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SpongeBob’s debuts on the Wii. SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab is a strange collection of levels that don’t make a whole lot of sense. There is a very loose story but at the end you find out, well, I don’t want to ruin it but you can find out why this crazy game even happened. Creature from the Krusty Krab is actually a port of the same game that hit the Gamecube and PS2 last year. Expectedly, the controls have been redesigned to use the Wiimote and Nunchuk, however.
In the game, you’ll play as SpongeBob, Patrick, Plankton and control some vehicles that allow you to race and fly your way through the levels. In some levels you will race against the classic SpongeBob cartoon characters in airplanes or cars and in others you have to destroy something by say, playing as giant Plankton. The game even tosses in some 2D levels. While flying you may be tasked with defeating other characters or simply avoiding obstacles. Additionally, there is some standard 3D platforming in the game.
The gameplay in the game is fairly standard even with the addition of motion sensing controls on the Wii. Controlling SpongeBob is very easy and intuitive. Krusty Krab also lets you control the game’s camera by holding down the B button and moving the Wiimote around which actually works very well. While the standard platforming controls are fine, the racing controls don’t have quite the same feel and end up feeing cumbersome. The platforming and 2D levels also respond well. That’s probably the biggest complaint with the game – that it is a little too simple. However, given that the game is aimed at younger gamers this is fine.
The game’s graphics are fine, if identical to the Gamecube version of the game. The character models are just as detailed as the other last-generation SpongeBob console games with a similar level of detail found in the environments. The game makes fairly good use of lighting although there is nothing fancy. As you can expect, because of the crazy nature of the game, the game uses a lot of weird colors and backgrounds that really drive home the message.
The game’s audio is nothing stunning but pretty good nonetheless. The game has the same background music found in the other SpongeBob games which is reminiscent of the music in the cartoons. The sound effects are pretty good whether you’re running around, flying, or controlling a car. The voice overs are fine although they’re somewhat too repetitive.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab is a game clearly aimed at younger gamers. Its target audience will find a lot to like in the game since the Wiimote helps make the game more interactive and user-friendly, despite some of the limited shortcomings. -- Michael Taylor, PGNx Media
---- Jan 31, 2007
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