Firstly, let me just say that Frog Legs is silly, short, and fun. It doesn’t take itself seriously, is meant to be completed in one play session, and is less than $3. As such, this review won’t be too long-winded and instead will focus on my overall experience with the little serving of goodness that is Frog Legs. Frog Legs focuses on a set of frogs that start off inside of the classic “Frogger” game, trying to convince a cautious fellow frog that making it across the busy street ain’t so scary. Unfortunately, that peer pressure leads to an event and adventure that will change them all…in more than a few ways. Featuring gameplay that hops from arcade to horror to boomer shooter, Frog Legs will be sure to surprise and elicit some laughs for its 30-40 minute runtime.
Rather than spoil the fun, I’ll give a brief overview of the major functions that make up Frog Legs. The classic Frogger section controls as tightly as you would expect if you’ve ever played the original game, even if it’s a bit short. There’s a short “horror” section that provides a bit of a light fright, but is otherwise just a chance to do some quick puzzle solving with a neat change of scenery. The rest of the game mixes gameplay changes with storytelling in a fun method, never heavily challenging the player, but allowing for a new, easy shared experience with people watching together over a stream or group chat. Dialogue between all the frogs is quirky and comedic throughout, and every character has their own personality that works with the short story. I would have possibly liked more dialogue per text box, as there was a lot of clicking through very short text lines.
The various art styles that are employed throughout were simple, but well done. The retro appearance of the Frogger 2D world combined with the 3D worlds we find ourselves in are always fun to see smashed together, and the addition of extra gameplay styles within the experience are done smoothly. I had no issues with performance or knowing what to do to progress the story. Yes, it’s short, but if that’s the case, it better work perfectly…and it does!
As far as audio within the game goes, it’s nothing too special. About 50% of the game doesn’t have a musical backing track, as it’s more about building suspense. The other 50% is derivative music work, since the sections of gameplay are based on previously established gaming tropes. This isn’t a bad thing, but it isn’t going to provide anything new to the player. The dialogue sound effect is classic and not annoying, and audible feedback exists for picking up objects, completing objectives, and using items. Basic, but not always included, so it’s worth mentioning.
Frog Legs is an affordable little nostalgic romp through a ridiculous situation with colorful frog buddies. Grab some friends, grab some popcorn, and then invite them to play through the game as everyone enjoys a little escape. It doesn’t provide replayability for the single player experience, but does for the sheer surprise factor for those that don’t know what they’re in for. Is it perfect? No. But for an indie dev with a creative idea, it’s well executed.
