When SpongeBob SquarePants premiered on Nickelodeon 22 years ago, no one knew the impact it would have on television. Stephen Hillenburg, the show’s creator, had a passion for marine biology, majoring in it in college with a minor in art. Most of the ideas for the show came from his unpublished book titled The Intertidal Zone, which he created to teach kids about undersea creatures.
SpongeBob is now an iconic cartoon character, brought to life by the voice acting talents of Tom Kenny. Besides being a long-running television show, SpongeBob SquarePants has released many video games across a variety of platforms. While some games sunk to the bottom of the ocean, others floated to greatness and live on in players’ minds even today.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants! released in October 2005 and received mixed to favorable reviews from critics and fans. This game was also the first to have multiplayer mini-games (referred to in the game as “auditions”), though they could be played solo or with friends. As the name suggests, the game focuses on a television show being developed where SpongeBob wants to play the primary role—the villain.
Lights, Camera, Pants! also featured different game modes—Story Mode to complete the main storyline and unlock a half hour film that depicts the winner of the mini-games as the villain; Tournament Mode where up to four players could battle against each other in up to 5 auditions; or Single Audition, where players clash with each other in only a single mini-game.
The game was released for Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The Game Boy Advance and PC versions were a bit different compared to the console game. Game Boy Advance users went on an adventure to find Mermaidman and Barnacleboy who were missing, and PC users participated in a point-and-click adventure to find actors for the television show.
Though this was the name of the movie that premiered after the third season of SpongeBob SquarePants, it was also the name of the companion video game. Released in 2004, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie game received favorable reviews from fans and critics. Unsurprisingly, the game follows the plot of the movie, with King Neptune’s crown having been stolen and SpongeBob and Patrick on a quest to find it in Shell City.
The game was released on many platforms: Game Boy Advance, GameCube, mobile, PS2, and Xbox, with a PS3 port released in 2012. The console versions were pretty much identical to each other, with players progressing through levels after successfully utilizing various gameplay skills like combat. PC, however, was another point-and-click adventure, and both Game Boy Advance and PC had cutscenes told with still pictures and narration rather than video clips.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is, without being too bold, probably the best SpongeBob game ever made. It won multiple awards at its time of release and garnered a cult following from its debut in 2003 to today. In fact, June 2020 saw the re-release of the game, titled SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom—Rehydrated. The remake didn’t receive as much praise as the original game, but it was still a pleasant burst of nostalgia for some fans.
Battle for Bikini Bottom follows SpongeBob and Patrick as they fight robots created by Plankton and his Duplicatotron 3000. The console versions for PS2 and Xbox saw players collect a variety of objects while fighting off robots. PC, however, was a conglomeration of mini-games to help free SpongeBob and his friends after they’ve been captured by robots. Game Boy Advance also unsurprisingly saw gameplay changes, namely changing the design of the game to be level-based and linear rather than nonlinear like the console versions.
As a show, SpongeBob SquarePants is still going strong, allowing a new generation of viewers to become acquainted with the sponge and his beloved friends. Anyone who’s a fan of the little guy “who lives in a pineapple under the sea” should check out these games—whether it’s for nostalgia’s sake or just a new game to play.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom—Rehydrated is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with a mobile release planned for January 21.
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