Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia


Video game

SpongeBob HeroPants is a SpongeBob SquarePants video game created by Activision for the Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, and PlayStation Vita.[1] It is based on the SpongeBob feature film The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, and was released on February 3, 2015 in North America, and on March 26, 2015, in the United Kingdom.

Cast

Cover

The cover illustrates Invincibubble, Mr. Superawesomeness, Sour Note, and Sir Pinch-a-Lot, each in a confident pose. 

Plot

SpongeBob walks to the Krusty Krab and thinks he's going to have a "normal" day at work. Later, he opens the front door of the restaurant and then notices that Sandy and Patrick are coming along too. When Patrick, SpongeBob, and Sandy enter the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs, Plankton, and Squidward are getting chased around by random objects and SpongeBob states things are going not normal at all. SpongeBob thinks it's Plankton causing this, but suddenly, Bubbles the Talking Dolphin comes out of a space triangle and tells SpongeBob and his friends about someone using the page of a book to make weird things happen. He then holds up a feather which suddenly gives SpongeBob and his friends temporarily superhero powers that can save Bikini Bottom from a mysterious group of enemies someone created.

After tangling with Plankton's giant robot and Squidasaurus Rex, SpongeBob and his friends discover that SpongeBob is the one who caused the not normal events, judging by the handwriting. Plankton then writes on the page, having him, SpongeBob and the others to enter SpongeBob's mind to get the last page and wake SpongeBob up. After the last page is collected, the gang exits SpongeBob's mind and begins to celebrate. Bubbles then appear again to get the collected pages and depending on the amount of pages that have been collected in the game, one of the two alternate endings is shown.

Gameplay

SpongeBob's dreams are coming to life, altering the very fabric of space and time. Players progress through alternate manifestations of Bikini Bottom as they attempt to repair SpongeBob's mind. To restore order, players need to employ the unique superpowers of six playable characters - SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, and Plankton - to solve challenges, battle enemies, and unlock new areas. In addition to platforming combat and exploration, the game features puzzles, boss battles, upgradable skillsets, and a plethora of hidden items to discover.[2]

Worlds

There are fifteen levels in total, four each consisting in three different worlds:

  • War Zone
  • Prehistory
  • Dream Land

Collectable Items

  • Money: Can be used to upgrade characters
  • Memorobilia: Golden statues that are hidden throughout the game
  • Pages: Pages from the Magic Book. The amount of pages collected will affect the game's ending.
  • Nasty Patty: Used for throwing at enemies.

Enemies

Music

The music is taken directly taken from the series and Plankton's Robotic Revenge. However, there's one soundtrack in the game (which plays in the level right before the Squidasaurus Rex chase) that has not been used in the TV series nor Plankton's Robotic Revenge.

  • Moloka'i Nui (a) (Menu & Credits)
  • Hula Festival
  • Hawaiian Holiday
  • Tiki Rapido
  • Bikini Dance
  • Tiki March
  • You're All I Desire
  • Hawaii Hawaii
  • Kai Kai
  • Allons A Tahiti
  • Aka Aka
  • My Ohana
  • Wave Running
  • Cosmic Kitsch
  • Fun Pursuit
  • Chasing Burger Beard


Sleepy Time 057
"I can turn into a skyscraper!"
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Reception

Some critics have criticized the game, calling it more of a remake/sequel to Plankton's Robotic Revenge, seeing as designs and music are not much different. Because of this, critics have not given this game much of a higher rating than Plankton's Robotic Revenge.[citation needed] Likewise with the latter, this game did not sell well, with 20,000 copies sold for the Xbox 360[3], and 10,000 sold for the Nintendo 3DS and the PlayStation Vita. Cyanidecoke of Atomix said in particular, that "it would be an acceptable game if we saw it in a PlayStation One, but now it's unacceptable."[4]

Brad Gruetzmacher of The Vita Lounge noticed the technical difficulties, the "annoying one-liners," and the total duration of the game while praising the visuals, and the music. He went on to call the game "an experience that may not be what veteran gamers want but it’s a hit with the target audience."[5]

Marc Saltzman of Common Sense Media said in a review that "the game isn't a complete fail. It's hard not to fall for SpongeBob's infectious charm, and there's some variety in levels and characters, but overall this game feels more like a plug for the movie it's tied to than a competent standalone game."[6]

While the reception for the game was negative, it was nominated for the "Favorite Video Game" award at the 2016 Kids' Choice Awards. This makes it the third SpongeBob video game to be in the award show, with Battle for Bikini Bottom in 2004 and Creature from the Krusty Krab in 2007 appearing beforehand. In addition to this, it is the first SpongeBob video game to have not won in the Kids' Choice award show.

Trivia

  • This game was originally planned to be called SpongeBob SuperHeroPants.
  • This is the first and only SpongeBob SquarePants game to be released on the PlayStation Vita.
  • This game and Plankton's Robotic Revenge are also known to be the "worst SpongeBob Games" content-wise as well.
  • This is the second SpongeBob SquarePants video game to be published by Activision after THQ shut down. The first was Plankton's Robotic Revenge.
    • This was also the last SpongeBob game to be published by the company before it lost the license to the franchise.
  • The Xbox 360 version has a total amount of twenty achievements, each one worth fifty Gamerscore, while the PlayStation Vita version has nineteen trophies.
    • There are a few differences between the achievements and trophies. The "Scrap Metal" trophy uses the same icon as the "Can" achievement, "Can" is renamed "Can't Get Better Than This" and while 2 co-op related achievements are omitted, a trophy named "The Real Hero" is included.
  • Some of the game's soundtrack are recycled from Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island, Plankton's Robotic Revenge and the show.
  • The 3DS version only has twelve levels.
    • While the Nintendo 3DS lacks an achievement system that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation Vita have, the achievements can still be earned in the game.
  • The artwork and logo resemble some of the artwork and the logo of the second movie.
  • Patar is referenced by Patrick in the Prehistory section of the game. The line that references him is "Maybe we'll see Patar here! He's my ancient ancestor! He must be really old now..."
  • The loading screen on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation Vita versions have a big resemblance to the Battle for Bikini Bottom's loading screen.
  • Some buildings, like the Shady Shoals Rest Home and the Krusty Krab, can be seen in the War Zone's background.
  • The game's ending can be different depending on the number of book pages found. There are two endings to this game.
    • 1st ending: If the player has not collected all the book pages, Bubbles gives the gang Plankton's time machine so they can retrieve the last few pages. Then Patrickosaurus comes and tries to eat SpongeBob and friends, but they escape in Plankton's time machine.
    • 2nd ending: If the player has found all of the book pages, Bubbles the Talking Dolphin shows SpongeBob and friends his break dance.
  • According to the credits, the game was written by Derek Iversen.
  • On January 6, 2015, a trailer for this game was released (see below).
  • On February 3, 2015, a second trailer for this game was released (see below).
  • This game was released ten years after The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie was released in the Netherlands.
  • As of April 2016, this game and Plankton's Robotic Revenge have been removed from Xbox Live, PlayStation Store, and Nintendo eShop.
  • This was the last SpongeBob movie video game based on a film to be released during Stephen Hillenburg's lifetime.

Timeline

  • This game takes place after The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (the movie it's based on) because SpongeBob and friends already know who Bubbles the Talking Dolphin is.
  • This game takes place after "Help Wanted" because SpongeBob knows Mr. Krabs.
  • This game takes place after "Tea at the Treedome" because SpongeBob knows Sandy.

Videos

References


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