Re-imagining games has become pretty popular, and since Pac-Man Championship Edition blew re-imagining out of the water, there have been some interesting new titles coming out. Burgertime. Space Invaders. Galaga. Even Frogger. Frogger is a simple game, get your frog from the bottom of the screen to the top, avoiding all kinds of obstacles along the way: freeway traffic, snakes, logs, alligators, otters, water... WATER? Yep, like many heroes in videogames, the frog can not swim. Sure, I can handle that I suppose.
As you can see above, the screens get pretty crowded as you progress through the game. But like I said, the game has you going from the bottom to the top. That's it. Sure the traffic patterns in the water and on land vary and get more difficult, but that's not too much to ask. How do you shake this up to make the gameplay different? What modes do you add? Sure the graphics look nice if not sometimes confusing, but in a game like this, making it look nice isn't the only thing you need to do. Thankfully, Konami has added new modes to give the game more flavor.
Of course, you've got Classic Frogger. Take Froggy from the bottom to the top. Don't get squished, eaten, smashed, or drown. When you get into the river, you can pick up a lady frog to bring her back to your "pad." Sometimes there's a bonus fly to eat at the pad when you get there.
Challenge Mode sets up 20 levels of challenges which include things like guiding 2 frogs up the screen at once, painting tiles, etc, within the given time limit. Sometimes you can watch the traffic before hitting start which is very helpful, as the challenges feel unforgiving.
Tile Capture is a fun mode, where you play against 4 other players or CPU controlled frogs, and as you hop over tiles, they turn the color of your frog. When you get your frog to the top base, the colors will lock in and you will have that part of the board. Unless you get squished on the next frog. If you do, you lose what you've gained. The goal is to get the most tiles filled in.
Battle Royal is a bit confusing, and I didn't really know what the fuck was going on for awhile. But you play against 3 other frogs in an arena battlefield with traffic, flies that appear, and female frogs that wander around. Catching the female frog allows you to squash your opponents, and players get eliminated through the waves. It's not really that fun.
Lady Frog Rescue is simply that, rescue the lady frogs while fighting of 3 other frogs, and getting her back to your pad to score points. Not bad.
Paint has you painting the pattern on the level, and if you hop off of the pattern, you lose. Sure, why not.
Twin Frog is you controlling 2 frogs at once to get to the top. It could be clear for one, and not for the other, so you have to time your hopping well.
The controls are very easy, most levels have you using the left mushroom or the D-pad, some use the LB buttons for power-ups. But mostly you'll be hopping around without anything else to do. The controls respond fine. The music is pretty dull, but the original Frogger theme re-mixed or re-imagined is horribly annoying. Graphically, it looks good. Aside from classic and upgraded graphics, they added some fan stuff like Castlevania and Contra sprites instead of cars, logs, other enemies. They even did a Dance Dance Revolution graphic skin. The skins are unlocked after completing challenges, and they do add some flavor to the game.
All said, it's a nice attempt at breathing life into a game that hasn't done well with regards to sequel (awful shit there) and time (it's a very dated title.) If you've played Frogger and enjoy it, you're probably going to like this one. If you haven't, there's a good chance you will hate this game. But look at the bright side: at least you can demo it.
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