SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
Kreature Koming from Krusty Krab for Kombat?
Tags: SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab Categories: DS Reviews, GBA Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Michael Hanning on Dec 22nd, 2006
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
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Spongebob Squarepants is the ultimate rarity in children’s entertainment – a show that captivates every age range equally. Spongebob mania went from the young children who enjoyed a cartoony square guy to older viewers who appreciated the surreality or occasional wink to adult sensibilities. This foray into the world of handheld entertainment disappoints by aiming purely at the youngest age range instead of create a game simple yet sophisticated enough to be enjoyed by multiple age ranges, akin to the TV show. On the other hand, it’s hard to complain when a videogame about a kid’s cartoon aims itself squarely at kids.
The two games are surprisingly different affairs, though the boxes wouldn’t let you know. The GBA title aims itself at a younger crowd with simpler gameplay and a shorter runtime, while the slightly more puzzle-centric work of the DS title might intrigue older gamers. Unfortunately, only one of these two is any good.
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The Gameboy Advance version of Creature from Crusty Crab is just a disappointment, to be honest. You control Spongebob or his assorted pals through a variety of minor challenges from “jump when you see an obstacle coming” to “navigate your way from one side of the screen to the other.” It becomes progressively slightly-more complicated as the game goes on, but for the most part you’re stuck with too-long segments that will challenge your child’s attention span more than their hand-eye coordination. There are some bright sides here – the game is bright and colorful, well-animated and for the most part responds well. The youngest of gamers might get a kick out of it.
For the DS, however, it becomes a completely different animal. Despite the similar graphics it features completely new level design and a button-free interface. Moving the stylus controls where the characters move, then tapping or slashing different pieces of the scenery will control what happens from there. Wheels can be turned by moving the stylus in a circle, enemies stunned by tapping them, obstacles removed by rubbing them off. The microphone even gets in on the action – if the jellyfish that attack Spongebob and his friends get him, they can be scared away by blowing on the microphone.
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That aspect of the game is a little harder than it strictly needs to be. It may be a symptom of my unhealthy lifestyle, but I’d usually run out of breath before the jellyfish ever did.
The platforming sections are interspersed with various sorts of minigame where the touchscreen is used to do different things, such as controlling Patrick’s alter-ego Starfishman (I don’t really understand that either) or brushing debris away from a racetrack before it hits Spongebob. My only real problem with the game comes from these sections, which tend to be longer than strictly necessary. You’ll be forced to retry sections again and again before you finally memorize what you’re supposed to get done. On the other hand, it’s a pretty simple way to pad gametime.
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Spongebob Squarepants: The Creature from Krusty Krab is a collection of games that will appeal to your children. The reason they can get the same score despite being so different is the same reason they work, they’re both geared quite specifically to work best for a different age range. Which one to buy for your kids depends on their age and experience with gaming for the most part – if the Mario games are still a sizable challenge, the GBA version will be about their speed. Slightly older games are going to want to try out the DS version both for the innovative uses of the technology and the more challenging gameplay. If you’re old enough to earn a paycheck and buy the games, however, you’re also pretty far past the point where you’re going to get any enjoyment out of them. They still make a great buy for any children in your life.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Bright, colorful graphics. + DS version uses the stylus in innovative ways. + Sounds pretty good, too. |
6.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Both feature sections that run on too long, forcing you to repeat a few times - Completely fail to mine that across-all-ages appeal of the TV show. |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| They're great buys for the children in your life, but the older Spongebob fan will find nothing of note here. | |
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Tags: SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
Posted by Michael Hanning on Dec 22nd, 2006 and is filed under DS Reviews, GBA Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
