The remaking of Battle for Bikini Bottom a few years essentially trailblazed a second coming of a litany of Spongebob video games. Cosmic Shake followed up the BFBB remake and it did decently well. But, of course, in the 2000s when SpongeBob games popped up, there were quite a number which flopped on the market. Quantity won the day over quality, producing some real stinkers like Plankton’s Robotic Revenge or Atlantis Squarepantis. In the modern era, Patrick Star received his own dedicated video game, not too unlike getting his own TV show. The TV show is horrible, so how did the game come out?

It’s admittedly a mixed bag. Let’s discuss the pros and cons to The Patrick Star Game, starting with what the game does well.

Extremely charming physics

Ever wondered what it’d be like if you wielded a ketchup bottle with the power to bowl over an eighteen wheeler? Maybe you’d appreciate experiencing the ultimate, town destroying somnambulist trip? Either way, physics in this game don’t make sense but in the most comically amusing, charming ways. It helps to establish Bikini Bottom as a true sandbox in this game.

The game plays quite well

Mechanically, the game operates smooth as silk. There are no bugs, there is no lag, and there aren’t any game-breaking glitches that will impact your experience with this game. It is highly reminiscent of a Battle for Bikini Bottom type game. Parkour is strong, Patrick’s capabilities are straightforward and easy to use. It’s just a generally well polished product.

Very strong graphical fidelity

The game looks absolutely gorgeous. Aesthetically, it is just as vibrant and full of life as one might expect from the SpongeBob universe. It is, in this sense, a direct follow up to the beautiful artwork seen in Cosmic Shake and the Rehydrated version of Battle for Bikini Bottom.

Fan Service

The calling card for any modern Spongebob video game is that it essentially requires fan service. The IP the game is attached to may be extremely popular, but the video games have proven very niche time and time again. In order to play to that niche, fan service has to be on point.

Here, fan service and continuous references to the TV show are absolutely nailed. Little details, such as getting Clancy Brown to voice Mr Krabs, including a litany of Patrick’s iconic aesthetics from the TV show and the occasional pop up of a reference to a seemingly obscure TV show episode, really supplement the game as a whole.

This game is not by any means perfect. Let’s talk about what it comes up short on.

Actual Gameplay

Like the world around it, there is a good degree of charm within this game’s mini-games and quests. However, there is also a good deal of repetition, and some cracks in the armor show in the process. Why is it that we prepare Krabby Patties and Chum Bucket food outside, instead of inside, the restaurants? How come the only quest Sandy Cheeks ever gives involves spending two minutes hosing down a dirtied building? Unfortunately, there just isn’t a whole lot to actually do in this game. The charm will eventually fade, and when it does, the game gets to be relatively boring. Juxtaposed to Battle for Bikini Bottom and even Cosmic Shake, this game is ultimately paper thin and does not scale up to even the sum of its parts.

Though it may not seem it, the one con I’ve listed is big and bad, dragging the game down more than the good can help it climb. This is not the worst game ever by any means, but the fact it currently exists on digital shelves for $39.99 feels like highway robbery. This is a game you’ll play for maybe two hours at a time before needing to do something more mentally stimulating and engaging. It’s a game you could come back to whenever you have an itch that needs scratching, but this is never a game that most will play for the long haul, continuously. It simply does not do enough to draw players in for the long haul.

While this game does deliver with magnificent aesthetics and is a strong, brief dopamine hit, its lack of sustainability is its undoing. I am inclined to give this game a D+, and I just hope the next game to launch under this IP does so having received a bit more time in the oven.