Games Central: The return of SpongeBob
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GAME of the week is SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake on Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox One.
SpongeBob and his pals are back in this brightly-coloured 3D Platformer.
After turning the world of Bikini Bottom upside down by blowing wishes into Neptune’s Tears, our yellow buddy and Patrick Starfish (who has been transformed into an inflatable balloon) adventure through seven worlds and battle Jelly monsters to undo mistakes and make amends.
The graphics feel like they have stepped straight off the TV, and the full cast have lent their voices, with original scores from the series too. Fantastic tutorial-integrated gameplay, gently introducing new skills as you travel through the levels, and there are well thought-out storylines in each wish world.
If you enjoyed Crash Bandicoot, It’s About Time and Spyro Reignited Trilogy, you’ll love this.
Also out is ReDrawn: The Painted Tower on Mobile
Apprehensive you may be about the clunky first scene that then melts into a beautiful narrative VT, but keep the faith and dive into an artistic game of hide and seek, bringing together paintings and the real world to find a powerful little girl.
Iris’ painted world is stunning, and although it’s not always the most intuitive when it comes to movement, it is a lovely game.
Not dissimilar to the Professor Layton games of DS days, this is a wonderful bit of escapism.
Rounding off our choices for this week is Forspoken on Playstation 5, PC
Frey Holland is your typical protagonist – she’s had a tough start living rough on the streets of New York, so naturally, she couldn’t be better suited for a heroic mission to save a “broken”, mysterious and magical realm, along with her witty sidekick,
Cuff (yes, it’s a bracelet).
It’s a shame that Forspoken’s storytelling falls flat, leaving a lot to journals and diaries to fill in the gaps.
However, it is a lot of fun.
Frey is blessed with a type of elemental magic, which she uses to save the realm from some corrupted Tantas (matriarchs).
However, there’s nothing really new here.
Completing the main campaign took about 13 hours and if you’re the type to explore every inch, then there’s plenty to keep you busy, but if you’re after compelling storytelling, maybe not.
