SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide Review - Another Solid Outing

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake came pretty close to replicating Battle For Bikini Bottom’s greatness; I’d argue that SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide puts up an even greater fight. Titans of the Tide is perhaps a touch too short to truly challenge Battle For Bikini Bottom’s reigning title as the best SpongeBob SquarePants game of all-time, but it’s a brilliant runner-up, well worthy of a playthrough for platforming fans, whether you’re a fan of the animated legend or not. With an entertaining story and a wonderful new character switching system, Purple Lamp has proven that it’s a studio that still has plenty of tricks left up its sleeve.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide once again unites the TV series’ cast, with this latest platforming action-adventure centring around a clash between the “two biggest egos of the Seven Seas”, the Flying Dutchman and King Neptune. When a ghostly curse is unleashed upon Bikini Bottom, it’s up to SpongeBob and Patrick to save the day in what’s billed as their “ghostliest adventure yet”.

I’m a fan of SpongeBob SquarePant’s 3D platforming outings, and so I entered Titans of the Tide both hoping for and expecting more of the same. The Cosmic Shake proved to be excellent fun, so I knew that Purple Lamp had a winning formula already under its belt, although I did wonder if it was a formula with room to grow left within it. Had it not been, that would have been fine; as I said, The Cosmic Shake was a blast and if Titans of the Tide felt in the same vein, fantastic. I’m pleased to say though that I think Titans of the Tide is a clear improvement on its predecessor, packing in several new quirks.

The first is that Patrick returns as a playable character, and it’s the very best thing the game could have done. As a reminder, both Patrick and Sandy were playable in Battle For Bikini Bottom, but you could only switch between them at bus stops. In The Cosmic Shake, players could only assume the role of SpongeBob. Here, you can play as both SpongeBob and Patrick and best of all, you can switch between them instantaneously, and I truly mean that. With the touch of a button, you’ll seamlessly transform into the opposite character allowing the player to make use of two different skill sets.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide, Credit / THQ Nordic

In my opinion, it’s easily the game’s biggest strength. Of course, a wide array of abilities makes for more interesting gameplay. SpongeBob can do his legendary karate kick, for example, whilst Patrick can burrow and grapple, both of which are new additions. Beyond this though, Titans of the Tide’s levels are constructed in a way that challenges the player to make use of the ability to instantaneously switch. It isn’t a system merely there for choice or preference. In certain time-sensitive platforming sections, I’d have to switch between SpongeBob and Patrick mid-air so I could go from grappling to karate kicking an obstacle in my way. This is hardly a challenging game, but I do feel that this approach upped the ante from previous instalments.

Outside of this, the game operates largely as you might expect. Players will traverse through various locations, platforming their way through whilst engaging in light combat, each area culminating in a boss fight. As was the case in previous entries, combat is easy to pick up with both SpongeBob and Patrick’s platforming moves doubling as attacks. SpongeBob can perform a handy air kick, whilst Patrick can burrow underneath and damage his opponents or throw nearby objects or even low-scale enemies at their mid-scale counterparts. There are plenty of lives dotted around, and players can use collected currency to add more, so it’s certainly not punishing. It is fun though, adding a light sense of stakes to what is largely a relaxing game.

Levels once again operate as mini hubs, and I was thrilled to see Purple Lamp have introduced several new locales including Neptune’s Palace and Atlantis City. Titans of the Tide is a linear game, but that’s not to say that each level is entirely linear. There’s a clear path forwards, certainly, but venturing off the beaten track in hub zones may allow you to uncover a side quest before you carry on with the main story. I strongly recommend you do as Titans of the Tide isn’t as long as several previous SpongeBob entries, and that’s one of my only criticisms, but it does pack a decent level of side content. There are races to partake in, items to find, and puzzles to solve, all of which contribute to a more satisfactory runtime.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide, Credit / THQ Nordic

You can extend the experience further by purchasing the Plankton’s Portals DLC which adds new areas and costumes as well as a ton of challenges for players to take on, designed to be approached as endgame content. Had this been included in the base game, there’d be a stronger case for Titans of the Tide potentially usurping Battle For Bikini Bottom. Granted, Plankton’s Portals is relatively cheap (£7.99) as is Titans of the Tide for that matter (£34.99), but I think there’s a case to be made for a stronger product had they been combined from the get-go.

Outside of the addition of Patrick, the other key change in Titans of the Tide is that the game has made the jump over to Unreal Engine 5, with Unreal Engine 4 now having been left behind. It’s a move that comes with mixed results. Titans of the Tide is undoubtedly the best looking SpongeBob SquarePants game out there, and I really can’t fault the animation. I did, however, experience a crash, several glitches, and a delay on some asset load-ins. I can’t for certain say this is an Unreal Engine 5 issue, but it’s not an engine exactly known for its stability. And I will stress that this is a small gripe; a reload pretty much fixed all issues, but a smoother experience would have been more ideal.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide gets so much right. Its instantaneous character switching system is brilliant, and Purple Lamp has once again cooked up an entertaining story, whisking players through several fun new locations. It could be longer and there are a few bugs present, albeit harmless ones. It’s hard, though, to deem the title as anything other than a thrilling 3D platformer that’s a blast to play through.

Pros: Varied move set between SpongeBob and Patrick, entertaining story, fun levels

Cons: Some bugs encountered, relatively short

For fans of: SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, Astro Bot, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

8/10: Excellent

SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide launches on 18 November on PC (version tested via Xbox ROG Ally X), Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PlayStation 5. A review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.