The Dark Abyss

The Dark Abyss
Developer	Workinman
Publisher	Nickelodeon
Platform	Flash
Genre	Arcade
Play Mode	Single Player

The Dark Abyss is a SpongeBob flash game developed by Workinman for the Nickelodeon website. It entails controlling SpongeBob or one of his friends as they dive down an abyss to explore it.

Controls

• Mouse: Move your character
• Left Click: Use your character's ability

Gameplay

You control SpongeBob or one of his friends as they descend down a mysterious chasm known as the Dark Abyss, which is divided into several sections.  In each section, you slowly descend deeper down the abyss and must take care to avoid running into the walls or enemies, as doing so will damage your light, which functions as both your health and your visibility.  With each hit, the light will get dimmer and your visibility will be reduced. If the light goes completely out, the game ends.

Luckily, glowing coins called Light Tokens are found abundantly throughout the levels, each one restoring a small amount of light when collected, so you should try to collect as many of them as possible. Additionally, Power-Up Items will occasionally show up; collecting them allows you to use your character's special ability.  You can only hold three Power-Up Items at a time; if you pick up a Power-Up Item when you already have three, it'll restore some of your light instead.  A level is completed when you reach the bottom of the chasm, after which you get sucked into a hole that brings you to the next level.

Playable Characters

There are four characters you can play as in this game: SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, and Plankton. Their stats are divided into three categories: health, speed (how fast they fall down the abyss), and agility (how quickly they move when the player moves them). These stats are rated on a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. Each character also has a different special ability.

• SpongeBob: SpongeBob is a middle-of-the-road character with even stats all around; all his stats rank at 3.
  • Special Ability: Generates a shockwave that pushes enemies away.
• Patrick: Patrick, being the big lug that he is, has a health stat of 5 and an agility stat of 1. Oddly, despite his large stature, Patrick falls down the abyss more slowly than all the other characters, with his speed stat only clocking in at 2.
  • Special Ability: Becomes invincible for a few seconds, killing any enemy he touches while in this state.
• Sandy: Sandy has a health stat of 2 but an agility stat of 5, making her the quickest-moving of the bunch and probably the best character to play as since she is extremely responsive to your control.  Her speed stat is 3, so she falls down the abyss at an average speed just like SpongeBob.
  • Special Ability: Activates her rocket boots, which makes her fall much more slowly for a short time so you can navigate her around hazards more easily.
• Plankton: As the smallest character in the group, Plankton has the least amount of health with a health stat of 1, yet for some reason he has the fastest falling speed with a speed stat of 5.  Like SpongeBob, he responds fairly quickly to your control as he has an agility stat of 3.
  • Special Ability: Becomes invisible for a few seconds, allowing him to run into/phase through enemies without being hurt by them while invisible.

Enemies

• Jellyfish: The standard enemy, seen in all levels. They appear at the bottom of the screen and swim up to the top, and will deal significant damage on contact. The ones in the Dark Abyss glow in the dark to make them easier to see.
• Electric Kelp: First seen in the Pretty Dark Abyss, this is weird pink kelp that's electrified. It grows on the walls in some spots and does massive damage (almost enough to kill you instantly) if you make contact with the purple ooze it grows from.
• Giant Jellyfish: First seen in The Dark Abyss, this is a giant Jellyfish that just floats in one place instead of swimming up, giving you slightly more time to dodge it to compensate for its huge size which makes it harder to avoid.

Levels

1. The Not-So-Dark Abyss: A simple level with a few Jellyfish here and there. Shortest level in the game.
2. The Getting-Darker Abyss: A slightly longer level where Jellyfish appear more frequently and the walls occasionally get a little tighter.
3. The Pretty Dark Abyss: A longer level with even more Jellyfish, as well as Electric Kelp appearing for the first time. The walls get tighter more often.
4. The Dark Abyss: Possibly the final level, with a huge difficulty spike to boot. This level is much, much longer than the others, with Jellyfish appearing abundantly but now glowing in the dark so you can see them coming. Giant Jellyfish make their first appearance here and Electric Kelp is much more common, sometimes appearing in such large clusters that it's almost impossible to get through without taking damage. The walls often close in enough to form narrow passages you have to navigate through.