A brand-new trailer for the upcoming remake of the cult-classic SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated has just been released by publisher THQ Nordic and developer Purple Lamp Studios. The one-minute trailer shows the once bustling metropolis that is Bikini Bottom turned into a chaos-filled and debris covered crater.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is an action-adventure platformer which was originally released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, PC, and Game Boy Advance. The game tasks the player to defend Bikini Bottom from a robot invasion inadvertently started by Plankton, who created the Duplicatotron 3000 to create robots to steal the Krabby Patty pormula. Players take on the role of SpongeBob with Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks being playable for consoles. Each character has his or her own unique skills to traverse Bikini Bottom (such as Sandy’s lasso and SpongeBob’s shapeshifting skills). The original 2003 game enjoyed commercial success, but was plagued with mediocre critical acclaim. It has also developed cult status, alongside a very devoted speedrunning community.
On June 5 of last year, publisher THQ Nordic has announced that it will be doing a remake of sorts for the game, with the Rehydrated title being added to SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom. Additional features, such as a multiplayer mode, polished visuals and a remastered soundtrack, are also coming to the remastered game. Also, unrealized content that was meant to be in the original game will be included in Rehydrated as well, such as a robotic counterpart of Squidward Tentacles, a rough, early concept for Patrick Star’s dream level and a cut phase from the game’s ultimate boss battle.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is currently available for digital pre-order on the Microsoft Store for the Xbox One and PC via Steam. For the Nintendo Switch, pre-orders are available on the Nintendo eShop. No news yet for pre-orders on the PlayStation 4. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated will launch on June 21.
