Frog & Roll Review (PC)

Amphibians are a curious species to spectate in the gaming field. They’re odd, not because they happen to make for ideal subjects in a hidden object game, but because it’s also normal to spot one barreling through a series of Quake–inspired dungeons and aimlessly bopping where deadly Lily pads and vertical platforms collide. Because let’s face it — if it isn’t a frog that is donning the helm, then it’s a house cat. At some point, someone figured it would be the perfect combination, to allocate a jack-of-all-trades role to the average feline or frog. Frog & Roll is just the latest in line to capitalize on that ever-famous, albeit highly illogical amphibious touch.

Frog & Roll doesn’t keep its hands to itself. In fact, it openly admits in its opening chapter that, unlike your self-inflated platforming game, almost everything is a product of another franchise’s design. For example, in its Surf Mode you have a platforming-based obstacle course that openly admits to being influenced by the likes of Half-Life and Counter-Strike modifications. Elsewhere, you have two different game modes, both of which claim to share a resemblance with Quake and Only Up. The point is, most of what you see here is a direct result of a collaborative effort. With that out in the open, let’s sink our toes a little deeper into the pond water.

Frog & Roll is, first and foremost, a platforming game in which players don the clenched fists of a robust amphibian to glide, vault, and tackle various obstacle courses in a swift and mostly elegant manner. The idea, much like your traditional platforming saga, is that the player enters a vertically oriented diorama, prances around like an idiotic creature, and completes a course as quickly as possible, either by jumping, dodging, or leaning on dumb luck to gain a foothold in a world that is anything other than flat and forgiving.

If you’ve played a rage-inducing obstacle game before, then you have more than likely played some version of Frog & Roll. Regardless of the mode you choose, the objective is often the same: to brazenly bolt through a collection of deadly platforms as quickly as possible, all whilst simultaneously working to claim the highest score. Unlike, say, Only Up Rush—a game in which you have the luxury of time on your side—Frog & Roll requires you to think on your feet and blitz through each layer. Simply put, the faster you tackle the world, the better your overall score will be. It’s a simple setup that knows what it is and what it wants to achieve.  The frog, really, is just the cherry on top.

As I said, Frog & Roll features three modes to chomp on—Surf, which requires you to slip and slide across platforms and maintain a cautious pace; Bhop, which effectively transforms platforms into bouncy pads that allow you to boost and juggle your jumps; and Climb, which gives you the monumental task of ascending a vertical tower that is, rather annoyingly, made entirely of objects that form the backbone of a punishing yet oddly rewarding obstacle course. Again, though, the objective remains the same across each mode: grovel through the motions, set a score, and prove to your opponents that you have what it takes to claim a spot on the podium.

Needless to say, the speed-running community will have a field trip with Frog & Roll. Given that the point of the game is to meticulously breeze through various obstacles and reach the exit as quickly as possible, it’s fair to say that players with a competitive mind will enjoy battling through the challenges here. Personally, I would have enjoyed the experience if it had a little more meat on its bones, with perhaps the added extra of biomes, challenges and unlockable content. That being said, I did like the idea, as did I have fun with it for the few hours of entertainment that it gave me.

Of course, it doesn’t take all that long to figure out the mechanics behind Frog & Roll. True to the point of a standard platforming game, it consists of high-speed jumping, fluid movement, and a lot of dumb luck. If, say, you’re not bouncing across a series of platforms and chaining a slippery smooth combo together, then you’re tackling tiers of vertically inclined objects with the intent to snag a better time. It’s all rather familiar, as is it a system that, frankly, doesn’t take a great deal to learn. Mastering it, on the other hand, does prove to be surprisingly difficult.

Aside from its three game modes, Frog & Roll adopts a clean and well balanced dungeon-like aesthetic—a style that blends an Orcs Must Die color palette with a modern, albeit somewhat darker tone than your usual flamboyant obstacle course. Mind you, to label it as a visually striking game might be an overstatement. It works with what it has, and that alone counts for a lot. Though, it is worth noting that, even with a solid foundation and a presentable canvas, Frog & Roll is still relatively light on content. Given that it features a small handful of biomes, there is a lot of room for it to evolve here. In time, perhaps it will. Here’s hoping, anyway.

Verdict

Frog & Roll builds on an ever-emerging amphibious trend with a simple, high-strung and tight-fisted time-based platforming experience that, while still short on original gameplay elements and world-building facets, has a lot of good things to offer in its own dungeon-oriented world. Is it the greatest rage-inducing game to leap from the pond since Only Up Rush? Eh, not exactly, though it does share a lot of similarities with the acclaimed platforming excursion, especially with its amphibious protagonist and scalable environment.

Suffice it to say that, if you do enjoy strenuous affairs that primarily involve leaping, dodging, and traveling at ludicrously high speeds, then you’ll definitely get a kick out of Frog & Roll. It might not be a gut-loaded journey, but it is a well-rounded platforming game that puts a lot of effort into emulating the core nodes of an enjoyable experience.