![]() The opening western level concludes with you chasing Mr. There is far more platforming than combat in The Cosmic Shake, but long battles, especially late in the game, feel like a chore.Įach level caps off with a boss fight of some kind, with the exact format of the battle changing from level to level. By the time you fight one of these for the 10th time, it becomes more tedious to wait and hit it, which is true for other enemy types as well. For example, the large enemies carrying bathtubs require three hits to take down, but they only take damage after missing an attack on you. ![]() Unfortunately, as time goes on, this becomes a tedious task, especially with enemies where you have to wait for an opening. There are a number of different types of Jelly Monsters, and each one has a specific way to beat it. Where the linear design falls flat is in the game's secrets and optional objectives.Īs for combat, you use your new abilities to fight off Cosmic Jelly monsters. ![]() It's a nice break from the more linear platforming sections and these sections never overstayed their welcome. These sections usually have an arena-like area, where you can choose which direction to start in for your collecting, but always end up at the same destination. Levels require you to platform through them, eventually needing to find a number of objects to move further. Doling out a new ability in most levels means there is always a new mechanic to keep the game fresh, and it provides a way to hide secrets in each level for you to come back to. You gain abilities like a glide, a karate kick, a ground pound, and even a grappling hook. These movement abilities make SpongeBob feel fast when they are all working together and the sections that ask you to use them all together feel incredibly satisfying. SpongeBob comes equipped with a double-jump out of the gate but is quickly given far more movement abilities throughout the game, making for fluid platforming. But beyond this small amount of freedom, this focus on a more linear setup allows for the platforming to shine, since there is a single defined path that can be purposefully designed around the movement skills that have been unlocked so far. The levels have a bit of width to them, allowing you to explore off the beaten path to find extra Cosmic Jelly, which you are tasked with collecting throughout the game. In most levels, SpongeBob and Patrick are frequently commenting on the level, spouting off jokes that mostly land, but here, it's an hour to 90 minutes of caveman speak, which really kills the game's momentum.Īs for the design of the levels, The Cosmic Shake takes a far more linear approach than Battle for Bikini Bottom and this mostly works in its favor. What works as a small section of a half-hour cartoon overstays its welcome here. In the past, language hasn't been invented yet, so everyone speaks in gibberish. This pulls directly from the episode SB-129/Karate Choppers in Season 1, where Squidward ends up time-traveling to both the past and future. That exception is the caveman level, where Spongebob and Patrick are sent back to the prehistoric era to try and save Squidward. Most of these references feel well-placed and don't overstay their welcome, with one major exception. There are a few nods to the more modern seasons of the show, specifically Plankton's pet Spot, who serves as a collectible in each level, but the majority of its jokes and callbacks are old-school. While the show is still airing, many of the references made through the game are from the seasons I watched as a child and easily could have appeared in Battle for Bikini Bottom 20 years ago. A movie-set-themed episode combines SpongBob's obsession with karate with an action movie, and a pirate level has an enemy ship constantly firing pie bombs at you.Īs for where The Cosmic Shake pulls most of its inspiration from, it stems almost exclusively from the older seasons of SpongeBob. The aesthetic design of these levels is one of the places The Cosmic Shake shines, pulling together references to iconic episodes of the show, while adding new elements that fit within the game's story. This opening sets up the seven levels players will explore throughout the game, each one with a different theme and environment. ![]() Now Playing: SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake | Meet the Bikini Bottomites Trailer By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
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