Howdy! Let’s go! Let’s chat SpongeBob games!
Some of the forgotten ones!
Most SpongeBob games feel fairly in-character to
Bikini Bottom and feel straight out of an episode.
But there have been times where these games
have gotten... weird!
And they’ve shown me versions of the SpongeBob world
I could never have imagined!
So I thought today, we could do a nice casual list of
six bizarre, forgotten SpongeBob games.
And it’s also a flimsy pretense for me to talk about some of the
SpongeBob games I didn’t get a chance to talk about back in
‘Worst & Best SpongeBob Games.’
Fun fact, that was actually one of my favourite
lists to make back in the day.
But anyway, onto the countdown!
For number six...
'SpongeBob: Surf and Skate Roadtrip.’
To start with, surprisingly little is known about
this game’s weird development.
It was a combination of our old friends
at THQ and Blitz Games.
So for one thing, just the box art itself tells me something
very, very, very bizarre.
For the first time, I’m gonna wager in
international history. Nickelodeon is trying to make
SpongeBob look “Cool."
Look at this 90’s "cool guy" persona he’s got going!
Flawlessly surfing on a wave while Patrick half pipes
it up on the skateboard.
Even self-proclaims himself a surf master!
- Why, yes! I am a surf master!
- Now, part of why I connect so much with SpongeBob is
we are both what you’d call... “uncool.”
In fact, really uncool. In fact, I am one of the dictionary
definitions of “uncool.”
I radiate such a powerful aura of “uncool” that my
friends are less cool simply by being within a 1km radius of me!
This game is so incredibly “cool” that we have to actually
use an Xbox Kinect in order to get SpongeBob to do... anything.
- Think fins off, SpongeBob!
- Even the game’s setup is bizarre!
But I think a friend of mine who’s reviewed this before
could explain it better.
He’s had a lot of first hand experience with this game.
And I don’t even have to go to America this time,
since he’s in the Down Under like me.
Wanna help out, C&B?
- Yeah, well hello there, Striders!
Yes! I... I do remember this game like I reviewed it...
[Clock ticking]
...three months ago.
[Clock ticking]
Wait, hold on.
Oh yeah, I did!
- And a fine review it was! Thanks for your help.
- No worries. So, SpongeBob invites all his friends around
to watch some of his PowerPoint vacation slides.
A fun time! No doubt about that.
And then it all gets interrupted so we can play a surfing
and skateboarding game.
- How random! I understand they also use camera Kinect controls.
And it's like one of those “on-rails” games.
- So yeah, we play as either SpongeBob or Patrick,
surfing or skating through a variety of different island settings.
- How d’you find SpongeBob handled on the board?
- Well unfortunately, the controls are... really bad.
And extremely clumsy and unresponsive.
The game’s constantly telling me that I’m too far away
or too close to the camera.
Which is annoying, so basically no room is too...
is like... is the right size for the Kinect.
And you can’t lean left or right to control SpongeBob
to go in those directions when you’re surfing or skateboarding.
You have to step over your own legs in this really awkward way that
makes it feel like you’re about to fall over the entire time.
And, yeah, the skateboarding is equally as awful.
- Aw man! What a waste.
Like the Kinect itself, I loved the concept of this.
The idea of people getting off the couch to actually
move around and be part of the action as SpongeBob surfs
through the waves is a fun sounding idea.
The problem is, is we only have the option to play with
clumsy, unresponsive camera controls.
If the controls worked properly, I think I really
would have liked this game!
I like the beach setting, the concept, and I like
the visuals and colours!
- Yeah, so I said about the same thing in my review really.
It could have been a fan favourite.
It had a decent developer with it,
I mean, they made ‘Creature From The Krusty Krab.’
Like, it was a decent developer, it was just really rushed.
And the controls... it’s unplayable really at this state.
Anyway, I’d better get going.
You can find me at C&B Extra if you ever need me
for one of these. Goodbye.
- Thanks for your insight into this game, C&B. I’ll see you later!
And for number five...
‘SpongeBob Boating Bash.’
When it comes to driving, I feel like SpongeBob
focuses on his weaknesses.
While I think it’s important to know
when to be persistent, after 78 failed attempts to pass the test,
maybe it’s time for him to bail on driving
and keep taking the bus!
- It was my 78th time!
- Oh, my.
- Or maybe I’m just mad because I failed my driving test
five times before succeeding.
Or maybe SpongeBob should just bail on driving well.
- As long as these pants are square, and this Sponge is Bob,
I won’t let you down!
- We’ll just see about that.
- You see, in ‘Boating Bash,’ SpongeBob is hired to maim and
destroy drivers in their vehicles.
Now that is working with your strengths, Spongey!
You’re doing what you’re good at now!
If you can't drive well Spongey,
then harness your talent for driving
like a drunken megalomaniac!
In our story today, the suspicious and ever shifty
Seymour Scales teaches SpongeBob his 'DRIVE' course.
This of course, stands for:
“Destruction, Recklessness, Impairment,
Velocity and Escape!”
But how does our reckless driving destruction actually control?
Well, I’m happy to report the Wiimote
handles pretty responsively.
Though unfortunately, you won’t be able to use the
Classic or GameCube controller for this one.
Which is a shame, because the GameCube controller is
my favourite controller of all time.
Our goal is to crash our boat into as many vehicles
as possible and completely decimate our targets!
And honestly, years of driving well can make this
process surprisingly cathartic.
- Tag! You’re it!
[SpongeBob laughing]
- Unfortunately, local multiplayer hasn’t aged very well
and there’s no option to play online.
We have about nine characters to play from.
Mostly the usuals like Sandy, Patrick, Plankton,
Krabs, even Mrs. Puffs this time.
Unfortunately, we also don’t get any powerups or items.
Which is weird because almost all racers I can think of
nowadays have items.
It’s just kind of the bare basics.
Though now, when SpongeBob does inevitably “floor it,”
he gets a speed boost and a larger cone of destruction!
Admist the mayhem, there’s even some good voice clips
and quotes thrown in!
- Nothing’s gonna stand in the way of my DRIVE license!
- The camera works fine, the controls are smooth enough and overall,
I think ‘SpongeBob: Boating Bash’ is a short,
but satisfying cathartic experience.
And for number four!
‘SpongeBob: A Day in the Life of a Sponge.’
You know, history has taught us that there have been
some truly strange choices made by people of the past.
Like the dimwit who introduced rabbits or cane toads to Australia.
Real smart thinking there guys. There goes our crops.
Or when someone thought a trojan horse would be a
pleasant decoration inside their fort walls.
But the bizarre choice of today was the production of the
V-Smile gaming system.
A well-intentioned edutainment system for young children
that majorly flopped and was quickly discontinued.
Though I suspect when anything gets the tagline “edutainment,”
it’s doomed to being about five minutes away from inevitably
becoming a door stop.
Anyway, this failed console contains the exclusive cartridge
or... “Smartridge” as you might like to call them,
of ‘A Day in the Life of a Sponge.’
A SpongeBob edutainment game.
[Wilhelm scream!] And yes, that scream of terror you just heard
was probably you.
Be afraid. Be very afraid!
With our badly-designed controller in hand on this
nauseatingly colored, hideous paper weight,
our goal is to live a day in SpongeBob’s shoes.
Here, we’ll be traversing such fascinating adventures as:
getting dressed! Having a shower! Collecting groceries,
flipping patties and going to a boating lesson!
And because apparently these activities were too stimulating,
we can only perform such activities by
doing math and spelling exercises!
But I should be clear, I always applaud the effort of anyone
to give any person of any age an
entertaining educational experience.
But I am left wondering if this "edutainment" game
ended up being used as a punishment device
for misbehaving kids.
“My boss is coming for dinner kids!
You better behave or you’ll be subjected to twenty minutes
of playing ‘Life of a Sponge!’”
“Oh, the humanity!”
[Low-quality buzzing sounds]
[SpongeBob's French Narrator] - Let’s try that again.
- Once again, I feel like there’s a good idea here.
Because there is a surprising chunk of variety
in the settings here.
The creators of this game obviously did their research
on the characters and world of Bikini Bottom.
They knew the kind of places SpongeBob and Patrick would go
and the kind of things they’d do in an average episode.
Plus, I have to give credit once again to Tom Kenny
for once again doing the lines for SpongeBob.
- Well done!
- Yeah!
I did it!
- It seems like the team were trying their best with a
limited budget and a stringent edutainment goal.
But it seems SpongeBob’s absurdly mathematic and literate day
was quickly forgotten, quickly enveloped in an abyss of
bad console sales.
However, I am a realist so today, I proudly present to you...
the true life of a sponge!
The one in my sink.
No, no need to thank me!
Your tolerance of YouTube’s advertising on my videos
is all the thanks I need.
Number three...
‘SpongeBob: Yellow Avengers.’
Behold! A subpar platformer full of recycled stories
and lousy animation!
Seriously, this game only hase the vaguest notion
of looking anything like Bikini Bottom!
This one was annoying, ugly and dull enough
for me to play that I found myself questioning if it
should’ve been on my worst list for my
Worst & Best SpongeBob Games.
I’d probably take off ‘Revenge of the Flying Dutchman’
and put this instead.
I always felt bad for that game, it had a lot of good points.
Okay, to start with, a player yet alone a child
should not be faced with this heavy wall of text!
I swear, if this voice-free intro
bored me into tears, how do kids like it?
[Generic-sounding bass music.]
Secondly, this music is some of the worst, most stock-grade
elevator music I’ve ever heard in a SpongeBob game!
And even that’s an insult to elevator music!
[Nasty-sounding accordion music.]
Because I’d much rather the easy listening in my lift
to this obnoxiously loud, over-simplistic tripe!
Let’s turn off this music.
Okay, now that the welling terror in my gut has ceased,
let’s see what the actual gameplay is like.
With zero voices and nothing but walls of text
and flat visuals to greet me,
I hoped I’d at least enjoy a good old-fashioned platformer.
And... well, I guess it was a tolerable adventure
platformer for twenty minutes or so?
[In-game sound effects and generic music.]
Unfortunately, SpongeBob handles more like a chunky sumo wrestler
than a decent platformer character.
Which I guess, anatomically makes sense
for a giant sea sponge?
But it doesn’t make for very good gameplay.
Jumping on or over things is a good portion of the gameplay,
so they really should get the jumping mechanic right!
I tried to enjoy some of the platforming puzzles
but we have to backtrack so much and the enemies all respawn
in the same place so it got dull very quickly.
nd the thing I remember the most is the
ever present “Whoa-wa” sound.
[“Whoa-wa” sound playing when jumping.]
Which you’ll hear! Every single time you jump in the air!
[Sound playing repeatedly, accompanied by screaming and lip flapping.]
In terms of visuals?
This is some of the most ugly, boring graphics I’ve ever seen
in a SpongeBob game!
Look at these dull, blank landscapes!
At least ‘Revenge of the Flying Dutchman’ had
way more personality in terms of its visuals of Bikini Bottom.
At first I thought maybe my game was broken.
But when I looked at “Let’s Plays”, everyone else had these sad,
empty backgrounds too!
I dunno, couldn’t they have at least given the sea a
shade of blue instead of a shade of black?
Even the GameBoy Advance game ‘SuperSponge,’
which had had far inferior hardware, looked way better than this!
It just takes real talent to turn a place as beautiful as
Bikini Bottom into the bowels of Hades’ underworld toilet!
’m sorry if I’ve ranted on,
but I was just so disappointed by this shovelware dreck.
I really wanted a decent 2D platformer
with SpongeBob in it!
Anyway, ‘Yellow Avenger’ was lazy, generic
and boring in every way it could be.
And for the second bizarre, forgotten SpongeBob game...
‘SpongeBob: Tooncast Studio.’
Goodness, this one has been thoroughly forgotten.
Even though it was made less than ten years ago,
I can barely find a trace of the game.
The only place I could find a copy was on archive.org,
a place for only the dead-est of dead games.
So basically, this is ‘Nickelodeon 3D Movie Maker’ for SpongeBob.
Except the animation is oodles better.
Despite the game being so impressively wiped from public memory,
it’s very possible to make a short but interesting
SpongeBob skit on this.
With a hefty selection of lines from
Tom Kenny and the SpongeBob actors to choose from.
And look at these backgrounds and character animation.
I think they’re perfectly fine.
They look almost as good as the PC game
‘Operation Krabby Patty.’
- I know! How about we sing a song! La-lala-la-la-la-la...
- Eeeugh! Possibly better, I forgot how badly this game aged.
There’s no real reason to come back to this game nowadays,
unless you’re a really big SpongeBob fan like me and
just wanna see some of the lines.
- Days like today only come once in a lifetime!
- But nowadays, there is a lot more versatile tools
for creating cartoon, even 3D content.
But hey, maybe the internet can get some SpongeBob meme fodder!
And as for the number one bizarre, forgotten SpongeBob game...
you’re gonna have to see this one to believe it.
‘SpongeBob: Clash of Triton.’
Holy flying spaghetti monster!
Welcome to my inspiration for making this list.
A bizarrely toned SpongeBob hack and slash game?
[Spatula clashing sounds]
Where Bikini Bottom sits as a smoldering wreck that
looks like it’s been bombed into oblivion?
It’s really a pile!
I never thought I'd see the day where SpongeBob was
in the same game genre as Diablo 3!
But... here we are!
A world where the citizens of Bikini Bottom have become
heartless soldiers trying to kill SpongeBob.
As he carves a blood-stained path through his
former comrades to get vengeance upon the evil demigod!
You see, SpongeBob accidentally released King Triton,
an evil demigod of mischief and cruelty!
And apparently, he outright blows up Bikini Bottom!
I mean, just look at this smoldering wreck!
That’s really something!
Interestingly, I actually found two versions of this game.
One is a standard PC game, the other is this weird,
contorted online version.
And while I’ve nothing against the PC version,
the online version really pushes what it can get away with
in the SpongeBob universe to its limits.
Giving this further visceral teeth to the PC version.
Like, this can’t be canon.
SpongeBob looks like a Greek titan and is slicing through enemies
by the truckload!
Soldiers are even attacking SpongeBob with severed crab arms!
[Slap, then whoosh]
[Koen speaking] - Yeah, quick little editor’s note here.
Even though quite a bit of the madness in this game
is not canon, there is one small part to this that has
happened before within the show.
SpongeBob looking like a Greek titan?
Yeah, that actually happened before!
In the episode ‘Neptune’s Spatula,’
Neptune literally transforms SpongeBob into...
whatever the heck this is supposed to be!
I’m guessing the creators of this game just really wanted
to bring that back for this.
Which honestly, is kind of amazing!
Anyways, apologies for interrupting there!
I thought that this would be interesting for the video.
- Huh! I didn’t realise that, Koen.
Thanks for the extra info, and your awesome editing.
Appreciate it, man!
And honestly, this is kind of awesome!
And really cool to get to see!
In case you’re wondering why SpongeBob looks so different,
basically, King Neptune turns SpongeBob into an
overpowered titan god in order to battle Triton.
So we can crowd control with SpongeBob’s spatula of doom!
And holy hell, look what they did to Krabs!
And Sandy’s become a triple headed colossal behemoth!
Because apparently she wasn’t dangerous enough before,
she’s now a concorted demon underling!
And our friend Squidward is just... that!
I wish we got more fan art of this.
This is some of the most awesome fantasy designs
I’ve ever seen in SpongeBob.
Unfortunately, this version of ‘Clash of Triton’ is also
buried in the sands of time.
Because it was a Flash game, and this part of my childhood,
Flash is sadly gone forever.
Unless you grab the free program 'Flashpoint Infinity'
which does compile a bunch of the old Flash games together.
Short lived or not though, I was still glad I got a chance
to showcase you the bizarre but creative side
of the SpongeBob universe.
Anyway, it was nice to look back at these SpongeBob games with you.
I really enjoy the variety of getting to do some gaming lists.
So if you would like to see more gaming lists in the future,
or just have something to mention to me,
feel free to let me know in the comments below!
And as always, thanks for watching!
And I’ll see you next time.
[Closed Captions by XenonHatcher. Commissioned by PhantomStrider.]
[Captioner's Fact: The V-Smile had a sucessor called the V-Smile Motion, which was no different hardware wise aside from a wireless controller.]