SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated: Robot enemy guide

In SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, your main enemies are the various types of robots that make up Plankton's army-gone-rogue. Each bot poses a unique threat to SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy, and in order to succeed, you'll need to learn what each robot's stengths and weaknesses are. Here's our full guide on everything you need to know about each of these metallic foes.

What you're up against

There are over 15 baddies that the robot army employs against you in Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated. While a lot of them are similar in terms of how they approach you, their attacks are always different in significant ways Here's a look at what makes each robot unique in terms of their behaviors and capabilities.

• Fodder: These small bots are the first enemies encountered in the game, and are also widely considered to be the easiest to take down. You'll usually find them patrolling a small area, and if you come near them they'll try to whack you with an electro-zapper. Their attack has a long wind-up though and they go down in one hit. Therefore, they're easy to take out with basic attacks when alone. In groups, they're more dangerous, but you can jump to dodge their attacks. You can use this tactic to avoid the danger of the horde and then thin it out afterwards with attacks of your own.
• Ham-mer: These ham-wielding meatheads are, essentially, slightly upgraded Fodder bots. Though they look menacing, they go down after a single hit just like Fodder do. However, their slam attack is quick, and it also has a very small area-of-effect. You'll need to be quicker on the attack input with Ham-mers to avoid getting clobbered yourself, but you can deal with them just like you deal with Fodder otherwise.
• Tar-Tar: This is the first robot you'll encounter that uses ranged attacks. Tar-Tars will send volleys of scalding tartar sauce globs at you from mid-to-long range, and when they land, they'll linger on the ground and damage you if you touch them. The best way to deal with them is to rush in close while dodging the tartar sauce globs and then attack them as they're reloading. They take two hits to go down using standard attacks, but you can attack twice before the Tar-Tar gets more shots off. SpongeBob's Bubble Bowl and Cruise Missile abilities can also be used to take out the Tar-Tar from an area outside of its range.
• G-Love: G-Loves will start rapidly spinning and moving towards you when they detect you, attempting to smack you with their many hands. They are impossible to take out with standard attacks, and they're also immune to the Bubble Bowl when spinning. However, you can easily dispatch them by jumping and performing a Bubble Bounce (SpongeBob) or a Belly Flop (Patrick) on their head as they helplessly spin under you. Sandy can take them out using her lasso as well. This can leave you open to follow-up attacks from other bots, though, so try and clear out other close-range enemies before focusing on a G-Love.

• Monsoon: Monsoons are one of the two aerial foes in the robot arsenal, and they attack by sending out thunder clouds that will follow you and strike you with lightning. The longer you leave them on the field, the more dangerous they become, so it's recommended to destroy them immediately. You can do so by using a Bubble Bash underneath them, jumping up and hitting them, or by using the Cruise Bubble. Patrick can destroy them by throwing tikis or other objects their way, and Sandy can make use of her trusty lasso.
• Chomp-bot: These robo-doggos rush up to you and try to cough up toxic gas on you. They're just as easy to deal with as Fodders when alone, but their gas becomes more dangerous in groups since it lingers behind for a few seconds and can potentially create a "minefield" of sorts. Your best bet is to destroy them before they can attack, and if you can't, jump over and away from the gas and wait for the Chomp-bot to follow you so you can safely dispatch of it.
• Bomb-bot: As you might expect from the name, Bomb-bots explode and damage you if you're within the explosion's range. They take several seconds to blow up, but they'll attempt to aggressively get as close as they can to ensure their explosion hurts you. Therefore, destroy them with a basic attack right away. If you can't, the next best thing to do is to jump to higher ground so they can't follow you.
• Bzzt-bot: These pests are one of the only robots on the ground that can negate high ground, as their laser attack can track you regardless of height. However, it takes several seconds to charge, and the Bzzt-bot itself also goes down in one hit. Therefore, make rushing the robot and taking it out a priority whenever you start to see a yellow-green beam track you. If needed, you can stop the attack from charging by breaking line of sight with the Bzzt-bot.

• Arf: This cowboy is the most durable of the robots, as it can take three full hits before being destroyed. It also deploys endless Arf Dawg robots that will try to bite at your ankles. Lastly, getting in close will usually cause the Arf to fly a short distance away to make space. There are two ways to destroy them efficiently. The first is to aggressively get in close and attack while also making sure you follow them when they move away. The second way is to use ranged attacks like the Bubble Bowl, Cruise Missile, or thrown objects.
• Arf Dawg: These little bots are individually harmless, as their attack is slow and they go down in one blow. However, they can be tough if you allow their Arf handler to spam them at you endlessly. The best way to deal with Arf Dawgs is to jump over them and head straight for the Arf that's throwing them down into the field. However, if you need to fight them, spamming your basic attack while moving forward will clear them out quickly and give you an opening to take on the Arf.
• Sleepy-Time: This is perhaps the most unique robot in the game, and it requires very specific movement to take down. Sleepy-Times will remain unaware of your presence unless you run within their detection radius. If they spot you, they'll instantly zap you and continue to do so until you go out of range. You can avoid being detected by tip-toeing up to them (you can do this by holding the left trigger or only slightly pressing the left joystick forward), and when you're up close, you can take them down instantly with one attack. They take two attacks to destroy if you go in loud, so stealth is advised. You can also take them out from afar with the Cruise Missile, thrown objects, or a lasso, but they have a deflection beam that will protect them from Bubble Bowl assaults.
• Tubelets: This trio of bots can hover thanks to their floatation devices, and they also spray fire around them as you approach. If you don't quickly destroy all three of them, the ones you've destroyed will also regenerate, so you need to move fast. The best way to take Tubelets out is to destroy the bottom robot with a basic attack and then to use a Bubble Bash to strike the two remaining bots from below. If you're playing as someone other than SpongeBob, hitting the bots in rapid succession also works. Just make sure to hop over their flames.

• Chuck: This is the other aerial unit in the robot army, and it attacks by throwing a missile at you from afar. These robots have the longest range out of any bot, so prepare to be bombarded. The best way to deal with them is to zig-zag and avoid incoming missiles as you get up close and then either Bubble Bash or jump and strike them directly. You could use the Cruise Missile, but SpongeBob will be unable to move while doing so and may end up getting struck by one of the Chuck's missiles. Patrick can throw objects at them for a takedown, while Sandy can use her lasso.
• Slick: This large robot blows globs of oil at you that spread out into oil pools on impact. The pools don't hurt you, but they will cause you to slip and slide around, which can make platforming more difficult and can make escaping other robot attacks harder. Slicks also have an oil shield that absorbs a hit for them, meaning you'll need two hits to destroy them. It can regenerate as well, which means that Cruise Missiles from afar won't work. You'll need to rush them and do your best to avoid their oil attack, then quickly deliver two strikes.
• Duplicatotron 1000: Lastly, there's the Duplicatotron 1000, which creates an endless supply of the various robots listed above. The robots they make depend on which level you're in, but one thing that remains constant is the fact that these robo-producers are stationary. Therefore, you should scope out where they are, make your way to them, and destroy them so that they stop respawning enemies you defeat. If they're in a hard-to-reach area, the Cruise Missile is an excellent way to take them out.

Your thoughts

What do you think of all the different robots in Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated? Which one is your favorite? Let us know.

SpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC through Steam for $30.