SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Reviews
Far from a cosmic shake-up, the latest SpongeBob game is a throwback faithful to a fault.
While it doesn't do anything new for the platforming genre, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake offers innocent adventures with iconic characters across Bikini Bottom.
SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake makes for an inconsistent start, but grows into the kind of fun-filled platformer its star deserves.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a solid game that will make series fans happy and surprise the more casual ones. The action in the levels meanders a bit, and the platforming can be a little rough, but the majority of the action is good. The multitude of secrets to uncover give the game some real legs after you complete the campaign. If future entries are handled by this developer, SpongeBob fans will have some good stuff to look forward to in the years to come.
SpongeBob SquarePants The Cosmic Shake is a decent platformer, but no more than that. Occasional brilliant moments of pure acting excellence and acceptable comedy are simply insufficient to distinguish this game from the genre's not-so-strong competition. Make no mistake, this game can be fun, but it lacks that certain something that would make it an easy recommendation to fans of platformers.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake does a lot right. Lots of references, more varied gameplay and a more intense story. Not everything is new, but for fans of the yellow sponge there is simply no way around this title. Only occasional annoying stutters and the collectible items tarnish the overall impression.
Review in German | Read full review
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a tribute to over 20 years of the show’s history, banking on classic references and memes to impress players. While there is a lot to do in this new version of Bikini Bottom, it largely involves much of the same linear progression as past games. If you’ve followed and enjoyed the last two decades of the show, then this game will likely be perfect for you.
Despite reservations about the levels and combat in particular, there’s still a lot of fun to be had here. The platforming feels great and every frame of the game is gorgeous to look at. We just hope the next adventure takes a bigger leap in the gameplay department.
Despite some of the games issues, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake gives you a unique SpongeBob experience we have yet to see.
The Cosmic Shake houses a fantastic recreation of the adventures that SpongeBob SquarePants has gone on throughout the years, only let down by an inability to provide adequate context for its gameplay mechanics.
The Cosmic Shake can be a fun collectathon with some charming moments, but the lack of original ideas and finesse make it feel more like an expansion than a brand new game.
SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake doesn't live up to its predecessor, but is still an enjoyable enough romp through the sea. There are a ton of delightful callbacks that can spice up the safe level design and it's fun to see alternate versions of beloved characters. If you're a fan it's worth playing through, but if not you may want to skip this one.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a short and fun collectathon that feels like the original cartoon in all the best ways. Frequent bugs and a tad too much repetition weigh the game down, but it's not enough to make it anything less than a good time.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is exactly the type of licensed game we need more of. It's loyal in tone to the show, while also being a good platformer that tells a worthwhile story within its universe.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is an all around fantastic game. I was genuinely impressed by the sheer amount of variety in the level designs, gameplay mechanics, and minigames.
The game shows that not only can Purple Lamb Studios give games the proper remake treatment, they can also follow them up with something refreshingly new, and I can’t wait to see what else the studio cooks up in the future. Especially if it’s another SpongeBob game, because if Cosmic Shake is any indication, Purple Lamb Studios clearly “gets it” concept wise, and are fully able to execute that concept to the fullest.
Amusing lines and colourful costumes can only do so much to shore up an ultimately "okay" game, one which does everything it sets out to do surprisingly well, but isn't really doing enough to be as great as it could be. With all that being said, your kids may end up loving this game to bits, and if that's who the game is for, then who's to say they're wrong?
Enjoyable, undemanding gameplay combines with absurdly humorous storytelling and excellent voice acting to make SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake a fun and charismatic campaign that will be enjoyed by kids, fans of the characters, and anyone who enjoys straightfoward 3D platformers. It can also be a great way to share the experience with the little ones, whether it's passing the controller to them or just having the kids watch you play.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is an earnest effort to produce another great game for the character, but it hasn't completely worked. The premise is good, the level design is imaginative, and there's a clear love for the IP with its countless references and costumes. However, some of the gameplay feels very dated, while a number of presentational shortcomings and a laundry list of bugs hold it back. If you're a big SpongeBob fan, there's absolutely a good time to be had here, but a general lack of polish and some played-out design mean it's not quite the sweet victory we were hoping for.
Its adherence to the cartoon is also its saving grace, as excising the IP from this title leaves you with little more than a simplistic, passable platformer. If nautical nonsense be something you wish, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake will absolutely deliver enjoyment on par with the cartoon itself—just don’t expect there to be much of anything you haven’t seen before.