Software:SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula

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Short description: 2001 video game
SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula
North American cover art
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)THQ
Director(s)Chris Degnan
Designer(s)
  • Chris Degnan
  • Brent Boylen
Programmer(s)
  • Jan-Lieuwe Koopmans
  • Ruud van de Moosdijk
  • Ivo Wubbels
Artist(s)Jorge Diaz
Composer(s)Manfred Linzner
SeriesSpongeBob SquarePants
Platform(s)Game Boy Color
Release
  • NA: March 5, 2001[2]
  • EU: May 4, 2001
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula is a 2001 platform action video game developed by Vicarious Visions and published by THQ for the Game Boy Color handheld game console. It is the first video game to be based on SpongeBob SquarePants. The game's story centers on SpongeBob SquarePants, a sea sponge who lives in the undersea town of Bikini Bottom and works for Mr. Krabs as the fry cook of the Krusty Krab fast food restaurant. SpongeBob is destined to become the ocean's greatest fry cook, and must embark on a quest to retrieve a golden spatula from the Flying Dutchman, a pirate ghost. The game features platforming-style gameplay, as well as many characters from the television series.

Gameplay

SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula is a single-player action game. The player takes on the role of SpongeBob, traversing 11 levels in search of the Flying Dutchman's Golden Spatula in order to become the ocean's greatest short-order cook.[3]

The levels generally consist of straightforward platforming challenges, but there is also combat including 4 boss battles. Much of the combat and puzzle-solving elements of the game are centered around collecting tools/weapons and swapping between them.[4]

Story

While riding his bike, SpongeBob discovers a statue which has a base that resembles a stove. Informing Mr. Krabs of this discovery, he explains that the statue is used to dedicate a legendary fry cook who wields a golden spatula, which is in the ruins of a collapsed civilization now controlled by the Flying Dutchman. Krabs urges SpongeBob to find the spatula just so he can make a fortune. SpongeBob begins his journey to search for the missing stove dials that will open the way to the spatula. Once he finds them all, he uses them to open the statue's base and enters the Flying Dutchman's domain. There, the Flying Dutchman challenges SpongeBob, who prevails and claims the golden spatula. As SpongeBob begins serving up a large supply of Krabby Patties with the golden spatula, Mr. Krabs is able to make a large amount of money in turn.

Reception and legacy

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings60.60%[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
GameSpot3.8/10[6]
IGN6/10[7]
Nintendo Power2.5/5[8]

The game has received mixed reviews. Frank Provo of GameSpot said "One could argue that SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula is geared toward the younger audience of the TV series, which would explain the game's simplified gameplay and lack of variety. However, while the plot is endearing and the characters will no doubt appeal to the series' fans, there is no evidence to suggest that children would actually enjoy playing a game this unremarkable – let alone adults".[9] Provo criticized the game for its "simplified gameplay" and "lack of variety", but gave praise to the graphics, saying the game "at least looks decent".[9] Jon Griffith of IGN complimented the game as a "decent platformer" with "large levels, multiple objectives, and amusing characters" but criticized it for its password saving system, confusing level design, and difficulty in certain aspects of gameplay.[4]

There have been many more games released under the SpongeBob SquarePants IP, frequently featuring the Golden Spatula and platforming gameplay established in this title.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "Engine Announces New SpongeBob SquarePants Game for GBC". February 25, 2001. http://www.engine-software.com:80/Engels/products/Games/spongebob.htm. 
  2. ↑ "PR - 03/05/01 - THQ Releases SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula". THQ.com (Press release). Calabasas Hills, California. April 16, 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-04-16. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  3. ↑ "SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula" (in en). https://www.ign.com/games/spongebob-squarepants-legend-of-the-lost-spatula. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Griffith, Jon (2001-03-31). "SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/31/spongebob-squarepants-legend-of-the-lost-spatula. 
  5. ↑ "SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula GBC Review Score". https://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/473153-spongebob-squarepants-legend-of-the-lost-spatula/index.html. 
  6. ↑ Provo, Frank (March 19, 2001). "SpongeBob Squarepants Review". CBS Interactive. http://www.gamespot.com/gbc/action/spongebobsquarepantslotls/review.html. 
  7. ↑ Griffith, Jon (2001-03-30). "IGN: SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula Review". Ziff Davis. http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/165/165640p1.html. 
  8. ↑ "SpongeBob Squarepants: Legend of the Lost Spatula". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) (142): 127. March 2001. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula Review" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/spongebob-squarepants-legend-of-the-lost-spatula-r/1900-2698553/. 
  10. ↑ Steurer, Kelly (2023-02-18). "Where to Find Every Golden Spatula in SpongeBob SquarePants: Cosmic Shake" (in en). https://screenrant.com/every-golden-spatula-location-spongebob-squarepants-cosmic-shake/. 
  11. ↑ Irwin, Mary Jane (2003-10-31). "SpongeBob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/10/31/spongebob-squarepants-battle-for-bikini-bottom. 
  • Information page at GameSpot
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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