izigame.me

It's not as good as the best Spongebob games (BFBB, Movie Game, Creature from the Krusty Krab, etc) but still, a step above the generic ones that came out in the 2010's. There definitely was a very genuine attempt to create something fun for Spongebob fans and not just a corporate cash grab, and I appreciate that. For positives, it is a very nice looking game for the most part, and a step above BFBB Rehydrated. The humor is great and captures the vibe of classic Spongebob better than the TV show does currently. The hub world is fun and cool to see an expanded version of what we've seen before. I love that the game attempts to take some of the game design language of the previous Spongebob games and create something new with it. At the same time however, this is a bit of a double edge sword as it leads me to my biggest issues with the game. I think this attempt was largely unsuccessful and it's very frustrating.
My biggest problems with the game are the level design and the combat, which makes up a bulk of the experience so it's hard to ignore. To start with the combat, the expanded arsenal of moves is a very welcome addition, but falters for me because of how deliberately limiting it is implemented. I don't like that a lot of the moves can only be used in certain times and only on certain enemies. Specifically the kick move would be way more fun to use if you could do it all the time and level design would encourage that. This is something that was very prominent in BFBB that I think this game missed out on. The platforming and combat abilities were one in the same, and the level design reflected this and was designed around it. Same goes for the bubble move which feels like a downgrade from the Bubble Bowl from BFBB. The closed in combat areas make this issue the most apparent with how operatic and empty they feel. In a better game, I don't think we'd need them at all.
More on the level design now. One thing that made BFBB great is how the level design made the world feel much bigger and expansive than it actually was. Sure there is an obvious direction and flow to the levels, but you could make a mental map in your head of the environment and every nook and cranny was memorable. This maze like design is largely absent with the level design in this game is being mostly straight forward. The few times the levels opened up a bit was welcome. I just wish they went further in that direction. Best examples being the later levels such as Halloween Rock Bottom, Pirate Goo Lagoon and Medieval Sulfur Fields. The latter is probably the best level in the game in my opinion.
A few other issues with game include it's shorter length, less engaging collectible system, and mediocre boss fights. These don't bother me as much but feel worth mentioning none the less as obvious downgrades. Now I've been very critical in this review, but I do still recommend the game. All these issues aside, there's a lot of glimpses of brilliance and capturing the magic of what made BFBB so great (at least to people like me who grew up with it). I did still enjoy it, and think if Purple Lamp where to make a sequel that addressed the issues with this game, it could be something really special. I don't know how well this game is selling, so it may be unlikely. If I had to give this game a score it would be a 6/10. Thank you for reading this way too long review. This may resonate with a very niche group of weird cartoon-game nerds like myself, who are getting to old to care about this sort of thing.