Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition
By Erin Bell,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Draw your own adventure, SpongeBob style.
Add your rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this game.
Where to Play
Community Reviews
Based on 4 parent reviews
The Man In The Yellow Hat is trapped in the boys bathroom by DoodleBob and George has to save him
If you love drawing, you’ll love Drawn to Life!
What’s It About?
The unique draw-your-own-adventure concept of Drawn to Life was heralded as one of the most creative and ingenious Nintendo DS games to date, and thankfully DRAWN TO LIFE: SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS EDITION retains much of the original's charm while grafting a SpongeBob SquarePants theme over top.
The story begins when a DoodleBob sketch that Patrick has made comes to life and starts wreaking havoc in Bikini Bottom by kidnapping people, creating an army of bad guys, and covering the land in ugly graffiti. Equipped with a pencil of your own, it's your job to clean up Bikini Bottom (by using the stylus to rub out all graffiti you see), stop DoodleBob and his army, and rescue the citizens that have been kidnapped.
Is It Any Good?
Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition features action-oriented gameplay that involves punching or stomping on bad guys and leaping across platforms to make it to the end of each level. The gameplay itself is basic at best, but, like the original Drawn to Life, where this game really shines is in the way it lets players draw dozens of different objects that become part of the environment. You draw the actual character you get to control complete with animations, as well as furniture, buildings, platforms, vehicles, save points, and extra lives.
It's a shame that the gameplay itself couldn't have been more exciting, but Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition still scores points for sticking true to the original game's spirit –- that of encouraging unbridled creativity and giving players a taste of what it's like to actually design their own video game.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about some of the creative objects they were able to draw. Did you stick to what the game asked you to do (i.e. draw a car) or create something whacky and different instead (like a banana with lime-wedge wheels for your hero to ride)? Are you tempted to replay this game and draw all new stuff?
Game Details
- Platform: Nintendo DS
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: THQ
- Release date: September 15, 2008
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- ESRB rating: E for Comic Mischief
- Last updated: November 4, 2015
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Play
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate