There have been a plethora of mobile games on Nintendo Switch, but SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off from developer iLLOGIKA may be one of the strangest mobile ports to join the platform in terms of its execution. It's a $30 version of an otherwise free game and takes steps back in its gameplay, and although it has some new power-ups, there's not much here that makes the Nintendo Switch version of this Cook, Serve, Delicious-esque title more enticing than its mobile counterpart.
There's absolutely zero touch screen functionality in the Nintendo Switch version of SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off. One might think this is a no-brainer since the original version of the game is entirely touch based, but everything has been formatted exclusively to Joy-Cons. This makes the game significantly harder as the player progresses through the various levels and more items are unlocked, making orders more layered and complicated. It's tough to remember all the controls while also managing the food that's being cooked, serving it properly, and so on. If there were touch screen controls, the player would be using less brain power and not have to try and remember which button slaps jelly on pancakes in a flurry of customers.
It's a shame, because SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off is a solid mobile game at its core, but the translation to a console gaming system has mixed results. When preparing food, everything is so close together, and it doesn't really feel like there's enough organization in how the controls are laid out. There is some some sense of coordination, like the bumpers that serve drinks or food and are properly correlated with the side of the screen the food or drinks are on. When it comes to the face buttons, however, everything is too lumped together and it makes it too overwhelming and hard to get into a groove.
Outside of this, SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off paces itself fairly well. There's plenty of content supported by a loose story, ensuring that players have plenty of levels to sink their teeth into. There are different progression paths present, and the game shakes its mobile game structure up pretty well. There are no annoying or problematic microtransactions, so players will earn everything they get and be able to freely customize their characters in a rewarding and meaningful way.
One of the big downsides of featuring these cartoon legends is that there's absolutely zero voice over work in the game, which may be disappointing to those looking for some new and substantial SpongeBob content after last year's SpongeBob: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated. For a game with a fairly high price tag, it seems odd to not be able to hear the voices of these iconic characters, even just some quips during gameplay, but instead it comes across like a silent film.
Overall, SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off is a fun game held back by weird oversights like zero touch screen controls and the absence of the friendly, pure voices of SpongeBob and Patrick Star. If it weren't for the abundance of ads and microtransactions in the mobile version, it would probably be the better version due to its controls. That said, there's a surprisingly large amount of content packed into this arcade dining game and anyone who does grab it, regardless of platform, will have plenty to do for quite a while.
SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off is available now on Nintendo Switch. It's also available on iOS and Android mobile devices. Screen Rant was provided with a Nintendo Switch code for the purposes of this review.