SpongeBob SquarePants is an icon in my household and in many others across the under-35 demographic. Games involving my lil' spongey friend have had mixed success - while some have been a hit, others, like a city-builder, were scrapped before they even came out. The new game from the IP to hit our screens before long is SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide, and there's a demo out on Nintendo Switch 2 now.
Titans of the Tide releases for the Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC on November 18 and is a classic-style 3D platformer with enough humor to send Patrick under a rock for a while. Early trailers and demos show bosses, puzzles, air gliding to pick up coins, great level design, and some neat surfing mechanics, but why are SpongeBob and Patrick even above sea level? If SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom taught me one thing, it's that I can't really rely on games from the franchise anymore. Ultimately, like all its predecessors, the newest game will fail to provide what I want.
Picture this instead: a Hello Kitty Island Adventure-style RPG, where I wake up in SpongeBob's beautiful pineapple, pet Gary, stroll out to the Krusty Krab, torment Mr. Krabs, and do silly little errands for Squidward and Patrick. Think of all the joy it would bring to dig up treasures from the ocean floor, make friends with the sea life, and, crucially, not have to save Bikini Bottom from some terrible tragedy, as I've had to in the last, like, seven games. That's right: no combat mechanics, no leaping to my death. Just pure, unadulterated vibes. An instant contender for best SpongeBob game, in my opinion.
Plus, speaking of Hello Kitty Island Adventure, getting into that game this year proved to me that far too many things are trying to be combat- or action-based. Bikini Bottom is truly a place invented to laze around and hang out with friends - I mean, SpongeBob does this a lot in the show. If you think this is a hot take, I apologize, but is it so wrong to want to see more candidates for the list of the best cozy games come to my screen? Can't I queen out with my best frenemy, handsome Squidward?
But whatever, I'll take what I can get, and this boost of nostalgia will provide some easing of the soul for the time being. If you want to learn about what else you've got to look forward to, we have a list of upcoming Switch games, plus the biggest upcoming mobile games.