Vaguely based on the 10th anniversary mini-movie, Truth or Square is the third (and final) SpongeBob video game to be developed by Heavy Iron Studios.
Truth or Square is pretty much another game like Battle for Bikini Bottom; a 3D platformer where you fight robots.
Weirdly enough, this game never got a PlayStation console release despite the developer's previous game (WALL-E) getting one on both PS2 and PS3.
Part of me wants this game to get a remaster alongside the Movie game but I feel like, since you can play the 360 version on Xbox One and Series, it's probably more likely that the PSP version will get a release on PS+.
I still firmly believe we're getting a SpongeBob Movie game remaster next year for its 20th.
I can't really talk much about the gameplay since it's pretty much the same as BFBB, but I'm gonna be honest I prefer the story of this game to the story of the episode it's based on.
My theory is that this game was commissioned as a general "10th Anniversary" videogame until the special was brought up, and was rushed in order to complete it by the time it aired.
The plot of the special follows a handful of the cast as they get stuck in the Krusty Krab as it celebrates its anniversary, and end up reminiscing about events that we're introduced to in the special, meaning there's no real clip show elements.
In the game, however, SpongeBob is throwing a party for the anniversary and forgets where he placed the secret formula, so his friends try to jog his memory by referencing actual episodes.
Each level is based on an episode of the show, but it sometimes features multiple references, like a level about the episode Graveyard Shift also features elements from the Movie, and I like that.
The game is fine, and is a fun way to spend a few hours. I might even try getting 100% someday.
There's a few hiccups, though, like I'm not sure where checkpoints are; I assumed they were these boxes that close when you're near them but after a rather difficult section near the end of the game I walked past one as it closed, died, and had to redo that difficult section.
There's also these paths in which SpongeBob uses his tongue to glide on Jellyfish Jam paths. You can't hit any enemies on these paths so you have to dodge them which is nigh impossible when there's a huge wall of them in front of you.
One last issue is the fact that the health pickups usually spawn behind enemies so you have to jump past them in order to get health, but they'll hit you while you're trying to get it so it's basically pointless.
The controls are a bit stiff, too, but I don't know if that's my controller or the game itself.
Props for adding Classic Controller support!
Each level features three "Happy Items" (general items that help "jog his memory", you get one for completing the level), three Kids Meals and a sleeping Patrick, but I'm not sure what they unlock since I used a cheat code to unlock all the bonus stuff.
It's your general flair with these games; concept art and cutscenes.
Much like Disney's Up game (also by Heavy Iron), the concept art is all videos and not a single slideshow.
Each level contains two unlockable video types; concept art, and screenshots from the show with frames lazily slapped on top of them.
You get three different videos per level, so it's either two concept art pieces and one screenshot video, or the other way around.
Also I thought I'd mention the fact that this game features a mix of music from Battle for Bikini Bottom and some music from the show itself. So, yes, this is another great video game soundtrack (The Jellyfish Fields music from BFBB slaps!).
If you have an Xbox, and you find this game for cheap, I recommend it.
Who knows, if I find it on Xbox for cheap I might replay it to completion.
Truth or Square is pretty much another game like Battle for Bikini Bottom; a 3D platformer where you fight robots.
Weirdly enough, this game never got a PlayStation console release despite the developer's previous game (WALL-E) getting one on both PS2 and PS3.
Part of me wants this game to get a remaster alongside the Movie game but I feel like, since you can play the 360 version on Xbox One and Series, it's probably more likely that the PSP version will get a release on PS+.
I still firmly believe we're getting a SpongeBob Movie game remaster next year for its 20th.
I can't really talk much about the gameplay since it's pretty much the same as BFBB, but I'm gonna be honest I prefer the story of this game to the story of the episode it's based on.
My theory is that this game was commissioned as a general "10th Anniversary" videogame until the special was brought up, and was rushed in order to complete it by the time it aired.
The plot of the special follows a handful of the cast as they get stuck in the Krusty Krab as it celebrates its anniversary, and end up reminiscing about events that we're introduced to in the special, meaning there's no real clip show elements.
In the game, however, SpongeBob is throwing a party for the anniversary and forgets where he placed the secret formula, so his friends try to jog his memory by referencing actual episodes.
Each level is based on an episode of the show, but it sometimes features multiple references, like a level about the episode Graveyard Shift also features elements from the Movie, and I like that.
The game is fine, and is a fun way to spend a few hours. I might even try getting 100% someday.
There's a few hiccups, though, like I'm not sure where checkpoints are; I assumed they were these boxes that close when you're near them but after a rather difficult section near the end of the game I walked past one as it closed, died, and had to redo that difficult section.
There's also these paths in which SpongeBob uses his tongue to glide on Jellyfish Jam paths. You can't hit any enemies on these paths so you have to dodge them which is nigh impossible when there's a huge wall of them in front of you.
One last issue is the fact that the health pickups usually spawn behind enemies so you have to jump past them in order to get health, but they'll hit you while you're trying to get it so it's basically pointless.
The controls are a bit stiff, too, but I don't know if that's my controller or the game itself.
Props for adding Classic Controller support!
Each level features three "Happy Items" (general items that help "jog his memory", you get one for completing the level), three Kids Meals and a sleeping Patrick, but I'm not sure what they unlock since I used a cheat code to unlock all the bonus stuff.
It's your general flair with these games; concept art and cutscenes.
Much like Disney's Up game (also by Heavy Iron), the concept art is all videos and not a single slideshow.
Each level contains two unlockable video types; concept art, and screenshots from the show with frames lazily slapped on top of them.
You get three different videos per level, so it's either two concept art pieces and one screenshot video, or the other way around.
Also I thought I'd mention the fact that this game features a mix of music from Battle for Bikini Bottom and some music from the show itself. So, yes, this is another great video game soundtrack (The Jellyfish Fields music from BFBB slaps!).
If you have an Xbox, and you find this game for cheap, I recommend it.
Who knows, if I find it on Xbox for cheap I might replay it to completion.