I can’t think of any other instance of a dev remaking an older game and then following it up with their own sequel. This has gone even further, as now that sequel has gotten its own sequel. The Cosmic Shake is a decent game in its own right, but it did feel kind of rushed and unpolished, so I wasn’t super hopeful that SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide would eclipse it. Surprisingly, developer Purple Lamp has improved nearly everything across the board, with better gameplay and level design, resulting in an extremely enjoyable 3D platformer, whose only real misstep is being even shorter than The Cosmic Shake.
The premise here is perfect for a SpongeBob game: the Flying Dutchman and King Neptune are locked in battle with one another due to Mr. Krabs allowing the latter to skip the line for half-price Krabby Patties, while the former has to wait with everyone else. Their fight has serious ramifications, as they’re not only tearing Bikini Bottom apart, but SpongeBob has been turned into a ghost. The cutscenes have been vastly improved here compared to the last game, with lots of charming animations and far better lip-syncing to boot. The whole presentation just feels more effortful and doesn’t even grate with repeated lines like last time.
Much like The Cosmic Shake, this game doesn’t have a collect-a-thon focus. You’re taken through six linear levels, although you can once again freely warp to checkpoints in each one. There are a good number of side quests present, which are much more interesting than the ones in the last game, too. Many of these are races (some with surprisingly demanding time limits), but you’ll also locate items and the like. You’ll now collect coins, which function just like the jelly did previously, as you’ll use them to buy new costumes as well as extra health and decorative items. There are also a great many chests to find, multiple of which let you purchase new things, plus they all give you scrap that is used to unlock special challenges.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide brings back having more than one character at your disposal, but, much like the movie game, you only get Patrick. The big difference is that you can swap between the two at any time, something you’ll have to do since their abilities often need to be used in rapid succession. While SpongeBob is the one who’s been turned into a ghost, the two of them can swap places through their BFF rings. Each character has their own unique abilities; SpongeBob’s karate kick and bubble shot abilities return, and Patrick can once again pick up and throw items, only now he can also pull them to him. New to this game is the ability for Patrick to burrow underground.
Both platforming and combat require that the characters be swapped back and forth. For instance, you’ll have to be Patrick to burrow and launch at specified points, whereas you’ll need to switch to SpongeBob to use his karate kick. Switching between the two is incredibly smooth and responsive, making the gameplay a real joy since it flows together so well. Their abilities are very useful against certain enemies, since the karate kick instantly takes down weaker foes. Patrick, for instance, can grab enemy cannonballs out of the air and hurl them back.
Combat has seen a pretty large overhaul across the board, as both characters now have three-hit combos and the hit detection feels miles better than it did previously. On occasion, combat sequences can actually get a bit demanding, and there’s a pretty solid group of enemies to fight against. They’re all ghosts, and there are a few tougher varieties to contend with, including a flying one that teleports and can actually get somewhat obnoxious. The combat flows together well, too, so it’s difficult to overstate just how much of an improvement SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide is.
Another big way the game improves is in its boss battles. The ones in the previous game were mostly mediocre across the board, with the final boss being so simple and short that it seemed like an afterthought. All the fights here, however, are fun and have a solid amount of impact, with a surprisingly epic final fight. This is quite literally the best new game the franchise has received in decades, and Purple Lamp has demonstrated that it’s a darn good developer in its own right. Alas, good things don’t tend to last in this world of ours, so the game sadly ends far too soon.
If you don’t bother with side content, SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide will probably last you five-to-six hours, making it even shorter than The Cosmic Shake. I really wish there were another couple of levels at least, as this just doesn’t seem like enough to justify its price tag. At least you can keep yourself busy with the game’s side content. Challenges unlocked via collecting scrap are entertaining (if mostly pretty easy for the first half) and include platforming, combat, and jellyfish-capturing challenges. You even need to open every chest in the game to unlock the final tier of these, but considering that the game doesn’t give any easy way to track down your last few chests, this is easier said than done.
Another troubling detail is that SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide has a season pass that contains roughly 20 more minutes of levels (three slide races and three regular platforming levels), alongside costumes and the like. The fact that this game is as short as it is and includes day-one content is honestly kind of insulting, as these levels should absolutely be included and are also so short that putting a price on them can only be described as greedy. Don’t withhold content from games already starving of it, publishers, it’s not a good look.
Regardless, SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide is an excellent 3D platformer that really steps up to the plate with a lot of fun and satisfying gameplay that I really wish lasted for longer. I hope to see Purple Lamp release another entry, but hopefully that one will be at least ten hours long, as gameplay and level design as good as what’s on offer here deserve that much.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide: Massively improved gameplay, level design, and boss battles all combine to make for the best SpongeBob game in years, despite its brevity. – Andrew Farrell
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