The newest Frogger game may not be the most technically advanced title to come out in recent months, but damned if it isn't refreshing playing a game that A) doesn't require an endless stream of bullets to finish, B) requires actual brainpower to progress and C) brings back memories of years past, when simplicity mattered in games.
In Frogger: Ancient Shadow, you take your amphibious friend through seven main stages made up several levels each. The levels look like fairly open-ended environments but this is far from the case. Frogger is really walking around on a grid (one you can't actually see of course) and you can move one or two spaces at a time. Enemies for the most part are also stuck on rails so it's all about timing and careful planning to advance. You need to jump over rivers and up and down to different platforms. Some things that you jump on will quickly crumble underneath, so you're forced to quickly change directions and make the proper jump or else drown in the water (how a frog can drown so much, so easily, is beyond me, but whatever).
The plot in Ancient Shadow is, well, painfully weak to say the least. An evil character is coming into Frogger's Firefly Swamp and causing a ruckus, so it's up to Frogger to go and find out what's wrong.
In terms of movement, you can tap the D-pad in any direction for Frogger to jump one space, hit A to have him jump two spaces, and the trigger buttons to have him change direction. There's also a double-jump and tongue grab thrown in. One of the big challenges is figuring out just how far away the next spot is that you have to reach.
This is a game where the patient players will do the best. If you die late in a stage and have to begin back near the beginning or a checkpoint, it may be difficult for some players to accept that they still have to go through the stage slowly and methodically, even though they know what they have to do and have been there before. In this game, 'slow and steady wins the race' holds very true.
As you go through the stages, Frogger can pick up coins which he can later use to purchase lame accessories. The game also includes the classic Frogger game from the 19??'s, a multiplayer mode and a challenge mode that allows you to choose a stage and finish it in as quick a time as possible.
There's really not much to this game, yet it still had me coming back for more, trying to finish the single player mode. If you're a fan of puzzle games, check this out.
WHAM! Rating: |
7.6 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
E (Everyone) |
Official Web Site: |
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