Author Topic: Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated (Switch) Hands-on Preview  (Read 1117 times)

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Offline Daan

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Back under the sea

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/hands-on-preview/51614/spongebob-squarepants-battle-for-bikini-bottom--rehydrated-switch-hands-on-preview

Nostalgia is a powerful feeling. Those rose-tinted glasses are hard to put down when you’re returning to a familiar world that you grew up with as a child. For myself, the original Battle for Bikini Bottom is one of those nostalgic titles. Coming over to my friend’s house every day after school, we struggled our way through the world of Bikini Bottom. Collecting all the shiny objects, defeating the robotic versions of Spongebob’s friends and unlocking new powers for the yellow sponge and his friends. Of course, going back to the original game now, it’s not nearly as beautiful and smooth as I remember it in my mind. Luckily, the upcoming remake Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated (Rehydrated from now on), has somehow made the game look the way I remember it.

Purple Lamp Studios, who are developing the game, have been very meticulous in their recreation of Bikini Bottom. This game is not just a simple port or a remaster. It’s a full remake from the ground up. This has been quite a challenge for the team, since they are working without the original source code or any of the old developers from the original title. Every single asset has been faithfully recreated to look exactly like the original, but they have been given a beautiful new coat of paint. The colors pop out and make the Jellyfish fields look like a scene straight from the cartoon.

But more impressive is the game’s feel. Spongebob’s attacks and movement always had a very specific weight to them. This allowed the player to combine these moves to move around the map like crazy. Combining the spin attack into the roll allowed Spongebob to do some incredible jumps. The developers are planning to allow for the same types of movement as in the original. Of course, you can also still play as both Patrick the Starfish and Sandy the Squirrel, who each have their own unique ability that allows them to explore new parts of the level.

As for new additions, the game will feature all the cut content from the original. This includes about four levels and a boss fight against Robo Squidward. There will be a multiplayer mode as well for two players. This mode can be played offline or with local multiplayer and will include a horde mode, in which you fight of waves of robotic enemies. For the switch port of the game, the developers are targeting a locked 60fps for both handheld and docked mode, but they could not fully confirm this just yet.

It remains to be seen how engaging Rehydrated will be for those who haven’t played the original. For me, it fills a void of 3D platformers that can be easily picked up and played. The game looks to be very accessible, but I’m wondering if the new levels will also bring a little bit of a challenge to the game. My nostalgic feelings for Battle for Bikini Bottom have certainly been met, but whether Rehydrated’s gameplay will keep me engaged for long enough remains to be seen.