Nowadays who hasn’t watched or at the very least heard of SpongeBob? From gen alpha to the boomers they all have heard of this fishy cartoon. Let’s find out more about it!
Squidward’s Art Class
Pikabuu Tentacles Gallery is set in one of the episodes of the SpongeBob show, titled “Artist Unknown”. In the episode, Squidward tried to open up an art class, the squid even put in the effort to rent a whole building.
This game presents a parody of that episode through semi-visual novel-ish style, which has a long sequence of dialog but still has somewhat of a gameplay in it. The visual is also nothing to write home about, it’s styled just like in the cartoon but in 3D.
And of course, being a parody, it won’t be an exact copy of the original episode. The dev, Joykeratif, sprinkled in some horror aspects to it. This game flips your expectations. We’re used to the SpongeBob show being all rainbow and sunshine, but what if the show is actually rated M?
A New POV
This game isn’t just a retelling of the episode. It gives us a whole new perspective, quite literally.
Remember the janitor in Squidward’s class in the original episode? If not, then I’m afraid you fall victim to the mandela effect. Well, let’s just call him “The Janitor” (his actual name is Smoldick, no joke).
This time, we experience the story of the episode through his eyes, a regular Bikini Bottom resident working a part time job for his lover. Just like in the episode, your job is to clean up Squidward’s art class. For the first half of the game, nothing seems too off, it’s a slow burn kind of horror.
But as you keep on cleaning, you’ll start to notice that this version of Squidward is not quite the one we know and love. The rooms that we can enter start giving off clues that something is very wrong. And it’s these small details that make the alternate endings feel right.
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Slow Burn
The horror in Pikabuu Tentacles Gallery doesn’t just hit you right at the start. It feels like your average SpongeBob episode with the familiar dialogues, and same scenes. But you’ll sense vaguely that something’s definitely off.
The game leans slightly on environmental storytelling. There are little details in the world around you that tells most of the story. And by the time it hits its climax, you’ll have that realization on why it ended like that. If you’ve been paying attention that is.
What’s cool is that the game has four different endings, each with its own scenes. Not just a static image or line of text, we’re talking actual, crafted scenes that will leave you feeling either angry, satisfied, and confused. When it comes to the storytelling, this game is absolute cinema.
Comedy Horror
Since it is set in SpongeBob’s universe, expect a heavy dose of humor. SpongeBob’s type of comedy, irony, sarcasm, absurdity, they are all here, and it makes the story fun to follow.
But Joykeratif didn’t just recycle SpongeBob’s jokes, they added their own flavour to it. Like when Mr. Monty catches the Janitor doing… well, no spoilers. Let’s just say Mr. Monty really do only care about buying art and nothing else. And there’s a lot more like that but spoiling them will ruin the fun.
The way this game blends comedy into horror actually cranks up the tension. It’s a classic formula of horror, make the audience feel safe, then hurt them when they least expect it (relatable).
So even though Pikabuu Tentacles Gallery can get real funny, don’t get too comfy, not everything is sunshine and rainbow.
Laid-back Gameplay
You don’t need God level gaming skills to play this. You can even play it one handed if you will.
The gameplay is mostly filled with dialogue, cleaning up the building, then more dialogue. There’s even a very short FPS section near the end, but nothing too difficult.
This game’s perfect for relaxing and winding down after work, no combat, no grinding. Just chill vibes, and maybe a bit of dread. Even though it’s horror, the scary parts only make up like 10% of the game. You can still enjoy the jokes, the story, and even laugh while playing.
The whole game is about an hour long, or maybe more if you want to find all the endings. And trust me, once you reach the end, you’ll be like wow. The endings? Totally out of the box.
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Fun In Absurdity
Pikabuu: Tentacles Gallery isn’t just a SpongeBob parody made for easy laughs. It’s a proof that an Indonesian dev like Joykeratif can turn a funny story into something dark, but still hilarious, and actually memorable.
It’s short, lightweight, and low-budget, but still, the content is anything but shallow. From episode references, to absurd storytelling, to wild unexpected endings, the whole experience is just pure fun.
If you’re into unusual games or just want to see the darker side of Bikini Bottom that never made it on TV, Pikabuu: Tentacles Gallery is 100% worth checking out. Sometimes, these quirky little games can be more fun than AAA titles. No need for a high-end PC, no need to grind for hours, just one hour of pure absolute cinema.
Download Pikabuu Tentacles Gallery on itch.io now! It’s free!
References:
Pikabuu Tentacles Gallery – itch.io