History YMMV / SpongebobSquarepantsBattleForBikiniBottom

** The Nintendo Switch version became this over time. While the visual effects were cut down somewhat (most notably, foilage draw distance is shorter and shadows are more pixelated), the game otherwise looks and plays identically to the other versions, and portable play is also possible.
** The Android/iOS version, handled by Creator/HandyGames, is a highly impressive effort to bring the game to mobile phones and tablets, and has been highly optimized as well. There's even a graphics setting menu, something that the PC port lacks for whatever reason.

** Fans who grinded shiny objects to complete the game were disappointed to find that the Movie Theater which had originally shown concept art from the original game, including artwork of the scraped "Robo-Squidward" boss now only shows simple snapshots of different locations in the game, making it a very underwhelming reward in comparison.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Some fans think that multiplayer mode could've had the opportunity to tie up some lose ends regarding the original game's {{Cliffhanger}} ending (where Sandy mentions after [=SpongeBot=] and Robo-Plankton's defeat that robots are still running amok in Bikini Bottom and [=SpongeBob=] makes a harrowing speech to finish the job), with the potential of an epilogue plot involving Robo-Squidward taking control of the remaining robots. The set-up is there (including one of the islands being the defunct [=SpongeBot=], and Robo-Plankton being a playable character helping out the others), but fans are disappointed to find out that multiplayer mode has no build-up, no plot and no ending at all.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The developers took good advantage of [[UsefulNotes/{{GameEngine}} Unreal Engine 4]], and it definitely shows. The environments look as if they came straight from the show, everything is vibrant and colorful, and the character models are very expressive and have nice and fluid animation. The game overall looks ''beautiful'', and it's clear the artists and modellers gave it their all.

** One of the new idle animations for Spongebob references his chicken-clucking face from "Little Yellow Book", better known as "Mocking Spongebob" and its been getting a similar reaction.

** The Nintendo Switch version was noted to have a rather low resolution and framerate issues. The resolution was fixed with the 1.0.2 patch, and the rest of the most glaring glitches in the port (most notably, texture streaming issues in Sand Mountain that affected the rest of the game if the area is exited) would be fixed with the 1.0.5 patch, alongside the framerate becoming ''much'' smoother..

* PolishedPort: While there's some graphical downgrades and framerate issues, the Nintendo Switch version is an impressive effort in bringing the game to the console. Plus, you can play the game on the go!
* PortingDisaster:
** The Windows version was seen by some to be a disappointment, as it lacked exclusive full screen mode, vertical sync support is broken and had next to no graphical settings options apart from resolution and gamma correction.
** The initial release of the Nintendo Switch version was seen as this, due to having several framerate issues, a rather low resolution and the loading times being longer. Patches were released to address most of these issues, though texture loading and framerate problems still remain.
* SpecialEffectFailure: As far as the Gamescom demo shows, the camera doesn't zoom in on the characters or pan to other items/locations during major conversation scenes in a level. It's especially noticeable with [=SpongeBob=] talking to Squidward at the beginning of the Jellyfish Fields level (though this is somewhat excusable in that the demo ''is'' a pre-alpha build). This was fixed later on though.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Being a game that uses [[UsefulNotes/{{GameEngine}} Unreal Engine 4]], the same engine used in games like ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' and ''VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy'', the entire game looks absolutely beautiful. Special mention goes to Rock Bottom.

** The Nintendo Switch version was noted to have a rather low resolution and framerate issues. The resolution was fixed with the 1.0.2 patch, and the framerate was also made smoother.

** In the opening, Plankton's line "My good china!" as he's being dragged out of his lab by the robots is so muffled that it can be [[{{Mondegreen}} very easily misheard]] as something that's much more vulgar. The misheard version of the line: "My vagina!"
** Patrick's belly attack can give the impression that he's attacking by humping the air.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Particularly among the speedrunning community, which is responsible for the original game's resurgence in popularity. [=SHift=], a champion speedrunner, noted that the game seemed to block off certain shortcuts and force the player to go along the intended path too often. Irrelevant for most casual players, but a bit disappointing for others.

** The initial release of the Nintendo Switch version was seen as this, due to having several framerate issues, a rather low resolution and the loading times being longer. Patches were released to address most of these issues.

** Even the Nintendo Switch version looks just as good as the other console versions, despite the slight texture and shadow quality downgrade.

** One of the bigger issues with the [[ThatOneLevel Kelp Forest]] was the very dark lighting making it tricky to get navigate an already long, difficult level. The brightened up visuals are a welcome change.
** In regards to the "A Path Through the Goo" and "Goo Tanker Ahoy" challenges in the Flying Dutchman's Graveyard being infamous examples of GuideDangIt in the original game, the remake makes it clear what you need to do to finish them. The tanker hatch now has a crosshair symbol to let you know that you need to hit it with a Cruise Bubble, and if you activate the treasure chest button pre-goo drain, the following cutscene will point you towards the tanker.

** Wall-jumping no longer has a second-long delay, making that particular jumping section in the "Flying Dutchman's Graveyard" much less frustrating.
** The game now auto-saves whenever you collect a sock instead of requiring you to reach a checkpoint, so you no longer have to worry about re-collecting one if you die shortly after picking one up.

* PortingDisaster: The Windows version was seen by some to be a disappointment, as it lacked exclusive full screen mode, vertical sync support is broken and had next to no graphical settings options apart from resolution and gamma correction.

* PolishedPort: Compared to the [=GameCube=] and [=PS2=] versions, the Xbox version has improved textures, effects, and draw distance, a more stable framerate, and Dolby Digital Audio support. It also has the shortest load times, which makes it the preferred version for {{Speedrunning}}.

* WTHCastingAgency: In spite of the rest of the cast reprising their roles for the game, Mr. Krabs and Mermaid Man are given TheOtherDarrin treatment, and it's ''very'' obvious. This is slightly excusable: Creator/ClancyBrown and Creator/ErnestBorgnine are well-known Hollywood actors, and thus could’ve had a harder time getting their schedules cleared than the most of the ''[=SpongeBob=]'' voice cast, who are best (if not only) known as voice actors. At the very least, though, they could have found better sound-alikes. The fact that Clancy Brown actually did appear in the previous game "Revenge of the Flying Dutchman" makes his absence here even more noticeable.

* WTHCastingAgency: In spite of the rest of the cast reprising their roles for the game, Mr. Krabs and Mermaid Man are given TheOtherDarrin treatment, and it's ''very'' obvious. This is slightly excusable: Creator/ClancyBrown and Creator/ErnestBorgnine are well-known Hollywood actors, and thus could’ve had a harder time getting their schedules cleared than the most of the ''[=SpongeBob=]'' voice cast, who are best (if not only) known as voice actors. At the very least, though, they could have found better sound-alikes.

* HypeBacklash: Happened somewhat with the remaster owing mostly to the fact the game is mostly known for the speedruns. Some of the shortcuts turned out to be actually glitches which wound up being made.

* UncannyValley: The robot doppelgangers' designs have been modified from the original to invoke this, with [=SpongeBot SteelPants=] getting it the worst, now having clear blue domes for eyes and a row of bottom teeth that make look unsettling on [=SpongeBob's=] design.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Being a game that uses [[Main/{{GameEngine}} Unreal Engine 4]], the same engine used in games like VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII and VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy, the entire game looks absolutely beautiful. Special mention goes to Rock Bottom.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Being a game that uses Unreal Engine 4, the entire game looks absolutely beautiful. Special mention goes to Rock Bottom.
** Even the Nintendo Switch version looks just as good as the other console versions, even with the slight texture and shadow quality downgrade.

* ThatOneSidequest: Prior to the 1.03 patch, Mr. Krabs' spatulas were even more of a pain to get in the remake at launch due to the sharp increase of Shiny Objects to pay (instead of increasing by 500 per spatula, it was increased by 3,000). For comparison, his final Golden Spatula in the original game costed 7,500. In the remake, it costed 24,000. With the Skee-Ball Abuse speedrun strategy completely nullified in the remake, your only consistent way to speed up the grind was to use the old-school tiki stack destruction and reset method at specific spots (such as the top of the sandcastle in Goo Lagoon, the "Tikis Go Boom" stacks in Downtown, and the Stone Tiki wall just before the second toll clam in Jellyfish Fields), but even those have been made more tedious due to the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading longer load times]] on death, and the grind could take up to over an hour on average to get enough Shiny Objects to cover for all of his spatulas (a whopping 108,000 total is needed). The patch rectified this by returning the original game's price scaling of 500 per spatula.

* VindicatedByHistory: At the time, it was seen as a pretty good platformer, but wasn't seen as a particularly memorable one in the face of other sixth-generation games like ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'', ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002'', ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy'' and ''VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus''. The fact that its a licensed game from a kids' cartoon meant that it also had to overcome [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames an image problem]], and it went largely ignored by many 'serious' gamers. Then [[http://kotaku.com/spongebob-speedrunner-wont-rest-until-the-game-gets-the-1795418676 speedrunners discovered it]] and found all manner of HiddenDepths in its gameplay. Nowadays, while it hasn't exactly joined the ranks of the greatest platformers ever made, it is extraordinarily popular within the {{speedrun}}ning scene to a greater degree than many of its more conventionally acclaimed contemporaries. Additionally, the game has been a ''heavy'' subject of burgeoning 2000's nostalgia, with ''[=SpongeBob=]'' fans who grew up playing ''Battle for Bikini Bottom'' when it was first released having since grown up, allowing them to share their fond memories of it. All of this has caused the game to get an HD remake in 2020.

* CultClassic: Despite being a tie-in game, its an exceptionally well made platformer that was quite popular in its day, and retains a devoted fanbase to this very day, especially among the speedrunning community. It's so popular that it got an HD remake in 2020.

* WTHCastingAgency: In spite of the rest of the cast reprising their roles for the game, Mr. Krabs and Mermaid Man are given TheOtherDarrin treatment, and it's ''very'' obvious. This is slightly excusable: Creator/ClancyBrown and Creator/ErnestBorgnine are well-known Hollywood actors, and would thus cost a lot more than the rest of the ''[=SpongeBob=]'' voice cast, who are best (if not only) known as voice actors. At the very least, though, the voice director should've sought out a better soundalike. What keeps it from being completely excusable is the fact that Creator/TimConway, Creator/JohnOHurley, and Creator/BrianDoyleMurray all reprised their respective roles as Barnacle Boy, King Neptune, and The Flying Dutchman, respectively.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The entire game looks absolutely beautiful. Special mention goes to Rock Bottom.

* HilariousInHindsight: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpFDsH8BktA This video]] explains that Purple Lamp was actually going to include the original cut Patrick's Dream level at some point in development, as the debug, untextured level can be accessed by specific debug commands in the Unreal Engine. The level has the same geometry and layout as the original, but eventually it experienced the same fate as its original counterpart of being DummiedOut of the final release, with multiplayer mode only borrowing similar concepts of it. The irony of the same level being cut twice has not gone unnoticed by fans.

* BestBossEver: The FinalBoss, [[spoiler:[=SpongeBot SteelPants=],]] in no small part thanks to being rather challenging, having a wide array of attacks, not to mention its SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, of course.

** One of the bigger issues with the [[ThatOneLevel Kelp Forest]] was the very dark lighting making it tricky to get navigate an already long, difficult level. The brightened up visuals is a welcome change.

* HypeBacklash: The game has started to get this as of the release of its remake, with some notable critic sites now giving it far more scathing reviews than it earned in its heydey, considering the game to be [[SoOkayItsAverage a competently made but otherwise quaint, generic 3D collect-a-thon platformer]] and are not at all convinced that its one of the best licensed video games ever made, especially since [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny the bar for such games has been raised significantly higher than it was in the early 2000s]]. Needless to say, such views are a ''very'' divisive topic in the games fanbase.

* ThatOneSidequest: Prior to the 1.03 patch, Mr. Krabs' spatulas were even more of a pain to get in the remake at launch due to the sharp increase of Shiny Objects to pay (instead of increasing by 500 per spatula, it is now 3,000). For comparison, his final Golden Spatula in the original game costed 7,500. In the remake, it costed 24,000. With the Skee-Ball Abuse speedrun strategy completely nullified in the remake, your only consistent way to speed up the grind was to use the old-school tiki stack destruction and reset method at specific spots (such as the top of the sandcastle in Goo Lagoon, the "Tikis Go Boom" stacks in Downtown, and the Stone Tiki wall just before the second toll clam in Jellyfish Fields), but even those have been made more tedious due to the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading longer load times]] on death, and the grind could take up to over an hour on average to get enough Shiny Objects to cover for all of his spatulas (a whopping 108,000 total is needed). The patch rectified this by returning the original game's price scaling of 500 per spatula.

* ThatOneSidequest: Mr. Krabs' spatulas are even more of a pain to get in the remake due to the sharp increase of Shiny Objects to pay (instead of increasing by 500 per spatula, it is now 3,000). For comparison, his final Golden Spatula in the original game costed 7,500. In the remake, it now costs 24,000. With the Skee-Ball Abuse speedrun strategy completely nullified in the remake, your only consistent way to speed up the grind is to use the old-school tiki stack destruction and reset method at specific spots (such as the top of the sandcastle in Goo Lagoon, the "Tikis Go Boom" stacks in Downtown, and the Stone Tiki wall just before the second toll clam in Jellyfish Fields), but even those have been made more tedious due to the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading longer load times]] on death, and the grind can take up to over an hour on average to get enough Shiny Objects to cover for all of his spatulas (a whopping 108,000 total is needed).

* HypeBacklash: The game has started to get this as of the release of its remake, with some notable critic sites now giving it far more scathing reviews than it earned in its heydey, considering the game to be [[SoOkayItsAverage a competently made but otherwise quaint, generic 3D collect-a-thon platformer]] and are not at all convinced that its its one of the best licensed video games ever made, especially since [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny the bar for such games has been raised significantly higher than it was in the early 2000s]]. Needless to say, such views are a ''very'' divisive topic in the games fanbase.