CURSES!
- NA release: 17th December 2002
- EU release: 28th March 2003
- JP release: N/A
- Developer: Big Sky Interactive
- Publisher: THQ
- NGC Magazine: N/A
- Mods Used: Widescreen Code


SpongeBob SquarePants has been a cultural phenomenon for a very long time, and it’s something that I’ve almost entirely missed, as it’s something I’m only vaguely aware of. That said, I do know that this game has a bad reputation, yet there are people that love it. The impression I got from the game is that it was made by people who wanted to do a lot more, but didn’t have the time or budget, running out of money at the end of the game (the developers had to ask its staff to volunteer for the last few weeks).

One big problem with Revenge of the Flying Dutchman is the camera. It’s not too bad when you load a level, but the moment you land from a jump it kind of gets “stuck” partially looking down. As you can’t move the camera up or down, it gets frustrating when trying to look around for the next pointless trinket to find. The movement works fine, but also isn’t very exciting, made worse by the really boring level design.

There is one thing I did in Revenge of the Flying Dutchman that I’ve not done in any video game before: turn the music off. As the game starts, you’ll hear some really cheesy “happy cartoon music”. It just goes on and on, even through multiple levels as it’s tied to SpongeBob’s default costume. You’ll also be hearing the start of it many times as almost everything resets the music: entering a new room, pausing the game, talking to an NPC, an enemy making a noise. You’ll hear the first few annoying bars again and again and again.

Ignore the camera and music issues and you’re left with a really boring platformer with a ton of repetitive fetch quests, essentially making you walk around each bland level multiple times. There’s no interesting objectives or platforming sections, just a load of tedium. It’s a game to distract young fans of the show, instead of engaging them like it should.

Poor
To ensure that the game actually gets played, make sure the intentioned gamer doesn’t have access to anything better to do, including any video game that is not SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman. Yes, pre-school-aged kids will probably get a kick out of the game, though they’d likely be more entertained mowing down prostitutes in Grand Theft Auto.
Mark Ryan Sallee, IGN
Remake or remaster?
A remake could fix the issues with better level design, but a new game would probably be less work.
Official Ways to get the game
There is no official way to get SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman.
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