SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off
By Erin Brereton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Kids fill fun food orders, but get frequent in-app buy ads.

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SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off
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Bad influence
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What’s It About?
Players prepare and serve pancakes and other food in SPONGEBOB: KRUSTY COOK-OFF. They're given various goals, such as serving as many customers as possible in a set timeframe, and orders become more complex as they advance. They'll sometimes receive helpful boosters that, for example, can make the stove burnproof, and they'll unlock new portions of a story involving characters from the Nickelodeon show as they play. Players can spend the coins and gems they earn on outfits, kitchen gear to enhance their performance, and other items.
Is It Any Good?
Players try to cook food, top it with the requested items, and serve the dish to customers as they run a restaurant in this challenge-oriented app. In Spongebob: Krusty Cook-Off, gamers will come into contact with familiar characters as they advance. The difficulty level gets progressively harder in each round at a demanding, yet doable pace, which keeps playing exciting. Gamers may, for example, be asked to top pancakes with jam, and then in a later round, also add blueberries or strawberries to some orders. There's a wait for food to finish cooking, so their time management skills get a workout as they try to achieve the goals they've been given, which can range from not wasting food to earning a certain amount of money.
Ads appear a bit too often between rounds, and some are long. Players also get a number of gentle pushes to buy things, which feels unnecessary. Because items require both coins and gems, you likely won't be able to afford some things without purchasing more in-app currency with real-world money. You can often eventually earn enough through playing to buy some of the more beneficial items, such as a high-performance coffee machine that will help you serve people faster. But when you do, there can be a wait to receive it. Unless you opt to watch an ad or pay more in-app currency, you may not receive a new item for a half-hour, for instance. The ad and other time delays slow down the overall experience, which can be a bummer if you're playing and in the groove. Aside from that, though, players should enjoy trying to meet the goals they're given in each round of Spongebob: Krusty Cook-Off as they try their hand at running a number of restaurants.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how to balance getting things done quickly with getting them done correctly in SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off. Should you try to finish things as fast as possible -- even if that means you may make some mistakes -- or is it better to go slower to avoid errors?
How does your child react when something has to be completed in a short amount of time? Talk about how to avoid getting stressed in situations where you're under pressure.
Customers ask for specific items in the game, which can be a way to talk with your child about the importance of paying attention to detail. How can kids make sure, for instance, they're including everything in a homework assignment that their teacher asked for?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Language & Reading: following directions
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: decision-making, logic, spatial reasoning, strategy, thinking critically, Self-Direction: achieving goals, time management, work to achieve goals, working efficiently
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: June 16, 2020
- Category: Strategy Games
- Topics: Cooking and Baking
- Publisher: Tilting Point
- Version: 1.0.18
- Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 13.0 or later or Android 5.1 and up.
- Last updated: June 30, 2020
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