The ‘SpongeBob SquarePants‘ platformer has long been a fan-fueled cornerstone of that avenue of property-licensed gaming. After ‘Battle for Bikini Bottom’ (BFBB) put the yellow sponge on the gaming map back in the early 2000s, subsequent releases under the same guise have been chasing a similar sort of immortal success ever since.

While that game remains the best to ever be released under the SpongeBob brand by a relatively comfortable margin, the franchise’s latest entry, ‘Titans of the Tide,’ has a strong case for the silver medal.

Where 2023’s ‘Cosmic Shake’ – developer Purple Lamp Studios’ first swing at a BFBB sequel after their initial remaster – felt equal parts ambitious and unbalanced, ‘Titans of the Tide’ has the benefit of rounding off some of that game’s rougher edges and, ultimately, whittling itself down into a tighter, more refined package.

A cartoon knight looks startled as a glowing green ghost pirate yells with a raised fist in a moonlit, eerie setting. — Courtesy of THQ Nordic

That isn’t to say that ‘Cosmic Shake’ was a bad game; in fact, it represented a necessary turn for ‘SpongeBob’ games, once again working to reinvent the wheel beyond accompanying something happening on the television show, or taking up extra space as digital shovelware on a kid’s iPad. All the same, that title’s deviation from some of the more traditional worlds and scapes that make the aforementioned show so nostalgic and homey led to an unfortunate loss of identity.

An identity that, thankfully, ‘Titans of the Tide’ is able to reclaim.

Between returns to classic landscapes from the series – with a snow-capped Jellyfish Fields specifically and effectively nodding to BFBB’s beloved iteration of the environment – to expansions of places and worlds briefly seen within the property before, ‘Titans’ feels more concerned with appealing to the nostalgia of ‘SpongeBob’ fans than ‘Cosmic Shake’ did.

Though at the same time, the platforming and general game mechanics have taken a sizable leap in this entry. Due to a brawl between the Flying Dutchman and King Neptune, two fan-favorite personalities from the show, a character-swapping mechanic is introduced between SpongeBob and Patrick Star as they navigate a world reeling from the aftermath of the two ghouls’ supernatural battle.

Animated character Patrick Star jumps through bright green fire in a dark, pirate-themed setting with a glowing-eyed treasure chest in the background. — Courtesy of THQ Nordic

Certain abilities are locked to either character and, as levels develop, the necessity to switch between the two of them grows. Not only are certain areas specific to either the sponge or the star, but on multiple occasions, the game requires the player to jump between them on the fly, with whichever one of the two that is out of use being relegated to a ghost floating above the other’s shoulder in the meantime. It’s both a fun aesthetic and an interesting implementation that takes the series’ usual gameplay loop and throws it for, well, a loop.

The resulting patterns feel fresh and give ‘Titans’ a unique identity as a new title. If the game wasn’t as short as it is – which is arguably the biggest problem at hand – it may have been able to compete with BFBB as the most replayable, memorable adventure of the bunch.

But between that shortened length and the game’s up-and-down technical performance (upon release, at least), ‘Titans’ is held back from fully contending with the franchise’s best effort on the video game front.

An animated scene shows a large green merman with a trident standing beside a crab, a squid, and a sponge inside a restaurant with a menu on the wall. — Courtesy of THQ Nordic

At just around the five-hour mark (compared to ‘Shake’s’ seven and BFBB’s 10), just as the game really begins to find a competitive groove, the credits roll. What’s worse is that every level seems to improve and, in spite of occasional frame-rate drops and hiccups, ‘Titans’ only cranks up the fun factor as it goes on. By the end of things, you’re really only left wondering what could have been, given a few more levels and a little extra room to flesh out the narrative.

Even so, the total package is still an entirely complete, especially fun journey through a world sure to appeal to gamers in this format. ‘Titans of the Tide’ is a tight, surprisingly imaginative rollercoaster through classic platforming and creative mechanics alike.

Fans of the show and previous titles alike should pick this one up, and, given the proximity of the holiday season, it would make the perfect gift for any cartoon-loving family member looking for a semi-challenging addition to their video game collection.

So long as the platforming genre exists, SpongeBob has a place within it. Hats off to Purple Lamp Studios for continuously recognizing that and, as a result, churning out memorable escapades built within that space.