One day I was looking through my local EB games, Then I saw this game that caught my attention, It was Spongebob squarepants revenge of the flying Dutchman, I had already played the Gamecube/PlayStation 2 version at my friends a friend's house a few days back, It was pretty fun, But Is this version fun as well? Let's just see and find out.
Story-7/10
The story behind this game is that Spongebob and Gary are walking in the jellyfish fields one day, And then the two pals stumble upon some rusty old chest, They open the chest and It appears to be the flying Dutchman! He then starts wrecking havoc in Bikini bottom and even kidnaps all of Spongebob's friends and is holding them captive. It is now up to you to free all of Spongebob's friends are return home safely.
Gameplay-7/10
Spongebob squarepants revenge of the flying Dutchman is your typical platform game, you guide our favorite yellow spongebob through big levels recovering treasures and defeating bad guys along the way. There are 5 chapters in the whole game, Each with 3-5 levels, each level has a special treasure to collect, such as anchors, skulls, etc. There are also a large amount of doubloons to collect in each level as well, These special coins are a key to getting 100% in each level, so make sure you collect them! The levels are pretty long and will take some strategy and skill to conquer. You will be collecting a bunch other Items in your quest, such as Sponge thingies which act as extra lives, underwear which will restore your health, and a whole lot of other stuff. As for the enemies, they are really now thrills, they are all area specific though, the rock bottom level will have you fighting snakes, pufferfish, etc. The most common types of enemies are jellyfish, you can blow a bubble on them then you can use them as a platform. Controls are simple, A is jump, B is blow bubbles, And L and R let you use your special abilities. That is It for the gameplay.
Graphics-8/10
This game was made in 2002, and It looks pretty good! All the levels that you will be exploring are big, beautiful, and bursting with color. They all have their own feel to them too, the rock bottom feels all dark and spooky, The jellyfish field levels are all bright sunny and happy, and so on. As for the characters, they look pretty nice as well, The best part is that they all look like theirselves, Mostly our bright yellow hero Spongebob squarepants, but all his friends like Patrick star, sandy cheeks, Mr krabs and squidward tentacles look pretty normal as well, which Is always a plus.
Sound-7/10
The sound in the game is pretty catchy! It sounds like something that you would hear in the show, which is always a plus. Now to the soundtrack, It is pretty good and happy but one problem, It can get pretty repetive at times! Meaning that It will repeat over and over and over again. As for the sound effects, they are your typical stuff, but Is that a bad thing? Of course not! I actually found some of the game's soundtrack on youtube a day ago! Try to look It up if you can guys.
Addictiveness-7/10
Is this a game I am going to play ever again? Yeah I guess, When I beat this game for the first time, I didn't really know what to do next but just replay the levels, Oh wait! There are still a bunch of coins to get in each level! That is some replay value in the game, And I still remember going back to that one minigame to get a bunch of extra lives.
Depth-6/10
Uhhh, After I beat this game, I didn't find much of a reason to play it again, Except for those remaining doubloons to get from all the big levels, And that one minigame where you can get a bunch of extra lives If you play for long enough. But the game is still pretty fun to play through multiple times.
Difficulty-7/10
I will be honest, Spongebob's first outing on the Game boy advance is pretty fun, but there is one huge problem, IT CAN GET FLIPPING HARD! I remember dying alot of times in the later levels, And that is not Ok! But other then that, If you can get past those flaws, Then this game should be a cakewalk for you.
Overall-7.4/10
For spongebob's first game on the Game boy advance, It was a pretty good one! I gave this game a 7.4 because how much fun It is and how much It offers for a licensed game, So I suggest you buy this one! You will NOT regret it!