SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS COSMIC SHAKE SERIES
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS COSMIC SHAKE TV

Its visuals might be pretty, but these performance issues make some levels of the game less pleasant to play.

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS COSMIC SHAKE SERIES

I encountered quite a few frame rate dips even though I was playing the Xbox One version of the game on the Xbox Series X. Unfortunately, the presentation isn’t flawless. It’s novel to see brand-new takes on these well-trodden areas, and all of the minute details, some excellent sound design, and a catchy soundtrack ensure that each world is memorable. Level theming is also outstanding, as we see many locations from the show and Battle for Bikini Bottom reimagined with new themes, like Wild West Jellyfish Fields and Halloween Rock Bottom. The show comes to life spectacularly in 3D and is even more colorful and vibrant than its predecessor, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated. In a similar vein, its visuals succeed by taking a faithful approach to the source material.

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Comedy is hard to pull off in games and often quite divisive, but SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake succeeds in being funny by just sounding like an episode of the show.

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS COSMIC SHAKE TV

Even if young players seem to be the central audience here, the game even got some laughs out of me with some hilarious Patrick quips and callbacks to TV gags like “one eternity later” transition cards. Kids will get an innocent chuckle out of SpongeBob’s underwear health bar and other bits of cartoon gross-out imagery. The writing is quite funny, with plenty of great jokes appropriate for all ages. As always, Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke are a delight as SpongeBob and Patrick, though every voice actor here is on point, bringing the same energy to this game as they have to the TV show for the past 23 years. The writing and voice acting are both on the money, delivering exactly what a fan would expect from SpongeBob. This plot feels like it could’ve been taken straight from an episode of the show, even though it is also well-suited to a world-based platformer. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake succeeds in being funny by just sounding like an episode of the show.

Spongebob squarepants cosmic shake