Plankton has built an army of robots to steal Mr. Krabs’ secret Krabby Patty recipe once again, and now it’s up to SpongeBob and friends to stop him. Play as Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, and the yellow sponge himself in this action-brawler/shooter. Based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon sensation, SpongeBob Squarepants: Plankton’s Robotic Revenge is available for nearly all the current game consoles, but reviewed on PS3 here.

Each of the main characters can jump, ground pound, and punch barrels and robots, but early on in the game you’ll acquire ‘gizmos’ that you can shoot at robots from a long distance. These ‘gizmos’ are just guns, but don’t worry, they just shoot fast food condiments like pickles, ketchup, or tartar sauce. Using these gizmos primarily to attack is recommended since they do more damage to robots and are more effective than attacking at close range. Because of this, the game kind of reminds me of a kid-friendly version of Ratchet & Clank.

By destroying robots and punching barrels, you’ll earn sprockets that you can use in between levels and at certain machines to buy new gizmos and upgrade your weapons. Other pickups include boxes of kelp hidden inside chests which fill your health meter, and batteries that let you temporarily use a power that boosts certain attacks, depending on which character you’re playing as.

The game is a bit repetitive, as you visit areas that look all the same, attack the same waves of robots, and even the bosses are all alike (just giant robot Plankton heads). One other minor quibble I had is that the colors that highlight Yes and No in the game are too similar, which makes it tough at the beginning of the game when you need to tell it to automatically save your progress. But I still think it’ll please young SpongeBob fans, and it’s great for the whole family since four can play at the same time.

Kid Factor:

SpongeBob Squarepants: Plankton’s Robotic Revenge is rated E-10 with an ESRB descriptor of Cartoon Violence. But all you do is punch and shoot robots with silly guns that shoot out food condiments. If you’re OK with your kids watching the TV cartoon, they’ll be OK with this game, too. Reading skill is helpful for some of the menu navigation, but not necessary to play the game since everything has spoken voice from the cast. Younger players may need help with some of the tougher waves of robot battles, but luckily four can play at the same time, making things much easier.

Tags: Game Reviews, Television