Control:  
Well I can live with them, if that says anything. The jumping and hitting is a little tedious, with no real variety of jumps or hits. Except for other “special” weapons to use, it gets a little boring (control-wise.) SpongeBob moves through levels in a breeze, and there’s no real skill involved. Being a game aimed at kids, it’s obvious that the controls are very easy to use. To an older, more cultured game enthusiast however, it seems more like a chore to run and jump each level, just to get some “Sea Nut Butter.” Speaking of run, there’s no real run. It’s more like a slight walk/jog -- I wanted to get through the stage faster but no, I waddled through. You’d think being a sponge and underwater, you could like float your way to the food.

Later on, you can get a vacuum cleaner on steroids. It sucks up shells, and you can spit them back out at enemies. I wish you could stock up on the shells and then spit them out, like ammo for a weapon, but this is not the case. You start out with a net for catching jellyfish, which you CAN save up and shoot out with B. This adds some variety to the types of control, but nothing spectacular. Really, it’s basic jump and kill. The NES has 2 less buttons than the GBA, but even Super Mario Bros. has way more variety than this.

Gameplay:  
If I was still a child, I could enjoy this, definitely. I’m not saying this game is horrible, but it’s not very “fun” unless you are 3’9", or you're totally obsessed with the TV show. There are some moments where I kinda liked the levels and the gameplay. The tree level, for example, was rather interesting. You're in Sandy’s (a squirrel living underwater in a large dome) air-filled glass prison, and you have to get your item at the top of her strangely large tree. Since you're a sponge, you need water. So THQ implemented a water meter, and it counts down from 20. So while making your way up the tree, you have to reach the occasional puddle to replenish the water meter. Interesting, I give Kudos for that.

The rest of the game is basically the same enemies, with different locales. It feels like one big scavenger hunt. Now as I said earlier, I am a fan of the show. I think this is why I am giving the game a fair chance, and a decent review. But a casual gamer who, for some reason, picked up the game for an interesting experience will be disappointed. Especially if they haven’t seen the show, which is probably the case for an older gamer. This game was targeted for kids, and for avid viewers of SpongeBob.

If you do like the show, maybe you could enjoy the seemingly nonexistent gameplay.

Sound:
It’s happy, cheery music. It really doesn’t get on your nerves like most kids’ or cutesy platform games usually do. When playing level through level, last thing I'd think was “god this music sucks!” In fact, I wish they had the whole theme song on the start menu though -- my geek sense is tingling.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the tunes. They fit with the levels and fit well with the game. Sound effects are on par, and pretty typical. There’s nothing really annoying or bad to report here.

Multiplayer:
None.

OVERALL:
I suggest a course of action depending on if you are a fan of the show, and feel the SpongeBob Squarepants game market is under represented, or if you're in desperate need of your Bob fix, then go for it. However, if you are Mr. Casual Gamer, then I recommend looking for Mario Advance or one of the other better, more “mature” platform games out there.

Really, just don’t spend money on something you have no clue about. Unless your parents are buying, then get all you can out of them, that's what they're there for.

 

The Lowdown on  SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge Aesthetics: Average Control: Below Average Gameplay: Below Average Multiplayer: Sound: Average Innovation: 2/6 Lasting Appeal: 1/6 Rating Explanation Overall: Below Average! "Has Some Detrimental Problems"