Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition

Gameplay

Within the game, the player creates their own character and populates the world of Bikini Bottom. Players can also create their own customisable home in Bikini Bottom. The player has the ability to modify enemies and turn them into friends or allies, after stunning them. The game features a two-player VS. mode. There are over 20 levels in total. Unlike the original game's bosses, the hero now needs to stun the boss and wipe the boss' shadow goo with the stylus to inflict damage.

Plot

The game takes place after the events of the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Frankendoodle." It begins with the clumsy artist once again at sea, who drops some magic pencils (two of them this time) into the ocean. One of the pencils lands on Patrick's head, while he was practicing his counting. The other pencil lands a far distance behind him. Patrick remembers that the pencil is a magical one that can bring drawings to life, however, there is one thing that he is not allowed to draw. He sketches the forbidden drawing on the ground trying to remember it. The drawing turns out to be DoodleBob (from the SpongeBob episode "Frankendoodle"), who springs back to life, steals Patrick's pencil, and runs off to downtown Bikini Bottom.

Patrick is really worried of what he has done but is then visited by SpongeBob. When Patrick tells SpongeBob of DoodleBob's return, he too becomes worried. When SpongeBob tries to come up with a solution, he finds the second magic pencil, which he and Patrick can use to draw a hero to fend off DoodleBob's evil. This is where the player is able to draw their hero. SpongeBob and Patrick name the hero "DoodlePants", but shortly after his creation, SpongeBob is captured by DoodleBob's Doodle Dude Army.

After SpongeBob's rescue, the trio are informed by Squidward that Bikini Bottom is in complete turmoil ever since DoodleBob's return. Plus, DoodleBob took his clarinet. DoodlePants then must try to bring all of the Bikini Bottom residents back. The four come across Mr. Krabs, who sells them supplies from the Krusty Krab. After four levels, DoodlePants, SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward come to the presence of a giant Doodle Tower which is creating Doodle Dudes and DoodleBob is there. Squidward demands him to give him back his clarinet but DoodleBob does not understand what he says so they have DoodlePants speak to him. After the two doodles talk to each other in doodle language, Squidward gets tired of waiting and DoodleBob runs off. DoodlePants then climbs to the top of the building and fights a giant Doodle Robot. When the Robot is defeated, the group then catches up with DoodleBob who runs into the jungle with a rocket and a submarine. The group reaches a drawn pyramid which is where DoodleBob is hiding. DoodlePants goes in to fight DoodleBob, but before he is fully defeated (1% left) he runs out of the pyramid and disappears along with the rocket and submarine. The group suspects that either DoodleBob used the submarine to go to the deeper part of the ocean, or the rocket to the moon. The four head to the Deep Pacific, which consists of Rock Bottom and The Flying Dutchman's Graveyard. When they reach the Dutchman's Ship, The Flying Dutchman tells them that they are responsible for Doodle Dudes taking over his ship. He is informed of this by Doodle Pat, Patrick's much more intelligent drawn counterpart. DoodlePants, SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward deny this but when Patrick slips out that he brought DoodleBob back to life, they run from The Flying Dutchman and fight off the Doodle Dudes. When The Flying Dutchman heard that Doodle Pat lied to him, DoodlePants fights Doodle Pat when he tries to take control of the Flying Dutchman's ship. After they return to Bikini Bottom, they knew they must go to outer space. Sandy, who they had rescued earlier shows up. SpongeBob asks her to lend them her rocket but she refuses because of what SpongeBob and Patrick did to it the last time. She suggests to use their magic pencil to create a rocket. After making one, the gang travels into space to catch up with DoodleBob. They find Doodle Bottom, a drawn version of Bikini Bottom that DoodleBob drew on the moon. The second time you catch up with DoodleBob and defeat him, the trio will get back Squidward's clarinet, but while their backs are turned, DoodleBob will escape in a rocket. DoodlePants must chase him in his rocket, and when DoodlePants lands on an asteroid close to the moon, DoodleBob is gigantic and has an evil, red face. After DoodlePants defeats him, SpongeBob realizes that DoodleBob created Doodle Bottom because he was very lonely, so he erases his mean face and turns him happy. Then SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward leaves DoodlePants behind to keep DoodleBob company. After the player beats the first 4 worlds (Bikini Bottom, The Jungle, Deep Sea, and Space), a bonus world called Notebook Land is unlocked. In Notebook Land, the world can sometimes be sideways or upside-down and that affects the Control Pad buttons. Notebook Land only has one level called Note World and one boss level called The Last Battle. The boss of Notebook Land is Doodle Squidward. It is the Squidward that Patrick drew in "Frankendoodle" that looks like a bit like a jellyfish. Once the player beats Doodle Squidward, the game is over. But the player can still free any townsfolk they missed, clear any Doodle Goo that they might have overlooked, make coins to buy Mr. Krabs' palettes or coloring books, and replay any level.

Reception

The game received "average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.