TheSpongeBob SquarePantsfranchise is one of contemporary pop culture’s greatest success stories. Born out of an animator’s passion for marine biology, the show inherited the strengths of artistic predecessors likeThe Ren & Stimpy ShowandRocko’s Modern Lifeto become an animated juggernaut. The show quickly became Nickelodeon’s biggest cash cow and shows no signs of slowing down even after 20 years. Having first come out at the turn of the 20th Century,SpongeBob SquarePantshas plenty of tie-in games, with the series even dominating Nicktoons crossovers.
AlthoughSpongeBobwas licensed for a plethora of cheap cash grabs, there are plenty of games based on the show that were competently made, leading toSpongeBobhaving a reputation for better games than most in the 2000s.Battle for Bikini Bottomis probably the strongest example, managing to appeal to a broad demographic rather than justSpongeBobfans or platformer fans. Now thatBattle for Bikini Bottomhas gotten a well-received remake, it may be time for developers to approach otherSpongeBobgames released around the same time.
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SpongeBob SquarePantsis doing greatto this day from a commercial standpoint. The series currently has three movie adaptations with more on the way, two spin-offs that air alongside the original show, and a multitude of merchandise. To top it all off, unlike several of its animated contemporaries such asThe Simpsons,Family Guy, andThe Fairly Odd Parents,SpongeBobrecovered from its infamous “dark age” and puts out modern episodes that even old-school fans can appreciate.
While the era ofconsistentSpongeBobgamesis long gone, that does not mean that people’s memories are. The people who grew up with these games, and classicSpongeBobas a whole, are adults now. The current cultural environment is one of excessive nostalgic, hence the overwhelming amount of plans for remakes, reboots, and revivals in all mediums. There is also a modern Internet culture that turns manySpongeBobframes into potential memes. Thus, there is still a demand forSpongeBob-related content, and the nostalgic audience is big enough for companies to risk bringing back more games.
Aside from the potential financial gains, there is also a genuine passionate for this.SpongeBobis not just a cultural phenomenon that came and went, its best episodes are fondly remembered and quoted to this day.SpongeBobat its best is timeless, andBattle for Bikini BottomRehydratedshowsthat the old-school format for platformers can still be enjoyed in the modern era. That means titles likeThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie GameorSpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants!could also be potentially remade.
The Movie Gamewas a good licensed title at the time, and with more developers striving to make faithful licensed games nowadays, a remake has plenty of potential.Lights, Camera, Pants!, as SpongeBob’s answer toMario Party, would be a bit trickier to bring back. YetMario Partyitself recently had a successful new release, so cartoonish party games are still capable of attracting an audience.
Battle for Bikini Bottomwas made by passionate developers who cared about adapting theSpongeBobworld to a different medium. This also applies to its remake. As the adult crowd that grew up withSpongeBob’s golden agegets bigger, so does the potential for moreSpongeBobremakes being successful. While there is no need to reintroduce olderSpongeBobgames to nostalgic fans and newcomers necessarily, the idea is still a solid one to consider.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydratedis available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One.
