Review copy of SpongeBob SquarePants Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated provided by THQNordic. It has been almost two decades since the original release of SpongeBob SquarePants Battle For Bikini Bottom, and overtime platforming games have fallen from grace as being one of the most successful genres. Originally released in 2003, Battle For Bikini Bottom took the beloved characters of SpongeBob SquarePants and gave them new life as playable characters in a video game. At the time, Battle For Bikini Bottom procured a cult following due to the franchise it was based on, yet eventually faded into the background as the years went on. Due to a recent surge in popularity surrounding the streaming community, however, Battle For Bikini Bottom has found life once again, even receiving the remaster treatment from THQNordic. Released on the PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, SpongeBob SquarePants Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated aims to capture the essence of what made the original special, while reminding players of how charming the platforming genre can be. For the uninitiated, Battle For Bikini Bottom sees SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends have their home turned upside down by another of Plankton’s experiments gone awry. Admitting that the situation has gotten out of hand, Plankton enlists SpongeBob to help him eliminate the robot threat and restore peace to Bikini Bottom. Along with Patrick and Sandy, SpongeBob travels to a multitude of fan favourite locations throughout Bikini Bottom, collecting Golden Spatulas and, incidentally, defeating a robot or two. There are a lot of positives that come along with seeking to revitalize an older title for the modern gaming environment. For instance, recapturing the success of a title that was fortunate enough to garner it once before is not as difficult the second time around, as the legacy of one’s experience can often influence their current perception of the product. While there are many positives that come with re-imagining Battle For Bikini Bottom, there are also issues that are brought to light in the current gaming environment that were not present in the original—or at least not as noticeable. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1iyBfjgjxk[/embedyt] Most of the original television cast reprise their roles in the game, similarly to the original title, and they serve only to accentuate the player’s experience. The artistic visuals, along with the strong voice cast, allow for the title to feel like an extension of the show. That is, except for the few characters that do not share the same level of quality. More specifically, Mr. Krabs and Mermaid Man lacked the presence of their iconic voice actors, replacing them with individuals who try to replicate the characters but often under-perform. This issue was present in the original, however with the remaster, one could question why THQNordic did not reach out and remedy this inconsistency. The missing talent of Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs is not enough to ruin the experience for players, but is still noticeable and jarring. Throughout Battle For Bikini Bottom’s runtime, players will spend the majority of their adventure collecting Golden Spatulas, Patrick’s lost socks, and Shiny Objects. Each level contains a variety of platforming genre tropes to satiate the desire of fans, ranging from switches that are accessible only to certain characters, to collectibles that are in plain sight but just out of reach. Consisting of many locals that fans of the series have come to love, Battle For Bikini Bottom is chalk full of fanservice. Whether it is helping Larry liberate Goo Lagoon, or exploring the depths of Rock Bottom, there are plenty of references to the television show. Players will primarily take control of the yellow sponge himself, as they travel throughout Bikini Bottom—occasionally switching to Patrick or Sandy when the moment calls for it. Each character can execute a basic attack, while performing a special move that is unique to them. SpongeBob’s special attack sees him dawn his Leif Erikson helmet and shoot up into objects above him. Patrick can throw objects and stunned enemies to progress through levels and reach areas inaccessible to SpongeBob. Sandy is the most useful character, however, as she can utilize her lasso to hover across platforms, swing like Spider-Man along suspended Texas Flags, and grab enemies in the distance. Each level requires players to switch between two characters in order to complete objectives, with SpongeBob always maintaining priority. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the game is the newly added multiplayer mode. Developer Purple Lamp Studios felt it was necessary to add their own flair to the original title, and decided on a co-op, wave based multiplayer. At first glance, the concept of fighting off against waves of robots as SpongeBob and his friends with a group of peers can seem enjoyable and exciting. Unfortunately, the implementation is lackluster and rather half-baked. The concept of this mode is to fight off against waves of robot enemies through multiple stages until finally fending off against Robot Squidward. The mode itself lacks many features that would have otherwise helped it stand out. Aside from an ominous tone that plays throughout, the entirety of the game’s soundtrack is absent from the mode, creating an awkwardly silent atmosphere as players mindlessly defeat robots. Each of the playable characters have been stripped of any special moves, limiting their actions to a simple light attack and ground pound. With no alternative objectives, defeating waves of robots can quickly become tedious—especially when the whole ordeal lasts upwards of 45 minutes. In theory, the promise of playing Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated with friends is a welcome one that holds great potential for replayability. However, rather than insert co-op into the main story, adding on a half-baked multiplayer mode negatively affected the final product by diminishing its overall appeal. Unfortunately, the issues do not stop with the multiplayer. Throughout one’s playthrough of Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, players can expect to encounter a multitude of glitches and annoyances. Inconvenient load times plague the title from the very start, as nothing was done by the developers to improve on the experience from the original. Every area requires load times of up to ten seconds when entering, and deaths can increase that time by forcing players to watch the same animation of a character flatlining. While the game does an excellent job of encouraging the player in locating all the additional collectibles, there are some that are unfortunately glitched. One of the main collectibles glitched, at the time of writing this review, is the Golden Spatula rewarded from annoying Squidward at the start of the game. Players looking to achieve 100% completion that encounter this glitch are unfortunately prevented from such an achievement. This can make over a dozen hours of work grinding every collectible in the game worthless at the very end. Another issue that may be encountered by players is a peculiar graphical glitch that simulates the presence of screen burn-in on one’s television. In one instance, the game gave off the impression that there was dust trapped behind the screen, and created a particle effect on everything the camera looked at. Another instance showed thick lines overlaying the environment that remained present regardless of camera orientation or fast travel. The only way to eliminate the screen burn-in effect was to close the application and restart it, however most times it simply swapped one effect with another. SpongeBob SquarePants Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated promised the ability to revisit a classic platformer in the modern age. In keeping said promise, the developers brought forth many issues left unnoticed at the time, but due to the enhancements made, were now front and centre. From the outset it can look like a lot of work was put into remastering the title for modern audiences, however after spending some time with the final product, it becomes clear that most of the resources were allocated to giving the title a fresh coat of paint. Little to no improvements were made towards improving the player’s experience, and any new additions made to the title feel out of place and lackluster. SpongeBob SquarePants Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated had the potential of contributing to the upward trend of platforming titles, but instead it serves as a reminder as to why the genre fell from grace in the first place.   SpongeBob SquarePants Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated was reviewed on Xbox One. Check out our previous review of Knight Squad on Nintendo Switch!