Get home safely, little frog!
Frogger, MAME Arcade


Overall: 9.7
"Always look both ways before you cross the street" used to be one of the pieces of advice that I considered common sense and wished I would never hear again in my life. Frogger, however, takes that little piece of advice and makes it, literally, your little frog's lifesaver. You have to pay attention to several lanes of traffic going in different directions as just the very first part of the timed puzzles that make up Frogger. Despite it's simplistic approach to puzzles, Frogger is one of the favorites that can hold your attention for hours as you try to trump the various arenas that this game throws at you.

For those of you that has never played Frogger, let's look at this screenshot to see what is going on here:


In the first five lines, you have rows of vehicles that pass by in changing speeds and alternating directions. Then, you have the rest bar. Don't rest here too long, though. Frogger is a timed game and if you wait too long, then your frog will die! And don't get squished on the road while getting to this center bar.

In the second five lines, you have Turtles - Small Logs - Big Logs - More Turtles - And one last row of logs. Some of the Turtles dip under the water, which, if you are on them when they do, will kill you. So keep moving and try to get to those little square water spots.

Oh, and another fun fact: while jumping into your "home," make sure that you center it or you will crack your little frog to pieces on the bank surrounding your home. We wouldn't want that to happen when you went through all the effort of crossing the roads and then the river to get home before you died of whatever the timer is timing. Starvation? Dehydration? Cancer? There just isn't a way to tell with your little green frog.

That aside, your frog can also only move so fast. So you really need to pay attention to what you are jumping into, lest your frog me outpaced and squashed, drowned, or eaten. (Yes, after the first five Homes are full, your frogs can be eaten by alligators!)


Graphics: 9

For an old arcade game, Frogger actually has some pretty great graphics. I mean, it's easy to tell what is what. On top of that, everything moves too. It's not nearly as simple in graphics as it is in gameplay.


Sound: 10

For its era, Frogger's sound is rather snazzy. Actually, I kind of prefer Frogger's sound to Pokemon's sound any day - new or old. Frogger's sound is a lot more catchy and a lot less annoying. Plus, it is pretty quiet versus the constantly playing music in the background of most other games.


Addictiveness: 9

Frogger is definitely a "must play again" type of game. It's fun, it's simple without being too easy to complete, and I still. have. not. beat. it! So yes, Frogger will keep me coming back to play for many days, weeks, months, and possibly years, yet.


Story: 10

It's a simple story but it is rather effective. The goal is to get home from across the road... and the river... and the cars, alligators, dipping turtles, and whatever else the world can throw at a tiny, dying green frog.


Depth: 5

Frogger does not have much to offer in the field of depth, but what it does offer is highly addicting. So, it gets a five simply because of the trade-off here. (I prefer a game that has a lot of replay value and no depth versus a game that has no replay value and a lot of depth.)


Difficulty: 7

Frogger is all about timing, quick thinking, and good puzzle skills. Or well, problem-solving skills. Because of this rather nifty blend, Frogger is able to offer a great, simple game that keeps its players on the edge of their toes without making it feel impossible.



So, Frogger is simple: the gameplay is simple, the story is simple, the graphics, sound, depth are simple. But it keeps its fan-base coming back time after time to continue to play this classic, fun arcade game. I think that Frogger is a game that will carry on its legacy year after year. After all, who doesn't like to play a relaxing puzzle every now and then?

Great review!

I must say that Frogger is one of the most addicting games ever made... I hate that Snake and the river part.

Keep the good work!

Eddy88 :

Thank you! The river part is quit annoying but the road gets harder quicker. .-.

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BluemageKyle :

Thank you! That comment made me /really/ happy.

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RalphTheWonderLlama :

I have no idea if Frogger putters out or not; I've never made it that far! xD

Ah yes, I love this game as a kid.

It was also probably the first game I rage quit on ever in my life. Seriously. No matter how much I try despite my love for the game, just could not win. This game made me break my first controller as a kid.

The timer is my worst enemy...

Sairek Ceareste :

I don't believe I've ever rage quit to the degree that you are speaking off but I know that I have quit games in annoyance before. I usually go back to them later - but yea. The timer is an evil little bugger.