Are ya ready, kids?! SpongeBob SquarePants and his best buddy, Patrick Star, have officially arrived – and they’re here to rescue Bikini Bottom from powerful villains and ghoulish foes in their newest game titled SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide. The follow-up game to SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, Titans of the Tide is a single-player 3D adventure platformer that’s fun for all ages. Developed by Purple Lamp and published by THQ Nordic, the game is currently available on Steam with full controller support.

The Krusty Krab is arguably the most recognisable location in all of Bikini Bottom. It’s here where we begin Titans of the Tide with a store opening tutorial. Customers are impatiently lined up outside waiting for the fast-food restaurant doors to open, and it’s your job to get the Krusty Krab cleaned and ready for opening.

You’ll begin the story as SpongeBob SquarePants while learning basic game mechanics such as attacking and jumping. It’s also here, during the tutorial, that we are first introduced to the newfound rivalry between The Flying Dutchman and King Neptune. Honestly, The Flying Dutchman is quite the respectable customer during this sequence of events. It isn’t until King Neptune shows up at the Krusty Krab and repeatedly disrespects and condescends to The Flying Dutchman, AKA “the most powerful being in all of Bikini Bottom”, that the rivalry truly begins between these two omnipotent beings.

The Flying Dutchman, in a show of his powerful abilities, starts turning citizens of Bikini Bottom into ghosts during a fit of rage. This causes King Neptune to quickly retreat to his kingdom out of fear… but the damage is already done. Nothing seems to quell the anger inside of The Flying Dutchman, not even a half-priced beverage. Unfortunately, during his frenzy, SpongeBob is hit with the ghostification powers and finds himself turned into a spirit.

This prompts us to begin our hero journey as Patrick, tasked with making his way to the haunted grounds of the Krusty Krab. Will you be able to prevent the entire city of Bikini Bottom from becoming haunted by the souls of its once-living inhabitants?

Upon loading into the game, you’ll be asked to connect a controller to continue playing. Although I did this, I also played Titans of the Tide with a keyboard and mouse and found both methods playable. But it definitely feels like it was made to be played with a controller. One of the first things you’ll learn while playing as Patrick Star is how to use his special burrow ability while collecting coins and attacking loot crates. Smashing all the crates to get the coins inside reminded me of playing Crash Bandicoot when I was a kid.

Along your journey to reunite with SpongeBob, you’ll also face enemies for the first time. Throughout Titans of the Tide, you’ll have to dodge and fight chum-spitting ghouls found around town. Occasionally, you’ll be faced with mini-boss fights on your way to big boss fights, with each boss offering a variety of abilities and attacks. Destroying the enemies is easy and fun, and doesn’t require a high skill level, which I think is perfect for kids who want to play this game.

Once you reach SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs at the Krusty Krab, you’ll be able to switch with ease between playing as SpongeBob or Patrick, both utilising their own unique skillset to progress further through the story. Switching between the two characters is a seamless process that I

enjoyed. Playing as Patrick grants you the ability to burrow under the surface of the sand to gather items that are buried or use his grappling ability to yoink items toward you. When playing as SpongeBob, you can karate kick to destroy airborne objects, reach higher heights and defend yourself against enemies. You cannot progress through the game without switching between both of them, as their individual abilities are crucial for finishing levels and solving puzzles. Luckily, switching between each character is an easy and extremely smooth process.

Don’t forget: If you find yourself getting low on health, make sure to collect underwear bubbles to gain extra lives! You can also purchase extra lives (underwear pieces) from the Miscellaneous section of the Shop. You can find the Shop from within your start menu, along with a Map that lets you fast travel to multiple locations. Once in the start menu, you’ll also be able to track your quests and view in-game milestones.

After getting the basics down and finding SpongeBob, you’ll quickly notice that the Krusty Krab restaurant is a little, uh, different. It’s been totally afflicted by the ghoulish curse of the Flying Dutchman. It’s okay, though, because Mr. Krabs has found an airborne solution to escape the drama. Board Mr. Krabs’ floating Krusty Krab airship, aptly named The Floating Patty, and enjoy a brief reprieve from the ghost-afflicted Bikini Bottom. Once on The Floating Patty, you’ll have access to a boutique owned by Pearl, the daughter of Mr. Krabs. Here you can purchase costumes and display decorations. You’ll also be able to make and sell Krabby Patties for money in an Overcooked-style mini game while onboard the floating restaurant.

The amount of references used in the game is freakin’ insane (in the best way). Catch jellyfish, speak to Karen, help Larry the Lobster and marvel at the Handsome Squidward sculpture. Titans of the Tide was absolutely made for hardcore SpongeBob SquarePants fans; maybe not so much for hardcore fans of platformers. I would frequently have a giggle at the ridiculous lines that Patrick or SpongeBob would say. Even their idle animations are full of TV show references. I’m telling you: this game was 100% made with SpongeBob fans in mind.

Created in Unreal Engine (5.6), SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide has a somewhat tacky and plastic look to the characters, but the world itself and the cut scenes look great. Visually, the game looks very vibrant, and it has that classic SpongeBob art style, which fans will immediately recognise. One of my favourite elements of the game is the ability to unlock multiple character costumes by reaching milestones and then purchasing them from the store.

Although Patrick has a noticeably smaller number of cosmetics to unlock, SpongeBob currently has 25 different costumes you can obtain, ranging from Leif Erikson to KarateBob.

Titans of the Tide also offers the option to toggle photo mode on or off, allowing players to capture filtered or unfiltered snaps of Bikini Bottom and its inhabitants. Small additions, such as costuming and photography, add a creative element to the game that makes it feel more personalised for the player, which I really enjoy. Did I mention that the original cast of the SpongeBob SquarePants series voices all the characters? No? Well, isn’t that just the coolest thing ever?

The music and dialogue used in Titans of the Tide feel straight out of a SpongeBob SquarePants TV episode or movie. It’s perfect, and it helps immerse the player in the world of Bikini Bottom. Every single citizen you can interact with in-game has a comment or remark to make, which contributes to the game’s immersion as well. It helps make the player feel like they’re really playing as SpongeBob or Patrick while exploring Bikini Bottom. The tone of the music playing also changes when you switch between SpongeBob and Patrick, which is a subtle but appreciated touch.

I’ve always been a huge fan of the SpongeBob SquarePants series, but this was my first time playing a game from the SpongeBob SquarePants universe. I’m not generally a fan of platformers, but I had fun playing Titans of the Tide, and I think it would be perfect for children and families due to the age-appropriate jokes and dialogue, while also being enjoyable for older SpongeBob fans like myself who grew up watching the show.

You can tell the developers put a lot of passion into creating this game and that they have great respect for the SpongeBob SquarePants universe. There really isn’t much to complain about when it comes to this game. Have fun saving Bikini Bottom from total ghostification! And remember: it doesn’t hurt to make Eugene some coin along the way. Arg-arg-arg-arg-arg!

Written by: Nattia Jones