Back in the early 2000’s, gaming was rife with a wealth of 3D platform, action-adventure titles from Jak & Dexter, Ratchet and Clank, Scooby-Doo and more, some good and some not so. A game that sat somewhere in the middle in terms of quality was SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, a decent enough game, but with it being officially licensed from the beloved Nickelodeon series and much of the voice-cast reprising their roles, it won the hearts of many and developed a cult status following. So nearly 17 years later, a remaster of that beloved classic has arrived with SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated.
The story is as random as you might expect from SpongeBob SquarePants. In a nutshell, Bikini Bottom has been invaded by a plague of crazed robots at the hands of the dastardly Plankton, but when the owner of the Chum Bucket’s plan to steal the recipe of the Krabby Patty Secret Formula backfires; his army of robots kick him out of his very own restaurant. Then, awaking from a night of playing with toy robots, SpongeBob and his best friend Patrick feel that they are somehow responsible for the invasion of Bikini Bottom, Plankton convinces the gullible duo that the only way to stop the robots, is to collect Golden Spatulas, which is the only way for Plankton to get his restaurant back, but SpongeBob and Patrick are none the wiser.
Gameplay is incredibly simple, but in a game such as this one, it’s a positive point, because it’s what makes the game so easy to pick up and play, for all ages. For the vast majority of the game you will be tasked with not only collecting the Golden Spatulas, but also “Shiny Objects” which acts as the currency for the game which will unlock access to new areas, as well as being able to purchase additional Golden Spatulas from Mr Krabs, and you’ll also be able to access new side-missions from Squidward. Oh, and you can also collect Patrick’s smelly socks, which can also earn you a Golden Spatula for every ten socks you exchange. While SpongeBob is the main playable character, you will also be able to switch between Patrick and Sandy, each with their own abilities, and each will only be able to reach certain areas for a particular level. You can switch between the three characters at the in-game Bus Stop. At the end of each level, which is reasonably open to explore (you can revisit to search for secrets and collectibles), you’ll also encounter an end of level boss, which don’t offer that much of a challenge, which to be fair, is quite common for a game of this genre for its time.
In terms of visuals, Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated has been modernised to good effect. In fairness, considering the original game is nearly 17 years old at the time of writing, it’s not aged too badly, but as you’ll expect, this modern day remaster looks like a new game, and with the gameplay being polished to make it even more accessible to play, it plays like a modern 3D platformer. This is a very faithful adaptation to the TV series, not only with its visual design, but also with its sound design and signature humour. Just like the 2003 original, with the exception of Mr Krabs and Mermaid Man, all characters have reprised their roles and fans will also appreciate the authentic soundtrack. However, after an hour or so of playing, you’ll likely grow a little tired of the characters repeating the same one-line quotes over and over, and the music being on a constant loop might get a little annoying after a while.
Other then remastered visuals and the gameplay being a little tweaked, there are some new additions to this remaster, nothing ground breaking, but it’s something extra none the less. While it is a struggle to remember much of the game from 2003, new content has been restored that was cut from the original, such as additional boss fights, one in particular pits you against Robo Squidward. There is also a brand wave-based mode, playable via split-screen local co-op or online. It is a quite generic mode, but it’s still fun to play with a family member or friend.
To conclude, it would have been easy for Purple Lamp Studios to be lazy with this remaster by just giving it a HD makeover, but to their credit, they really have gone to town to make this beloved cult classic to not only look easy on the eye, but they’ve also applied enough polish to the gameplay to make it feel at least a little modern. I’ve certainly seen plenty of “remasters” that are a simple cash-grabs and I’m grateful that this certainly is not one of them. It may not be perfect, but SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is an example of how a faithful remaster should be done which should please veteran fans, as well as welcoming a legion of new fans with open, rainbow sprinkled arms.