SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: THQ
  • Release Date: Nov 21, 2002
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 53 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 53
  3. Negative: 14 out of 53
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  1. TheHumbleGamer
    Apr 27, 2017
    8
    Perhaps it's my nostalgia speaking, but as a kid I thought this game was amazing.
    From the wonderfully charming music to the cheesy loveable characters I could not really see any problems with it for the age range expected to play it. It's easy to pick up and get into, has an easy to understand story and its level of difficulty is hard-but-not-to-hard which is perfect for kids getting in    Perhaps it's my nostalgia speaking, but as a kid I thought this game was amazing.
    From the wonderfully charming music to the cheesy loveable characters I could not really see any problems with it for the age range expected to play it. It's easy to pick up and get into, has an easy to understand story and its level of difficulty is hard-but-not-to-hard which is perfect for kids getting in to 3D platforming games. The puzzles are well balanced, with some being simple and others taking some extra effort and time to master to complete, and each world is themed appropriately to areas of the show that kids will easily recognise.

    The controls are a little bit clunky, but for a PS2 game from 2002, it's not too bad. It's still very much playable and highly addictive, even today. Anyone giving this game a bad review clearly hasn't allowed themselves to think like a kid while playing this, this game is perfectly designed to appeal to the young Spongebob audience, the fact I still like it 15 years later is simply because of nostalgia, but I'm sure there are Spongebob fans (and even 3D platformer fans) who could still get a kick out of this game.

    As Spongebob games go, I certainly think this one's an underrated classic. Not the best game made from the franchise, but certainly not a bad one either.    … Expand
  2. PeroGeek
    May 9, 2018
    9
    This is the best game about spongebob .
    But my DVD is stop working , its bad.
  3. Zilcell
    Nov 6, 2011
    7
    It can be pretty fun for the most part, but I can't recommend it too much because it is an easy game. It does have an original story from Spongebob Squarepants but it is a pretty simple game. You might like it.
  4. FreedomFighters
    Feb 25, 2018
    6
    THQ was pretty well-known back in the day (that being the 1990s and the 2000s) for their many video games based on popular Nickelodeon cartoons. Seeing as how "SpongeBob SquarePants" was one of the most popular Nick shows of all time, it should come as no shock that they made their fair share of "SpongeBob" games. The first one to release on sixth-generation consoles was "SpongeBobTHQ was pretty well-known back in the day (that being the 1990s and the 2000s) for their many video games based on popular Nickelodeon cartoons. Seeing as how "SpongeBob SquarePants" was one of the most popular Nick shows of all time, it should come as no shock that they made their fair share of "SpongeBob" games. The first one to release on sixth-generation consoles was "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman," which was developed by BigSky Interactive, a company that closed their doors after the release of this game. I can kind of understand why.
    "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman" is a relatively short adventure, but one that's actually pretty fun. The game's controls, though occasionally sluggish, are fine enough, the level design isn't bad, the many worlds of SpongeBob are accurately portrayed here, and the music is quite catchy. On top of that, the voice acting is pretty solid, thanks to the fact that BigSky got all of the original voice actors to return, and they do a great job bringing their characters to life in the game.
    The game isn't without fault, however: though the music is catchy, it is repetitive and it only changes depending on your costume, the graphics are sub-par, the game's objectives aren't necessarily clear (this is a kid's game, they should be), the game as a whole doesn't feel very much like the show (the characters act far different than they should), and the loading times are downright obnoxious, so much so that there is literally a loading screen for the loading screen, which is absolutely unacceptable. On top of that, if you're like me and played the PlayStation 2 version, you probably had to "save scum" your way through the entire game because of the fact that entering a new area could often result in a glitch that sends you back to the PS2's memory card screen and effectively deletes the progress you made to that point. It's really not convenient, and it's unacceptable for such a thing to exist.
    All in all, "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman" is nothing special, bur it's a fun little game that kids and "SpongeBob" fans can enjoy...on the GameCube. If you really want to play it, play it on the GameCube, that way you don't have to engage in a battle with a stupid loading glitch. Either way, it's a decent game, nothing more, nothing less.
    Final rating: 6 out of 10 "Decent"    … Expand
  5. CriticNamedZack
    May 18, 2019
    4
    Story: One day, Spongebob wakes up and begins playing fetch with Gary, leading the snail to dig up a treasure chest. Spongebob opens the chest and finds a magic bottle, which, upon rubbing it, he accidentally releases The Flying Dutchman. The Flying Dutchman tells Spongebob that he will take Gary to work on his ship for all eternity; after briefly leaving to check on his ship. SpongebobStory: One day, Spongebob wakes up and begins playing fetch with Gary, leading the snail to dig up a treasure chest. Spongebob opens the chest and finds a magic bottle, which, upon rubbing it, he accidentally releases The Flying Dutchman. The Flying Dutchman tells Spongebob that he will take Gary to work on his ship for all eternity; after briefly leaving to check on his ship. Spongebob then must travel across seven different worlds to recover letter tiles in order to defeat the Dutchman...

    Pros:
    • Although it's simple, I do like the story in this game. It does feel like something that would be in a special for the show (edited to work of course).

    Cons:
    • The ending for this game however is extremely underwhelming and feels flat out rushed.

    Gameplay: The game is a 3d platformer and collectaton where you collect Jellyfish, Doubloons (Coins), and Letters that spell Spongebob's name that then leads to finding the Dutchman's treasure chest in each world. The game has seven of these worlds. Some are inspired by already-existing locations from the show such as Bikini Bottom and Goo Lagoon. Others, however are new such as Chum World and the Flying Dutchman's Graveyard.

    Pros:
    • The different costumes, Mermaid Man, Fishing and Reef Blower Spongebob can wear is pretty neat how they all have special abilities. (besides the square costume, that's useless)
    • This game also has some neat concepts I find quite clever. Such as underwear for Spongebob being a healing item.

    Cons:
    • Terrible combat. The hit detection is just awful and it feels like luck whether you hit enemies or they hit you first.
    • The game is too easy. Dying in this game has no penalty to the player so the fear of death is never really even thought off in this game. I know it's a kids game, but it's no excuse for no challenge whats so ever.
    • The camera is terrible. It's not uncommon for 3d platformers to have issues with the camera. However this games camera is slow to move around and gets stuck in everything that messes up your vision.
    • No real point in 100% since you don't get any bonus rewards. Your better off just collecting what you need to progress instead of everything.
    • The Jellyfish outfit is much more useful compared to the other costumes, which you will most likely use for much shorter periods of time.

    Sound and Music:
    Pros:
    • The voice actors from the show are present and do an excellent job. Only off ones are the narrator sound weird and creepy and Larry who's just out of character and kind off a jerk.

    Cons:
    • The music isn't bad in this game, but there's only nine tracks in the game. Only two worlds in the game have an actual soundtrack to accompany the area. The rest of the soundtrack plays depending on what costume your wearing and that get's very annoying hearing the same music over and over again.
    • The sound effects come off really cheap and crappy sounding.

    Performance and Graphics:
    Pros:
    • The depiction of Bikini Bottom and Sandy's Treedome is actually well designed and I think it represents the location of the show pretty well.

    Cons:
    • The other five worlds however are really poorly made and some areas look questionable and not what I would expect to be in locations like Jellyfish Fields, Goo Lagoon etc.
    • I'm not fuzzy over graphics in general, even if they are bad. It has to be said though they do not look good even for 2002.
    • The performance is inconsistent. The smaller areas run well. In the bigger areas however the frame rate starts to be very inconsistent.
    • The in-game cutscenes look dreadful. The animations are weak and character models both in and out of cutscenes are hideous, especially NPCs and enemies.

    Verdict: The more I play this game, the more its flaws just become more bothersome for me. This game is just s**t and you will need to be a big fan of the show to get through this muck. I'll give a little bit of credit for this game starting the long list of console Spongebob games that we got after this one. But at the end of the day, this game feels like a early demo version of the games to shortly follow this one. If it wasn't for a nice simple story and the excellent voice acting, this game would be even worse

    Story: 7/10
    Gameplay: 3/10
    Sound and Music: 4.5/10
    Performance and Visuals 3/10
    Overall Rating: 4.0/10    … Expand
  6. HemanWomanhater
    Feb 23, 2003
    10
    Good.
  7. Styler
    Mar 9, 2005
    10
    Really the best game what i ver played. but i cann`t beat the last lvl, how it goes?
  8. MikeM.
    Jun 3, 2007
    3
    Very poor effort, stay away from this one. Developer BigSky Interactive's only game to date, and for good reason. Despite the mediocre and sparse visuals, the framerate is abysmal, which definitely has a detrimental effect on gameplay. Even the Java or Flash-based Spongebob games on the internet are superior to RotFD. If you're in the market for a PS2 Spongebob game, I Very poor effort, stay away from this one. Developer BigSky Interactive's only game to date, and for good reason. Despite the mediocre and sparse visuals, the framerate is abysmal, which definitely has a detrimental effect on gameplay. Even the Java or Flash-based Spongebob games on the internet are superior to RotFD. If you're in the market for a PS2 Spongebob game, I personally recommend Battle for Bikini Bottom. I got BfBB for my kids, but ended up playing it myself. It's not perfect, but overall a very good platformer, surprisingly.… Expand
  9. MikeH.
    Apr 14, 2003
    10
    It is crap.
  10. CarinaR.
    Apr 24, 2003
    10
    The Best game ever!!!!!!!!!!!!
  11. JasonH.
    Apr 8, 2003
    10
    Im a huge spongebob fan and i luv this game it is fun.
  12. Beefbobconnie
    May 5, 2003
    10
    It is a great game that is very fun.
  13. DudeBob
    Mar 13, 2003
    10
    PLAY THIS IT'S TIGHT!!!
  14. AnnieS.
    Mar 23, 2003
    10
    I love this game it is the best!
  15. NokhbB.
    Mar 24, 2003
    10
    It's the best.
  16. BobertB.
    Mar 29, 2003
    10
    This game is so dang cool it took me a long time to beat but i love it so much its the best!!!! ®
  17. [Anonymous]
    Apr 25, 2003
    10
    This game is the best if you're looking for a challenge. I hope future "Spongebob Squarepant's" games are this fun and exciting!
  18. AdamM.
    Apr 27, 2003
    10
    Perfect simply perfect! The show is great the game is great what more could you ask for?! Spongebob squarepants revenge of the flying dutchman is a game alot of gamers have been hanging out for a long time! This game 10 out of 10 simply superb!!!
  19. Chell_R
    Aug 29, 2020
    9
    Good game. Good platforming, good dialogue, GREAT soundtrack and effects... just a REALLY, really, Good game.

    Don't let IGNorance. get ya down.
  20. Spongebobfanboy
    Feb 11, 2021
    10
    My favorite game i played when I was wee bitty 2 year old i loved then and I love it now i got Nostalgia

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 2 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 2 out of 2
  1. Play Magazine
    40
    Levels so sparse they should run at 30, the models are bad, and there's loading where there should be none. [Feb 2003, p.90]
  2. IGN
    40
    Yes, pre-school-aged kids will probably get a kick out of the game, though they'd likely be more entertained mowing down prostitutes in "Grand Theft Auto."
    Read full review