SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review

Make a wish

Reviewed by A.J. Maciejewski playing a PS4 on February 7, 2023 🧽

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is also available for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch

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Everyone's favourite talking sponge is back in a new adventure so let's have fun with SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake.

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A wish come true?

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake has an entertaining premise where Patrick and SpongeBob make wishes via a bottle of mermaid tears which has unintended consequences. Specifically, it transports areas of Bikini Bottom to various realms that you'll then have to traverse in the hopes of returning everything back to normal. Oh, and it transforms Patrick into a balloon so there's that. 😅 Anyway, this is a hilarious premise and it lends itself well to the gameplay as exploring these areas makes for one memorable adventure.

An authentic SpongeBob experience

Playing SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake will make fans of the cartoon feel right at home as it presents itself exceptionally well. Now, it doesn't have the best graphics but it definitely represents the series with its colourful and imaginative areas, familiar cast of characters, and charming animations that are sure to put a smile on your face. On top of that, the soundtrack is fitting with its island vibes and cute melodies and the voice cast provides expectedly spot-on performances. Well, some lines are repeated far too often which regularly got on my nerves but besides that, it's a very well-presented 3D platforming experience. 🍍

3D platforming with variety

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is the sort of platformer that the whole family can enjoy whether the youngsters are watching or trying it out for themselves. Thankfully, it's a very easy and intuitive game to play with the basic actions allowing you to run, jump, and smack enemies around. As you progress, you'll encounter the odd segment that'll have you take part in a mini-game whether you're chugging sodas with Sandy Cheeks or hoisting socks to be used as sails. These moments add a welcome amount of variety although they are exceptionally simple and easy. You'll also unlock an array of additional abilities that let you do things like encase enemies in bubbles, jump-kick foes from a distance, and swing from certain grapple points and it all adds up to one varied campaign. 😊

Beat up baddies

The enemies to take on within SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake aren't all that diverse as you'll only come across a handful of varieties. On top of that, whether you're smacking an underling, throwing a bubble at a distant long-range attacker, or dodging a hulking brute; it all feels rather inconsequential considering just how unchallenging it is. Even if you were to lose all of your undies (which act as health) then you'll simply start again where you left off so there's no real consequence for failure. This might make very young kids happy but everyone else will likely be somewhat unsatisfied with how easy it all is. In fact, whenever I stepped into a new section and an arena formed around it, I often felt annoyed that I'd have to fight a bunch of enemies instead of looking forward to it. 😩

Get goodies

Finally, the campaign within SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake takes about 6 or 7 hours to beat but as you work through it, you can acquire extra costumes that are quite silly by spending earned currency (Jellies) as well as complete optional objectives. Whether you're collecting scattered items or finding hidden gold coins; you're bound to have a good time exploring the nooks and crannies of the levels that you're already familiar with. Plus, acquiring absolutely everything has the potential to double your playtime. 🐋

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a decent 3D platformer that does a great job of capturing the magic of what makes the cartoon as appealing as it is. If you don't mind its lack of challenge, I'd say give it a go but just keep any pins away from Patrick, ok?