Battle for Bikini Bottom received mixed or average reviews upon release according to review aggregator Metacritic, but it was a commercial success. The game has since gained a cult following and a large speedrunning community presence. The console version of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie video game, released one year after this game, shares the same developer, game engine, and various graphics from Battle for Bikini Bottom, and even features robots from this game as rotting junk in a dumpster as an Easter egg, leading fans to consider the Movie game as the unofficial spiritual successor. An official successor to this game called The Cosmic Shake was released 19 years later in 2023.[7]
The following list is in the same order as the game's credits that play within the SpongeBall Arena. The robot bosses, however, do not appear in the game credits.
Mr. Krabs and Mermaid Man are the only two characters who are not voiced by their original actors, Clancy Brown and Ernest Borgnine, and are instead both voiced by Joe Whyte.
The game's credits misspell the names of both Rodger Bumpass (as "Roger Bumpass") and Brad Abrell (as "Brad Arbell").
Karen Plankton appears within the Chum Bucket without any spoken lines. Several incidental fish models also appear as non-speaking background characters.
Plot[]
All versions of the game share the same basic plot. Inside the Chum Bucket, Plankton comes up with another plan to steal the Krabby Patty formula from the Krusty Krab. He builds a machine called the Duplicatotron 3000 and uses it to create an army of robots, which he plans to use to destroy the Krusty Krab and succeed in his long-time goal. Although the plan goes smoothly at first, the robots start to rebel against Plankton, at which point Plankton realizes his fatal error: he forgot to set the "Obey Plankton" switch to "Obey." As a result, the robots lock Plankton out of the Chum Bucket and start to go on a rampage to destroy Bikini Bottom.
Meanwhile, in SpongeBob's house, SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star play with their toy robots to pass the time. SpongeBob wishes for robot friends to play with, and the next morning, he finds Bikini Bottom under attack by an army of robots. Believing that the rampage is his own fault due to his "wish," SpongeBob sets out to clean up his mess and help his friends, including Plankton, without realizing that Plankton caused the invasion.
SpongeBob receives a fax from Mr. Krabs, stating that he would give SpongeBob a Golden Spatula for increasing amounts of Shiny Objects, the game's currency, he collects for him. Outside, SpongeBob finds a disappointed Plankton, who denies knowledge of the robots' origins and claims that they appeared suddenly and kicked him out. Plankton convinces SpongeBob to help him back into the Chum Bucket by embarking on a perilous quest to find Golden Spatulas and get rid of the robots, secretly intending to regain control of them once back inside.
Every area in the game has a unique set of missions to collect Golden Spatulas including a main overarching mission. SpongeBob travels to Jellyfish Fields, where he finds that Squidward has been stung by jellyfish and travels to defeat King Jellyfish in a battle and obtains some of his jelly for Squidward's stings. SpongeBob also helps Mrs. Puff by locating stolen steering wheels in Downtown Bikini Bottom, stolen paintings in Rock Bottom, and missing students (whom she insists are "campers") in the Kelp Forest. King Neptune calls SpongeBob and Patrick to the Poseidome to defeat Robot Sandy. He then goes to the Mermalair, where he fights Prawn, one of Mermaid Man's archenemies. He also helps Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy several other times throughout the game, as well as Larry the Lobster, his pet snail Gary and the Flying Dutchman, in other areas like Goo Lagoon, Sand Mountain, and the Dutchman's Graveyard, where Sandy beats the Dutchman in a fight. Later, SpongeBob and Sandy save Squidward from Robot Patrick.
SpongeBob then falls asleep, allowing him to enter his friends' dream worlds to search for more Golden Spatulas. SpongeBob and his friends finally gain access to the Chum Bucket around the same time as Plankton, discovering a gigantic Robot SpongeBob, and learn that Plankton was responsible for making the robots. Plankton sets the switch on the Duplicatotron to "Obey" (by placing an "Obey" sign over the "Don't Obey" setting), only to find out a Robot Plankton has been controlling the robots instead. Robot Plankton tells SpongeBob he has interfered in his plans for the last time and tells him "SpongeBob, meet SpongeBot." SpongeBob attempts to disable Robot SpongeBob's brain from the inside while fending off frequent attacks from Robot Plankton. Upon succeeding, SpongeBob hopes that Plankton learned his "lesson." The Duplicatotron produces several more Robot Planktons, which begin arguing among themselves. SpongeBob states that their work is not done, as there are still many robots running amok in the city.
The game then cuts to the SpongeBall Arena, where the player rolls around in ball form in a large arena, while the credits roll on the screen. If the player collects all 100 Golden Spatulas, the game ends by showing the special cutscene of most of the game's characters in the Krusty Krab singing the show's signature theme song, to Squidward and Plankton's chagrin.
Gameplay[]
Playable characters[]
SpongeBob[]
Jump/Double Jump: Jump by pressing the jump button, or press it twice to double jump.
Bubble Spin: Spins while waving his bubble wand. This can hit enemies and objects in any direction.
Bubble Bash: Launches upwards with a bubble Viking helmet towards mid-air robots or tikis. SpongeBob cannot move while the Bubble Bash is activated.
Bubble Bounce: While airborne, SpongeBob grows bubble feet and slams on top of enemies, tikis, or buttons underneath.
Bubble Bowl: SpongeBob blows a bubble and throws it forward in the fashion of a bowling ball. The longer the player holds the button, the faster it will be. Unlocked after beating Robo-Sandy.
Cruise Bubble: SpongeBob launches a controllable bubble torpedo that activates any button(s) or destroys any robot(s) or tiki(s) that come in contact with it, including stone tikis. Unlocked after beating Robo-Patrick.
SpongeBall: The only power-up based move, SpongeBob transforms into a ball and can do nothing but roll around, but is much faster. The player needs to press the jump button to return SpongeBob to normal.
Sneak: SpongeBob can sneak around by moving slowly, sneaking past the Sleepy-Time robot, up to Shhh Tikis, and crossing fragile platforms.
Patrick[]
Jump/Double Jump: Jump by pressing the jump button, or press it twice to double jump.
Belly attack: Patrick throws out his belly, hitting buttons, robots, and tikis directly in front of him.
Throw: Can pick up a Throw Fruit (watermelon), Freezy Fruit (actually a chunk of ice), tiki, or robot and throw it. In order to throw a robot, he needs to stun it with the body slam move.
Body slam: While in the air, Patrick can plummet directly downward to destroy things beneath him or activate buttons, sending out a small shock wave.
Sandy[]
Jump/Double Jump: Jump by pressing the jump button, or press it twice to double jump.
Karate: Does a chop while on the ground and a kick while in the air.
Lasso: Can use it to tie up and destroy a far-away robot or tiki.
Glide: After doing a double jump, Sandy can use her lasso as a helicopter to reach farther distances.
Texas Trailer Hitches: Can swing on mid-air, Texas-shaped hooks with her lasso to go even farther distances than with the glide.
Items[]
Golden Spatula: The player has to earn Golden Spatulas by completing tasks, which will allow them to go to other parts of Bikini Bottom.[8]
Shiny Objects: Shiny Objects are used as currency. The player can use them to purchase Golden Spatulas or to gain access to some off-limit areas.[8] The maximum amount of Shiny Objects the player can hold up to is 99,999.
Underwear: Every time the player takes damage, they will lose a pair of underwear; losing them all will return the player to the last checkpoint. Golden Underwear increases the player's maximum underwear; all three Golden Underwear can be found in the Bikini Bottom hub.[8]
SpongeBall: If the player walks SpongeBob to a SpongeBall icon, he will roll into a ball and become SpongeBall SquarePants.[8]
Throw fruit: Throw Fruits are found throughout the world and look like watermelons. Patrick can use them to destroy robots and tikis, and he can use them to hit far away objects.[8] They appeared as soccer balls during development.
Freezy fruit: Patrick can throw these chunks of ice onto goo to freeze it for a few seconds, allowing him to walk on it.
Swing-Hook (Texas Trailer Hitches): These can be found floating in mid-air. Sandy can use her lasso to attach herself to these and launch herself over large gaps, or even move rapidly from one end of a level to the other.[8]
Clams: The player must collect enough Shiny Objects to pay clams to open up additional gameplay areas.[8]
Taxi Stands: These take the player to new levels once they have collected enough Golden Spatulas.[8]
Bus Stops: These stops can be used to switch between playing SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy.
Patrick's socks: Patrick's socks have been stolen by the menacing robots. SpongeBob can redeem 10 socks to Patrick and receive a Golden Spatula in return.[8] There are 80 total in the game.
Information Signs: These signs give the player helpful tips along the adventure.[8]
Level Items: Items such as steering wheels in Downtown Bikini Bottom, artwork in Rock Bottom, etc. are specific to their levels and must be returned to the character requesting them in exchange for a Golden Spatula.
SpongeBob's sundae: This power-up was completely cut from the game. It would have allowed the player to run faster and destroy Stone Tikis with any attack.[9]
Teleport Boxes: These objects teleport the player after both boxes have been opened up.
Patrick Teeter-Totter: Only Patrick can use these. They launch him into the air after he throws a Throw-Fruit.
Checkpoints: If the player dies, they restart from the checkpoint instead of the beginning of the level.
Trampolines: These help the player jump onto other parts of levels.
Wood Tiki: A wooden tiki with chattering teeth. These are the most common tikis in the game, and the easiest to destroy.[8]
Floating Tiki: Unlike other Tikis, these Tikis float around. Patrick's Throw moves come in handy when trying to destroy one of these.[8] SpongeBob can also use his Bubble Bash to destroy them. The player can also use Floating Tikis as platforms to jump on.
Shhh Tiki: Shhh Tikis have a simian appearance. Using their big ears, these Tikis hide when someone approaches, only reappearing when the coast is clear.[8] SpongeBob is the only character that can sneak up on them by moving slowly, but they can also be destroyed from a distance.
Thunder Tiki: An angry-looking Tiki that explodes a few seconds after the player gets close to it. This explosion destroys surrounding tikis and robots, and reduces the health of the player if nearby.[8]
Stone Tiki: Constructed of solid rock, the stoic Stone Tiki is impervious to most attacks.[8] Stone Tikis can only be broken by a nearby Thunder Tiki being ignited, SpongeBob's Cruise Bubble, or being thrown into goo by Patrick.
The player has access to many cheat codes in the console games. All cheat codes can only be entered in the pause menu while holding a specific set of buttons:
PlayStation 2: L1 + L2 + R1 + R2
Xbox and GameCube: L + R
While holding the above buttons, the player must enter a cheat code in a short timeframe, making some of them difficult to execute.
The cheat codes are as follows:
+1000 Shiny Objects
PlayStation 2: Square, Circle, Circle, Square, Square, Circle, Circle, Square
Xbox and GameCube: Y, X, X, Y, Y, X, X, Y
+10 Golden Spatulas
PlayStation 2: Circle, Square, Square, Circle, Circle, Square, Square, Circle
Xbox and GameCube: Y, Y, Y, Y, X, Y, X, Y, Y, Y, Y, Y
Small Pedestrians
PlayStation 2: Square, Square, Square, Square, Square, Circle, Square, Circle, Square, Circle, Square, Circle
Xbox and GameCube: Y, Y, Y, Y, Y, X, Y, X, Y, X, Y, X
Glitches[]
Like any video game, the console versions of Battle for Bikini Bottom feature a number of glitches, bugs, and exploits. Speedrunners take advantage of some of these to go through the game faster. The player can always revert these by restarting the game or the console, or sometimes by using the pause menu to teleport to a Golden Spatula.
Sound Glitches
The player may hear a bunch of random sounds from the game when pausing the game, collecting Shiny Objects, or collecting a Golden Spatula, particularly after the player has visited the SpongeBall Arena a certain number of times. The player must restart the system to stop this glitch from occurring.
The music is glitched on all three slides in Sand Mountain. At the beginning of the Guppy Mound slide, the "Downtown Bikini Bottom" theme plays instead of the slide theme; the music changes to the slide theme at a specific point on Guppy Mound. When the player reaches the end of the Flounder Hill and Sand Mountain slides, the slide theme will continue to play when it should normally stop.
At the carnival in Goo Lagoon, if the player jumps onto the slide using the nearby tents rather than the slide's entrance, the slide theme won't play. Instead, the regular Goo Lagoon theme will continue playing.
Invisible/Tan SpongeBob: In Squidward's dream, if the player uses the Cruise Bubble while standing on an orange note, SpongeBob will turn invisible when he falls. After respawning, SpongeBob's entire body will appear tan. This can be fixed by firing another Cruise Bubble if SpongeBob is standing on a safe area.
Bungee Visual Glitch: If the player stays on a bungee jump for long enough, SpongeBob's model will start to deform. The most common result is SpongeBob's eyes clipping through his body.
Camera Glitch: Like many 3D platformers of this time period, if the player stands next to a standing NPC and turns/zooms the camera, they can glitch the camera into the NPC's model.
Out of Bounds
A glitch exists that allows the player to disable Hans and explore all of the Bikini Bottom hub area without fighting either Robo-Patrick or Robo-Sandy. The player needs to have auto-save enabled and enter the out-of-bounds sand while calling the taxi for Jellyfish Fields at the same time. After the second time doing this, the player will enter Jellyfish Fields. They can go straight forward and jump off the cliff below the waterfall to grab the Golden Spatula that normally requires the bungee. If the player grabs the spatula, then, while falling into the goo, they can pause the game and teleport to Bikini Bottom to keep their ability to go out-of-bounds. If the save icon appears at the bottom of the screen, they can now bypass the boss gates in Bikini Bottom and explore the entire hub. Note that, with this glitch, the player still needs to earn 75 Golden Spatulas to fight SpongeBot SteelPants; they also can't learn the Bubble Bowl or Cruise Bubble without Bubble Buddy teaching them after defeating the first two bosses.Click here for a video guide on this glitch.
In Jellyfish Caves, a Floating Tiki is located near the first bus stop. The player can jump onto the sign next to the bus stop, double-jump off of the sign to land on the tiki, and double-jump off of the tiki to land in the plain desert to escape the map. This is made easier with SpongeBob by using his Spin Attack in the final double-jump to make him jump further. At some point, there is a dimensional edge; if the player jumps off of it, they will fall for a very long time before Hans grabs the player and respawns them.
At Spork Mountain in Jellyfish Fields, after defeating King Jellyfish, the player can jump off of the slide at a specific point to land on a path outside of the map boundary. The player can then walk down that path to eventually reach 2D sprites of SpongeBob's, Squidward's, and Patrick's houses. The player can explore this area until certain points where Hans will grab the player and respawn them at the top of the slide.
In the Flying Dutchman's Graveyard, when the player comes across the first Chuck, if they stand on the moving platform when Chuck hits them, the player has a chance to be knocked into the goo and phase through it. They cannot move, but they can use the control stick to make the sky move around.
At the Kelp Vines, if the player activates the checkpoint and falls, as soon as Hans lets go at the checkpoint but before SpongeBob regains movement, the player can perform a Bubble Bowl that will launch SpongeBob into the middle of the forest without Hans picking him up. Double-jumping during this launch will double the distance and the player will be too far to walk to anything. In this state, SpongeBob can turn around and walk underneath the vines. Interestingly, a Thunder Tiki and Stone Tiki can be found along the way.
If the player dies in Goo Lagoon, goes to SpongeBob's Dream, and falls down in the hub section, the skybox will disappear and the player will fall indefinitely.
Glitched Tikis
In Jellyfish Fields, there is a glitched Stone Tiki that will be unbreakable (this is very rare, though).
In the Flying Dutchman's Graveyard, there is a glitched Wooden Tiki where, if the player destroys the five other tikis it is in a group with and uses the Bubble Bowl from the right distance, the player will be able to walk through it and it will become indestructible. It will stay in one position, and it won't chatter its teeth or stare at the player the way it should; instead, it has no animations.
Shiny Object Exploits
Skee-Ball Abuse is a popular exploit in the speedrunning community. If the player can disable Hans, they can align two Stone Tikis at the Goo Lagoon Pier's skee-ball stand in such a way that a Bubble Bowl will get stuck between them. This grants the players thousands of shiny objects in minutes. This glitch is so disruptive that the speedrunning community has split the "Any%" speedrun into sub-sections with and without this glitch.[10][11]
A simpler and less-effective exploit is as follows: Go to the top of the Lighthouse in Downtown Bikini Bottom and get to the bottom of the arena by destroying the Duplicatotron 1000s along the way. When reaching the bottom, do not destroy the two Duplicatotrons on the platforms with electric barriers below them. instead, jump to the platform with a Chuck next to it. Hide behind the Duplicatotron such that Chuck can't hit the player with its missiles. If the player manages this, all of the enemy robots on the floor will attempt to reach the player but be destroyed by the electric barrier, giving the player Shiny Objects; the Duplicatotrons will spawn more robots, which will try to reach the player, get destroyed by the electric barrier, and so on. The player can stand in place and leave the game running to mine Shiny Objects this way.
Two unused levels are present in the game files of the Xbox and GameCube version. One is an early version of Patrick's Dream featuring a whole dessert-themed level. The other one is a scrapped third phase for SpongeBot's boss fight with his anchor arms. SpongeBob's sundae was planned to be a power-up that would have allowed the player to run fast and break stone tikis.
Among the unused models in the game, there's early designs for the Flying and Thunder tikis alongside a textureless worm and a soccer ball which was an early version of the Throw fruits. Many unused voice clips exists including early recordings and dialogue such as SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy reacting upon seeing a tiki or a boss.
According to concept art, a Glove World! level was considered for the console versions of the game alongside a Robo-Squidward's boss fight. The latter would be brought back for the multiplayer mode of Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated.
Reception[]
The console versions of Battle for Bikini Bottom received mixed or average reviews, according to Metacritic.[12][13][14] The Official PlayStation Magazine awarded the game 4.5 out of 5.[15] IGN awarded the game a 7.3 out of 10.[16] Despite the average review scores, the console versions of the game won the "Favorite Video Game" award at the 2004 Kids' Choice Awards[17] and sold over 1.25 million copies, enough to be reprinted under the Player's Choice (GameCube), Platinum Hits (Xbox), and Greatest Hits (PlayStation 2) budget labels.[18] The console games maintained a cult following for over a decade, culminating in its prominence in speedrunning and the release of Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated in June 2020.
Trivia[]
General[]
The Console Version was originally sold for the MSRP price of $39.99 on GameCube, Xbox and PlayStation 2 upon release.
All versions of this game are supported by some future devices through backwards compatibility:
The PlayStation 2 version can be played on early PlayStation 3 units.
The GameCube version can be played on early stock Wii units, and on later Wii units.
The Xbox version can be played on all Xbox 360 units.
The robots from this game make a cameo in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie video game as garbage, meaning that SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy succeeded in defeating them all. This further drives the theory that The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie video game is a sequel to Battle for Bikini Bottom.
This is the first SpongeBob video game released on the Xbox, unless you count the crossover game Nickelodeon Party Blast.
This game introduces a brand new villain to Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's rouge gallery, Prawn.
According to Mermaid Man, the game takes place on a Thursday since it's the day of their doctor's appointments and their reason why they can't help the player destroy the robots infesting the Mermalair.
Interestingly, this day is not far off from when the original game released as the game's launch day was on a Wednesday if one were to look up the North American release date of the game.
When SpongeBob enters the Krusty Krab, if the player looks out the front window, Mr. Krabs is nowhere to be seen despite being seen before standing outside the restaurant. Additionally, a mime, who is absent if the player is outside, can be seen pressing itself against said window. The same is seen at Sandy's treedome, with Patrick and Sandy visible inside, while not present outside the domain.
In the UK, this video game and various Nickelodeon video games were released in various bundles together.
In Sandy's Dream, all the platforms the player can stand on, except the giant acorn, are shaped like Texas.
Many songs from this game's soundtrack have since been recycled into other SpongeBob games, most notably SpongeBob's Truth or Square.
Atari 2600 controller made out of sand.
In Goo Lagoon, there is a hidden Atari 2600 controller made of sand that can be found near the giant sand castle, in addition to a statue that is based on the famous Venus De Milo.
The Xbox version has some leftovers from Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights, another game Heavy Iron Studios developed, as the engine for Battle for Bikini Bottom was based on the source code for said game.
The PlayStation 2 version of this game would later be bundled with The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie video game in the Happy Squared Double Pack, which was released on March 3, 2009.
When compared to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions, the GameCube version has dimmer lighting, a lower frame rate in some of the levels, some details removed, and scaled down textures, due to GameCube discs having less space than PlayStation 2 and Xbox discs.
The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions also have a fireworks sound play upon acquisition of a golden spatula or sock, whereas the GameCube version does not.
The Xbox version is the only console version that runs in progressive scan through normal means.
If the player goes into the Rock Bottom Museum for the first time as Sandy instead of SpongeBob, and completes the "Plundering Robots in the Museum" mission as that character, Barnacle Boy will not mention his son.
This game has a different box art in Germany, France, and Australia.
Cultural references[]
One of SpongeBob's quotes when performing the Cruise Bubble is "Say hello to my little bubble friend!," which is a reference to the famous line, "Say hello to my little friend!" from the 1983 crime drama Scarface.
When Realistic Fish Head interrupts the television in Shady Shoals, he says that he will go back to a show called Retirement Home Girls Gone Wild. This is a reference to Girls Gone Wild.
Occasionally when SpongeBob rolls the bubble bowl or receives a large combo he says "Ahhh, there's noting like the smell of bubbles in the morning, smells like... victory." This line is a reference to the 1979 film Apocalypse Now.
The Ham-mer's description found in the police station makes a reference to the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs.
When respawning, SpongeBob sometimes makes a reference to the opening lyrics of the song In Da Club by 50 Cent.
Sometimes, during a fight, SpongeBob says, "You've just met the Sponginator," referencing the Terminator film series.
In the Kelp Forest level cutscene, the player sees a fish fighting the Tubelet with his hat; this could refer to Kung Lao from the Mortal Kombat game series.
Episode references[]
This game appropriately makes many references to the show. The below references are from the console version (and by extension, Rehydrated).
The game's primary MacGuffins, Golden Spatulas, were seen in two episodes prior to this game's release: "Plankton!" and "Neptune's Spatula." In the former episode, Plankton offers SpongeBob a Golden Spatula in exchange for revealing the Krabby Patty secret formula. In the latter, a Golden Spatula rests in bucket of solid grease in a museum, unmovable by even the strongest, until SpongeBob casually removes it.
In addition, the Poseidome, a stadium where King Neptune and SpongeBob had a cook-off in "Neptune's Spatula," is also where SpongeBob and Patrick fight Robo-Sandy.
At the Poseidome, when Robo-Sandy appears, Patrick says, "It's a giraffe!" This famous quote was first said in "Bubblestand" when SpongeBob blew a bubble elephant.
In the treedome section of the game, SpongeBob is clearly and severely dehydrated due to him being a sea creature. This also happened in "Tea at the Treedome" and "Squirrel Jokes."
Patrick is seen outside of the treedome, which also references "Tea at the Treedome."
During the middle of the Goo Lagoon level, SpongeBob can occasionally be heard saying "Uh oh, I can't swim," possibly a reference to "SpongeGuard on Duty."
In the Kelp Forest level, there is a Port-O-Head near Mrs. Puff. Going inside will cause the door to close on SpongeBob or Patrick, followed by a flushing sound and the door reopening. This is a reference to the episodes "Bubble Buddy" and "SpongeGuard on Duty."
The Port-O-Head is also used in the SpongeBob movie game to switch characters.
The Mermalair level, is based on various episodes starring Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, in particular "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III." The mini-boss battle is also a reference to the episode, in which Prawn is released and imprisoned under similar circumstances to Man Ray.
The First Nautical Bank from "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III" can be seen in Downtown Bikini Bottom.
Also the Invisible boatmobile from "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy I" and "III" makes an appearance.
When SpongeBob is about to battle Prawn, Mermaid Man mentions Man Ray, Atomic Flounder and the Dirty Bubble from their respective debut episodes.
In the episode "Prehibernation Week," SpongeBob and Sandy go to the Industrial Park, in which SpongeBob melted after taking the course. In the game, the Industrial Park is where SpongeBob and Sandy go to fight Robo-Patrick.
The Sea Needle from the same episode also makes an appearance.
The "Do not cross" tape from "SpongeGuard on Duty" appears in sections of Goo Lagoon.
When the player goes into Squidward's house, above the fireplace there is a replica of Squidward's head hanging on a plaque with moose antlers, which first appeared in "Snowball Effect."
In the episode "Club SpongeBob," SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward were stranded in a kelp forest. In the game, the same kelp forest serves as a level, but the field is neither completely covered in kelp nor particularly difficult to traverse. Instead, there are open spaces in the level where the player can explore.
In the episode "Sleepy Time," SpongeBob traverses around the dream realm to visit some of his friends' dreams. The level 'SpongeBob's Dream' is loosely based on the episode, in which SpongeBob has to enter his friends' dreams in order to get Golden Spatulas and to reach Patrick's Dream.
On the design of SpongeBot SteelPants, she has rocket jets for legs, similar to how SpongeBob blasted off in the water when he was picked as hall monitor in the episode "Hall Monitor," and SpongeTron's rocket legs in SB-129. Plus, the first form of Robo-SpongeBob is similar to when SpongeBob puts on his karate gear in various episodes like "Karate Choppers," or "No Weenies Allowed."
When SpongeBot SteelPants is defeated for the first time, Robo-Plankton will repair her into a form similar to when SpongeBob got Anchor Arms in "MuscleBob BuffPants."
The Juice Bar from the same episode is seen in Goo Lagoon.
As SpongeBot SteelPants grows due to Robo-Plankton's repairs, Patrick thinks that he's shrinking. This is a reference to the episodes "Suds" when Patrick is under the same misconception as SpongeBob expands in size due to stifled sneezes.
If SpongeBob approaches the vending machine in the first parts of Rock Bottom, a bus will arrive and then leave again. This is based on SpongeBob's failed attempts to get on the bus in "Rock Bottom."
Upon entering the Rock Bottom Museum, the player can see that most paintings are actually frames from various SpongeBob episodes.
If the player falls into a pit or goes to a restricted area long enough, Hans will come out and will take the player out of the danger. This is similar to both the theme song when Hans gives SpongeBob his pants, and the episode "Suds" Hans takes SpongeBob (and Patrick) to receive their treatments.
Bubble Buddy appears in the game, making this his second appearance since his debut episode.
When SpongeBob encounters Bubble Buddy for the first time, Bubble Buddy says SpongeBob must learn all of his Bubble Moves if he's planning to "travel to the 9th dimension, and defeat the giant monkey man." Patrick practically says the same thing in "Big Pink Loser."
When the player defeats the robots in the Rock Bottom Museum, Bubble Buddy says "I think it's time for a victory screech!" Then, he and SpongeBob do one. This is a reference to "The Algae's Always Greener" and "Club SpongeBob."
When the player returns 10 socks to Patrick, he says "Here's your golden backscratcher," to which SpongeBob replies "Spatula," and Patrick retorts "I don't speak Italian." This line was used in "Wormy." The only difference is that it's said by Patrick instead of SpongeBob.
When the player goes down a slope while playing as SpongeBob, he will go down on his tongue, and Sandy goes down on a clam, just like in the Sand Mountain scene in "Prehibernation Week."
Inside SpongeBob's bed room, a picture of SpongeBob, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy is seen hanging on the wall, this picture was originally seen when SpongeBob keeps on summoning Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy from "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II."
In the episode "Hooky," SpongeBob gets his pants caught on a fishing hook. In some points of the game, SpongeBob can bungee-jump on the fishing hooks, with his pants caught on them. Unlike in "Hooky," SpongeBob can unhook himself at will.
The police station from the episode "Life of Crime" is seen.
One of SpongeBob's moves, the Bubble Bowl, is named after the stadium with the same name from "Band Geeks."
In a few points in the game, a mime fish can be seen. This is possibly a reference to the episode "The Sponge Who Could Fly," where SpongeBob saves Patrick from a mime fish, but uncertain due to the timeline of the episode and game's production schedules.
At the end of the Sand Mountain level, Patrick says "I want the warm now!" This is similar to when he said the same thing in the episode "Survival of the Idiots."
In SpongeBob's Pineapple, the player will see the same picture SpongeBob looks at when Squidward comes back from the hospital in "Jellyfishing."
One of SpongeBob's idle animations shows him playing his nose like a flute, just like in the opening theme song.
Inside Patrick's Rock, a picture of SpongeBob and Patrick together is seen hanging on the wall, it also appears on the HUD in Rock Bottom to show how much artwork the player has collected (but not the collectible artwork itself). This picture was originally seen when SpongeBob snuck into Patrick's house at night in "The Secret Box."
Inside Squidward's house, one of the paintings references Squidward's face after being asked if he's sure that he hates Krabby Patties, which is from the episode "Just One Bite." The same artwork can be seen in the background of Squidward's dream.
When SpongeBob is reading the note on the typewriter, from Mr. Krabs, in his house, the player hears SpongeBob say "And it even smells sweaty, just like him!," this is a reference to when SpongeBob says "Boy Mr. Krabs, you sure are sweaty" in the episode "Arrgh!"
When SpongeBob goes to the Mermalair, and the first that Mermaid Man speaks in the level, he says "Is that the TV repairman?," a reference to the "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy" episode when he asks "Are [SpongeBob and Patrick] here to fix the TV?"
One of Patrick's randomly said phrases while playing as him is "You broke my rhythm, now I'm going to break something of yours!" This is a reference to "Valentine's Day."
When SpongeBob and Sandy gets hit by Robo-Patrick, he bangs his stomach like a gorilla, similar to how Patrick did during the beginning of his rampage in the same episode.
After talking too Mr. Krabs when entering Squidward's dream for the first time, and after he mentions to SpongeBob that there's a Golden Spatula on the music sheet to a giant version of Squidward's big head, he mentions that he running out of aspirin, this is a reference to "Squeaky Boots."
