Frog Sqwad Testbericht (Xbox Series X|S)

I never anticipated Frog Sqwad being a good stomach liner. A quick bite to eat, perhaps, but not a protein-loaded hunk of meat that could satisfy my cravings for tongue-in-cheek slapstick humor. Even with a bad case of frog-like fatigue (thanks, Sledding Game) and the inescapable sound of a pulpy croak ringing in my ear, something pulled me back to that same old Lilly pad. Call it an undying love of amphibious jank, I guess.

I can’t say that I was expecting a great multiplayer game when Frog Sqwad popped out from the pond to unveil its amphibious touch. The concept was cliche: a team of frogs descend into a sewer, and then, with the power of their tongues, find food to bring back to the Swamp King in an attempt to quench an insatiable appetite. That irritatingly simple setup was easy—safe, even. It was the sort of idea that a child would typically come up with on a schoolyard to help break up mid-afternoon classes. I didn’t hate the idea by any means, but I also knew that it wouldn’t exactly quell my desire for a perfect swamp-hopping multiplayer game. It was safe. But, what I wanted to know was, was it fun?

In an effort to squeeze the throttle on its tongue-in-cheek nature, Frog Sqwad didn’t spend too much time attempting to obscure its true purpose or, more specifically, its slapstick-littered skin. In fact, it made the premise transparent in the first few minutes. The frogs were introduced, as were the sticky tongues. A sewer of watermelons and other seemingly nutritious ingredients quickly soon followed suit, and the goal shortly thereafter. A ravenous Swamp King wanted food, and it wanted you to source it. With that, the stage was set. Frogs would go in, and they would come out, either with enough ingredients to satisfy the Swamp King, or with a worryingly small portion that, well, wouldn’t warrant a second look.

It didn’t take all that long to figure out how to quell the hunger crisis in the Swamp King’s domain. In fact, once the training wheels fell off, the routine became as equally linear as it was predictable: to venture into the underbelly of a vast and vibrant sewage tunnel, and to wrangle whatever substances that could stick to the tip of the tongue to eventually bring back home. The quota would reset, and the journey would begin from scratch. Shenanigans and frequent spells of physics-based rage would follow suit, and the clock would dial back to its starting position. Simple.

As you are, of course, a frog in this world, there isn’t a lot for you to learn. Given that your main weapon is your tongue, you need only experiment with the world and use its stickiness to build paths, compile blocks, and of course, consume food to make yourself a little bigger. And that’s a huge part of the experience here — consuming items to give yourself a little extra meat around the bones. With a bit of extra padding, you can power through obstacles, obliterate platforms, and generally romp through the usual procedure without having to lift a second finger. And if you think this sounds like a fail safe thing — it is. Or at least, until you eventually burst into frogspawn and require a friend to aid you.

As Frog Sqwad is, above all else, a multiplayer game at its core, teamwork is an important aspect here. As a ragtag band of tongue-tapping amphibians, you each share the weighty task of tackling the environment and simultaneously using your combined skills to overcome tricky situations. For example, you can use your tongue to swing across gaps, transport platforms, and, on occasion, catapult your friend into a specific area. This is all part of the journey, naturally. It’s learning how to work as a well-oiled team, that’s the tough part.

Aside from the frequent casualty and dramatic loss of a mega frog, the game itself is surprisingly easy to learn on the fly. Tedious, at times, sure, but not to the point where you want to slap the Swamp King on the face and call it quits. With thanks to its annoyingly charming and oh-so-colorful aesthetic and its cute yet comically barebones structure, it is, in all honesty, a lot of fun to simply hop through. Mechanically, it’s all rather straightforward. Visually, it’s bordering on an average scale. But as a multiplayer game that knows how to laugh at itself, it’s great. Gripping? No. But fun, nonetheless.

While you shouldn’t expect much more than a basic frog game with a gimmick here, I will say that, as far as amphibious multiplayer games go, Frog Sqwad does make for one of the more pleasant surprises in the pond. A good game with a firm grasp on what makes such a bizarre concept unique, no. But an oddly entertaining game that knows how to laugh at its own silliness, yes. And I think that’s the most important thing to remember here: Frog Sqwad isn’t the least bit perfect — but it is a lot of fun. Well, for a couple of hours or so, give or take.

Verdict

Frog Sqwad might not possess the stickiest tongue or that all-important alluring scent of a pedigree amphibian-based co-op game, though it does deliver on its promise to spawn a simple, entertaining, and boisterous multiplayer experience for the frontline of the genre. As for whether or not that’s enough to sway the tide in its favor is another matter. Don’t get me wrong, it can be a lot of fun to play alongside friends for a couple of hours. But then, like most platforming games, it does come with a major caveat: the fact that there are only so many miles that you can hop before the novelty begins to wear thin. Sadly, it’s the same case here.

With all of the above said, Frog Sqwad is still good for a quick giggle. Although tedious at times, its swamp-based shenanigans do frequently act as a well-needed counterweight to reverse the tide and make an otherwise dull routine a lot more enjoyable. To that end, I’d say that you have a solid multiplayer game here. A perfect game, no — but one that should be able to keep you thoroughly entertained for a short while, nonetheless.