I’m too old to have experienced SpongeBob SquarePants in its original cartoon form, but it’s impossible to be a denizen of the internet without being exposed to the endless memes and references to the iconic series. Even without that, there have been a whole host of games starring the lovable sponge over a multitude of different consoles. The best of these by far have been the 3D platformers following on from Battle for Bikini Bottom, with developers Purple Lamp continuing to produce high quality games that capture the madcap nature of the cartoon whilst also providing genuinely entertaining gameplay. SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of Tide sees an interesting new batch of mechanics and some real standout moments, but how does it match up to its predecessors?
The karaoke trailer for Titans of Tide needs to be watched to be believed, containing as it does the dream beach team of SpongeBob and the Mighty Hoff. Hasselhoff sings an adapted version of the earworm shanty, Wellerman, and even has a recurring cameo in the game as the voice of wisdom whose advice is unlocked by finding well hidden golden TVs. Such gods of the bay set the scene for the epic conflict that underpins the game, a conflict which sees King Neptune and The Flying Dutchman duking it out over an argument about who gets to cut the line at the Krusty Krab.
Aesthetically, Titans of Tide is very familiar, with the artstyle and many of the assets being brought forward from Purple Lamp’s previous games. This isn’t necessarily a negative, though, as they nailed the look of 3D Bikini Bottom in those earlier titles – you think they redraw everything from scratch for each episode of the cartoon? The soundtrack, similarly, is reminiscent of earlier games, but suits the action perfectly, and while the voice acting is authentic, it still suffers from the repetition of throwaway lines and can become annoying.
So, in many ways, Titans of Tide is more of the same in this series, following the mantra of ‘it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. Where changes are made, however, is the main gameplay mechanics.
During the initial scuffle that gives the game its name, Spongebob is hit by a bolt from The Flying Dutchman which kills him outright. Game over, man, right? Well, fortunately for the story, he continues as a green ghost flying around the scenery. We swiftly switch perspectives to play as Patrick who rushes to the Krab to see what has happened. Upon finding his ghostly pal, the two best friends discover that the power of their ring of friendship allows them to switch forms, with one being corporeal and one a ghost.
This swapping mechanic becomes the key gameplay tool as you work through the five sizeable worlds in your quest to set things right. Spongebob can karate kick obstacles and red balloons to reach new areas, whilst Patrick can dig under the surface and pick things up. Later in the game, Spongebob also receives a bubble wand that can activate switches and distant items. This relatively limited moveset is stretched out to create puzzles that force you to use each skill and often switch between each character in rapid succession. At its best, these navigation areas can make you feel like spongey ninja, but often they are very simple. This is a kid’s game after all.
Spread across the worlds of Bikini Bottom you’ll come across tiki statues containing coins, life restoring underpants, switches and targets that require specific skills to activate, and reality shifting jars that alternate between green and blue – with parts of the level appearing and disappearing to match. Small environmental puzzles or platforming challenges are rewarded with chests containing either parts of HP increases, filters for the ingame camera mode or costumes for the dynamic duo. While most of these are quite easy to spot there are plenty of deviously hidden ones for completionists to find.
In truth, getting your money’s worth out of the game will require you to take a completionist approach as there is only 6 or 7 hours worth of content here outside of replaying levels to find everything. The game might not be a £70 retail game, but the inevitable launch day DLC and Season Pass still feel pretty stingy. Finding the collectables unlocks Plankton challenges that offer standalone levels that feel heavily influenced by Mario Galaxy’s void levels. These are the most enjoyable parts of the whole game, so it’s a shame that they are hidden behind the repetition of seeking out every chest.
While the 3D platforming is solid throughout, I could have done without the frequent sliding sections that return from earlier games. These are harmless enough in themselves but the races attached to each were quite buggy pre-release. Some races involve a spectral surfboard but restarting often resulted in no board spawning at all. Other sliding sections see both characters using their tongues as sleds which is just horrific. Combine this with the paid DLC that makes the two leads naked and you have genuine nightmare fuel.