In this review, we leap into the Game Boy Advance game Frogger’s Adventure: Temple of the Frog. We find out how well this adventure game plays.
This game was released in 2001. It is yet another game in the long-running Frogger franchise.
We certainly have some familiarity with this franchise. The earliest game we played is Frogger for the Atari 2600. That game wound up being a very solid game worth playing. After that, we tried Frogger for the Atari 5200. That game also wound up being a very solid performing game. From there, we tried Frogger II – Threeedeep for the Atari 5200. That game got a great score.
From there, we tried Frogger for the Game Boy Color. That game got a barely passable score. After that, we tried Frogger for the Sega Genesis. That version wound up flopping hard for us. Finally, we tried Frogger 2 for the Game Boy Color. That game got a pretty solid score.
So, we thought we’d give this game a try to see how it did.
The story is that Mr. D has stolen the four elements that maintains the swamp. It is up to you to defeat Mr. D by getting those elements back.
This game does play a lot like your standard Frogger game. You have a more or less tile-based floor to work on. Each direction on the D-pad moves your frog one square in that direction. You can, however, perform a tile skipping jump. To accomplish this, you need to face the direction you want to jump, then tap “A”. You can also see little butterflies along the way. Some of them are situated above a pit. So, you need to use your tongue move with “B” to light in the tile you are facing. Finally, your shoulder buttons can rotate your frog. Use this if you are on a narrow location and need to rotate without moving.
Along the way, there are a number of enemies. You have your standard moving enemies. Other enemies launch attacks in a predictable pattern.
In addition to this, you have other deadly obstacles. This includes moving spikes, flame, and, of course, water hazards and groundless squares. You operate on a one hit kill basis, so you probably should keep in mind that this game is less about speed and more about safely navigating the course.
Along the way, you’ll encounter a number of small things assisting you. This includes lifts and moving platforms. They help you travel to other areas you need to explore.
In addition to this, you’ll be able to collect frog coins. Get to the end of the game with 50 coins or more to proceed. Note that there are at least 200 coins you can collect, so it’s not as though coins are scarce. However, a number of coins are located in extra optional areas with a number of additional deadly traps and enemies.
The game has a total of 5 worlds. Each world has two levels and a boss stage. In the preliminary level, you need to collect 3 elemental coins. You cannot advance to the next level without them. In the second level, you need to collect 5 elemental coins to advance. Finally, the boss stage requires you to perform a task or defeat an enemy in order to obtain an element.
For me, a big problem with this game is that this game starts off somewhat difficult and just keeps the difficulty foot on the peddle for three worlds. By the fourth world, the difficulty levels out a fair bit, but this game will challenge even experienced Frogger players. Because of this, players who are new to the franchise might find this game frustrating. The only thing that saves this game on this front is the fact that the game does throw a number of lives at you. Additionally, there are checkpoints that help you along (hope you don’t miss an elemental coin, though).
The good news is that the controls are quite tight and responsive. Obstacles can be a bit finicky at times, so it is good that you have responsive controls. This leaves you with contending with sometimes picky hit boxes.
There is some variety in this game. It’s enough to allow for the game to get by, but it’s nothing to write home about. The difficulty, meanwhile, does mask the fact that this is a somewhat short game. The length, however, is notable though.
A pitfall, however, is the seemingly excessive amounts of dialogue. The game tells you at least 4 or 5 times what the objective is. I get it, I get it.
Overall, this game does have merit, but it does have flaws. The controls are great. Unfortunately, this game does the bare minimum for length and variety to keep this game being somewhat satisfying. The high degree of difficulty so early on is a hindrance to the game. The text is a bit much. Also, the finicky hit boxes do become annoying at times. It’s a decent game all around, though it does have flaws.
Graphically, this game is actually quite decent. The variety in the different worlds do help make this game shine. I think the special effects are less than amazing, but otherwise, it’s hard to really find a way to complain about this effort.
Audio-wise, this game is decent. The music works pretty well and the sound effects are decent all around. So, it’s a reasonable effort there.
Overall, this game offers a decent, if flawed, game experience. There is a bit too much text and the hit boxes can be annoying. The difficulty curve is probably the biggest hindrance of this game, though. Graphics are pretty solid and audio is quite decent. Overall, it’s a decent game, though flaws do hold this game back a bit.
Overall
Furthest point in game: Beat the game.
General gameplay: 17/25
Replay value: 7/10
Graphics: 7/10
Audio: 3/5
Overall rating: 68%
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
