Developer Purple Lamp Studios has been honing its craft engaged on a number of licensed video games, with a couple of SpongeBob title underneath its belt.
Its newest effort, SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide, is one other 3D platformer driving the wave of nostalgia brought on by its remake of the fan favorite, Battle for Bikini Backside Rehydrated.
Very similar to its earlier effort, The Cosmic Shake, Titans of the Tide is a stable, enjoyable journey that is clearly made by followers of the long-running cartoon collection, however some tough edges and reliance on outdated concepts maintain it again from greatness.
There is a particular supply on the Krusty Krab, and it is drawn the eye of two of the ocean’s strongest beings: King Neptune and the ghoulish Flying Dutchman.
The pair conflict, with the latter’s spectral powers turning Bikini Backside residents (together with SpongeBob) into ghosts and inflicting widespread mayhem.
Luckily, the oblivious Patrick Star is away from the fallout, and when he reaches the Krusty Krab, he and SpongeBob uncover a novel capability to swap between their common our bodies and ghostly types. This additionally acts because the crux of the gameplay.
You possibly can change between SpongeBob and Patrick just about everytime you like, and doing so is important, as they every have distinctive skills.
For instance, Patrick can burrow by the sand and decide up heavy objects, whereas SpongeBob has his karate kick and may blow bubbles.
Utilising all these skills is vital to getting by every stage, typically requiring fairly dextrous character swapping to navigate platforming sequences.
It is a neat concept and executed moderately effectively; ranges are designed in such a approach to encourage you to maneuver between the characters always, and even the essential fight incorporates the mechanic, with some enemies a lot simpler to cope with relying on who you are controlling.
For these with an urge for food for a fairly easy 3D platformer, that is ticking a lot of the proper bins.
We have been initially anxious that the ghostly theme of the sport may make it too one-note, however there is a respectable selection within the phases regardless of the set dressing.
Your hub this time round is an airship constructed from what was once the Krusty Krab, and it is not an infinite area to discover, however there’s extra to see and do there as the sport goes on.
From there, you may dive right down to areas outdated and new, like a low-rent resort known as Goldfish Island, the decadent halls of King Neptune’s palace, and even a brand new, snowy spin on Jellyfish Fields.
It feels pretty conscious of play, and positively seems the half, with vibrant visuals that echo the present. That is helped immeasurably by having what appears to be your complete solid onboard for voice work; even the additional voices from unnamed Bikini Backside residents are recognisable.
The solid does its finest with a script that lacks among the snappiness of the cartoon. There are some humorous strains and moments all through, however some interactions really feel a little bit stunted.
What cannot be knocked, although, is the developer’s clear love for the collection, because it’s completely filled with references and jokes that followers will eat up. The clearest proof of that is within the costume choice for SpongeBob and Patrick, the place you may discover outfits from quite a few episodes.
You should buy any unlocked costumes with the cash you decide up throughout play, however there’s extra on supply — underpant items, which improve your well being, and show gadgets that’ll present up within the hub.
The sport might be one of many higher SpongeBob video games to launch in recent times, however there are a few issues that cease it from laying declare to being high of the pile.
Firstly, we will not ignore among the bugs we encountered. A soft-lock state of affairs within the second half of the sport pressured us to start out over once more, and there are another, rather more minor points, like textures taking a very long time to load in correctly.
Secondly, there’s the sensation that Titans of the Tide remains to be borrowing closely from Battle for Bikini Backside, a platformer launched greater than twenty years in the past.
Some mechanics and strikes really feel like they’re lifted instantly from that template, and whereas there’s undoubtedly an effort right here to attempt one thing new, we will not assist however really feel a few of its fundamentals really feel a little bit dated at this level.
That being stated, followers aren’t going to thoughts. Finally, the sport is one other very serviceable SpongeBob platformer that riffs on the de facto favorite, and it brings nearly sufficient contemporary concepts to the desk to justify itself.
Conclusion
SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide is not going to blow anybody away, however it’s a superbly respectable 3D platformer that principally captures the vitality of the present. Swapping between SpongeBob and Patrick is a neat mechanic that is used very effectively all through, and ranges are large and diversified as you discover Bikini Backside and discuss to its populace, all of whom are voiced by the correct solid. It undoubtedly has some tough edges and a few tender writing, and it will not win over any SpongeBob detractors, however it’s a superb all-ages sport for each youngsters and longtime followers.
