Frogger : Ancient Shadow (GameCube)
Well I wanted to do another review for you guys because it's been a little bit, so I set a few games up in front of my son, and he picked this one every time. In the same spirit as Pitfall The Lost Expedition, this game brings a very old school classic game to a new dimension. Pitfall was still pretty enjoyable, but how will Frogger hold up?
The game spans a total of seven different locations, each with four individual areas making our little green friend hop his way through 28 levels of stuff. There's no combat, and no items...so what is it this game brings to the players?
Platforming, and LOTS of it. As I stated above, the camera is locked in an almost top-down perspective, so right away this one feels like the classics with a major MAJOR facelift. Now, Forgger can do a bit more than just hop one tile in any direction, and he's doing a lot more than just crossing streets and rivers.
You'll find yourself in decently sized worlds, with a lot of space to cover with your little hops. The reason you don't need your controller's joystick in this game is Frogger still moves in his one-tile hops. However, you'll be forced to jump over things, swing across gaps, and even move some in-game objects.
Pressing the A button essentially allows you to skip a tile in whatever direction you're facing. So instead of hopping on tiles 1-2-3 in order, you'll skip tile #2. You get to use Frogger's tongue (B) for a few things, either picking items up, or shooting it out to grab a peg and pull yourself over a gap, or to latch it on to a bigger object that you can then push forward or backwards. His tongue shoots out a distance of a few tiles, so it does give you a little space to work with. Lastly, your vertical jump (Y) is mostly used for picking up coins that are above the ground, or you can also use the tongue grab move to latch on to tree branches and swing over higher up gaps as well.
There's plenty of enemies in the game as well, but as I mentioned there's no combat. So how do you deal with them? Simple...don't cross their paths. Hopping around the baddies is the only "weapon" in your arsenal, so it's one you need to master quick. You're given plenty of space and time to get around everybody, so there isn't a strict learning curve.
The levels themselves are all very linear. Some spaces are more wide-open, but you're still restricted to a single path from the start of the level until the end. On your trek, you'll be gifted a few opportunities to step on a stone that gives you a checkpoint, all until you reach your end goal of a slightly-pulsating purple cloud. Each world has the same design as well. The first three levels are all platforming, with the fourth and final level being a boss fight.
If you're looking for depth, you won't find much in this one. All elements of the gameplay are right on the surface. Even so, they're really well done, and a lot of fun. But is Ancient Shadow a challenge?
This game swings from ridiculously easy...to annoyingly difficulty, and it's all based on how you're approaching playing it. Are you the gamer to take your time and assess the situation before you commit to a little tiny hop? If you are, then you'll have an easy time. Do you try and speed run your way through each level? That's when you'll start having trouble.
Frogger's biggest difficulty comes from it's controls. More specifically, two of them : the shoulder buttons. Let's say you are facing towards the top of your screen, but the next move you make requires you to jump over a tile in the right-facing direction. If you're rushing, your brain's instinct is going to be to just push right and you'll turn that way, but nope. Having to phsyically turn yourself in a direction can be your biggest hurdle in this game, but it'll only be noticeable if you're going for those quick times.
So let's see what was good and bad about this game before we stamp a label into it.
- Level Design. Back in the original days, it was simple. You start on a sidewalk, cross a street while avoiding cars and trucks, cross a river using logs and turtle backs, and make it to the other side. There's a lot more going on this time. You've got bigger rivers to cross, hills to climb, and while the graphics won't stand out among today's titles, the levels are still beautifully crafted and a lot of fun to hop around in.
- Shoulder Buttons. Now, I like that you have the ability to turn direction while staying in one place. Having it forced upon you though, is a different story. Don't get me wrong, the move itself works great. I think that it would have been better suited with a different difficulty level. Have an easier mode where the D-Pad does everything, and have an advanced mode where the controls get broken down into more detail because let's be honest...anyone picking up a Frogger game today is picking it up because they loved the original. So why not give him one that actually feels like the original and then a "new and improved" style mode?
- Frogs Don't Swim. Right? That's how it is in nature, if a frog comes remotely close to water, they're done for. No? That's...not how it works? Well, it is here! You find yourself hopping closer to a stream, you better make sure you jump over it. If you so much as touch a droplet of the water, Frogger goes splashing into the water with a little yelp and goodbye one life-chance.
I've gotten most of the way through this game, but not completely. I try to take a nice, stealthy approach to a level, but then I have a brain fart and make a stupid mistake, and I spend my next few attempts to speed run, only to accidentally press a wrong button and repeat my splashy death over and over. Speaking of which...that's annoying. Frogs can swim! Don't have this one "die" when he touches water. It just reminds me of the original Assassin's Creed game...you're this highly trained assassin who can kill anyone he pleases without being spotted in a crowd of hundreds...but you dive into the water and desynchronize? Game Logic at it's best...am I right?
If you noticed, I took a slightly bit of a different approach to writing this review, or at least I tried to. Did it work? If it did, what did you think? Let me know in the comments!!
The Story
Frogger is chilling out in his home swamp, enjoying the sun, when his good friend Lily hops over with some disturbing news. There's been an eerie shadow lurking throughout the swamp, that nobody knows what it is. Our hippity-hoppy hero sets out to discover what is lurking in his home-swamp, only to come across Dr. Wani and his evil plans. With nothing else to do, Frogger aims to stop Dr. Wani and restore peace and balance to his humble abode.The Controls
Surprisingly enough, while this game is in a much-later generation of consoles (Nintendo Gamecube vs Atari 2600), the controls remain as simplistic as always. The joystick on your controller? Forget about it. Toss it out the window cuz you won't need it for this game. (Okay don't actually throw it out, there are other games that you'll need the stick for). All you need for this is the D-Pad to move, A button to jump forward, B to use Frogger's tongue, Y to jump vertically, and the L and R shoulder buttons to turn in each respective direction. This game still keeps it's platforming roots, but brings them to a 2.5D perspective that looks more top-down than anything.The Gameplay
Frogger Ancient Shadow maintains the same frog-hopping platforming that we have loved for decades, ever since the golden age of video games. Except now, he's a bit more fleshed out and he even has a voice!The game spans a total of seven different locations, each with four individual areas making our little green friend hop his way through 28 levels of stuff. There's no combat, and no items...so what is it this game brings to the players?
Platforming, and LOTS of it. As I stated above, the camera is locked in an almost top-down perspective, so right away this one feels like the classics with a major MAJOR facelift. Now, Forgger can do a bit more than just hop one tile in any direction, and he's doing a lot more than just crossing streets and rivers.
You'll find yourself in decently sized worlds, with a lot of space to cover with your little hops. The reason you don't need your controller's joystick in this game is Frogger still moves in his one-tile hops. However, you'll be forced to jump over things, swing across gaps, and even move some in-game objects.
Pressing the A button essentially allows you to skip a tile in whatever direction you're facing. So instead of hopping on tiles 1-2-3 in order, you'll skip tile #2. You get to use Frogger's tongue (B) for a few things, either picking items up, or shooting it out to grab a peg and pull yourself over a gap, or to latch it on to a bigger object that you can then push forward or backwards. His tongue shoots out a distance of a few tiles, so it does give you a little space to work with. Lastly, your vertical jump (Y) is mostly used for picking up coins that are above the ground, or you can also use the tongue grab move to latch on to tree branches and swing over higher up gaps as well.
There's plenty of enemies in the game as well, but as I mentioned there's no combat. So how do you deal with them? Simple...don't cross their paths. Hopping around the baddies is the only "weapon" in your arsenal, so it's one you need to master quick. You're given plenty of space and time to get around everybody, so there isn't a strict learning curve.
The levels themselves are all very linear. Some spaces are more wide-open, but you're still restricted to a single path from the start of the level until the end. On your trek, you'll be gifted a few opportunities to step on a stone that gives you a checkpoint, all until you reach your end goal of a slightly-pulsating purple cloud. Each world has the same design as well. The first three levels are all platforming, with the fourth and final level being a boss fight.
If you're looking for depth, you won't find much in this one. All elements of the gameplay are right on the surface. Even so, they're really well done, and a lot of fun. But is Ancient Shadow a challenge?
The Challenge (or lack thereof?)
Well...no combat...no items...no leveling up. So...let's talk about the platforming?This game swings from ridiculously easy...to annoyingly difficulty, and it's all based on how you're approaching playing it. Are you the gamer to take your time and assess the situation before you commit to a little tiny hop? If you are, then you'll have an easy time. Do you try and speed run your way through each level? That's when you'll start having trouble.
Frogger's biggest difficulty comes from it's controls. More specifically, two of them : the shoulder buttons. Let's say you are facing towards the top of your screen, but the next move you make requires you to jump over a tile in the right-facing direction. If you're rushing, your brain's instinct is going to be to just push right and you'll turn that way, but nope. Having to phsyically turn yourself in a direction can be your biggest hurdle in this game, but it'll only be noticeable if you're going for those quick times.
So let's see what was good and bad about this game before we stamp a label into it.
PROS
- Golden Age Returns. A lot of games from the early-days still have titles dropping to this day, and they all come with big, big changes. Look at where Mario and Zelda are from their first entries, even the Metal Gear Solid series has come a long way. Frogger is one of those titles that is still around. Ancient Shadow came out in 2005, 24 years after the original arcade cabinet was released, and while it looks fresher and newer, it still handles a lot like the original, and it's a great feeling.- Level Design. Back in the original days, it was simple. You start on a sidewalk, cross a street while avoiding cars and trucks, cross a river using logs and turtle backs, and make it to the other side. There's a lot more going on this time. You've got bigger rivers to cross, hills to climb, and while the graphics won't stand out among today's titles, the levels are still beautifully crafted and a lot of fun to hop around in.
CONS
- Boss Fights. They're predictably spaced out, and they don't take a lot of energy out of the player. Just learn their strategy, use your special move, and you'll be through it rather quick. Oh wait...I didn't mention before that you have special moves? Hmm...that's weird...but then again, the game doesn't tell you either. That's right, red herring. The boss fights themselves are pretty fun. But you get no indication that you have other moves available to you, and it wasn't until I did a quick Google search after being completely dumbfounded against the first boss that I learned I actually have more moves to use in this game. It's a bit of a dick move, especially when you consider that you can't even think about contending with the bosses without these moves.- Shoulder Buttons. Now, I like that you have the ability to turn direction while staying in one place. Having it forced upon you though, is a different story. Don't get me wrong, the move itself works great. I think that it would have been better suited with a different difficulty level. Have an easier mode where the D-Pad does everything, and have an advanced mode where the controls get broken down into more detail because let's be honest...anyone picking up a Frogger game today is picking it up because they loved the original. So why not give him one that actually feels like the original and then a "new and improved" style mode?
- Frogs Don't Swim. Right? That's how it is in nature, if a frog comes remotely close to water, they're done for. No? That's...not how it works? Well, it is here! You find yourself hopping closer to a stream, you better make sure you jump over it. If you so much as touch a droplet of the water, Frogger goes splashing into the water with a little yelp and goodbye one life-chance.
Final Verdict
Well it's far from being a perfect game. But we're not here to find perfection, we're here to find value. Frogger : Ancient Shadow will run you no more than $12 for a CIB copy, and around $5 for just the disc. Now, I'm specifically speaking for the GameCube version, but you can also find this one on PS2 and Xbox. While it might not be worth it's full value, it's still a fun play. There are some areas of this game that are imperfect. I wouldn't call them flaws, but they definitely could have been done better. Despite these, though, there is still some fun to be had in this game. You'll get more enjoyment out of this one if your gaming days have brought you to a meeting point with the original game, but if you're a new-comer to this series, then this one is passable.I've gotten most of the way through this game, but not completely. I try to take a nice, stealthy approach to a level, but then I have a brain fart and make a stupid mistake, and I spend my next few attempts to speed run, only to accidentally press a wrong button and repeat my splashy death over and over. Speaking of which...that's annoying. Frogs can swim! Don't have this one "die" when he touches water. It just reminds me of the original Assassin's Creed game...you're this highly trained assassin who can kill anyone he pleases without being spotted in a crowd of hundreds...but you dive into the water and desynchronize? Game Logic at it's best...am I right?
If you noticed, I took a slightly bit of a different approach to writing this review, or at least I tried to. Did it work? If it did, what did you think? Let me know in the comments!!
