Frogun is an interesting game, being a throwback to the classic 3D platformers that involve exploring a bite-sized level with moving platforms, enemies, and coins, and then moving on to the next area to do it all again. Many more fondly remember the large open spaces of Super Mario 64 and others like it, but this style of 3D platformer had many high points as well, yet never got the same attention. With dozens of levels to play through and multiple things to do, Frogun manages to bring players deep into its world.
The game stars Renata, a young girl who must set out to rescue her archeologist parents after they go missing. Renata is equipped with the Frogun, a frog/gun hybrid that sticks out its tongue and allows her to snag objects and enemies and latch onto distant walls to get across gaps. It is a simple concept, but surprisingly deep and offers you a lot to do and allows for some devious puzzles.
Frogunmanages to capture the look and sound of a Nintendo 64 game and could easily pass for a long-lost game that fell through the cracks. The game has a visual style that relies on cubic imagery and heavily pixelated textures that burst with colour and manage to evoke a sense of nostalgia. The characters all feel appropriate to the era and have excellent animation and sound to go with them, making the tribute to the classics fit well. Frogun is also a game that manages to capture something else from that time and that is the challenge since while there is no life system to get in the way, the game still manages to make you work for your goals and give some frustration but a welcome amount.
This is a game that requires precision and practice in order to get the hang of the controls and you need to be careful or you will just keep getting stuck. Sometimes this is not really an issue, as some levels move slowly, but some levels include the mandatory N64 Era platformer racing level and those will test your skill and technique. Again, dying is not an issue due to the lack of a life system, but repeating the levels multiple times can start to get on your nerves a bit.
Still, this is not something that gets in the game’s way too much and the game feels fun to play which is the most important part. There is so much to do in each stage, and so many things to find, that completing each objective will keep you busy for a long time. The developers went out of their way to give enough unlockables to entice you to keep playing and it just does not get old.
Frogun is a great game and manages to understand what made the classics work while not hiding from the aspects that drive us crazy. There is so much to love here, and both veteran players of those classic games and those wanting to see what all the fuss was about. This is one to try out for sure.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided