SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis

Rating Everyone Genre action Publisher THQ External Links Official THQ Website

I’m seriously beginning to wonder about the quality of television and video games that children are being exposed to today. Maybe it’s just me, but I remember when shows and games managed to be entertaining while providing a serious storyline that was engaging to not just the children, but to the adults as well. Transformers, The Legend of Zelda, The Littles, Super Mario Bros.., these were wonderful shows and games for all ages, and yet now children are asked to spend time and effort involving themselves in the life of a talking kitchen accessory. I just don’t get it.

But get it or not, SpongeBob is here to stay and his latest game, Spongebob’s Atlantis SquarePantis is a testament to poor gaming. In this latest adventure, SpongeBob and his life partner Patrick discover the missing half of the Amulet of Atlantis. Combining the two halves of the Amulet summons a magical bus powered by song that will take the duo, along with Squidward, Mr. Krabs, and Sally to the legendary lost city in search for the Worlds Oldest Bubble.

Spongebob’s Atlantis SquarePantis is a 3D platform adventure that takes players through three distinct areas: Bikini Bottom, Mu, and Atlantis. All of the levels are straight forward, requiring players to make their way to the end of the level while beating down enemies and completing simple puzzles. Players can select two of the four playable characters, which can be used as a team to make their way through each level. Unfortunately each level is usually designed for a specific pair of characters which usually won’t become apparent until you’re about halfway through the zone. While backtracking is a staple of platform gaming since the early days of Metroid, returning to the starting zone because the game has a single weed that only Mr. Krabs could cut at the end of the level is a clear indication of poor development planning.

As far as the AI is concerned, there isn’t any. Your partner will continue to follow you around until you get to a ledge or an area requiring a high jump. At this point your partner will either stay still or fall to their death, usually while you’re still progressing to the end. Since you can’t complete the level without your partner this usually means playing each level twice in order to get both characters to the end. Still, since the enemies have the same poor AI as your partner, it isn’t a major hassle to just run past all the obstacles and make it to the exit in a matter of minutes.

Graphically, Atlantis SquarePantis is pretty dismal, with roughly created 3D character and environmental models, lackluster textures, and uninspired level designs. Still, the graphics do capture the essence of the television show, and combining that with the audio track should be able to satisfy any young child who might be playing this game. Atlantis SquarePantis utilizes the D-pad to allow the player to move across the level, and in this the game actually succeeds in doing something right. The controls are simple but responsive and provide the player with no effort in controlling their character.

The use of the touchpad has been minimized in the main game and is used only for simple lever controls, door operations, and targeting for the main game. This is a good move since the touchpad is used heavily in some of the mini-games and proves to be nearly impossible to control with any accuracy. A co-op mode is available using the integrated Wi-FI of the Nintendo DS, and can be used to play through the main story line with each player controlling a character. This will effectively remove the complications of the games AI, as far as characters are concerned, but isn’t enough to improve an already horrific experience.

This game has little substance, offering only an uninspired story and shoddy graphics. Only true fans of the Sponge will ever be able to get anything out of this game. For those people looking for something to keep their kid’s occupied during those long car rides, look somewhere else.