I have to admit, I like SpongeBob. I even have some Christmas SpongeBob items I’m planning on putting out this Christmas. His games have been pretty fun, too, especially Battle of Bikini Bottom, the last release. Now, he’s back in Creature from the Krusty Krab, which takes a totally new direction than the previous games.

The previous games were basic platform games, but all featured the trademark SpongeBob humor and whimsy. The environments, collectibles and platforming puzzles were all fun for the most part, for kids and for adults. However, this new game isn’t the of the same quality as before, and falls flat on almost all levels.

This game is very different, and features only minimal platforming. No longer are SpongeBob and Patrick leaping around the heights in Bikini Bottom. Instead, they’re trapped inside a dreamworld, where SpongeBob and Patrick have to deal with the strange imaginings of this twisted landscape of the mind. Each dreamworld is a level, and each features a different style of gameplay with different characters. The first level is a kart race with SpongeBob, the second level is a type of action/fighting level with Patrick, and is drawn in a comic book style, the third level is another action game, this time with Plankton, and so on.

Each gaming sequence is broken up by cutscenes, which soon become extremely annoying, as they force players to stop every few minutes. The purpose of these breaks is to give direction to young players, as this game is primarily a children’s game, much more so than previously. Usually I’m all for that, as I love it when game designers really make a game just for kids, but this time the design is heavy-handed and offers too much help. Even little kids know basic moves, and don’t require so much guidance for every puzzle and move. This takes away from any sense of accomplishment at meeting challenges.

The humor just isn’t very funny, either. It doesn’t capture the essence of SpongeBob’s world and doesn’t leave us laughing.

There are still plenty of collectibles, which can be used to buy things like added variety to unlocked mini-games. Powerups are also available. There are four mini-games that are all of a simple arcade type and don’t offer much challenge.

The bottom line is that this SpongeBob release isn’t like previous SpongeBob games. It’s not funny and it’s not very fun to play. The levels are boring, the collectibles aren’t interesting, and the mini-games are forgettable. If you are considering this for a Christmas gift, don’t.

Gameplay: 6.0
The gameplay is very simplistic and boring, plus is constantly being interrupted by explanatory cutscenes.

Graphics: 7.0
The graphics are fairly good.

Sound: 7.0
The music is typical SpongeBob, and is pretty similar to the show.

Difficulty: Easy
This game is very easy.

Concept: 6.0
This is a new direction for SpongeBob, but the implementation isn’t very good. A game can be for children, and still be fun and interesting to play. This isn’t.

Overall: 6.0
While this isn’t a bad game, it isn’t a good game, either. The designers went to some effort to make things different, but the end effect doesn’t work. Parents are better off with some other game for young children, like Cars or Barnyard.