SpongeBob who?
The thing about entertainment is that when somebody finds an idea that works, the rest of the industry teams up to systematically extract everything they can from it. That is how one ends up playing a whole morning worth of SpongeBob SquarePants flash games.
Truth be told, I know very little about this cartoon. I know that it is a sea sponge whose pants are squared, but that’s pretty much it. However, I figured that when you deal with games based on the same character, you are bound to find different concepts (why would anyone develop the exact same games with the exact same characters?). Surprisingly enough, not only was I right, but the games were also quite fun to play.
The first one was SpongeBob and the Treasure, and here I found myself in a bit of trouble. Apparently, the game developers are Italian, so there are no instructions whatsoever. No explanation of the game, its objectives, or anything. Of course, this is a platform game, which means learning is not a terribly complicated feat, but still. It always helps when somebody tells you that you are only meant to avoid your enemies, because you cannot kill them; otherwise you end up learning the hard way. On the plus side, graphics are pretty well done and you can always assume that there is a treasure to be found, as the title suggests, so perhaps there is still hope.
Click to play SpongeBob and the Treasure
The second game I found and tried was SpongeBob and Dragons. This is a middle ages-themed game, in which you can choose among four characters (SpongeBob, Patrick Star, Squidward Tentacles and Sandy Cheeks) the one who will be your champion. The objective of the game is to defeat as many enemies as possible in each level, and accumulate jellyfish for bonus points and special powers. The way you face your enemies is not an unlike a good old joust, so I suppose watching something like A Knight’s Tale over and over again is good training for the game 
Click to play SpongeBob and Dragons
Next was SpongeBob: The Krab O Matic. This is a very simple game with really cool graphics. You have to make a certain amount of Krabby Patties before the time runs out. In the meantime, you have to put up with Squidward’s constant scolding and stop Sheldon Plankton, who wants to steal the patties and keep you from reaching your goal. The game adds more obstacles as levels go by, ensuring lots of fun.
Click to play SpongeBob: The Krab O Matic
The last game was WhoBob WhatPants?, and make no mistake: this is a SpongeBob game. The only difference is that it is set in the 60s, and your name is CheeseHead, apparently. You are meant to defeat the Bubble Popping Boys, a gang that wants to hurt you, badly. Each level holds a different mission for you, and some of them require a lot of thinking to be completed. Quite advanced for a simple kids game.
Click to play WhoBob WhatPants?
And the best part of all of this? Now you know what the heck they are talking about when they mention SpongeBob!
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.