SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is a 3D platforming video game based on SpongeBob SquarePants. It was officially released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on June 23, 2020.[2]
Rehydrated is a remake of the Heavy Iron Studios version of the original Battle for Bikini Bottom, which was originally released in 2003. The player controls SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy to defend Bikini Bottom from a robot army created by Plankton. Rehydrated includes all of the original game's content and adds a new multiplayer mode, which will feature content that was cut from the original game.[3]
Rehydrated was being developed by Purple Lamp Studios and published by THQ Nordic. It was officially revealed on June 5, 2019; the first gameplay footage was shown at Gamescom 2019 a month later.[4] Special physical editions were made available for pre-order in October 2019;[5] digital pre-orders became available on April 16, 2020.
Plot
The game will follow the same plot as the original. THQ Nordic's announcement featured the following overview: "Are you ready, kids? The cult classic is back, faithfully remade in spongetastic splendor! Play as SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy and show the evil Plankton that crime pays even less than Mr. Krabs. Want to save Bikini Bottom from lots of rampant robots? Of course, you do! Want to underpants bungee jump? Why wouldn’t you! Want to join forces in a brand new multiplayer mode? The battle is on!"[6]
Cast
All of the following voice roles were performed for the original Battle for Bikini Bottom. The archived recordings of the original lines were reused for Rehydrated.
- Tom Kenny - SpongeBob SquarePants, French narrator, Gary, SpongeBot SteelPants
- Bill Fagerbakke - Patrick Star, Robo-Patrick
- Carolyn Lawrence - Sandy Cheeks, Mermalair Computer
- Doug Lawrence - Plankton, Larry the Lobster, Fish Announcer, Prawn, Robo-Plankton
- Rodger Bumpass - Squidward
- Mary Jo Catlett - Mrs. Puff
- Joe Whyte - Mr. Krabs, Mermaid Man
- Tim Conway - Barnacle Boy
- Brian Doyle-Murray - The Flying Dutchman
- John O'Hurley - King Neptune
- Brad Abrell - Bubble Buddy
Mr. Krabs and Mermaid Man are the only two characters who are not voiced by their original actors, Clancy Brown and Ernest Borgnine, and are instead both voiced by Joe Whyte. Tim Conway passed away in 2019, making RehydratedTemplate:'s use of his archived recordings as Barnacle Boy his first posthumous role.
Other characters, including Karen Plankton and various background characters, appear in the game without any spoken lines.
Development
Concept art
There have been online petitions from fans wanting a Battle for Bikini Bottom remake as far back as 2014.[7][8][9] According to Gematsu, the game will be "faithfully remade in spongetastic splendor."[6]
THQ Nordic created a Flash-animated teaser trailer to announce the game. In it, SpongeBob wears his helmet from the original Battle for Bikini Bottom and even does the original pose from the box art. The trailer was released alongside a piece of concept artwork, showing shaded artwork of the playable characters: SpongeBob on top of a defeated robot, Patrick eating a throw fruit, and Sandy swinging on her lasso.
Rehydrated will also feature content that was cut from the original iteration of the game, including Robo-Squidward.[3] A well-known speedrunner of the original game, known as SHiFT, helped to test the remake and consulted with the developers.
Special bonuses
SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated - Shiny Edition Trailer - Rehydrated
Shiny Edition Trailer
SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated - F.U.N. Edition Trailer - Rehydrated
F.U.N. Edition Trailer
Players who pre-ordered Rehydrated digitally on Steam received a 10% discount on the pre-tax purchase price, as well as free access to the game's remastered soundtrack.[10]
THQ Nordic also created two physical special editions of Rehydrated:[5] the Shiny Edition (priced at USD$150) and the F.U.N. Edition (priced at USD$300).[11]
The Shiny Edition, named after the Shiny Objects, contained the game on the user's chosen platform, an 8"/20cm SpongeBob figurine, a set of wall stickers, a set of litographs, and a pair of Battle for Bikini Bottom-themed tennis socks.[5][11] The SpongeBob figurine features him holding a Golden Spatula while performing a victory screech, with Gary next to him, both standing on top of a broken Tubelet head. SpongeBob is held up by bubbles behind him, and his tongue is flexible and can be moved up or down.[12]
The F.U.N. Edition, named after the eponymous episode, contained all of the contents from the Shiny Edition, a 7"/18cm Patrick figurine, an 8"/20cm Sandy figurine, and a set of keyrings featuring the tikis from the game.[5][11] The Patrick figurine features him holding a Throw Fruit while standing on the pieces of another, broken Throw Fruit, with two of his socks nearby. The Sandy figurine features her swinging her lasso above her head, standing in front of a Wood Tiki, with bubbles rising from the ground behind her.[12]
Soundtrack
The SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated Soundtrack was officially released on June 23, 2020, the same day the game released. The soundtrack features all 15 tracks from the original game, fully remastered in high quality.[13]
| Track | Length |
|---|---|
| Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated | 3:04 |
| Jellyfish Fields - Rehydrated | 3:03 |
| Goo Lagoon - Rehydrated | 2:59 |
| Downtown Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated | 3:00 |
| Poseidome - Rehydrated | 3:06 |
| The Mermalair - Rehydrated | 3:02 |
| Rock Bottom - Rehydrated | 2:57 |
| Slide - Rehydrated | 3:06 |
| Industrial Park - Rehydrated | 2:52 |
| Flying Dutchman's Graveyard - Rehydrated | 2:47 |
| Kelp Forest - Rehydrated | 3:05 |
| Kelp Caves - Rehydrated | 6:11 |
| SpongeBob's Dream - Rehydrated | 3:04 |
| Boss Fight - Rehydrated | 0:45 |
| Chum Bucket - Rehydrated | 3:00 |
Changes
- For level-specific changes, see the level's article.
The following is a list of general gameplay and graphical changes in Rehydrated compared to the original console games:
- The graphics and visuals have been significantly improved. As part of this, many of the tikis and robots have received redesigns and the character models have changed.
- Danger areas appear on the ground for projectiles that can hurt the player, including Tar-Tar's shots, Chuck's missiles, and Robo-Patrick's toxic waste.
- Robots' eyes are green when idle, but now turn red when chasing the player, similar to the buckethead enemies' antennas from The SpongeBob Movie Game.
- Character animations are more fluid. Characters move and emote more naturally during conversations, and their mouths fully articulate instead of just flapping up and down.
- The Golden Spatula collection in the pause menu is replaced by a map of the game's levels.
- A new sound effect plays when advancing through menus and text boxes.
- Golden Spatulas, Underwear, Patrick's socks, and level-specific items are contained in bubbles instead of simply floating.
- If the player uses Sandy's lasso move in mid-air, Sandy will now stay in mid-air for a second.
- If the player uses Sandy's lasso move on a tiki, that tiki will now contract for a second before it breaks.
- The player can now use Patrick's forward belly attack in mid-air.
- Timers are now visible in the center of the screen instead of in a box in the upper-right corner.
- When using the cruise bubble, the bubble torpedo is now visible onscreen instead of from a first-person perspective.
- Patrick now slides on his back rather than his butt like the original.
- All three playable characters feature new idle animations.
- During the opening cutscene, the cuts are replaced with fades to and from a black screen. Also, there was a bubble transition to SpongeBob's house which was removed, though the bubble sounds are still intact.
- Subtitles are now shown during the cutscenes. In the original game, they were only shown through conversations.
- Before a conversation begins or before you read a sign, there is an abrupt cut to black before fading up.
- The push-buttons have been modified to determine what action is needed to press it; for example, a bowling pin represents the Bubble Bowl, while a crosshairs symbol represents the Cruise Bubble.
- Cutscenes can now be skipped.
- In the secret ending, SpongeBob wears his Krusty Krab hat; in the remake he does not.
Reception
Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, it was met with Positive reviews from audiences, fans and speedrunner SHiFT.
Trivia
- This will be the first SpongeBob SquarePants video game:
- to be released through Steam;
- to be released for the PC since SpongeBob and the Clash of Triton in 2011;
- where the PC version will be the same as the console versions;
- to be developed by Purple Lamp Studios and published by THQ Nordic;
- to be released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One;
- to use Unreal Engine 4 as the game engine; and
- to be a remaster or remake of an older SpongeBob game.
- Multiple retailers, including Walmart, broke the street date on releasing Rehydrated, which was set on June 23, 2020. People were reportedly able to purchase and play the game at least a week in advance of the intended release date.[15][16]
- This is the second SpongeBob game to have an ESRB rating of E10+,[17] following Plankton's Robotic Revenge. The original Battle for Bikini Bottom was rated at Everyone[18] because the "Everyone 10+" rating did not exist until 2005, two years after the original game was released.[19]
Karen's design
- Karen appears throughout the Chum Bucket. In the original version of the game, her wall form was used. In Rehydrated, her design is a mix of her wall form and mobile form: the monitor is attached to the wall and has a control panel like her wall form, but it also has a stalk under it like her mobile form.
SpongeBob making the surprised face.
- In the Jellyfish Fields level, when SpongeBob says to Squidward, "Oh my gosh -- you're bald!" he makes his surprised face from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
- For one of SpongeBob's other idle animations he clucks like a chicken from "Little Yellow Book."
- The box art uses the 2009-2017 version of the SpongeBob SquarePants logo instead of the version of the logo being used at the time of the game's release.
- The game's box art features a few key changes:
- SpongeBob is in the same pose from the original game's box art, except his left eye is opened and he is not wearing an army helmet.
- The box art for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions depict the Krusty Krab in front of the lighthouse. The box art for the Nintendo Switch version adds SpongeBot SteelPants above the main characters, but the Krusty Krab is missing from the shot. The box art for the PC version fits both the Krusty Krab and SpongeBot SteelPants.
Videos
References
- ^ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/spongebob-squarepants-battle-for-bikini-bottom-rehydrated/c35s5brnwl70?cid=msft_web_chart&ranMID=24542&ranEAID=0wLgH49VWzI&ranSiteID=0wLgH49VWzI-LEdOttAla36kKO83.1WI_w&epi=0wLgH49VWzI-LEdOttAla36kKO83.1WI_w&irgwc=1&OCID=AID2000142_aff_7593_1243925&tduid=%28ir__jtd0q9jaqskftlmg0j1ncsypsu2xnyphzttobozl00%29%287593%29%281243925%29%280wLgH49VWzI-LEdOttAla36kKO83.1WI_w%29%28%29&irclickid=_jtd0q9jaqskftlmg0j1ncsypsu2xnyphzttobozl00&activetab=pivot:overviewtab
- ^ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/spongebob-squarepants-battle-for-bikini-bottom-rehydrated/c35s5brnwl70?cid=msft_web_chart&ranMID=24542&ranEAID=0wLgH49VWzI&ranSiteID=0wLgH49VWzI-LEdOttAla36kKO83.1WI_w&epi=0wLgH49VWzI-LEdOttAla36kKO83.1WI_w&irgwc=1&OCID=AID2000142_aff_7593_1243925&tduid=%28ir__jtd0q9jaqskftlmg0j1ncsypsu2xnyphzttobozl00%29%287593%29%281243925%29%280wLgH49VWzI-LEdOttAla36kKO83.1WI_w%29%28%29&irclickid=_jtd0q9jaqskftlmg0j1ncsypsu2xnyphzttobozl00&activetab=pivot:overviewtab#
- ^ a b Steam page for SpongeBob SquarePants Battle For Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated https://store.steampowered.com/app/969990/SpongeBob_SquarePants_Battle_for_Bikini_Bottom__Rehydrated/
- ^ https://twitter.com/THQNordic/status/1154014719386292225
- ^ a b c d https://thqnordic.com/article/spongebob-squarepants-battle-bikini-bottom-rehydrated-will-get-two-collectors-editions
- ^ a b SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated announced for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC
- ^ https://www.change.org/p/heavy-iron-studios-create-a-remastered-edition-of-spongebob-squarepants-battle-for-bikini-bottom-for-the-playstation-4-and-xbox-one
- ^ https://www.change.org/p/nickelodeon-heavy-iron-studios-create-a-faithful-sequel-to-battle-for-bikini-bottom
- ^ https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/make-spongebob-squarepants-hd-remaster-video-game-collection-for-ps3-ps4-ps-vita-xbox-360-xbox-one-wii-u-and-3ds.html
- ^ https://store.steampowered.com/newshub/app/969990/view/3280252288779234335
- ^ a b c https://www.destructoid.com/spongebob-squarepants-battle-for-bikini-bottom-rehydrated-gets-pricey-special-editions-570437.phtml
- ^ a b File:SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated - F.U.N. Edition Trailer - Rehydrated
- ^ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1263830/SpongeBob_SquarePants_Battle_for_Bikini_Bottom__Rehydrated_Soundtrack/
- ^ a b http://web.archive.org/web/20200303235615/https://jackofallcontrollers.com/2020/02/18/interview-thq-nordic-talks-spongebob-squarepants-battle-for-bikini-bottom-rehydrated/
- ^ https://twitter.com/flutterlegendz/status/1271319583299784704
- ^ https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/669080522454073355/723191095814651974/image2.jpg
- ^ https://www.esrb.org/ratings/36855/SpongeBob+SquarePants%3A+Battle+for+Bikini+Bottom+-+Rehydrated/
- ^ https://www.esrb.org/ratings/9071/SpongeBob+SquarePants%3A+Battle+for+Bikini+Bottom/
- ^ https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/02/esrb-introduces-e10-game-rating