For those interested in running the Nintendo DS Version of Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots.
Emulator: if you're not using a real DS, I personally recommend using DeSmuME. It does drop inputs occasionally for me so try it out for yourself, and if that doesn't work too well I've heard MelonDS is also good.
Timing: Start the timer after selecting 'New Game' from the Main Menu. Stop the timer when the Final Boss' death animation plays. Remember you can enter the code for the Secret Characters before starting the timer.
Levels: You can choose the order to play which levels whenever, and the game basically bumps up the difficulty to scale with which levels you've beaten. Because of this the best level order is Bikini Bottom (forced), Pupununu, Amity Park, Retroville, Fairy World, Evil Toyco. Pupununu and Retroville have the most annoying enemies that really pack a punch so it's best to get them done sooner. Retroville can also be played before Amity Park.
Characters: Use the code to unlock Danny2. [Tak, Jimmy, Zim, El Tigre]. Bikini Bottom forces you to use SpongeBob on a first playthrough, but after that use Danny2 and Patrick or El Tigre. They're the strongest and fastest for taking out enemies. The only characters I would strongly recommend to avoid using are SpongeBob2, Tak, Jenny, Mr. Blik, Zim, and GIR. If you're not using cheats then SpongeBob, Danny, Jimmy, and Timmy are mid to okay.
Combat: Danny2, Patrick, and El Tigre, are fast and strong making them the best bet for taking enemies on. Try to kill as many enemies as you can by grouping them close together. If you see a generator destroy that first, as it will kill every enemy it was supposed to spawn before they show up. Danny2's Charge Attack will destroy generators in a single hit. Charged attacks and certain things will stun an enemy. You'll know they're stunned if they seem dazed and have stars over their head. Getting close and attacking will most likely one-shot them, causing them to drop health after.
Touch Screen Mini-Games: None of these are particularly long or difficult. Just know what you're up for and practice a bit to understand the timings and what not.
Mechs: After the Mini-Boss you'll gain control of a Mech. They're a lot stronger than when on foot so it's important to stay in these for the rest of the level. If you're knocked out of it quickly jump back in with whoever is available. Remember that nuts and bolts are mech health, and to keep an eye out for your character health throughout the level, which can be replenished by stars.
Action Area Bosses: Half-way through every level there's a Mini-Boss. Practice and remember when the best time to charge is for max Damage. If the Boss is stunned you can use the same method for typical enemies to do a stronger attack. Jump Attacks are also your friend in a lot of cases. You can use jump attacks consecutively to rack up damage before the Boss wakes up, and they're good for avoiding attacks that travel along the ground. Remember for the Pupununu Boss that you can attack the pole he's currently on to make him drop down faster. For the Machine at the end of every level, try to get a feel for the pattern so you'll know when to move and attack, as each one is slightly different. Basically it comes down to when the shield is down attack it, and when the lasers are out try not to get hit by it when it moves. You'll be in the Mech during the Machine Bosses so try to stay inside the whole fight.
Ride Areas: Try to avoid a lot of boxes to circumvent lag, and losing health. If you think you'll hit something use the shield as it'll slow you down less. Retroville has a gun instead of the shield but it refills quite fast so don't panic and aim wisely. Remember to pick up bolts along the way.
Boss Areas: Try to combine using slow and fast shots for max Damage. You can move back and forth to get closer to the Boss; which usually isn't that useful, but it is good to know. Especially for Robo-Tak, and Robo-Jimmy. For some of the Bosses if you're confident enough you can just tank the damage, but don't get too cocky as it can catch up without you realizing.
-Bikini Bottom Boss: Robo-SpongeBob is between a layer of pipes that will pour water out of them, blocking your attacks. If this is too annoying for you, you can shoot the wheels on the very edges of the arena to stop all water momentarily. This takes up a lot of time however, and overall isn't worth it. A way to predict the water is to watch the tubes on the opposite side of the arena. If the tubes parallel to you are NOT going off, the tubes on your side WILL go off; and vice versa.
-Amity Park Boss: Robo-Danny has a conveyor belt moving blocks in front of him which will block your attacks. Try to get a grip for the speed and shoot in-between the blocks. The eyes and fists aren't as powerful as when he throws blocks at you so keep this in mind if tanking damage.
-Pupununu Village Boss: Robo-Tak is especially annoying and involved. When the target is showing a heart I fire a fast shot. Try to get the timing down, and try getting all three at once in a quick sweep. When Robo-Tak is open, he'll attack once he's directly lined up with you. Try using this to your advantage by firing fast shots and moving in-between his attacks.
-Fairy World Boss: Robo-Timmy is very easy. Shooting the hammers enough times will make them backfire and hit the Boss. They will still hit you otherwise, and they tend to do a decent amount of damage so watch out. Other than that the Boss has very easy to dodge attacks that don't do a ton of damage.
-Retroville Boss: Robo-Jimmy is arguably the hardest main level Boss in the game. Balls will roll into turrets around the arena causing them to fire. Shooting the turret once will make the ball launch out, causing it to stop for a while. Other than this the Boss has very fast and strong attacks so stay on your toes and pay attention to the turrets; especially later in the fight as it will progressively get more frantic and chaotic. This is the main Boss that I'd strongly recommend not tanking the damage, and if there's one attack that you absolutely need to avoid it's the Boss launching his hair at you.
-Evil Toyco. Bosses: Floor 1 makes you re-fight Robo-SpongeBob, and Robo-Danny. Floor 2 makes you re-fight Robo-Tak, Robo-Timmy, and Robo-Jimmy. The Boss Rushes crank up the difficulty a bit from the first time you fought them so be ready. Floor 3 has you fight Robo-Calamitous, which is the Final Boss of the game. The lasers will stun lock you so avoid them at all costs. Other than that the Boss isn't too hard to dodge, and you should have plenty of health at this point so just stay on guard and be careful. For Phase 2 he'll only have half health, and despite his damage output being increased it isn't that much harder.
