There’s a hopping, jumping and tongue-flicking good time to be had in the latest remake of the arcade classic Frogger. This time in Frogger: Helmet Chaos for the Sony PSP, Frogger has set his sights a little higher than simply crossing a single road and river. He’s on a mission to stop an evil croc known as Dr. Wani from taking over the world with his powerful new mind control helmets.
On your adventure to stop Dr. Wani you’ll have to hop and jump your way through 30 deviously designed levels, avoiding dangerous flora and fauna at almost every turn. You’ll travel through lush forest swamps, icy mountain tops and dank underground caves in an effort to make your way to Dr. Wani’s flying fortress. Cut scenes revealing the story appear between most levels, and are both well designed and amusing, with colorful 2d graphics and very good voice acting.
Frogger is presented with a multitude of problems to overcome, but luckily he comes well prepared with a few new tricks up his sleeve. Hopping and jumping are his primary modes of transportation, either hopping to an adjacent block, or jumping over it two blocks away. Also in the mix is Frogger’s very talented tongue, which is can be used to pull Frogger across long distances, swing from overhead bars, or to push and pull the various obstacles throughout each level. You’ll have to use every combination of Frogger’s abilities throughout the game, and at precisely the right time, because you are often just a single incorrect button press away from death.
Whatever you do, don’t confuse Frogger: Helmet chaos on the PSP and DS with the sub-par exercise in frustration known as Frogger: Ancient Shadow, released recently for the home consoles. Whereas Helmet Shadow is a difficult but fun adventure, Ancient Shadow is nothing but an infuriating fight against poor and unresponsive controls.
While you may get frustrated at some of the more difficult sections in Helmet Chaos, they never feel impossible, and instead of relief, often elicit a sense of pride on completion.
On the superficial front (aka graphics and sound), Helmet Chaos does a surprisingly good job of presentation. Taking advantage of the powerful PSP hardware, the graphics are bright and colorful with fluid animations and well made special effects, including some unique to the PSP version, such as transparent ice blocks and particle effects not found on the DS. The sound effects are clear and lively, though due to the nature of the game can seem repetitive after the thousandth time you pressed the hop button. The music is catchy and appropriate, however as each level has only a single song, getting stuck in a level for a long time might have you turning down the volume a little.
A puzzle game lives or dies by its levels. Fantastic controls, great graphics, sound, and a humorous story, all mean nothing if there’s no high quality and well designed levels to play in. Luckily for everyone involved, Helmet Chaos has many very good levels, all of which are well balanced and contain multitude of enjoyable puzzles. With a mix of action sections and some slower ‘thinking’ puzzles, Frogger: Helmet Chaos should have just about what every puzzle fan is looking for. The only concern is that most levels are a little on the long side, forcing you to repeat tedious sections if you perish near the end of the level. However this can add to the excitement and pressure felt when trying to make it through each section with as little damage as possible, in hopes of making a solid run to the end.
Aside from simply reaching the end of each level, you are presented with a Mario-esque secondary goal. Like the tubby little plumber from Italy you have a strange affection for gold coins. Thankfully, as in Mario games, they are not difficult to collect, as someone has graciously left them spread across entire levels just waiting for you to pick up. When you have acquired a suitable amount of coins you can purchase various mini-games for both multiplayer and single player, including a great 3d remake of the original Frogger. Using your PSP vertically instead of horizontally, you must cross the road and river as many times as possible with increasing speed and difficulty. The twist is with the multiplayer version, which features 4 players all fighting across the same game screen, and is quite a blast to play with friends, especially ones old enough to remember the original.
Anyone who enjoys puzzle games will enjoy this release in the classic Frogger franchise. With its tight controls and diverse and rewarding levels, beautiful and engaging graphics, and its humorous story, Frogger: Helmet Chaos is sure to be a hit with audiences both new and old alike.
WHAM! Rating: |
8 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
E (Everyone) |
Official Web Site: |
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