History YMMV / SpongeBobSquarePantsRevengeOfTheFlyingDutchman

** The game's atmosphere as a whole has gained a reputation among players as being creepy and unsettling. The game has oddly dark lighting everywhere, most notably in the [=GameCube=] version, giving the whole game a dark gloomy atmosphere. There are little to no characters to interact with in the game, and the few characters that there are have strange uncanny animations and models (especially Plankton and Larry). This is especially prominent once all of [=SpongeBob=]'s friends have been kidnapped, and you're left aimlessly wandering around large empty levels that are almost completely barren, most notably Bikini Bottom, Tree Dome, and Downtown. Coupled with the game's limited and monotonous soundtrack, and you're left with what many players have compared to a horror game.

*** After completing Goo Lagoon, you're abruptly brought back to [=SpongeBob=]'s house with no fanfare, and no cutscene of anyone getting kidnapped... then you walk outside and immediately come face-to-face with the Dutchman, who finally decides to make [=SpongeBob=] part of his crew. Thankfully the treasures Spongebob has collected make him immune to the Dutchman's hypnosis, but the abruptness of the scene can easily startle younger or unsuspecting players, especially since it's the first (and only) time the two directly interact aside from the beginning and ending of the game.

%% PortingDisaster: Please do not list this here. The [=PS2=] version came out first and does not qualify as a port. The issue it has has already been listed under Game Breaking Bug on the main page so listing it again here would be redundant.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Running into Patrick delivering food in Downtown, and the subsequent reveal he's working for Plankton. The reveal comes completely out of nowhere (the last time you see Patrick before this interaction is when you deliver food to him in the construction site, which is a sub-area of Downtown), doesn't make sense story-wise, the interaction is extremely out-of-character for Patrick (he smugly reveals he got a job to Spongebob and insults him for being slow), and it's never brought up again after confronting Plankton in Bikini Bottom.

** At one point in the Goo Lagoon level, the Dutchman hijacks a boat and attempts to ''kill'' [=SpongeBob=] by plowing the ship into the pier. Adding to this, there’s audible SCREAMING that’s heard while you’re fleeing from the Dutchman, and [=SpongeBob=]'s scream of terror at the end of the section doesn't help. While this can easily fall into Narm if you’re wearing the default or fishing gear costume due to the inappropriate music completely ruining the mood, it’s still an oddly dark scene for a [=SpongeBob=] game.
*** After completing Goo Lagoon, you're abruptly brought back to Spongebob's house with no fanfare, and no cutscene of anyone getting kidnapped... then you walk outside and immediately come face-to-face with the Dutchman, who finally decides to make Spongebob part of his crew. Thankfully the treasures Spongebob has collected make him immune to the Dutchman's hypnosis, but the abruptness of the scene can easily startle younger or unsuspecting players, especially since it's the first (and only) time the two directly interact aside from the beginning and ending of the game.

** The narrator's voice. Due to [[TheOtherDarrin a different voice actor]] ([[WTHCastingAgency for some reason]]), he has a completely different voice which makes him sound much more sinister and threatening than usual.

* AntiClimaxBoss: Despite being the FinalBoss, the Flying Dutchman himself is a complete pushover. Many of his attacks are easily avoidable, and he goes down in a couple hits [[TacticalSuicideBoss from his own bombs]].

* TheyWastedaPerfectlyGoodCharacter:

** Goo Lagoon plays with this: The main plot involves getting a letter tile off of Larry's belt, while one of the side objectives is purchasing a bottle to imprison the Dutchman once again. Subverted in that the Dutchman steals the bottle and attacks the pier, then double subverted when he drops the bottle after the final boss fight, which Spongebob uses to send him back to his prison.

** The game’s atmosphere as a whole has gained a reputation among players as being creepy and unsettling. The game has oddly dark lighting everywhere, most notably in the GameCube version, giving the whole game a dark gloomy atmosphere. There are little to no characters to interact with in the game, and the few characters that there are have strange uncanny animations and models (especially Plankton and Larry). This is especially prominent once all of [=SpongeBob=]’s friends have been kidnapped, and you’re left aimlessly wandering around large empty levels that are almost completely barren, most notably Bikini Bottom, Tree Dome, and Downtown. Coupled with the game’s limited and monotonous soundtrack, and you’re left with what many players have compared to a horror game.

* ScrappyMechanic: The game’s costume mechanic has been criticized for being poorly implemented. Most notably, the game’s music is tied to the costume you’re wearing rather than the level you’re currently in. This would be fine for the most part, except there’s major balancing issues between the four costumes that are available. The Fishing Gear is the only costume able to catch jellyfish, which are a required collectible needed for several of the SPONGEBOB letters as well as unlocking the Reef Blower and Goo Lagoon. It’s also the only costume able to use fishing hooks, which are used to progress in many of the game’s platforming sections, meaning there’s little reason not to be using the Fishing Gear. In comparison, the default costume does not grant Spongebob any additional abilities and he keeps his moveset while wearing other costumes anyway, making it overall pointless to use. The Mermaid Man and Reef Blower costumes are largely situational and are only used for a handful of tasks that require them. The Mermaid Man costume has a projectile attack that can be used against enemies, but combat is largely nonexistent and can be handled with the default or Fishing Gear costumes anyway, while the Reef Blower can’t attack enemies at all, making it more of a hinderance than anything else. Chances are, you’ll most likely use the Fishing Gear for about 90% of the game, switch to the Mermaid Man or Reef Blower costumes for the one or two tasks that require them, then switch back to the Fishing Gear. Better get used to hearing the Fishing Gear theme…

** Tree Dome involves [=Spongebob=] helping Sandy plug holes in the tree dome due to a leak and later clear out bees and wasps that infest her house from a gift he gave her.
** Jellyfish Fields has SpongeBob participating in a Jellyfishing competition, with nothing else involved.

** Tree Dome just involves Spongebob helping Sandy clear out bees and wasps that infest her house from a gift he gave her.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: No, bees and wasps do not live in the same hive, and isn't possible due to the two having different living environments. Not to mention both are extremely territorial and would attack if either one got anywhere near the other's hive.

* MemeticMutation: The lifeguards in Goo Lagoon have become a meme associated with the game, due to their {{Narm}}y accents, and how they pause, and then reset the music when they talk. They also only have four lines, and [[FelonyMisdemeanor seem weirdly mad with Spongebob running on the beach]].

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: While the game's been somewhat VindicatedByHistory, it has some flaws that cannot be overlooked. These include repetitive music for the costumes, sluggish controls, an at times unresponsive camera, frame rate drops during certain sections, unsatisfactory enemies and combat, a disappointing ending, and [[GuideDangIt no clear indication of objectives]]. Fortunately, Creator/{{THQ}} (along with Heavy Iron Studios) got the formula right a year later with ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsBattleForBikiniBottom''.

** Plankton, mainly due to his usual BigBad status being taken by the Flying Dutchman. His only real role is for a very small subplot in Downtown that's dropped as soon as it's introduced, and introducing Chum World. After that, he only appears for a single conversation in Jellyfish Fields and one of the letter tile tasks in Chum World before disappearing from the game entirely. He doesn't even interact with the Flying Dutchman or has anything to do with him aside from Chum World containing one of his treasures.

* TheyWastedaPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Plankton, mainly due to his usual BigBad status being taken by the Flying Dutchman. His only real role is for a very small subplot in Downtown that's dropped as soon as it's introduced, and introducing Chum World. After that, he only appears for a single conversation in Jellyfish Fields and one of the letter tile tasks in Chum World before disappearing from the game entirely. He doesn't even interact with the Flying Dutchman or has anything to do with him aside from Chum World containing one of his treasures.

* TheyWastedaPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Plankton, mainly due to his usual BigBad status being taken by the Flying Dutchman. His only real role is for a very small subplot in Downtown that's dropped as soon as it's introduced, and introducing Chum World. After that, he only appears for a single conversation in Jellyfish Fields and one of the letter tile tasks in Chum World before disappearing from the game entirely. He doesn't even interact with the Flying Dutchman or has anything to do with him aside from Chum World containing one of his treasures.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: While the game's been somewhat VindicatedByHistory, it has some flaws that cannot be overlooked. These include repetitive music for the costumes, sluggish controls, an at times unresponsive camera, frame rate drops during certain sections, unsatisfactory enemies and combat, a disappointing ending, and [[GuideDangIt no clear indication of objectives]]. Fortunately, Creator/{{THQ}} (along with Heavy Iron Studios) got the formula right a year later with ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsBattleForBikiniBottom''.

*** After completing Goo Lagoon, you're abruptly brought back to Spongebob's house with no fanfare, and no cutscene of anyone getting kidnapped... then you walk outside and immediately run into the Dutchman, who finally decides to make Spongebob part of his crew. Thankfully the treasures Spongebob has collected make him immune to the Dutchman's hypnosis, but the abruptness of the scene can easily startle younger or unsuspecting players, especially since it's the first time the two have interacted since the beginning of the game.
** The game’s atmosphere as a whole has gained a reputation among players as being creepy and unsettling. The game has an odd dark filter over everything, most prominently in the GameCube version, giving the whole game a dark gloomy atmosphere. There are little to no characters to interact with in the game, and the few characters that there are have strange uncanny animations and models (especially Plankton). This is especially prominent once all of [=SpongeBob=]’s friends have been kidnapped, and you’re left aimlessly wandering around large empty levels that are almost completely barren, most notably Bikini Bottom, Tree Dome, and Downtown. Coupled with the game’s limited and monotonous soundtrack, and you’re left with what many players have compared to a horror game.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: During the final food delivery mission in Downtown, you’re on your way to the last customer… only to suddenly, for no real reason, run into Patrick, who reveals he got a food delivery job purely just to try and one-up Spongebob out of spite. When you return to Bikini Bottom, you follow him to the Chum Bucket where it’s revealed he was working for Plankton, who had disguised himself as Mr. Krabs to trick Patrick. Later on, you run into both Patrick and Plankton for unrelated tasks in Jellyfish Fields, and nothing about this interaction is ever brought up again. It’s never explained why Patrick decided to get a job, the reveal comes completely out of nowhere, and the whole thing is rather out of character for him. What makes it even more egregious is you encounter Patrick earlier on at the Downtown Construction Site where you must deliver food to him to unlock the Mermaid Man costume, and this is the last time you see him before the above interaction occurs.

** At one point in the Goo Lagoon level, the Dutchman hijacks a boat and attempts to ''kill'' [=SpongeBob=] by plowing the ship into the pier. Adding to this, there’s audible SCREAMING that’s heard from the other citizens while you’re running away from the Dutchman, and [=SpongeBob=]'s scream of terror at the end of the section doesn't help. While this can easily fall into Narm if you’re wearing the default or fishing gear costume (most likely the latter), it’s still an oddly dark scene for a [=SpongeBob=] game.

** The narrator's voice. Due to [[TheOtherDarrin a different voice actor]] ([[WTHCastingAgency for some reason]]), he sounds much more sinister and threatening than usual.
** At one point in the Goo Lagoon level, the Dutchman hijacks a boat and attempts to KILL Spongebob by plowing the ship into the pier. Adding to this, there’s audible SCREAMING that’s heard from the other citizens while you’re running away from the Dutchman. This can easily fall into Narm however if you’re wearing the default or fishing gear costume (most likely the latter), but it’s still an oddly dark scene for a Spongebob game.
** The game’s atmosphere as a whole has gained a reputation among players as being creepy and unsettling. The game has an odd dark filter over everything, most prominently in the Gamecube version, giving the whole game a dark gloomy atmosphere. There are little to no characters to interact with in the game, and the few characters that there are have strange uncanny animations and models. This is especially prominent once all of Spongebob’s friends have been kidnapped, and you’re left aimlessly wandering around large empty levels that are almost completely barren, most notably Bikini Bottom, Tree Dome, and Downtown. Coupled with the game’s limited and monotonous soundtrack, and you’re left with what many players have compared to a horror game.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
** During the final food delivery mission in Downtown, you’re on your way to the last customer… only to suddenly, for no real reason, run into Patrick, who reveals he got a food delivery job purely just to try and one-up Spongebob out of spite. When you return to Bikini Bottom, you follow him to the Chum Bucket where it’s revealed he was working for Plankton, who had disguised himself as Mr. Krabs to trick Patrick. Later on, you run into both Patrick and Plankton for unrelated tasks in Jellyfish Fields, and nothing about this interaction is ever brought up again. It’s never explained why Patrick decided to get a job, the reveal comes completely out of nowhere, and the whole thing is rather out of character for him. What makes it even more egregious is you encounter Patrick earlier on at the Downtown Construction Site where you must deliver food to him to unlock the Mermaid Man costume, and this is the last time you see him before the above interaction occurs.

* ScrappyMechanic:
** The game’s costume mechanic has been criticized for being poorly implemented. Most notably, the game’s music is tied to the costume you’re wearing rather than the level you’re currently in. This would be fine for the most part, except there’s major balancing issues between the four costumes that are available. The Fishing Gear is the only costume able to catch jellyfish, which are a required collectible needed for several of the SPONGEBOB letters as well as unlocking the Reef Blower and Goo Lagoon. It’s also the only costume able to use fishing hooks, which are used to progress in many of the game’s platforming sections, meaning there’s little reason not to be using the Fishing Gear. In comparison, the default costume does not grant Spongebob any additional abilities and he keeps his moveset while wearing other costumes anyway, making it overall pointless to use. The Mermaid Man and Reef Blower costumes are largely situational and are only used for a handful of tasks that require them. The Mermaid Man costume has a projectile attack that can be used against enemies, but combat is largely nonexistent and can be handled with the default or Fishing Gear costumes anyway, while the Reef Blower can’t attack enemies at all, making it more of a hinderance than anything else. Chances are, you’ll most likely use the Fishing Gear for about 90% of the game, switch to the Mermaid Man or Reef Blower costumes for the one or two tasks that require them, then switch back to the Fishing Gear. Better get used to hearing the Fishing Gear theme…