SpongeBob SquigglePants, trademark humor in 3-D

In SpongeBob SquigglePants, players are tasked with completing challenges to be inducted into the SpongeBob SquarePants hall of fame. In the vein of WarioWare, players will tap, draw, tilt and shake their way through over 100 SpongeBob themed nanogames, microscopic activities that last for five seconds each. Each level consists of 20 rounds, during which players must complete challenges at ever-increasing speeds.

Players must complete activities ranging from flipping Krabby Patties to catching jellyfish with SpongeBob, Patrick and the rest of the Krusty crew. Kids will get a kick out of seeing their favorite SpongeBob characters in 3-D, which works well and is cleverly used throughout the game. Special scenes featuring Patchy the Pirate are sure to delight, and the nanogames are filled with the series’ trademark oddball humor.

The game can be extremely repetitive, however, as most levels require players to repeat the same nanogames at least two or three times. It feels as if the developer got lazy and decided to pad the levels. Skilled players will finish the main story in only a few hours, with little else to do once the game is complete.

The Bottom Line  Excellent motion controls and trademark SpongeBob humor make SpongeBob SquigglePants an entertaining diversion for kids, but overall the game feels more like a tech demo of the Nintendo 3DS’ features than a full-length game.

RATING Everyone

PLOT Classic SpongeBob experience

DETAILS Nintendo Wii, 3DS