SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom is one of many underdog 3D platformers. When it comes to licensed games there is a low expectation to be met let's face it. The best licensed games, least at the time, showed that you could do a whole lot more with a license, BfBB felt like a legit platformer and its reputation could not be understated.
About the only negative thing I could say about it was that Mrs. Puff knew Patrick by name. Just wanted to put that out there.
Anyhow, to show how beloved BfBB became, it achieved what few other licensed titles could. A second life on modern (at the time) consoles. This came about after the game's publisher THQ was resurrected, sorta, as THQ Nordic, and they were looking to go through IPs under their control. Perhaps starting small or with something that already has an audience is the best way to go. While something like Super Mario 3D AllStars where it was essentially a glorified emulator for 3D Mario titles, or Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle where it was a port of the Dreamcast titles but with some additions or graphical face lifts, BfBB was gonna be something entirely different.
It was gonna be a remake. Now you'd think oh, this could be great. There was aspects that didn't make it to the final version of the original, maybe they can bring it to life. Well, just to get this out of the way it wasn't gonna happen. It was an entirely new developer working off of what was already completed. The game would be developed by THQ Nordic's Purple Lamp division, one of their earliest projects. Since then it appears that Purple Lamp has built up a solid resume, having also developed a remake of Epic Mickey which appears to have gained better reception than the original Wii game. Their work on this remake would lead them to work on the latest SpongeBob game The Cosmic Shake, which received mixed reviews, but who knows maybe it's good.
Now, why did I take so long to get to this game? I didn't own anything that could play it. I bought this on Steam then realized that my OS couldn't run it. I just got a Switch and this was among the short list I had in mind for games. I had been curious about this remake for a while, and if I were to ever get my hands on it I'd see if my impressions would be just.
Initial Impressions
When I first learned of the remake, I was just amazed that an old licensed game was getting this kind of treatment. Now look, I'm all for giving attention to games that deserve it. But in this situation, lest it's just an emulation of an old game, why not save the remakes for games that really deserve it? I.e., games that came out bad for whatever reason and would be given a chance to be good, show players how it was supposed to be. Revenge of the Flying Dutchman is the kind of game that really deserves a remake, especially given what the developers had gone through. Not even just SpongeBob, games like Crash Twinsanity or Sonic 06, where a good game is somewhere beneath the bugs. Lest fans wanna pull the weight like with Sonic P-06. Want something done you gotta do it yourself sometimes.
Right off the bat it looked as though Rehydrated - end of the full title and will be said as such for simplicity - was gonna primarily feature cosmetic changes, the big one being the character animations, but when we get there. For a time it looked as though Rehydrated was overshadowing the original game, and with such relevance and that version being at the forefront, it had better live up to the hype.
Whenever I got to play the game, I'd have as much of the original game in mind to see what has changed between either version
Playing the Game
Right off the bat, Rehydrated featured a number of cosmetic changes. They definitely adapted the original game faithfully, though there were certain changes. For example, the character animations. The original game featured more limited animation, especially showing when it came to talking to other characters. SpongeBob had two animations throughout them. In this game, they've added more animations in tune to what they say, for the most part. While it shows for most characters, others just cycle through their animations, Squidward being an example where he is perpetually unhappy, even in scenes where he'd be happy or laughing sarcastically.
Now I see the application, and whether or not it was necessary here, the writing in this game is great along with the line delivery. Either was strong enough to neglect the limited animation, this was early-2000s SpongeBob after all. Not to mention the limited animation lends better to some of the jokes in this, the quick cut to Patrick in the last convo you have with Squidward at Sand Mountain comes out of nowhere... I dunno, it feels like something was missing in Rehydrated's take. But on the inverse things felt more natural in the G-Love cutscene in Downtown Bikini Bottom, a build up to Gary destroying one of the robots.
But that aside, the model work in this is great, and if Purple Lamp were gonna be making more SpongeBob games after this it was fair to try and get a grasp on the models as soon as possible. I don't really have any standouts to name, but I haven't seen any particularly bad ones so, take that as you will. They did get a little cheeky with some idle and pedestrian animations. I've seen SpongeBob and Patrick pull the shocked face gag, I've seen one fish dab, remember when that was all over the internet? They also threw in some additional images, I've seen handsome Squidward for one. To be fair, the original also had a picture of Squidward's unsure face, but Purple Lamp's additions stick out like a sore thumb. Go to Squidward's Dream and look at the paintings in the background and you'll see what I mean.
Along with the characters they also redesigned the robots. In the original game the robots looked more, you know... robotic. You could make the argument that the robots for the most part looked out of place against the locales in SpongeBob, but that's kind of the point, SpongeBob taking out anomalies. The new designs blend in better with the game's universe, granted, and given how... cartoony for a lack of a better word SpongeBob became I guess it makes sense. The new designs aren't bad by any stretch, some are pretty negligible, only issues I could think of are minor nitpicks. For instance, Dick- I mean Slick's protective bubble is just that, a bubble, not an oil bubble. He still has the oil attack so that's why I bring it up.
The game plays the same as the original did, for the most part. Compared to the original the controls here feel a bit... best word I could use is literal. I feel like for the most part I had to space out my double jumps in areas I'd normally make with a rapid tap. It's especially noticeable on the sliding sections where you have to jump up to a high platform. Normally you're flung off and you can use the momentum and one jump to carry you to it, but what could be made in one or two tries had to be done multiple times because I either under or overshoot it, or suddenly my character halts because I didn't move the analog stick forward. Or I just haven't played either version in a long time.
Maybe it's down to the game's engine. The original game was built on the RenderWare engine, while this game was made with the Unreal Engine. Certain things would be tweaked based on what was at the disposal of said engine, and as a result the initial feeling of the game may change.
As mentioned before since this is more or less a ground up remake of the original Battle for Bikini Bottom you can put any hopes of new content to rest, at least in the main story mode. But that's not to say no changes were made. On the positive side, when it comes to enemies that shoot projectiles you can now see where said projectiles would land. This worked greatly in the Robo-Patrick boss fight where I was able to stay in one section of the arena and not get hit. In the very last level you are able to restart at the last fuse you break, compared to the original where you have to start from the very beginning.
Also in Rehydrated you have the ability to jump while in the Sponge Ball form. I can see scenarios where this would be useful, especially for jumps you can't make as easily as others.
As for some criticism...
In Mr. Krabs' dream, for some strange reason they put protective bubbles around the Duplicatotron 3000s. The level is merciless enough and given the oil projectiles flung at you you'd be lucky to even land a hit on the machine as is. This is the only level where it happened too, and it makes me wonder if either developer knew that this level would be a hell of an experience and nixed the content in Patrick's dream as a breather of sorts.
I noticed that the bubble barrier around Slick has a wider hit radius, meaning you cannot hit it up close without taking damage, least it happened to me. The Duplicatotron is also a bit more rapid-fire compared to how it was in the original, in that it takes less time for new robots to be spawned. This isn't always a problem, but especially in the last stage you'd feel like you have to rush to destroy the Duplicatotron before it spawns a robot that can either hurt you or knock you down.
The swing hooks are also a bit finnicky. In the original game all you had to do was latch onto it and let go by pressing the jump button. In this game you have to hold onto the B button and let go at the right time. It's more awkward compared to the original, and if you're used to said original's controls, and if you're soaring on the rooftops as this happens it's gonna be a very annoying experience. I had gotten used to this for better or worse, but mechanics you think you know from an older version not being replicated in the remake it has to be addressed.
The wall jumping is also fairly different, more rapid compared to the original version. I was able to clear walls sooner than I did before, but it also feels off. It was especially noticeable in the Graveyard of Ships, where your wall jumping skills are put to the test. As a kid I had to redo the jumps multiple times, but going through it in Rehydrated... I actually managed to get it on the first try. I think in the first you had to move forward as you hit the walls, but in this you're moved forward automatically you just have to jump to each wall to stay up.
Now, you remember the Ball Room? Sure you do. It was one of the harder levels in the game... and Rehydrated somehow made it more annoying. Piece by piece as the level was intended. The one piece of track you have to bubble bowl into place, while you can do it right away and it'll either stay as is or for long, in this game it'll go back to its old position in a few seconds, I had to learn that the hard way. Remember that GameSpot review of Rehydrated where the scrub couldn't push the button to lower the scoop? Either I pressed the button too soon, or you had to be super precise with your position to get it to work, especially if you let the ball get close and have no idea how long it'll stay down. The pressure pad track piece, bringing back the literal analogy, while you can get off the pad a little before the ball makes it to the other side of the gap, you have to let the ball make it all the way to the other side or it will fall. Finally the fan covering the launch button moves a lot faster. Despite all that, I was able to get past the pendulum mallet, the shifting board and the fan button the first time the ball got to either.
The slide levels, especially with the time trials on top of them are stressful, has been between either version. And by slide levels, I mean the kelp vines. Any criticism I have of the Kelp Vines can apply to the original and Rehydrated, very little space to move around, and with so many curves it's very easy to fall off. The turns combined with the momentum was so bad I wound up bailing on a leaf trampoline because I kept going off the edge. Ironically, had I just kept on the path, and hopped onto the next one above I could've got one of Patrick's socks and be done with the level in one fell swoop... provided I didn't fall and have to start from the beginning.
As a kid I struggled to hit the stone tiki switch that would raise the leaf trampoline and allow me to hit the button to open the gate to the Kelp Vines, until I learned that you didn't need to use the throw fruit to use the Patrick Teeter-Totter. And that's another criticism for both games, they mention you need the throw fruit to use the Teeter-Totter, but they don't outright tell you that anything you can throw would work... that is until you figure it out by accident or you get so frustrated you use a stone tiki as your plan B.
The cruise bubble is easily the most annoying weapon you can use in this game. In the original you were essentially moving a crosshair to your destination. But in this game the missile is shown, and somehow the controls feel heavier here. If you keep moving it in one direction it'll be hard to go back the other. The bubble bowl is also fairly unpredictable, getting caught in level geometry and sometimes just stopping at random, but this isn't frequent.
Then there's grinding. In the original game there was a cheat you can do to raise your shiny object count, if you wanted to meet Mr. Krabs' prices. In Rehydrated the cheat isn't there. And shiny object counts are hard to maintain, especially since you have to pay the tolls just to progress. I had died early on in Jellyfish Fields, and knowing of the grinding situation I would typically use that opportunity to fight and break respawned robots and tikis to make sure I had enough to get Golden Spatulas from Mr. Krabs every time I finished off an area.
But that's not enough to keep you ahead of the curve. Easily the most expensive area in this game is the movie theater, at a whopping 40,000 shiny objects. I knew it was gonna be a problem I had to deal with, especially since I was down to three last new areas, sure it wasn't required to beat the game 100%, but I leave no stone unturned in my games. To put it into perspective my journey to 40k shiny objects, every time I returned to Bikini Bottom I would destroy all of the tikis out in the open. Once I got every last golden spatula aside from the Chum Bucket Lab's, I had a little over 20k shiny objects, so I thought, why don't I resume destroying bikini Bottom's tikis? Knowing they reset, I would enter the buildings around and destroy the tikis across all three areas, rinsing and repeating across eight buildings... and it wasn't enough.
So then, I taxied to the start of the Sea Caves, destroyed the floating tikis and the Chomp Bot at the other side of the gap, went back to the sand castle and destroyed the tikis, Ham-Mer, Duplicatotron and Monsoons until I made it to 40k shiny objects. All of that... for a somewhat underwhelming concept art slideshow. Nothing against Rehydrated, I'd have the same complaints toward the original, as well as Pac-Man World 2 and Scooby Doo Night of 100 Frights. All that searching... for pictures.
And the Glitches...
I'm not gonna beat around the bush, depending on the version you got, Rehydrated had several glitches at launch, and even after some patches some had persisted to this day. Not like the original was totally polished, between certain things not being rendered fully, among other things you can get with enough prodding, but some were definitely noticeable in Rehydrated. I never got to experience the more notable ones first hand, but I did encounter some. One glitch I found happened when I used the cruse bubble, where I was unable to move beyond sneaking. Somehow I managed to undo it before I had to soft reset. Then there's a game breaking glitch that persists to this day.
In Sand Mountain, you know that one sock that you can only get if you destroy all eight sandmen on Flounder Hill? Compared to the original where you can only see the number of sandmen destroyed every time you hit one, Rehydrated gives you a counter. But in spite of that little effort, get this. If you fall or die going down the slope and you haven't destroyed all the sandmen, they will not reset, meaning you will not be able to get the sock for it, meaning you won't be able to beat the game one hundred percent, at least as the game intended you to play it. I heard that a similar soft lock occurs in the Krusty Krab if you leave the area before grabbing the sock in there, but back to Sand Mountain, I was lucky to have heard about the glitch before I started the game for the first time and against all odds... I managed to destroy all the sandmen without falling or dying and get the sock, so I was able to beat the game as intended.
 |
| Here's my evidence. |
But if you weren't so lucky, if you could somehow trigger a glitch that would allow you to clip into the movie theater you'll find a sock inside.
Another thing I noticed was when I directly warped to the second part of the game's final boss fight. When I got there all the fuses were broken and the trampolines were up. I would assume that there was no other way out, and that the only way to get back to this level properly was to play the Chum Bucket Lab from the beginning. Using the logic put toward a glitch where if you pay the clam to activate the bungee in the Trench of Advanced Darkness, only to fall off while doing the bubble bowl the sock will not spawn, the cutscenes act as an interim for the phases of the Lab levels, and because they didn't play when I got to the second part, there you go.
As another odd thing, you know that after beating the game, during the credits you are put into the Sponge Ball Arena. Well, after beating it you get to access it through a stand in the middle of the road in the second part of the Bikini Bottom hub world. Well in this game it doesn't happen. The only way you can access the arena again is if you play the Chum Bucket Lab again. Needless to say I was not gonna leave the arena until I got every last shiny object there. Just because it's an extra that doesn't mean people don't want to play in it.
Final Thoughts
Rehydrated is far from a perfect remake, even as a game in a vacuum. But I have a thing for flawed games, makes me appreciate them even more. I didn't go into Rehydrated with high standards, if anything it was a good excuse for me to have a childhood game on a modern system. There was some whiplash based on what I knew from the original compared to how Rehydrated handled it, but in spite of that I was able to make it through. Any flaws I brought up are either minor or are things you can at least adjust to overtime.
It's definitely not as great as the original game, and it's not the nostalgia talking. The original felt more fluid, I liked the more restrained art and animation style which allowed the writing to really pop, and overall it had enough to stand alongside the likes of Super Mario Sunshine and Sonic Adventure DX/2 Battle. Maybe I'm more used to the original, maybe Rehydrated has a few too many hiccups to rise above the original, but that doesn't have to mean the game is bad. If you know what you're doing you can beat the game in about a few hours, so it's not even that big of a commitment to make if you wanna play through.
As with anything following an existing version, if you come into Battle for Bikini Bottom for the first time, I strongly suggest you play the original first so you know what it was supposed to be like, then play Rehydrated so you can see how it stacks up. If you play the remake first it may lead to certain unfair impressions of the original. Such is the way with remakes and what they're remakes of.
If you want a rating, I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10.
