Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen and those of a non-binary nature, my name is Daibhi and this is the Gamerhub. Let’s face it: we all love SpongeBob SquarePants. Be that earnestly, like yours truly here, or ironically, because Corey Taylor sings the theme song on stage very well. SpongeBob SquarePants is a cultural phenomenon these days, with the titular character on everything. Posters, movies, lots and lots of merchandise, and of course, videogames. I’ve even reviewed a game for the Hub where he has made an appearance, and I thoroughly hated the game. SpongeBob is everywhere, but the history of his games is spotty at best. Some games have been good, more than a few have been downright awful, and now we have SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game. Does it live in a pineapple under the sea? Does it deserve to be sent to Bikini Bottom?

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game is an open world action adventure game developed by PHL Collective and published by Outright Games. It released on the 4th of October 2024, and I got my hands on a review copy the day before release. I’m using an Xbox Series S to play it, and I’ve honestly had a lot of fun playing it, with it clocking at the 16 hours of Gameplay mark. However, as you’re about to find out, this game isn’t great or terrible- it’s just okay. But before I start being a “Negative Norman” on you all, let’s get to dealing with what this game is about, and how well the game works.

Plot

Seeing as this game is very new, I’ll try to keep the plot spoilers to a minimum. So, the only thing I can say here is effectively “what plot?” but that feels more dishonest than the launch of Fallout 76. Patrick is tasked with getting numerous characters things in order to get the town of Bikini Bottom ready for an event at the end, which I can’t spoil. In the process, there’s a whole heap of minigames to play which reveals aspects of characters and gives the game a little depth. There’s not much else here to go on, so with an apology for the brevity of this section, let’s move on to the meat of this review.

Gameplay

This game isn’t the first game where you can play as Patrick, but it’s the hardest to control. See, this is the first game from this franchise made in the Unity engine and uses a heavy physics-based environment. You’ll find yourself floating on as the titular goof on several occasions with seemingly no end in sight. It honestly gets very f***ing frustrating at times, as trying to help clean mud from the fire station feels impossible. I actually had to apologise to my partner on several occasions because of the number of expletives firing forth from my mouth. When you pick up a copy, you’ll see exactly what I’m getting at, however, this doesn’t last for long. The game isn’t that intuitive, but it will notice if you’re struggling and give you tips on how to move. Once you’ve got the hang of it (for me that was about 45 minutes in), then the game’s world is your oyster.

The minigames are actually a bit more in depth than I had first suspected them to be. There’s a plethora of fun games for you to sink your teeth into. From stopping Plankton from getting his hands on the Krabby Pattie recipe, to actually cooking one Overcooked style, there’s a lot to do in this game. Again, the physics engine comes into play here, with it being really difficult to master at times. Honestly, I’m not sure if kids are going to love this game due to this issue. It can really be a pain in the hole at times, and the flowers I had to get my partner prove as much. Sorry sweetheart, but it’s difficult not to swear when your kart racing minigame is impossible to manoeuvre.

As far as the range of minigames go, this is perhaps one of the game’s better strengths. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game doesn’t leave you short on options for things to do, even if there is seemingly no rhyme or reason for you to do them. There is, however, a reason to get good at them: Each minigame has a series of challenges and a leaderboard, so you can make this game cause absolute mayhem should you be so inclined. I can tell you that from the time I’ve spent playing this game, I’ve really had fun driving the boatmobile to set times. I’ve really enjoyed cleaning up the fire station with Sandy as well.

Completion of these challenges give you the game’s in-game currency, called Sand Dollars. These dollars allow you to customise Patrick with costumes. Most are call-backs and references to the TV show, but some are truly bizarre, which really leans into this game’s sense of humour.

Graphics

There’s not much to shout home about here, other than this game doing the seemingly impossible. It gives Bikini Bottom a proper layout, with different regions of this town to explore. Doing this gives you collectibles, but it’s worth just taking a breather and looking at this town properly. Yes, the graphics are chunky and not well defined, but it’s a game for kids, adapted from a cartoon. Would you really want to see Patrick in glorious 4K? Thought not. The colours are all vivid, the details as cartoonish as you want, but sadly, there’s no David Hasselhoff cameo in this game.

There is one thing I’d like to point out though. I try to keep these reviews positive, and the detail put into the buildings in this game positively rocks. There’s so much attention to detail being placed into this aspect. It really is superb, and a great thing for us adults and big kids to enjoy. Yes, some parts of this game graphically look like they’re from a decade ago, but this particular thing is awesome.

Completion

This game doesn’t have a major plot, and is just a sandbox game allowing you to hand the controller to your kids while you sit and read a book. There’s nothing wrong in that, but it does mean that completion is lacking, and this isn’t brilliant. If you want to 100% the game, with all the rewards and the customisable options, it’s going to sink about 8 hours in. I managed it in that time, with the help of my Thumb Soldiers peripherals. There’s no gigantic award, or Golden Patrick for completing this game, which isn’t great. However, sticking with it will at least keep the kids occupied, so there is that.

Where can I get this game?

This game is not cheap or easy on the wallet, and will knock you back about £35, depending on the platform, but here at Gamerhub, we’ve gone and found the e-stores for you.

Get it on PlayStation here.

Get it on Xbox here.

Get it on Nintendo Switch here.

Get it on Steam here.

Verdict

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game is not a bad game by anyone’s standards, and although I’ve been critical of it here, it’s not a game I’d disparage you from getting. If you’re after a game that will make you laugh, cry, swear profusely, and have a good time, then this game is for you. There’s not much in the way of depth here, and the graphics aren’t much to scream home about, but if you’re wanting a carefree few hours, whilst giggling at all the jokes the kids won’t get, then get this game. And try not to yell when Patrick falls on his ass for the 500th time in a row.

I thus give this game a charitable…

3.4/5 Joysticks.

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Now I’m off to watch Corey Taylor sing the theme tune… again.

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