N-Philes

SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab

Posted December 13th 2006 by Gareth Trinkwon.

Have you ever wanted to step into the shoes of a cartoon sponge, and see the insanity of the world from his eyes? Perhaps don a mask and fight crime as a super-powered vigilante starfish? How about attempt to destroy humanity as a gigantic plankton with a chip on its shoulder? SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab lets you do all this, and more!

Now I'm not you might call a SpongeBob fan. I've never seen the show or movies or whatever else he's featured in. I've beaten this game and I'm still not quite sure what the whole thing is supposed to be about. From what I can gather, it's set in a world where sea creatures have evolved in such a way that they no longer need the watery depths to survive, and are apparently so intelligent and knowledgable of technology that building fully functional cars and airplanes takes mere seconds. I've also heard rumors on these internets that there have been angry parents questioning SpongeBob's intended sexuality. Where were these people when Pee-Wee Herman had his heyday?

Anyway, once you get past the whole "what the hell is going on?" phase, you might notice that SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from The Krusty Krab, despite the giggle-inducing title, is actually not that bad a game. I'm totally serious!

So what's the game about? Well it's divided into nine main "worlds", each divided into three to five short chapters, and each offering a fairly unique form of play and specific character to control. The first world, for instance, has SpongeBob racing against some other oddball critters in his car (sponges have cars now). You zip across the landscape in side-scrolling fashion, hopping over pitfalls and dodging the attacks of rival racers. It might be my absolute lack of skill in games of this kind talking here, but it was actually fairly challenging, especially for a game's very first stage – and a kids' game at that! The controls are responsive enough, but the car moves quickly and it can be a challenge to figure out when the next pitfall is coming. Subsequent chapters involve utilizing other characters (presumably from the show) in stages that have you platforming, flying planes, riding a rocket ship while half-naked, and yes, even being chased by a colossal, supersized hamburger.

Each chapter is punctuated by a brief subtitled cutscene, which, by the way, make absolutely no sense to me, but I'm assuming a SpongeBob fan will be able to follow the haps without too much trouble. They mostly serve to explain how or why a character is in the situation leading to the following stage, except they kind of, well, don't. I have no clue as to why this pink starfish guy is wearing a costume and fighting crime, but honestly? It doesn't matter; it feels right.

As you progess through the game you unlock more and more minigames that appear in the section of the menu dubbed "Arcade". I was fairly miffed by this when I first loaded the game up, because it just drops you in a huge room that's completely empty. It was only having finished the main quest that I returned and found an array of arcade cabinets to try out. The minigames aren't anything amazing, but they're fun little extras. They're mostly Mario Party-esque affairs. Catch the jellyfish in a net, spin the plates, basic platforming. Also the music that plays in these games is probably the best track in the game, so there's that if not anything else.

The presentation of the game is on the most part better than what you'd expect from a video game inspired by a kids' TV series. While the audio is nothing to write home about, it's not bad, and sound effects and music come though clear enough. As far as the visuals, they're on the mark. Sprites are bold and animated nicely, and the backgrounds have the amount of detail you'd expect from a GBA game released in 2006. There's plenty of variety, too. Stages range from open desert, to urban rooftops, to the bowels of a huge sand worm, to the cold, dark vacuum of space. There are even some fancy pseudo-3D effects thrown in for good measure. You know the kind I'm talking about.

Slight Pulse - This one's for the kids, and the fans.

And maybe the kids of fans.

While I admittedly had some fun working my way through Creature from the Krusty Krab's levels, it's clearly aimed at kids and/or SpongeBob fans. The main game is a fairly short affair, nine stages in all, each divided into a few very short mini-game style levels, so you'll be done with it pretty quickly. The unlockable minigames that appear in the arcade menu are fun little additions, but are hardly going to keep you interested for long, unless you are a child in the target demographic, in which case there you have it. If you're a diehard SpongeBob fan or you know of (or begat) one, by all means, check it out. Other gamers may want to steer clear.

Posted in: Reviews

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