Even after more than 20 years on television, SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the most popular animated characters around. Throughout his history the fry cook sponge has been featured in dozens of video games includingBattle for Bikini Bottom, which is being remastered, but now he has his own sidescrolling “platform running game” available exclusively through Apple Arcade calledSpongebob: Patty Pursuit.
Published by Nickelodeon today,Patty Pursuitfollows the titular sponge as he “races to rescue his friends, defeat Plankton’s minions, and take back the [Krabby Patty] formula.” The game looks simple and is clearly made for younger audiences with its 4+ age recommendation on the App Store, but features an “immersive” version of Bikini Bottom full of well-known locales and references to older episodes that should appease classicSpongeBobfans as well.
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One of its mechanics is needing to rescue SpongeBob’s friends who are trapped, all of whom feature their original voice actors, so that he can use them to solve puzzles and defeat bosses like the Jellyfish King using different abilities and transformations. It’s currently unclear whether the game will remain exclusive to Apple Arcade indefinitely or if it will be open on other devices in the future likeWayForward’sShantae and the Seven Sirens.
Nickelodeon has been busy on mobile devices as of late, even whileBattle for Bikini Bottom Rehydratedprepares to come out soon. Themobile titleSpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Offreleasedearlier this month after having amassed 15 million pre-registered players in the six months since they became available — a clear testament to the character’s popularity for all kinds of audiences.
Apple Arcade’s subscription service offers gamers a variety of premium, more polished titles than the regular app store; many of them exclusive to the service through a similar model to Google Stadia and the Epic Games Store. Some of those titles that make the service worth subscribing to have beenlicensed games likeLEGO Brawls, soSpongeBob SquarePantsfits right in.
One of the biggest selling points forPatty Pursuitis its referential levels and characters, but it might be better to hold out untilBattle for Bikini Bottom Rehydratedfor anyone who wants a game with potentially more substance and a similar level of callbacks to old-schoolSpongeBob. As its marketing has shown, the game is full ofre-vamped locales like Goo Lagoonthat will be perfect to relive some classic cartoons.
