When it comes to iconic childhood cartoon characters, there aren't too many as memorable as SpongeBob SquarePants. Debuting all the way back in 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has enjoyed over two decades in the kid's cartoon spotlight, outlasting even some of the greatest TV shows ever made. And over the last 23 years, there have been plenty of SpongeBob video games, some of which have wound up on the Nintendo Switch.
During Nintendo's last Direct, a new trailer for SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake was revealed. The new 3D platformer from developer Purple Lamp sees the iconic anthropomorphic sponge travel to seven different outlandish worlds, each popping with vibrant colors ripped straight from the show's beloved art style. While this is the latest SpongeBob game to head to Switch, it certainly isn't the first.
Every SpongeBob Game On The Nintendo Switch
The first SpongeBob SquarePants game to come to the Nintendo Switch was SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle For Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated, which released in June 2020. A remake of the beloved 2003 PS2/Xbox/GameCube classic, Battle For Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is a fairly simplistic 3D platformer, where players control the titular goofball, Sandy, and Patrick as they defeat a variety of underwater threats, and collect a bunch of shiny objects to trade with Mr. Krabs in order to progress.
This remake saw a variety of technical improvements, and also introduced a new multiplayer horde mode to the game. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle For Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated received some pretty rough reviews on launch, with outlets like IGN and GameSpot condemning the game for keeping mechanics that feel antiquated in the modern era.
A year later, a port of the mobile game SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off found its way to the Nintendo Switch. This game is, again, pretty simplistic, but as opposed to a 3D platformer, Krusty Cook-Off is a fast-food cooking simulator. Between rounds of cooking, players can customize their own Krusty Krab spin-off restaurant, decorating the dining hall and kitchen with the money they earn by cooking. Though its price is a little steep on the Switch eShop, SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off is a solid albeit generic cooking game.
Being one of the company's biggest mascots, SpongeBob has also appeared in a slew of Nickelodeon team-up games. The first of these on the Switch was 2018's Nickelodeon Kart Racers. Featuring characters from Rugrats, SpongeBob, Hey Arnold!, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Nickelodeon Kart Racers had a strong roster, but an abysmal approach to gameplay. Though the game attempted to mimic Mario Kart at every turn, it failed to achieve the same level of responsiveness, or control, leading to the game feeling too weightless and arcade-y. On top of that, critics decimated Nickelodeon Kart Racers for its rough visuals, lack of voice acting, and lack of other Nick properties.
A sequel, titled Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix, released in 2020 for the Nintendo Switch. With 30 playable characters, Kart Racers 2's roster is more than double its predecessor, introducing characters from across Nickelodeon's history, such as Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Danny Phantom. Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2 received a more favorable reception, though critics still argued that the game's lack of voice acting was jarring.
In October 2021, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl released. Aiming to be a Super Smash Bros. competitor, All-Star Brawl gained a lot of attention before release, but expectations were quickly dashed once the game hit shelves. Much like Nickelodeon Kart Racers, All-Star Brawl failed to live up to its potential. Though the roster was strong, and the core mechanics were far from bad, the game ended up feeling a little cheap and empty, partly due to the lack of voice acting once again.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is currently in development for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.