it is now planning to go beyond the cult classic with a fully fledged sequel.
While reactions to Purple Lamp’s remake ofBattle For Bikini Bottomwere mixed due to the small development cycle, many would agree that the remake retained the spirit of the original game. In spite of this, almost 20 years have passed since the release ofBattle For Bikini Bottom, andthanks to titles such asSuper Mario OdysseyandCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, the landscape of modern 3D platformers has changed significantly than how it appeared in 2003. With that in mind, here’s how Purple Lamp Studios can improve onBattle For Bikini Bottomfor The Cosmic Shake and make the ultimateSpongeBob3D platformer.
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More Diverse Locations
One of the main reasonsBattle For Bikini Bottomhas become one of the most beloved licensed games of all time isits respect for theSpongeBob SquarePantsIP, recreating the world of Stephen Hillenburg’s beloved animated series that has defined a generation of cartoons.
As its name implies,Battle For Bikini Bottomwas set entirely within the fictional town of Bikini Bottom, which the game succeeded at recreating wonderfully through excellent interconnected level design, with many secrets to find and areas to explore. Unfortunately, one way in whichBattle For Bikini Bottom’s biomes sometimes suffered was that a lot of areas would become repetitive as the game progressed, mainly relying on fields and forests for level locations.
Thankfully, Purple Lamp Studios already appears to be solving this issue asThe Cosmic Shake’s main plot point, featuring SpongeBob and his friends travelling between seven different worlds, means that the developer has the oppertunity to heavily diversify the design of these worlds inspired by the long-running animated series. Some of the worlds showcased seem to already be inspired by the wild-west, caveman, and Karate Island episodes of the show. So far, these locations combined with the promise of a dimension-jumping story seems similar togames likeCrash Bandicoot 4orSly Cooper: Thieves in Time, both games with very unique and distinct levels.
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New Playable Characters
While the originalBattle For Bikini Bottomwas impressive in how it diversified gameplaybetween SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy, with each character having their own unique abilities,The Cosmic Shakehas the oppertunity to introduce even more playable characters. The game’s trailer introduces characters like Plankton, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, and Mrs. Puff, none of which were playable in the previous game (outside of the competitive multiplayer mode).
Making some, if not all of these characters playable inThe Cosmic Shakeseems like a no-brainer. Plankton in particular seems to have a lot of potential as a character, as he could control some sort of mech or even feature his own platforming levels focused around his tiny size, similar to games likeChibi-Robo.
Characters do not even need to stick to the 3D platforming designs of the others, characters such as Squidward, Mr. Krabs, and Mrs. Puff lend themselves well to mini-games, with Squidward in particular being perfect for the focus of a rhythm mini-game given his less-than-stellar clarinet playing showcased in the series. Mrs. Puff being a driving instructor allows her to possibly act as the focus of a driving mini-gamelike the ones found inThe SpongeBob SquarePants Moviegame.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shakeis in development for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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