“Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?”
Yes, it’s SpongeBob SquarePants! However, the hyperactive and ever positive sea sponge takes a back seat this time around, as his best friend Patrick Star steps up into the limelight.
As the title suggests, the lovable idiot is quite literally the star in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game, setting out to help the residents of Bikini Bottom and earn plenty of sand dollars along the way.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game turns Bikini Bottom into an open world style sandbox, where interacting with the weird and wonderful residents will award quests. All your favourites are here and looking for help, from Squidward, Plankton, Mr. Krabs and even the yellow sponge himself.
You’re thrown straight into it, there’s no campaign, setup or overarching story here. Instead, it’s up to you entirely which order you tackle the quests in. They are scattered around Bikini Bottom, and denoted by “?” symbols on your map. The world itself isn’t that large, but packs in all the familiar sights from the series.
However, it does look great. It may not be pushing the boundaries of graphical fidelity, but SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game nails the style of theme of the show, so fans will no doubt love it. The voice acting is also spot on, with original cast members returning to ensure the whole experience is very authentic.
There are a few different quests, usually themed by the character who gives them. For example, the famously grumpy Squidward tasks you with clearing out bystanders from his favourite sunbathing spots with a range of tools such as a huge sweeping brush. And then, if you head off to see Mrs. Puff, you’ll be able to take part in a series of road races and battle it out for first prize. SpongeBob himself will challenge you to score as many points as possible with your coconut blaster, by smashing as many crates as possible suspended in the air.
Some quests are more akin to mini games, and offer a cheeky nod to other video games you may have played. For example, one has you flipping burgers at the Krusty Krab to order. No prizes for guessing which game inspired this.
I found the skydiving and rage room quests the most fun, but SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game is certainly a mixed bag when it comes to what’s on offer. Some will task you to find items, such as treasure chests, which lose their spark pretty quickly. As a whole, the quests are pretty repetitive and very simple (only a few stand out), with some characters getting you to do exactly the same thing, albeit in a different location.
Still, as I said, your main aim is to earn sand dollars, enough in order to afford entry to The Fry Cook Games. This competition is again, a series of mini games, which are played out in front of record crowds (and a rather peculiar commentator) at the Fast Food Coliseum. If you top the board and earn gold, the credits roll and that’s a wrap for SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game.
Of course, there are still things to do if you want to dive back into Bikini Bottom. Each area has “feats”, which are basically challenges that are sometimes linked to the in-game achievements. These range from very simple tasks such as grabbing two jellyfish at once, to finding all of the mayo jars scattered around Bikini Bottom.
You can also get around the world in various ways that will raise a smile, such as jumping in vehicles, gliding around in a plane and even blasting off in a rocket. There are also optional errands you can run if you jump in the right type of vehicle, such as delivering food or collecting trash.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game is easy going, light hearted and utterly goofy, just like the titular character himself. Ragdoll physics are in play here, to the point where Patrick can gather some serious speed by rolling around instead of walking, and is immune to fall damage. I guess being underwater has its advantages.
This creative choice comes with its downsides, such as a lack of precision when trying to do things such as build burgers against the clock at the Krusty Krab, or keep the trash bags in the back of your truck as you transport them for disposal. In the interests of full disclosure, I gave up after spilling all my garbage bags over the road again and again.
This is clearly a game aimed at the younger audience, as the gameplay is gentle and pretty shallow. It plays like a tie-in release from the mid-to-late noughties, and I can just see this on the front of a Wii game case so clearly in my mind. The other issue is the price – it’s £34.99 on the Xbox Store which feels expensive given you can reach the credits in just a few hours.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game is perfect for kids, who it is so clearly aimed at. They will have a blast in a world which allows them to explore and cause mischief, especially if they are fans of the show. For the rest, there’s a limited amount of fun on offer, which is entertaining for a short while.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game – A Hilarious Sandbox Adventure – https://www.thexboxhub.com/spongebob-squarepants-the-patrick-star-game-a-hilarious-sandbox-adventure/
Buy The Patrick Star Game on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/spongebob-squarepants-the-patrick-star-game/9NMF3KXT4P4G
