Frogger is a game that is older than I thought. 2011 marks its 30th birthday so to speak, as the game has been providing that “cross the road” gameplay for so many years. In celebration of the big 3-0, Konami has seen fit to release new versions of Frogger on various platforms, and one of those is the 3DS. Frogger 3D is on store shelves now, and we got a chance to take the final retail copy for a spin.
Given the action arcade roots that Frogger is based on, there is really no story for one to enjoy, given the fact that you only concerned with trying to get our little green friend through various levels alive. The game takes the original Frogger formula and spices it up by adding new environments, new challenges, and new ways to get from A to B. You can feel the original Frogger gameplay, but it has been updated for the modern world of the 3DS.
What is pretty cool about this game is how they have taken the original formula of having to get from one side of the screen to the other and given it a modern update for the gamers of today. You’ll find that instead of just crossing traffic and water on floating logs you now have a wide variety of environments to navigate such as sushi bars, City Streets, casinos, slot machines, and even the far reaches of outer space. It was nice to see such a variety in the environments and something that I appreciated.
There are approximately 60 or so levels that are spread across six worlds, so the game does have some legs in the playability department. Within each level you are tasked to reach three goals in a row, and all within a time limit. As you try to make your way from A to B, and sometimes to C, what is evident is that Frogger 3D can lean more on the puzzle side then just the action arcade side more often than not. You’ll literally have to try to plan your routes from the start to finish, as many of them require you to use the special items in the environment. These can include crates that you can climb and jump off of in specific directions to get further distance in your jump, or you will use the assistance of a luminescent frog that lights up your way along dark levels. All in all, these puzzle elements bring something new to the game and it was nice to see Konami try to freshen up the franchise for the 3DS.
Although I was able to appreciate the level design, and the new puzzle like elements, there is one area that really kind of disturbed me, and it was in the difficulty of the game. Everything starts off quite well, but all of a sudden Frogger 3D becomes a very difficult game. I don’t know why, as it seemed to be pretty balanced at first, but later on in the game I was like WTF. Given that you have to complete three goals per level, and the fact that the game would all of a sudden throw out some cheap shots (e.g. surprise traffic or obstacles), the game really lost some of its luster for me, as I would have to start all three levels again. It got so bad at some points that I really wanted to throw my 3DS across the room.
Along with the difficulty issues, I also found that the collision detection and speed of the frog could play a role in my demise. There were more then a few occasions that I swear I was clear of any traffic or item, only to die right on the spot. This would not be a too bad of a thing if you had more than a few lives collected, but Frogger 3D only allows for three lives per session, and does not let you have more lives, even if you play trouble free. These issues are only compounded more when you reach what you can equate to the boss level of each section. Given the issues mentioned above, and the fact that the boss is so much harder, you may get frustrated during this time more then you hope.
On a more plus side, the overall control is easy for any gamer to pick up and the game seems to utilize the d-pad specifically. Many gamers, no matter what skill level they may be, will have no problems controlling our fine green friend throughout the game’s 60 plus levels.
Konami has added some multiplayer madness for Frogger 3D, but is comes in multi-card flavor only. Playing the game competitively does have its advantages as you can earn bragging right amongst your friends for the title of Frogger Extraordinaire. You can also access leaderboards and try to beat other gamer’s scores on various levels. Overall it was nice to see some multiplayer action as it can take away from some of the quirks from the single player experience.
Visually, Frogger is a pretty good looking game, but it won’t blow your socks off so to speak. The visual theme is somewhat cartoony and the levels are littered with bright colours, solid level design, and even the odd special effect now and then. In term of the 3D-ness of the game, when you have the 3D slider turned on you will get a sense of depth, something which the 3DS does fairly well, but the 3D visuals are not that strong overall and really don’t add up to a great 3D experience. In the end you will notice the 3D when it is on, but it is not a total selling feature for the game.
Sound can be best described as an update of the bleeps and bloops that the game has its roots in. There are environmental noises (e.g. waterfalls, vehicles driving by, and the sound of casino chips being moved around) that help bring each level alive, but it nothing that will make you go “wow”. The best way to describe the sound is that it is functional, makes the game what it is, and does not take the game down in score at all.
Frogger 3D for the Nintendo 3DS has some great level design, complimentary sound, and flashes of brilliance that bring this game into the modern world so to speak, but the overall experience is dampened by the frustrating difficulty level and the cheap shots that rear their head more often than I would like. At the end of the day Frogger does make some gains overall, but “hop into this one” with some caution as there are some aspects that make this game questionable at times.
