SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a platform game developed by Purple Lamp and published by THQ Nordic. The game is based on the Nickelodeon animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. The player controls SpongeBob, who, along with Patrick, journeys across several alternate realities called "Wish Worlds" to save their friends and the town of Bikini Bottom while collecting Cosmic Jelly for the mermaid fortune teller Madame Kassandra. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on January 31, 2023. It also released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on October 23, 2023.
The Cosmic Shake was green-lit by Nickelodeon and THQ Nordic following the success of Purple Lamp's previous title, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated (2020), and was conceived as a spiritual successor to the 2003 original game. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the faithfulness to the source material, but criticized its lack of innovation.
Gameplay
The Cosmic Shake is a 3D platformer. As SpongeBob, the player navigates through several distinctly themed worlds, known as "Wish Worlds" within the game, with the aid of Patrick, who has been transformed into a balloon. Throughout the game, SpongeBob learns a variety of combat and traversal abilities, including: Spin Attack, Glide, Karate Kick, and Fishhook Swing. Players obtain a variety of collectables throughout the game, such as: cosmic jelly, gold doubloons, golden underwear, golden spatulas, Plankton's pet Spot, and level-specific collectables for side-missions. None of the collectables are required to progress through the game's linear story, as the cosmic jelly and gold doubloons are only used to unlock costumes.
Plot
During a visit to the Glove World theme park, SpongeBob and Patrick encounter Madame Kassandra, a mermaid fortune teller who sells them a bottle of "magic bubble soap" that can make their dreams come true. After purchasing the soap and returning home, SpongeBob blows bubbles to make his friends' dreams come true. Patrick then reads the bottle's label to find that it is actually a bottle of Mermaid Tears and is the property of King Neptune, not to be used by mortals. SpongeBob's bubbles then cause mayhem as it opens a portal and sucks up buildings and his friends into several "Wish Worlds" while covering Bikini Bottom in a substance called Cosmic Jelly, the building blocks of reality.
SpongeBob and Patrick, who has been transformed into a balloon, traverse through the seven Wish Worlds to save their friends and Bikini Bottom with the help of Madame Kassandra, who gives SpongeBob a cosmic costume for each respective world he visits in exchange for Cosmic Jelly. Unbeknownst to SpongeBob and Patrick, Madame Kassandra has her own villainous intentions. Locations within the game include: Bikini Bottom, Wild West Jellyfish Fields, Karate Downtown Bikini Bottom, Pirate Goo Lagoon, Halloween Rock Bottom, Prehistoric Kelp Forest, Medieval Sulfur Fields, and Jelly Glove World.
After rescuing his friends and giving Kassandra jelly from all of the Wish Worlds, King Neptune intervenes and berates SpongeBob for unknowingly helping Kassandra in her plans, explaining that she stole the Bubble Soap from him, and that she never posed any real danger until SpongeBob helped her. Kassandra then traps Neptune and proclaims her plot to take over the ocean. Squidward interrupts and yells at SpongeBob for everything that has happened to him. Kassandra uses the Cosmic Jelly to turn Squidward into a jelly monster called Jelly Squidward and uses him to try to destroy SpongeBob and Patrick. After defeating Kassandra and Jelly Squidward, Kassandra is banished through a portal, Squidward and Patrick are turned back to normal, and King Neptune is freed. In gratitude for saving everyone, King Neptune gives SpongeBob one wish, but Patrick wishes to "do everything all over again" despite the others' protests, bringing Bikini Bottom back to its chaotic state.