Submission #5829: dekutony's GBA SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge in 18:37.78

(Link to video)
Game Boy Advance
baseline
BizHawk 2.2.1
66762
59.7275005696058
5582
Unknown
SpongeBob SquarePants - SuperSponge (USA).gba
Submitted by dekutony on 2/16/2018 10:31:08 PM
Submission Comments
dude it's spinglebab! i havent seen spinglebab in like forever! dude it's fukin spigjleburb. what's up spinglebab? shouldnt you be with your friend puhtrik
This is a TAS of Spongebob Squarepants: Supersponge for the Gameboy Advance. This is an improvement of 1 minute and 40 seconds over the previous TAS by Macrepeh, DarkLuigi's WIPs and a lot over the current RTA world record by Ted. In RTA timing, the final time of this run would be a time of 18:08.53

Game objectives

  • Emulator used: BizHawk 2.2.1
  • Core: mGBA
  • Takes damage to save time
  • Genre: Platform

Comments

This game is a licensed game based on the popular TV show SpongeBob Squarepants released in 2001, around the same year as the Gameboy Advance platform was released. This is a different version of the game, based on the PlayStation version released the same year. This version has a lot of differences compared to the PS1 version. For one, the life system is completely different. Instead of having a Sonic-esque life system, this version now uses a lifebar. The level design is completely different as well. Also this version controls slightly better than the slippery PS1 version. Now you end a level when you pick up the required item, instead of picking the item up, and heading to the exit. The music is SO MUCH better on PS1 though. The plot involves Spongebob wanting to give his best friend Patrick a birthday present, which is a signed photo from his heroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. These folks want Spongebob to do various tasks in order for them to sign the photo. It's up to Spongebob to get what these heroes want by going through dangerous landscapes, such as the prehistoric era and literal hell in order to get the best birthday present ever for his starfish friend.

The tricks

Ground Pounds

These are the most effective way of attacking enemies while moving forward. When you land, it's about a 2 frame delay until Spongebob moves again, but it is a frame faster to jump inmediately the frame after he lands on the ground. This is also useful for landing on platforms faster, like in Sandy's Treedome or the Parasitic Worm boss fight at the end of Chapter 3. Hitboxes in this game are really wonky, so I have to do a lot of them in order to kill enemies and avoid others, or avoid projectiles. I also fall in the air faster which is also used in a couple of places.

Karate Chops

Normally is only useful (sometimes required) in order to defeat bosses. It is very slow to kill normal enemies with this. I only use this when I have to wait for platforms that are out of reach. You could say this is Spogeboy's way of releasing his anger towards those pesky platforms...

The Platform Cycle

Speaking of which, this is probably the most frustrating part of this run. A lot the times, no matter how fast you go, you're unable to reach a moving platform, and you have to wait some time until you can reach it. As you can tell, it's really inconvenient, and I have to do random stuff while I wait, like letting out my anger with karate chops.

Taking damage

On a specific frame, you can turn around and your damage knockback goes backwards, allowing you to keep moving forward, then on the frame you land on the ground after getting hit you can jump and save a couple of frames. Useful for avoiding unnecesary stops. Landing on spikes or lava hurt you, and you can use this to reach high platforms or used to keep moving forward if you miss a platform cycle. Also used to avoid getting hit from enemies and projectiles.

Stage by stage comments

Chapter 1: Bikini Bottom

Jelly Fields

Right away, the game trolls you with 2 missed platform cycles. The hitboxes on the jellyfish platforms and flower platforms are smaller than you may think. This applies to the whole game. On the flower platform cycle, I use the weird blue enemy's spikes and jump to take damage, and gain additional height to land on the platform.

Sandy's Tree Dome

Probably the most optimized level in the run. Those bird nests are trampolines for some reason. This level has an air meter, run out of water and you desintegrate. This is the level where I use ground pounds the most, since you fall to a platform faster and do jumps quicker.

Fish Hooks Park

There are new platforms that oddly have a larger hitbox than the others. These hook platforms are dangerous, because if you land on one of them for too long, they will drag you upwards and you'll die. This is demonstrated once because I had to wait for the jellyfish platform.

Downtown Bikini Bottom

Cars pass by in this level, I avoid them. There are manholes that shoot you upwards, so you can avoid them much more easily.

Mother Jellyfish

This thing is annoying to manipulate. Manipulating bosses depends on the player's position... most of the time (flying dutchman), so I do my best to manipulate this one. Using your net, which you only use in this boos fight, you shoot the baby jellyfish back to their mother. I save up 5 jellyfish to quickly shoot the last few hits at her. When a boss is defeated, they get knocked out like a regular enemy, however, the sooner they stay out of the screen, they despawn more quickly and Spongebob's thumbs up animation happens earlier. (except for flying dutchman)

Chapter 2: To the Center of the Earth

Cavernous Canyons (kelp cream)

This level has a beef blower. I avoid it. This thing is pretty much useless since this thing removes your ability to ground pound. The beef blower is supposed to be used to kill those puffer fish enemies, but I simply abuse taking damage instead. Also some weirdly placed spikes that don't really stop your progress anyway.

Thermal Tunnels (Get the Loofah)

This is where I abuse taking damage the most. This level features mines and twomp like hazards, so this is where the damage abuse is the most useful here.

Acrid Air Pockets (?)

This level features a Glove World balloon. I avoid it. Your jumps are more floaty and less precise, and you can no longer do ground pounds with it. Otherwise a pretty straightforward level.

Lava Fields (aka. Hell)

You go to hell before you die. Spongebob knows best. The level makes you go underground a couple of times with a risk of falling down a pit. It also features bursts of flames which are tricky to avoid, since they also have a cycle of their own.

Sub-Shark

Simplest boss fight in the game. You karate chop as soon as it fully opens it's mouth. After doing this 3 times, it spawns upwards missiles and then after other 3 hits, falling barrels. As soon as I land the final hit, I look downwards to despawn the boss faster.

Chapter 3: Bikini Bottom Prehistoric Times

Precipice Canyon (get the underpants)

This level has a bubble shooter that I avoid. Basically every weapon except for the jellyfish net and bubble blower removes Spongebob's ability to ground pound. There's this running fish that it's unavoidable so I take an intentional hit.

Desert Wasteland (get the scallop bra)

As a replacement for spikes, this level features lava. That's it. Nothing else special going on in this one otherwise. I gotta say though, I get kelp cream, A LOOFAH, some underpants and a bra... and some mud... in Bikini Bottom... yeah I don't know either.

Kelpazoic Jungle

This level features a bubble blower, which for once, is required to beat the level. The animation is slow, so I skip a couple of bubbles in order to save me some time. These bubbles serve as additional platforms, that let you reach higher ledges and reach longer distances. Their hitboxes are less weird compared to other platforms, which is nice.

Inside the Whale

This is where the platform cycles are at their absolute worst. You'll have to use acid to keep moving forward, though I barely get a boost from some of these platforms by landing on them after taking damage. This is also where those eel enemies are the most annoying because of their unusually larger hitboxes.

Parasitic Worm

Everytime you hit this thing, it goes faster. It tries to stay out of the screen but you can manipulate it to come back. Karate chops are more effective on this one because of your higher range of attack in vertical movement.

Chapter 4: Rock Bottom

Road to the Bottom of Rock Bottom

This level goes downwards, and features even more spikes! Ground pounding really helps here. You have to be careful though, since these spikes shoot you upwards, it can make you land above a platform, making you lose progress.

Lonely Souls

Best music in the game (this version at least). This level introduces zombie fish, annoying octopuses, flying boomerang starfish and a route of going back and forth. Not much going in this one aside from those.

Graveyard

The boneyard. It has flying skull enemies straight from Zelda. It also features ghosts. Both of these enemies are invincible, so you must avoid them. This level also has a really tricky set of jelly platforms guarded by octopus and zombies. You can die easily here if you miss a jump or a ground pound.

Last Stop

This one has a lot of platforms. Miss a jump and you can die easily. Underneath platforms there can be more platforms that can save you. Here, the starfish and octopus are really annoying to deal with, since you're in the middle of platforming with high chances of death.

The Flying Dutchman

...Oh boy. I was not able to manipulate this guy the way I wanted. He really likes to go higher when he tries to tackle you, which is annoying, and the fact that I have to hit him a bunch of times. One thing's for certain however, it's not anywhere near as bad as his Playstation counterpart.

Chapter 5: Industrial

Industrial Jelly Fields

Actual best song in the game... on the Playstation version at least. This level now features poison gas on top of toxic waste (aka. spikes). Not exactly the simplest thing to avoid... AND... I miss another platform cycle... yay. All for a freaking hammer. Spongebob you know there's a mall you can buy one right? Now that I think about it, probably the only reason he's going through all this shit is because he's broke. Yeah that makes sense.

Man Ray's Lair

The most linear level in the whole game... AND I MISS ANOTHER PLATFORM CYCLE, GREAT. Why would Man Ray steal a TV antenna anyways though...

Oil Rig(ged)

The only level with the only glitch in the whole game. Basically at a distance and a well timed jump, you're able to clip through that wall and skip a considerable amount of the level. Shoutouts to BlackYoshi123 for this finding. This is also a level where I abuse taking damage a lot because the bursts of flames are back with added running fish and spiky blue enemies. And miss yet ANOTHER platform cycle. I know Spongebob you're mad too, go ahead and karate chop that hermit crab if you want.

Canning Factory

Spongebob, are you seriously getting a monkey wrench from a boat on the surface with deadly saws and scythes? ARE YOU REALLY THAT BROKE!? That helmet was a nice touch though. These level adds saws and deadly scythes which you can simply avoid by timing your jumps. This level has a lot of waiting for flower platforms to rise up, which is... you know...

Final Boss: Iron Dogfish

The finale who is... uh... a Dogfish? Ok. I was expecting Man Ray or something like that. This guy likes to throw rocks at you, which at first seem like a nightmare to avoid, but you can just stand at the edge of the screen and spam your karate chops. He does like to move around if you're not careful. You also have a chance of hitting him 3 times instead of 2 before he throws rocks again and becomes temporarily invurnerable. After landing the final hit, I jump to despawn him faster from the screen and beat the game!!! :D

Other comments

Possible Improvements:

A new glitch. The only glitch known is the clip in Oil Rig. Also a way to get the platform cycles, since they can be really annoying.

Special Thanks

Thanks to Macrepeh, for his original TAS of the game from a year ago. Thanks to DarkLuigi, for his WIPs. Thanks to BlackYoshi123, for discovering the Oil Rig clip. Thanks to all the speedruners of the game, as well as the Spongebob speedrunning community in general for getting me interested in TASing this game (indirectly). And, thank YOU, for watching! Have a nice day.

ThunderAxe31: Judging.
ThunderAxe31: This run is enough optimized and the game is enough nice. Accepting for Moons.
Stovent: Processing...
Last Edited by adelikat on 10/25/2023 2:59 AM
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