A physics-based undersea adventure
By Paul Hunter
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game is the latest addition to the beloved franchise following last year's SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. Developed by PHL Collective and published by Outright Games, The Patrick Star Game, as the title implies, shifts the spotlight from SpongeBob to his best friend, Patrick Star. It also forgoes the level structure of The Cosmic Shake and Battle for Bikini Bottom in favour of a new open world structure where you explore Bikini Bottom and take on challeges from Patrick's friends. This change in perspective and structure offers a fresh take on the underwater adventures we've come to expect from SpongeBob games.
In this game, Patrick is out to prove he is more than just a sidekick as he embarks on a whimsical journey through Bikini Bottom. You'll meet plenty of familiar faces including Squidward, Gary, Plankton, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, Mrs. Puff and SpongeBob, of course, who all give Patrick various challenges in exchange for precious sand dollars. The cartoon's iconic voice actors are all present here, such as Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Roger Bumpass (Squidward), and more. Everything about this game, from the visuals to the voice acting to the sound effects and music captures the signature humour and charm of the show.
Let's dive in further to see all that Patrick's quirky adventures in Bikini Bottom has to offer!
As you can probably guess, The Patrick Star Game is designed with younger audiences in mind, so accessibility is at the forefront. With simple controls and intuitive gameplay, you can explore the vibrant world of Bikini Bottom at your own pace. Many famiilar Bikini Bottom areas are featured in the game, including Bikini Bottom University, The Chum Bucket, Conch Street, The Dump, The Krusty Krab and Glove World.
While the game is primarily aimed at kids, it also offers nostalgic moments for long-time fans of SpongeBob SquarePants. Along with all of the locations mentioned above, there are plenty of Easter Eggs like SpongeBob's pineapple house that is sure to delight longtime viewers.
The story is simple yet charming with Patrick discovering that his friends in Bikini Bottom need help. Everyone is facing various challenges, and Patrick feels compelled to step up and help. What's really neat is that his journey is not just about helping others; it’s also about self-discovery and growth. As you guide Patrick through this adventure, you witness his transformation from a carefree starfish to a hero in his own right.
The dialogue is filled with humour and charm, reflecting the light-hearted spirit of the show. Missions are infused with the quirky antics that fans have come to love, like how Plankton asks Patrick to search the dump for buried treasure, which he claims the money will go to paying for renovations, but then accidently spills the beans of his real, dastardly plans. Squidward, on the other hand, is famous for wanting peace and quiet so his missions involve him asking Patrick to grab a broom and sweep bystanders away so Squidward can sun tan without interuptions or noise. Virtually every interaction with Patrick are hilarious, providing plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.
Moreover, if you're a parent like me you'll be happy to know that the story promotes positive themes such as friendship, teamwork, and perseverance. As Patrick helps his friends, your kids will learn valuable lessons about the importance of supporting each another and lending a helping hand.
From a gameplay perspective, The Patrick Star Game's signature feature is its physics-based mechanics. There are a ton of tools you can use to manipulate objects in the environment, leading to hilarious and unexpected outcomes. For example, you can find backpack vacuum cleaners, extendable ladders, jetpacks, coconut shooters, giant mallets and much more. You can leverage these tools to complete missions, often with hilarious outcomes, like this one time I spent ten minutes trying to stack three ladders on top of each other to reach a jar of Mayo hidden atop a building. The physics adds a layer of unpredictability to the gameplay, reminiscent of titles like Garry's Mod or Goat Simulator.
The game’s missions are designed to have you think creatively, while also being engaging and fun. Since the game is physics-based, there's no one right way to solve puzzles or complete challenges. For example, you can visit Mrs. Puff's Rage Room where you get points by breaking stuff, but how you go about smashing is completely up to you. The room contains items like throwable shells, giant wooden mallets, vacuum cleaners or you can even make Patrick burp to shatter glass, if you want. Being extra creative you can take objects from other parts of Bikini Bottom, like SpongeBob's coconut shooter to cause even more mayhem in the Rage Room.
Speaking of controls, you actually control Patrick's two starfish hands separately, meaning you can decide what objects to hold in each hand. There are a bunch of gag items as well, like a megaphone Patrick can burp into to make his gas sounds even louder or a dollar-bill shooter if you want to spray your friends with bling. Being able to hold objects in each hand just begs for silly moments like how you can hold a mallet to smash objects while at the same use your other hand to twirl a hoola hoop.
All in all, The Patrick Star Game is super easy to pick up and the physics mechanics means the gameplay is always hilarous and fun. The game's open-world design also means you can quick go to missions you enjoy best, which is a refreshing departure from SpongeBob games' usual level structure.
The Patrick Star Game excels in its presentation, offering a vibrant and engaging visual experience that captures the charm of the beloved animated series. The graphics are bright and colourful, and each location in Bikini Bottom is meticulously designed just like you'd expect from the show.
The character designs are equally impressive. Patrick Star, with his goofy expressions and playful antics, is brought to life in a way that feels true to the series. Other familiar characters, such as SpongeBob and Squidward, are also well-rendered, maintaining their unique and quirky personalities. The animations are also smooth and fluid, adding to the overall appeal of the game. Whether Patrick is jumping, rolling, or interacting with objects, his movements are lively and entertaining.
Turning out attention to the soundtrack, it's joyful and reminiscent of the show's music, evoking a sense of nostalgia for fans. The sound effects are equally nice, whether that's the buzz of rides in Glove World to the thump of your coconut blaster, every sound is authentic to the SpongeBob SquarePants experience.
Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Developer: PHL Collective
Publisher: Outright Games
Genre: Action Adventure, Casual Game
Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game is the latest addition to the beloved franchise following last year's SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. Developed by PHL Collective and published by Outright Games, The Patrick Star Game, as the title implies, shifts the spotlight from SpongeBob to his best friend, Patrick Star. It also forgoes the level structure of The Cosmic Shake and Battle for Bikini Bottom in favour of a new open world structure where you explore Bikini Bottom and take on challeges from Patrick's friends. This change in perspective and structure offers a fresh take on the underwater adventures we've come to expect from SpongeBob games.
In this game, Patrick is out to prove he is more than just a sidekick as he embarks on a whimsical journey through Bikini Bottom. You'll meet plenty of familiar faces including Squidward, Gary, Plankton, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, Mrs. Puff and SpongeBob, of course, who all give Patrick various challenges in exchange for precious sand dollars. The cartoon's iconic voice actors are all present here, such as Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Roger Bumpass (Squidward), and more. Everything about this game, from the visuals to the voice acting to the sound effects and music captures the signature humour and charm of the show.
Let's dive in further to see all that Patrick's quirky adventures in Bikini Bottom has to offer!
As you can probably guess, The Patrick Star Game is designed with younger audiences in mind, so accessibility is at the forefront. With simple controls and intuitive gameplay, you can explore the vibrant world of Bikini Bottom at your own pace. Many famiilar Bikini Bottom areas are featured in the game, including Bikini Bottom University, The Chum Bucket, Conch Street, The Dump, The Krusty Krab and Glove World.
While the game is primarily aimed at kids, it also offers nostalgic moments for long-time fans of SpongeBob SquarePants. Along with all of the locations mentioned above, there are plenty of Easter Eggs like SpongeBob's pineapple house that is sure to delight longtime viewers.
The story is simple yet charming with Patrick discovering that his friends in Bikini Bottom need help. Everyone is facing various challenges, and Patrick feels compelled to step up and help. What's really neat is that his journey is not just about helping others; it’s also about self-discovery and growth. As you guide Patrick through this adventure, you witness his transformation from a carefree starfish to a hero in his own right.
The dialogue is filled with humour and charm, reflecting the light-hearted spirit of the show. Missions are infused with the quirky antics that fans have come to love, like how Plankton asks Patrick to search the dump for buried treasure, which he claims the money will go to paying for renovations, but then accidently spills the beans of his real, dastardly plans. Squidward, on the other hand, is famous for wanting peace and quiet so his missions involve him asking Patrick to grab a broom and sweep bystanders away so Squidward can sun tan without interuptions or noise. Virtually every interaction with Patrick are hilarious, providing plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.
Moreover, if you're a parent like me you'll be happy to know that the story promotes positive themes such as friendship, teamwork, and perseverance. As Patrick helps his friends, your kids will learn valuable lessons about the importance of supporting each another and lending a helping hand.
From a gameplay perspective, The Patrick Star Game's signature feature is its physics-based mechanics. There are a ton of tools you can use to manipulate objects in the environment, leading to hilarious and unexpected outcomes. For example, you can find backpack vacuum cleaners, extendable ladders, jetpacks, coconut shooters, giant mallets and much more. You can leverage these tools to complete missions, often with hilarious outcomes, like this one time I spent ten minutes trying to stack three ladders on top of each other to reach a jar of Mayo hidden atop a building. The physics adds a layer of unpredictability to the gameplay, reminiscent of titles like Garry's Mod or Goat Simulator.
The game’s missions are designed to have you think creatively, while also being engaging and fun. Since the game is physics-based, there's no one right way to solve puzzles or complete challenges. For example, you can visit Mrs. Puff's Rage Room where you get points by breaking stuff, but how you go about smashing is completely up to you. The room contains items like throwable shells, giant wooden mallets, vacuum cleaners or you can even make Patrick burp to shatter glass, if you want. Being extra creative you can take objects from other parts of Bikini Bottom, like SpongeBob's coconut shooter to cause even more mayhem in the Rage Room.
Speaking of controls, you actually control Patrick's two starfish hands separately, meaning you can decide what objects to hold in each hand. There are a bunch of gag items as well, like a megaphone Patrick can burp into to make his gas sounds even louder or a dollar-bill shooter if you want to spray your friends with bling. Being able to hold objects in each hand just begs for silly moments like how you can hold a mallet to smash objects while at the same use your other hand to twirl a hoola hoop.
All in all, The Patrick Star Game is super easy to pick up and the physics mechanics means the gameplay is always hilarous and fun. The game's open-world design also means you can quick go to missions you enjoy best, which is a refreshing departure from SpongeBob games' usual level structure.
The Patrick Star Game excels in its presentation, offering a vibrant and engaging visual experience that captures the charm of the beloved animated series. The graphics are bright and colourful, and each location in Bikini Bottom is meticulously designed just like you'd expect from the show.
The character designs are equally impressive. Patrick Star, with his goofy expressions and playful antics, is brought to life in a way that feels true to the series. Other familiar characters, such as SpongeBob and Squidward, are also well-rendered, maintaining their unique and quirky personalities. The animations are also smooth and fluid, adding to the overall appeal of the game. Whether Patrick is jumping, rolling, or interacting with objects, his movements are lively and entertaining.
Turning out attention to the soundtrack, it's joyful and reminiscent of the show's music, evoking a sense of nostalgia for fans. The sound effects are equally nice, whether that's the buzz of rides in Glove World to the thump of your coconut blaster, every sound is authentic to the SpongeBob SquarePants experience.
The Verdict
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game shines in its vibrant visuals and whimsical vibe that's authentic to the popular animated series. Voice acting is another strong point with the original cast bringing the characters to life through witty lines that had me constantly laughing out loud. But the real star is the awesome physics-based gameplay that lets you think creatively to solve the many puzzles and challenges around Bikini Bottom. It's also nice to see Patrick step into the spotlight to be the hero—here's hoping we get more Patrick games in the years to come!Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game details
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PCDeveloper: PHL Collective
Publisher: Outright Games
Genre: Action Adventure, Casual Game
Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
A key was provided by the publisher.