Although the original Battle for Bikini Bottom was their main inspiration, the developers also looked to Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and Super Mario Odyssey while recreating the game.

A small inflatable dragon is hidden beneath the sand at Goo Lagoon.

Several of the character's idle animations reference episodes spanning across the entire series. Two of the most notable animations however reference moments from the show that became popular memes. One of SpongeBob’s idle animations references the "Mocking SpongeBob" meme originating from the episode "Little Yellow Book", and one of Patrick’s idle animations is based on the "Surprised Patrick" meme originating from the 2004 film "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie".