SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated

Although the gameplay and character models feel refreshed (Patrick’s limbs are delightfully floppy), the level design pales when compared to newer 3D platformers. Fully remade,2 including a remastered soundtrack, Battle For Bikini Bottom proves to be fun on a technical level, but the barren worlds, many NPCs you cannot interact with, and vexing objectives (the rolling ball in Mermaid Man’s lair, anybody?) make it fun and frustrating in equal measure. Fans won’t want to leave this one at the bottom of the sea. [Issue#178, p.82]

Overall, SpongeBob Squarepants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is a zesty and refreshing remake of a classic. It is no masterpiece by any standards, and some parts of it still feel superfluous, but it offers a fun single-player experience. The atmosphere of the game is great, mainly because the developers seem to have understood the universe which the game is based on, paying extra attention to fan favorites. The length of the game is more than fair and the new additions, except the co-op, enhance the overall experience. The return of most of the original voice actors is also a bonus, making SpongeBob Squarepants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated a fair remaster and a fun summer-y experience.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated gives us a good time. It is one of the best adaptations of a TV show into a video game, despite being a title that shows its age in several areas and that could have been better when it comes to a remake. But the charm of SpongeBob and his universe is still there.

Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is an enjoyable (if unremarkable) experience. We may not get as many low-budget licensed titles as we did back then, but this remake is sure to please players who still have a soft spot for that style of game, or for SpongeBob — either way, it’s a treat to revisit that pineapple under the sea.

There’s no reason for fans of the television series, or fans of the original game to not check out Rehydrated. It does a brilliant job of encapsulating the source material’s feeling, all the while updating the mechanics to feel fresh, snappy, and modern. Just keep in mind that Rehydrated is based on a game that was made in 2003. Many of the old tropes from games of this era, like repetitive NPC dialogue and music, have made the seventeen-year journey to affect Rehydrated the same way they did the original all that time ago. But I also think the shortcomings are made much more bearable by everything Rehydrated does right. It’s sort of like ordering a Krabby Patty, but they forget the pickles. It’s perfectly edible. Delicious, even. But it could be so much better.

Nickelodeon and Stephen Hillenburg stumbled upon something unique when they created SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob’s infectious positivity has allowed the show to continue to this day and spawn numerous films and games alongside it. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is a solid remaster of the 2003 original. Though the story hasn’t changed, the charm and wit that defined the original release remain as strong as ever. Exploring the faithfully-recreated locales is quite the experience for any SpongeBob fan, and the beautiful presentation and original voice actors ensure you remain immersed. It’s unfortunate that the gameplay remains as simple as it was in 2003 and that the new multiplayer mode lacks any of the charms of the campaign. There’s little new for returning players to sink their teeth into, and if you’re not already a fan, not a lot of depth to keep you engaged. For fans and those who want to relive the joy that is SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, however, Rehydrated still delivers all the humor of the original all while sporting a slick coat of new paint.

A product suitable for the most passionate fans.

Rehydrated doesn’t do anything that hasn’t been done before, but it looks and plays great with players getting to interact with their favorite goofy characters from the animated series. The game has rekindled my love of this series, and now, I can’t get “Jelly Fish Jam” out of my head.

It’s fair to say Battle for Bikini Bottom was hardly a revelation back in 2003 and it’s definitely not one now, even with the cult popularity the original has gained due to the speedrunning community. What it is, however, is a fun time that nobody can knock, no matter how simple it may be. The boss battles may be poor, the jokes may often fall flat, and the ending may be completely anticlimactic, but any faults here are actually faults of the original that this new version has masterfully remade. Rehydrated is a total success in bringing the original back to life and it somehow looks truly beautiful, especially considering the obviously juvenile nature of the source material. It’s not something I would outwardly recommend to everyone but it did make me reconsider my pipeline of games and if I might not just want to throw in a couple of mindless simple ones, in order to relax between the giants.

A fun collect-a-thon platformer. It has tons of collectibles, and it successfully manages to update an old fan favorite in a franchise that has been idle for a while. It's not a perfect comeback by any means, but it's solid with tight controls and fun stages that will entertain fans of SpongeBob and anyone looking for a good platformer. Given its fair release price and the content on offer, it's definitely worth a look, although it could've turned out more polished than it did.

SpongeBob Rehydrated is a vibrant remake of a much loved PS2 platformer. It's a little rough around the edges, but it's a solid effort that brings back a type of game that's all too rare on modern machines. The simple fun of collecting, bashing enemies, and exploring a beloved location is very much here, and fans young and old will get a kick out of this underwater excursion.

Spongebob Squarepants is a fun and colorful experience with simple yet diverse gameplay that keeps its momentum until the end, and it would have been a great title if not for its dated visuals.

Basically, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is full of all kinds of weird little gameplay quirks that show this is just a reskinned version of a 17-year-old game. There’s nothing terrible about it, to be sure, but unless you’re coming in with fond memories of the original, you probably won’t find much here that’s worth your time.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated seems directly targeted at those with a real nostalgia for the original game. Improved visuals and audio aside, it’s hard to recommend to a new audience when the platforming genre has had some truly outstanding remakes these past few years, let alone new entries.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is a fun enough game in its own right, but it’s encumbered with the weight of near-ancient game design practices. It’s new bright visuals bring Bikini Bottom to life in a whole new way, with character animations now better portraying the classic cartoon than ever before, but its gameplay is still firmly anchored to 2003, some of which has been negatively impacted by its updated visuals. At its core, Rehydrated is a repetitive and cumbersome 2003 platformer. A bit of water in 2020 isn’t enough to soak new life into this old dried up sponge.

Rehydrated doesn’t offer up more than a few hours-worth of content to distract from the doldrum. It took me roughly 8 hours to beat the story, but it would probably take up to 12 to collect everything. If you’re looking for a new game to play in quarantine, this isn’t it. Despite the nostalgia, I honestly can’t recommend this game to anyone except for families with small children. There’s no penalty for dying, except for having to backtrack through areas, and the combat is simplistic enough that any kid will be able to pick it up easily. The good news is that SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is only $29.99. The bad news is that I still think that’s overpriced.