SpongeBob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated - Preview
There are some franchises that withstand the test of time and SpongeBob Squarepants is one of them. Battle for Bikini Bottom originally released back in October 2003 and with Rehydrated bringing it to modern councils, fans are just as excited as they were 17 years ago.
Thanks to Koch Media PR, we were given the opportunity to go hands on with SpongeBob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated and after 15 minutes, we’ve got a few thoughts.
Disclaimer: This version of Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is still in pre-alpha and we played the PC version.
Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is a remastering of the GameCube classic of the same name. I never played the original, but the game feels just like how a classic Ratchet & Clank felt all those years ago. The landscape is gorgeous and crisp and the draw distance is very impressive, making the fields of Bikini Bottom feel vast and expansive. The camera can tend to pose as a serious threat when it comes to 3D platformers but as the game has its own zoomed out just enough, and with the layout of the world being well-designed and so open, there were no issues to be mentioned.
Whilst Battle for Bikini Bottom is certainly still in its pre-alpha stage, it needs to be mentioned that the hit detection was a bit off. Often times I found myself hitting an enemy when I thought it wouldn’t and not hitting an enemy when I thought it would. It’s overall a solid experience and I have hope that this will be an aspect that will be addressed throughout the game’s development.
The game appears to have a sandbox layout; from the first level, it seemed to be quite linear, with the odd branching paths leading to hidden areas for collectibles’ sake. It’s vast, but it’s more in the vein of Super Mario Galaxy/Super Mario 3D World whilst lacking a level selecting overworld, so I wouldn’t go expecting anything to freely explore for hours on end.
The charm of Spongebob Squarepants is in full force as the original game was released back when the Nickelodeon show was arguably in its prime. The voice acting is top notch and doesn’t feel half-assed like many licensed games. The soundtrack is jolly and lighthearted, which is not something I ever doubted from a game based in Bikini Bottom. The scene is well set, with a huge injection of nostalgia to boot.
Developer Purple Lamp and Publisher THQ Nordic have yet to announce a release date for SpongeBob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, but we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for when they do.
Thank you for checking out our SpongeBob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated preview, thank you Koch Media for allowing us to go hands on with the game and thank you to our $5 and up Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:
- Andrew Caluzzi (Inca Studios / Camped Out!)
- Belinda Cubitt