Frogger Beats n' Bounces

For those old enough to remember playing Frogger on the retro computers/consoles you may be excited to hear about the modern take that this game has been given to the mobile phone.

Frogger Beats n’ Bounces is a modern twist to the classic obstacle avoiding, lily-pad leaping, bug catching classic, Frogger! Unlike the original which you had to go left and right and hop forward in time to avoid slow and fast moving obstacles, in this rendition you are only able to hop in time with the music from left to right as the landscape and obstacles move towards you.

This game is both fun and a little frustrating for precisely the same reason. The music is what helps you play the game but it also means that you can’t play it too easily without the sound on. You have thin lines to both dissect the lanes you can hop within and importantly pulse in time with the ‘beat’. This is important as you can only move from side to side in time with the rhythm. If you try to jump out of time your handset will buzz and vibrate and Frogger (your character) will not skip from side to side and will cause you to hit an obstacle which will hurt you and eventually kill you.

I wouldn’t mind if the music was fantastic or even enjoyable for the first few minutes, but alas, this is where it gets a little messy. No doubt there’ll be some who will adore the cute graphics and even forgive the repetitive midi format ditty for each level but I’m sure the fun will wear a little thin as you could start bleeding from your ears as a result.

Unfortunately the game also doesn’t provide you with any true indication of what the purpose of it is other than to embark on a mission to unveil the mystery behind the curse of the rhythm which seems to be affecting everything. The other main axe I have to grind with this game is that there’s no real sense of what’s safe and what’s bad for you to come in contact with – regardless of if it moves or remains static. For example, hopping on a lily is good but touching water (although you’re a frog) is bad and eating a fly is good but touching a beetle is bad and so on. The only advice I can offer is avoid everything as this is the safest and possibly most challenging, fun way of getting through the levels.

Being a fan of the original when I was little makes me a little sad and even angry that this game has tried to emulate the classic but in doing so has totally spoilt it. In essence having all the right ingredients to make a fantastic treat and then doing it all backwards.

If I was to say anything good about this game I’d say it’s certainly challenging and to some degree enjoyable. No doubt you’ll find it moderately addictive as you try to better and improve your highest score.

Rating 66%

Positives

Cute and simplistic graphics – in keeping with retro vibe

Lots of levels

Quite challenging

Fairly addictive

Negatives

Terrible music which is the main purpose of this game

No clear indication other than by trial and error as to what’s safe or not to touch

Levels are fairly repetitive