Alongside the long-running TV show and plethora of hit movies, the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise also contains more than a few video games, many of which are actually very high quality and well worth trying out. Just like the series itself though, the SpongeBob games aren't exactly designed with one type of player in mind, and will often try to please all types of gamers with their gameplay. As a result, the developers will try to hit the sweet spot when adjusting the difficulty, with some games posing a formidable challenge, while others are considered a lot more unforgiving.

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SpongeBob's games may look easy enough on the surface, but it might surprise some people to hear that a few of these titles are considered by some to be among the hardest in their respective genres. Though these games are still an absolute blast to play, especially for big fans of the original series, they're far from a pushover to complete.

7 SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature From The Krusty Krab

Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 2.64

• Release Date: October 2006
• Platforms: GBA, DS, PlayStation 2, Wii, PC
• Developer: Blitz Games

Creature from the Krusty Krab is an action-adventure game that allows players to take control of three iconic characters from the series, these being SpongeBob, Patrick, and Plankton. The game includes a tremendous amount of level variety, with each stage having its own gimmick, whether it's a flying section, a platforming arena, or even just a fast-paced street race. This unpredictability is fun, but it does also end up adding to the difficulty since there's no telling what sort of new mechanics are going to show up next.

The racing levels are by far the hardest of the bunch though, partly because of the clunky drifting controls, but also due to the timer that appears in the top right. This moves so fast that it means even a single mistake can prove to be costly, so it can take quite a bit of practice to learn the tracks before being able to fully ace them.

6 SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake

Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 2.71

The most recent SpongeBob game, The Cosmic Shake, has been well-received for its engaging gameplay and fun story, but it's also been praised for its difficulty. While The Cosmic Shake never borders on becoming unfair in its overall challenge, the tricky platforming sections and arduous boss battles keep the game from ever becoming too easy, especially in the later levels. There are also a few enemies who can easily catch players out if they aren't careful, including the giant purple worms who spring out of the ground in the Prehistoric Kelp Forest section.

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Thankfully, SpongeBob will acquire a large assortment of skills and techniques as the game goes on, giving him a good fighting chance against the hordes of enemies who will stand in his way while venturing through the wonderful Wish Worlds. Platforming fans will have a lot to enjoy with The Cosmic Shake but just be warned that these sections can start to become pretty brutal, so a good amount of patience and a little luck will be required.

5 SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend Of The Lost Spatula

Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 2.84

• Release Date: March 2001
• Platforms: GameBoy Color
• Developer: Vicarious Visions

The Legend of the Lost Spatula is one of the more niche SpongeBob games that was only ever released for the GameBoy Color. While the game is short enough to be finished in no longer than an afternoon, this isn't to suggest it's easy, as developers Vicarious used some clever mechanics and techniques to ramp up the difficulty. For example, though a lot of the platforming sections aren't too big or complex, the limited camera angle means players often can't see much of their surroundings, making it hard to know whether to risk taking a jump or not.

This can make certain levels an absolute nightmare to navigate through at times, especially in the case of the Jellyfish Field. In this area, players must try to launch SpongeBob up in the air to land directly atop a tiny jellyfish, but this is a lot easier said than done, given how difficult it is to actually see these creatures. The Legend of the Lost Spatula still has a lot of charm to it, along with featuring its own charming original story, but it does feel as though the game became harder than it needed to be because of the GameBoy Color's limitations.

4 SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle For Bikini Bottom

Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 2.88

• Release Date: October 2003
• Platforms: GBA, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
• Developer: Heavy Iron Studios

Many people consider Battle for Bikini Bottom to be the best SpongeBob game ever made, and it's not hard to see why when seeing how richly detailed and immersive the game's levels are. As players explore the map of Bikini Bottom, seeking out items and accepting requests from friends, they'll also be placed into small platforming arenas which get progressively more difficult as they go on. The first few levels in Bikini Bottom may seem easy enough, but once players reach areas like Rock Bottom, the game will throw in new gimmicks to dial up the challenge, such as breakable platforms for example which also move side to side.

The enemy variety, which grows much larger as the game progresses, also doesn't make things any easier, especially since most of them can't simply be defeated by button mashing. The sleeping robot for example will fling SpongeBob away if he runs towards it, requiring players to be stealthy in order to take it out, and this is just one example of how tricky the enemies can be at times to defeat. Pair this with a large selection of hard-hitting bosses, one of which being the infamous Robot Karate SpongeBob who has been the cause of more than a few Game Over screens, and it results in a challenging experience that feels so satisfying to fully beat.

3 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 2.91

• Release Date: October 2004
• Platforms: BGA, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC
• Developer: Heavy Iron Studios

Since there's always been a common conception that movie tie-in games are often poor quality and not worth trying out, it came as a surprise to many that the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie game turned out to be as good as it was. The game's plot is more or less identical to the movie, but it's been stretched across 18 levels which are all unique in how they play, with some being downright brutal in how they play. Some of the biggest examples of this include the SpongeBob platforming sections where he must slowly navigate across rotating platforms while curled up in a ball, and the horde-like areas which throw an endless swarm of enemies at the player for them to defeat.

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This also goes for the time trial driving levels, since the Patty Wagon always feels like it's gliding along a thin layer of ice, making the drift-heavy courses a real challenge to complete, especially within the time limit. Because players are required to gain Goofy Goober Tokens to progress through the story, they will need to get into the habit of completing as many of these missions as possible, but just be warned that each one is always much harder than the last.

2 SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge

Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 2.92

• Release Date: September 2001
• Platforms: PlayStation, GBA
• Developer: Climax Group

The main reason SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge is considered to be so hard of a platformer is because it leaves no room for error. In each level, SpongeBob must collect Spatulas which are scattered around the area, but if an enemy touches him a single time, he will lose every single one he's collected. This works similarly to Rings in Sonic, but unlike the Blue Blur who can quickly traverse the level to rack up his Ring count after losing them, SpongeBob is slow and quite clunky to move around, making this much more difficult.

The game also loves packing as many enemies as possible into small areas, and with the restrictive camera angle, it makes running head-first into a group of snails or jellyfish a common occurrence. Many of the levels also contain their fair share of spike traps which can narrowly be avoided, along with new enemy types who come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, often blending into the environment before jumping out to steal SpongeBob's precious Spatula collection.

1 SpongeBob's Boating Bash

Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 3.04

• Release Date: March 2010
• Platforms: Wii, DS
• Developer: Firebrand Games

Rather than just racing against a group of opponents and securing the victory by coming first, each of Boating Bash's races features challenging side objectives that must be met to complete the mission. None of these objectives are easy to complete, and in fact, most of them are extremely unforgiving in how demanding they can be. Destruction missions for example will require the player to smash into other racers in order to pick up certain parts, but if they don't reach the required amount in time, they'll be forced to try all over again.

Then there's the Reckless Velocity class, which involves completing a race within a strict time limit while also earning a certain number of points along the way to even qualify for winning. It's fair to say, Boating Bash doesn't pull any of its punches, and while this might not be to everyone's taste, it will still provide more than enough challenge for any racing fans out there who want to test their skills on a new game.

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