SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake feels like a game from a bygone era, for better or for worse. It’s a nostalgic romp through themed levels that feel more inspiring than just another platforming tour of Bikini Bottom. It does a great job of highlighting why people who grew up with SpongeBob SquarePants loved the show and why people still love it today. At best, the gameplay is decently fun, but at worst, it’s mindlessly boring. This, coupled with a few bugs, like one that caused music to disappear entirely or the three hard crashes I experienced, prevents this sponge’s latest adventure from going above and beyond the average.
The mermaid fortune teller Kassandra is in Bikini Bottom and she gives SpongeBob and Patrick a vial of magical soap bubble that will rupture the underwater multiverse and wreak havoc on Bikini Bottom. It’s up to SpongeBob to save his friends by visiting different worlds to restore the city to its former glory. These themed locations will take SpongeBob on pirate adventures, the Old West, medieval times and more. These levels were among the highlights of my 10 or so hours playing The Cosmic Shake. Purple Lamp does a great job of recreating the world of SpongeBob in these themed biomes, and it was nice to see various classic characters tie into it.
Mr. Krabs is a money-hungry corsair in the pirate world, while Mrs. Puff runs the seahorse riding school in the Wild West level. Having the show’s actors voice these characters adds a premium touch to every interaction. And perhaps ironically, the best writing in the game is the original Purple Lamp work, with several instances that had me laughing out loud (Patrick’s trademark, dead naivety, is the standout). However, when Purple Lamp forced specific references to the SpongeBob SquarePants show, I either became bored or downright annoyed with the writing. Hearing SpongeBob sing the Krusty Krab Pizza song, an unironic banger, was cute the first few times, but hearing him sing accidentally while stepping around a Hollywood-esque movie set for the tenth time is anything but.
The platforming in The Cosmic Shake starts and ends rudimentarily, but that doesn’t bother me – geared towards kids, this difficulty level feels appropriate. I jump, slide, punch and fight my way through simple platforming sequences and defeat enemies with an equally rudimentary combat system. I do this with a regular net swing for catching jellyfish, SpongeBob’s body slam, or a karate kick. Combat is unobtrusive throughout the game. Unless I’m forced to, I just defeat who I have to and move on.
When I’m not fighting jelly creatures from the multiverse, I’m collecting jelly scattered throughout each level and in tiki boxes, which I use to buy one of a few dozen costumes, or I’m tracking down gold coins, golden spatulas, or something else . It’s a breeze to complete the main objectives of each level – go here, do this and fight a boss at the end. But side objectives from various Bikini Bottom residents prompt you to return to each level to collect more, and this is where I found the biggest challenge. However, I wish there was more of this challenge in the main objectives.
Purple Lamp shows a clear adoration for SpongeBob SquarePants, with jokes, deep cuts, and characters that took me back to my childhood. And when they weren’t forced or overused, they worked well in the narrative. I especially loved hearing that one fish scream about his love for chocolate and hearing “My leg!” gave me great pleasure. When The Cosmic Shake is at its best, it sounds, looks and plays like the kind of game I would have asked my parents to buy me growing up. But when it falters, it’s boring. It’s a game I’d easily recommend to fans of SpongeBob SquarePants; However, for those looking for a great platformer, there are better options elsewhere in the sea.
