Common Sense Media Review
By Chris Morris
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Overly simplistic, tedious tie-in to the cartoon.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
SpongeBob SquarePants: Plankton's Robotic Revenge
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
In SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: PLANKTON'S ROBOTIC REVENGE, the greedy Plankton once again tries to steal the secret Krabby Patty formula, this time with an army of robots aiding him. As SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, or Mr. Krabs, players explore the campaign's three levels, attacking robots with a melee or a cleverly named weapon (all of which are basically cartoony versions of the weapons you'll find in any action game: an assault rifle, a shotgun, and so forth). Destroying enemies (or barrels) unlocks gizmos, which can be used to upgrade the weapons. Each level ends with a boss fight.
Is It Any Good?
Although expectations are generally fairly low for a SpongeBob game, SpongeBob SquarePants: Plankton's Robotic Revenge still fails to live up to them. It offers cooperative play (allowing siblings and friends to play together in the same room), but the gameplay is incredibly repetitive -- and the level design feels like an afterthought. Even the boss battles are similar.
To win, all you have to do is run around holding the "attack" button and dodging slow enemy fire. Should you move too slowly and fall in the field, friends can come stand near you and revive you. The game is short, uninspired, and graphically lacking -- with the exception of the introductory and cut scenes, which are much more polished.
Worst of all, though, the game's not funny, despite the presence of the show's vocal cast. Were it not for the constant shooting, this might be a good game for a 5- or 6-year-old, but, as it stands, it's not a good choice for anyone.
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo 3DS , Nintendo DS , Nintendo Wii , Nintendo Wii U , PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Activision
- Release date : October 22, 2013
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : June 29, 2023
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