While the general rule is that licensed platform games of the early 2000s land somewhere between ‘bad’ and ‘oh god kill it with fire’, SpongeBob’s foray into videogames is somehow remembered with both warmth and nostalgia. THQ Nordic officially announced a remaster called SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated last year, and now we finally got a release date.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated (yes I will keep using the full title) is scheduled to launch on all platforms on June 23, 2020. The PC release will come via Steam, and purchases of that edition are now live at a discounted pre-order price of $26.99 / £22.49 / €26.99.
Beyond the improved graphics, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated will also include some tweaks to modernise the gameplay, and horde mode multiplayer for two players to tackle, locally or online. It’s also going to feature new content that was cut from the original game, including a boss fight featuring Robo Squidward.
I’m not sure why SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is getting a more lavish update than most other modern updates, but here we are – and I suppose I’m not complaining.
Check out SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated in action above.