SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide is definitely made for kids, probably between eight and twelve years old. When I was asked to write about it for TopMob, I thought it would be fun to review the game as if I were one of those kids – and that’s exactly what I did.
I reviewed this game with my eight-year-old son. I watched him play each level, taking notes and gathering his reactions. He freely shared his thoughts as he played, and I only helped when he asked. I aimed to accurately represent both his opinions and my own observations from watching him play, and from the small amount I played myself.
Does SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide offer a fun experience for kids, and is it also a good platforming game for anyone who enjoys the genre?
Available On November 18 For: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide review
The game’s plot is just as wacky as the TV show. It centers around a special deal at the Krusty Krab, where everyone is desperate to get a Krabby Patty – especially the Flying Dutchman. After waiting in line for hours, the Dutchman finally gets to order, only to have King Neptune rudely cut in front of him. This enrages the Dutchman, sparking a fight that leaves Bikini Bottom a chaotic mess filled with ghosts.
Everything is crazy in Bikini Bottom, and SpongeBob accidentally becomes a ghost! Luckily, with a special ring he shares with his best friend Patrick, they can switch between being ghostly and normal whenever they need to, and use this ability to save their town.
The game includes all the original voice actors from the show, but it doesn’t quite feel right. The dialogue gets old quickly – Patrick repeating “I’m a star in the sky!” constantly while gliding became tiresome. However, those same lines did manage to get a laugh out of my kids, and ultimately, that’s what matters.
But then, there are the visuals.
My son immediately pointed out that it didn’t look like the show, and he was right. The toy felt cheap and plasticky, almost like it was made of strange clay. He mentioned wanting it to look more accurate to the show a few times at first, but he quickly forgot about it and just enjoyed playing.
At the start of the game, you’ll discover each character’s unique abilities. SpongeBob is skilled in karate, moves quicker than Patrick, and can blow bubbles with the right item. Patrick is the strong one – he can lift and throw things, move obstacles, and even dig underground. You’ll need to use both characters’ skills throughout the game, so switching between them is essential.
Okay, so the game treats your health kind of strangely! It’s represented by… underwear? Yeah, you and another character share underwear, which is a little weird, I admit. You can actually buy more pairs in the shop, up to ten total. Every four pairs of underwear you get adds a little bit of extra health. And don’t worry about ‘dying’ too much – you just get sent back to the last checkpoint. Sometimes the distance back to the checkpoint is a bit longer, but it’s never super frustrating.
So, about getting new stuff in the game, you can unlock and buy outfits for SpongeBob and Patrick using coins you earn while playing. SpongeBob has way more outfits available than Patrick, which makes sense. But it’s kinda weird that Patrick can dress up as Barnacle Boy, but SpongeBob doesn’t get a Mermaid Man outfit! It’s a small detail, and honestly, only a long-time fan of the show would probably even notice that’s missing.
It’s Time to Save Bikini Bottom
Once you’ve learned the basics in the short tutorial, the real game begins. The missions are typical requests – fetching items or completing tasks in specific locations – which suits this type of game well. My son enjoyed them, though he didn’t fully grasp how everything connected to the overall story.
“How does building a lighthouse connect to saving people?” he wondered. Honestly, I haven’t the slightest idea either, pal.
The game’s controls are simple to understand, but they don’t always respond quickly. There’s often a noticeable delay between pressing a button, like jump, and the action happening, which can cause you to miss jumps or fall off the map. Falling off the map can even leave you stuck in empty space. The player had to restart from saved games on at least four occasions because they got trapped inside walls or suspended in mid-air.
The camera can be tricky to use. Although you have freedom to move it and find good angles, its movement can sometimes be disorienting. My son pointed out that it’s occasionally annoying because it’s hard to keep track of what’s happening on screen. This is especially noticeable during boss battles, where it can be easy to lose sight of the enemy and take damage.
Be Ready To Jump
As a platformer, the game involves jumping over, around, and through different challenges. You’ll also encounter puzzles that unlock new areas. My son could usually figure them out and progress, though some were a bit tricky or required fast reactions, potentially making them difficult for younger players.
I had to help him a few times, particularly with tricky puzzles that demanded quick switching between SpongeBob and Patrick while jumping and using different abilities. He didn’t quit, but you could definitely see his frustration – a feeling I’m very familiar with, especially when playing games made by FromSoftware.
The game features a good variety of platforming challenges, which keeps things interesting. My son especially loved using the Bubble Wand. This tool is incredibly versatile – he used it to activate switches, inflate trampolines, stop fans, reveal hidden platforms and passages with lanterns, and even capture enemies.
Boss battles are designed to be challenging for players, but they also help develop pattern recognition skills. Each boss has a predictable attack style that you can learn from, making it easier to win after a first attempt. Once you defeat a boss, smaller, weaker versions of that boss will appear as regular enemies later in the game. You won’t just fight a boss once and be done with it – they’ll reappear as you continue playing.
Okay, so one thing that really stood out to me while watching this playthrough is the water! Seriously, you can’t even touch the water. It’s an instant death – like, you jump in and that’s it, game over. I couldn’t believe it when I first saw it! Apparently, going near any water in SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide means instant doom.
My son said, “That doesn’t make any sense,” tilting his head like a curious dog. “They live under the sea,” he added.
He started singing the theme song to the show: “Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants!”
He’s pointed out the confusing nature of this several times. Apparently, sometimes you’re given a ghostly surfboard to help you cross water. This means your character, who isn’t a ghost, needs to use a surfboard that would normally be impossible to stand on to travel underwater. It’s a kids’ game based on a kids’ show, but even an eight-year-old has noticed this doesn’t make sense, so I think it’s fair to question it.
Sliding Away
A significant portion of the game features sliding levels, and my son and I didn’t quite see eye-to-eye on them. I found them frustrating, but he actually liked them well enough.
There are simply too many of these sections in the game, and they’re quite lengthy. They’re long, downhill slides filled with obstacles that need either Patrick or SpongeBob to overcome, depending on the specific challenges.
The main issue is that many sections feel pointless – like they’re just there to fill space. You might be enjoying the platforming and story, but then you’re often sent on another long slide or through a similar transition. While occasional breaks in exploration are okay, these happen far too frequently and some sections drag on for much longer than they should.
My son actually loves the slides – he gets a kick out of the challenge! He’s really into racing and time trials in video games, so he sees sliding down as a fun way to beat the clock, just like completing a race or side quest. He did admit, though, that some of the slides are too long. A slide that’s meant to connect different parts of the game shouldn’t take four or five minutes to complete.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide Review Verdict
SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide is a game perfectly suited for kids. While the characters repeat lines a lot, my children loved hearing SpongeBob’s voice! The story and characters are delightfully goofy, and that’s exactly what you want in a game for this age group. It’s also the right length – long enough to keep kids engaged, even those who usually get bored quickly, like mine.
My son thought the game was decent, calling it “A Good Game,” but he did mention a few issues. He said the slide puzzles were too long, there were some random glitches, and the controls didn’t always work as expected. While it’s not an amazing game, he had fun with it, especially since he likes the show it’s based on. We both enjoyed playing it together, making it a memorable experience for us.
3 – Good
We received a copy of SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide for PlayStation 5 to use for this review. (You can read our review policy here.) Want to discuss this game and more? Join the TopMob Discord! Plus, be sure to subscribe to the TopMob weekly newsletter.
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2025-11-17 19:21