SquarePants SquarePants is one of the few animated television shows to reach the same heights asThe Simpsonsand be continuously on the air for over twenty years. With that type of popularity and legacy, there have naturally been plenty of video games based on this legendary cartoon. While many of these aren’t worth thinking about, several of these titles have become well-regarded among gaming spaces.
Every LEGO Batman Game, Ranked
The truth is, not every LEGO Batman game hits the same way. Some rely too much on gimmicks, while others nail the balance between humor and challenge.
With so many SpongeBob games released over the years, it can be difficult to tell which ones are actually worth playing. If one were to analyze these titles based on their gameplay, legacy and genre, however, then the following list of the best SpongeBob SquarePants video games can be formed.
7SpongeBob SquarePants: Atlantis SquarePantis
A Variety of Fun
SpongeBob’s Atlantis SquarePantis
Topping off the list is one of the very few SpongeBob games based on a specific television special: Atlantis SquarePantis. This game features a wide variety of gameplay styles that switch after every stage, essentially making it a minigame collection where specific parts of the episode are adapted into one of five different games.
This style of gameplay makes Atlantis SquarePantis a short experience that most children will be done with in an afternoon, but it’s also short enough to never become a nuisance to play. While Atlantis SquarePantis is a semi-enjoyable time in of itself, it’s now seen as a canary in the coal mine, as for a long time, all future SpongeBob games would be low-effort shovelware, marking an end to a golden age of licensed games. So while it’s good enough to rank on this list, it must be placed at the bottom due to its legacy.
6SpongeBob SquarePants: Truth or Square
The End of an Era
Before the SpongeBob SquarePants IP’s foray into the gaming space would become entirely shovelware and minigame collections like Atlantis SquarePantis for over a decade, there was one last platformer developed by Heavy Iron Studios: SpongeBob SquarePants: Truth or Square. This title has the SpongeBob gang reminisce on classic episodes of the show as the player goes through various stages based on them.
The actual gameplay in this title will not wow anyone, as it’s simplistic and doesn’t feel as polished as previous SpongeBob platformers, but there’s enough to enjoy here if you are a fan of the show who loves seeing references to specific episodes hidden throughout levels, and for that it deserves at least a mention on this list.
5SpongeBob Diner Dash
Cooked to Perfection
SpongeBob SquarePants: Diner Dash
During the 2000s and 2010s, various websites used to host games that ran on Adobe Flash Player, known as Flash Games. Nickelodeon was one such website to do this and released various short and simple games based on their various IPs. One of these titles was the 2006 game SpongeBob Diner Dash, which took everyone’s favorite sponge and inserted him into the already popular game, Diner Dash.
Top 9 Video Games Based on Anime
Anime plots make for great video games!
While this wasn’t the most in-depth game in the world, for any child in the early 2000s, this was a hectic and fast-paced game that would remain in their memories forever. Unfortunately, in memory is the only place this game is located, as Adobe Flash Player stopped receiving support years ago, resulting in many games becoming lost media. Even the official mobile port of the game isno longer available. Any SpongeBob fan who played this back in the day, however, knows it deserves a placement on this list.
4The Patrick Star Game
Connecting Two Eras
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game
The next game on the list is technically not a SpongeBob SquarePants game, as instead of starring the main character, this game has characters play as Patrick Star. While one wouldn’t expect this change in protagonist to matter too much, as Patrick has been playable in most SpongeBob games, this title is actually quite unique when one compares it to all the games that came before it.
This game has platforming sections reminiscent of the most beloved SpongeBob games, but also has a ton of minigames and items to use, which will make players think of the era of games like Truth or Square and Creature from the Krusty Krab. The Patrick Star Game is a fun experience and a great bridge between the minigame collection style of SpongeBob games and the more proper platformers that any child will have a blast with, landing it a high placement on this list.
3The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
The Best Adaptation
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
After the beloved SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom became a staple game among children, THQ followed up the title with an adaptation of the then-recent SpongeBob movie. While the gameplay engine and mechanics were identical to those of the previous game, the levels of this title were linear adventures as opposed to open hubs.
While the change in level design can potentially put off fans of the previous game, playing through recreations of locations and scenes from this beloved movie is incredibly fun and the game doesn’t trip into any of the various failings that most licensed games fall into. Anyone who is a fan of the SpongeBob movie owes it to themselves to at least try it out.
Fun Fact: This game was at one point ported to PS3, but the port was removed from the PlayStation Store due to being bugged.
2SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
A Return to Form
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
After several years of all SpongeBob SquarePants games being nothing more than shovelware or mobile game apps, developer Purple Lamp announced SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, a spiritual successor to Battle for Bikini Bottom, which would finally bring the yellow sponge back to the 3Dplatformer genreand overwhelm gamers with nostalgia.
7 Best Superhero Games Featuring the Fantastic 4
From mobile brawlers to classic co-op action games, these titles gave Marvel’s First Family the spotlight they’ve long deserved in gaming.
The premise of this game sends the player into all the locations from Battle for Bikini Bottom, but with a new cosmic twist, such as turning Downtown Bikini Bottom into a movie set. Combine that fun premise with dozens of costumes that reference episodes from across SpongeBob’s entire history and you have a game that any child would have a blast with. While the Cosmic Shake isn’t a perfect game and won’t be changing anyone’s perspective on gaming, it still deserves a high placement on this list for being a licensed game that had heart and soul poured into it.
1SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom
A Legendary Platformer
While the Cosmic Shake was a great game, the number one slot on this list must go to the title that it’s a spiritual successor to: SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom. This Mario 64-stylecollectathon platformerwon the hearts of children everywhere with its simple-yet-fun level design and the ability to actually walk around iconic SpongeBob locations.
Battle for Bikini Bottom is so fondly remembered that it’s one of the few licensed games to get the full remake treatment on modern platforms. While the quality of this remake is often heavily debated, its existence at all is a testament to how beloved this title was for a certain generation of gamers. For being one of the very few licensed games of the era that had stood up and become a true gaming classic, it would be nonsensical to not put it at the top of this list.
7 Best Superman Games of All Time
From beat ‘em ups to RPGs, these Superman games prove that even the Man of Steel can shine when developers get his powers and heart just right.
