SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Reviews
The barebones nature of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is ultimately disappointing, especially when there is so much potential with the license. While it delivers the charm and characters from the beloved television series, the lack of creativity makes it a barely enjoyable video game experience. Even for the most ardent of fans, this is one game that should remain in a pineapple under the sea.
SpongeBob Cosmic Shake is a small but decent platform game without much pretension. THQ's title prefers to capitalise on its accessibility and fan service rather than trying to offer a dense and deep adventure. A choice that will certainly delight the youngest, but much less the older fans. The game is indeed content with the bare minimum regarding its structure, its writing and its gameplay and if it succeeds in what it undertakes, one can only complain that it really does too little. And it's a pity, as the universe lends itself well to it.
Review in French | Read full review
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a barebones platformer that manages to be supremely boring despite its SpongeBob-infused charm.
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 nails the feeling of the source material and it does a great job of replicating the free and fancy fun of those old-school platformers. That being said, it's not a great game, at least if you're over the age of 12. It's lacking in challenge, it's rather short, and there's very little replay value. For the younger players who haven't been jaded by this wonderful and wicked industry, it's a serviceable platformer with authentic voice acting that gives players a chance to be part of their favorite show. For everybody else, it's a short distraction that had the potential to be so much more.
I’d venture to say that this kept my attention more than Battle for Bikini Bottom. If you like current day SpongeBob and platformers, this will probably scratch a specific itch for a few hours.
Fans of the franchise may be eager to try out "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake "and compare it to the series - to which they will be plenty delighted.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is not my usual game. However, variety is the spice of life, so when the chance came, I thought, why not. And so, with childish enthusiasm I loaded up the game and prepared to venture for a stroll through Bikini Bottom.
Snappy dialogue brings the occasional laugh, and the experience remains pleasant enough throughout its entire runtime – but a devotion to the past, and a seeming lack of interesting ideas means The Cosmic Shake simply slides off the brain, like a passing thought.
Even with these issues, I hope this isn’t the last we see of a Purple Lamp-developed SpongeBob game. The final level alone - with its wonderfully daft premise and unique mechanics - is proof enough that the folks over there have a lot to offer. Even if I’m not quite ready to take Employee of the Month away from Battle for Bikini Bottom, we have the makings of something amazing here. Nickelodeon needs to recognise this potential, and sets its sights higher with the next SpongeBob game.
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?
Despite some of the games issues, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake gives you a unique SpongeBob experience we have yet to see.
SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake is a really bland affair! It’s disappointing and uninspired level design, that often feels like it drags on way too long, mixed with its really dated gameplay mechanics makes for quite a generic platforming adventure with stiff controls. Whilst the narrative is entertaining and does its absolute best to be a redeeming factor, it just isn’t enough to be a selling point for The Cosmic Shake. I am honestly saddened to say that SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is quite a dull experience and is not worth picking up.
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.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake represents a setback compared to what was seen in the remake of Battle for Bikini Bottom, which should be the standard, especially since this is a game with an "original" proposal. Without problems, it can be an introductory experience to gaming for children and youth audiences, but outside of that group and if you are not a fan of the series, better watch an episode or its movies.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Cosmic Shake has its ups and downs, and is not an experience for just anybody, especially with its hefty 40 dollars price tag. If you are not a die-hard SpongeBob fan, you can probably skip this one or wait for the discount season.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Far from a cosmic shake-up, the latest SpongeBob game is a throwback faithful to a fault.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake neither sinks nor swims, it floats. This is a simple and well-executed game, likely too simple for the majority… but fun enough for young players and fans.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake could offer you a couple of fun evenings, but don't expect something extraordinary. There is almost no incentive to replay levels other than unlocking new costumes and you can get more than enough of those during your regular playthrough.
Review in Russian | 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.