With the release of The Cosmic Shake, several users and fans from the platforming SpongeBob classic, Battle for Bikini Bottom, have wondered if this is a true sequel to the game of their youth. I mean, how could you even begin to compare one thing with the other? Bikini Bottom is practically the Holy Grail of platformers in the SpongeBob franchise of games. Some even regard it as the best one in gaming. Well, we will talk about whether The Cosmic Shake is able to gather the same magic that its predecessor did. Which is the better SpongeBob game? Let’s take a trip to Bikini Bottom and find out. Don’t worry, we won’t compare Cosmic Shake to Mario Odyssey like some other people did, *wink wink*.
A Story to Remember
Story-wise, each of these games stand quite apart from each other. While the story in Bikini Bottom focus on yet another Plankton plan to conquer the world and the Krabby Patty recipe by creating robots that ultimate go rogue, The Cosmic Shake feels like a SpongeBob movie thanks to its story. SpongeBob discovers some Magic Bubble Soap given by the clearly not evil Madame Kassandra. They will discover later that these magic bubbles create a ripple in realities across Bikini Bottom, flooding it with soap.
You will have to collect Cosmic Jelly (the equivalent to Shiny Objects) across realities. You will save your friends trapped in the realities. Finally, you will get rid of the soap that is flooding Bikini Bottom. I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like this time, the story is more fledged out than before. It feels unique and fresh. Now, I’m not saying that the story of Battle for Bikini Bottom was a complete mess, but surely it wasn’t as revolutionary or executed as well as The Cosmic Shake.
A World to Discover
The world of Bikini Bottom was huge. Moreover, there was a sense of sandbox as well. You could even feel like you can do anything you want. On the other hand, the realities presented in The Cosmic Shake, while letting you discover certain areas, feel more linear. And I think that it benefits the level design as well as the abilities and mechanics that appear throughout the game. Don’t get me wrong, I am more fond of the idea of exploring the world, but I can understand the decision that the developers took, which I believe serves the story’s cohesion.
Once you finished a level in Bikini Bottom, you were pretty much done with it. Furthermore, while collecting golden spatulas, you will unveil a new area of the world that was previously unreachable or hidden. All of this in one visit. However, The Cosmic Shake uses backtracking as a sort of discovering new secrets all over realities. It works like this: you finish a reality; you go to the next one; you learn a new ability; and, you find out this ability opens up the previous reality further. And this will happen all the way to the end of the game.
Where I think that both games are tied is in the world design. Although the realities presented in The Cosmic Shake provide diversity in favor of a crazier story, I don’t think they get as crazy and as unique as they could have. I mean, they are unique, but they are Bikini Bottom after all, and you can see that. The worlds in Battle for Bikini Bottom were in fact parts of Bikini Bottom, but they were unique on their own. They didn’t need to make any breaches in reality. Although I must say that, once you get rid of the soap in Bikini Bottom, The Cosmic Shake’s hub world feels a little more appealing than Battle for Bikini Bottom’s.
A Game to Honor
Gameplay wise, these games are not far from each other at all. The Cosmic Shake feels like a Battle for Bikini Bottom 2.0. It even shares some of the mechanics that were introduced in its predecessor. Furthermore, it feels like the same old gameplay tropes from that of the original Battle for Bikini Bottom, released 20 years ago, are back for a revenge. Man, I feel old already. For example, battling some enemies will require you to wait for some specific frames in which they are vulnerable. That is something that has been discontinued in favor of a faster fighting dynamic. The things that could be improved, simply weren’t and are similar to its predecessor’s.
Furthermore, The Cosmic Shake only features SpongeBob as a playable character, while Battle for Bikini Bottom featured Patrick and Sandy as playable characters as well. I believe this is something that The Cosmic Shake could implement in a later update, or the folks at Purple Lamp could think of for a new entry in the series. Besides that, the puzzle design, the platforming, and music are quite an ode to the previous game, while the graphics are much better in this instance. Giving that Rehydrated’s graphics were heavily criticized for venturing away from the original game’s, I feel like The Cosmic Shake graphics are much better done and implemented, serving the story again.
Related: Is SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Multiplayer? Answered
A Question to Answer
Now, regarding the verdict on which game is the best, I have a clear answer. I think that The Cosmic Shake took the best parts of Battle for Bikini Bottom and pushed the experience even further. The story, the graphics, the world design. Those things are what makes me want to pick The Cosmic Shake, however, I cannot. And, while the easiest answer is to be a Battle for Bikini Bottom zealot and claim that the game will never be surpassed, I decide to not take that route either. And while it may sound anti-climactic, I believe you must experience this games together.
“But Alejandro, we cannot say that, there must be a clear winner, what would the people say? Can somebody please think about the children?”. I get you, but I’m convinced on what I say. I mean, almost all SpongeBob fans all over the internet say “this is more of what we love” and also The Cosmic Shake is available for only 40 USD. All of this, along with my experience, tells me that, while The Cosmic Shake is not a DLC, it is best enjoyed while having played the whole series. What I can say is that The Cosmic Shake is a worthy successor of Battle for Bikini Bottom. And I really mean it. So, if I were you, I would pick both games and play them back to back.
What? The Cosmic Shake’s announcement trailer features “Sweet Victory” as its soundtrack? ‘Nuff said, The Cosmic Shake wins, it is the best game of all time, and it is a masterpiece the size of the Mona Lisa, the David, and the Roman Colosseum combined. 10/10 and I will battle to the death with anyone that says otherwise.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Android, and iOS. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. Please check out Gamer Journalist on Facebook to join the discussion and keep up to date with our content. You might also like to check out or guides on SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake – Release Date, Trailer, and Everything to Know or Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Character List.
