Frogger: Ancient Shadow

"I have never expected that this game was great."

If you see Frogger : Ancient Shadow on your local Game Shop, don't hesitate because of its childish cover design, because that's what I did, and the game proved me wrong.

GAMEPLAY- Outstanding

Basically Frogger's main gameplay is hopping around as Frogger, get the coins, passing some obstacles and reaching for the goal. That sounds simple but it's actually very deep. You get to jump platforms or swing in trees to pass. There are platforms that crumbles down if you step on it too long, and platforms that let you slide down. You also get to avoid the moving animals in the game or if you don't want to die. The puzzles here are not too easy but also not too hard. Like moving movable steps with Frogger's tongue to jump to.

A fun thing in this Frogger version is that you can customize Frogger and add some clothing or accessories in him. This things can be obtained either by using the coins that you collect and buying from the Penguin ( I forgot the name ), or discovering them in hidden areas in the game. Accessories aren't the only thing you buy from the "Penguin", you can also buy Upgrades, like upgrading your health, adding one life, making it five, or enlarging the limit that Frogger's wallet has ( the limit of the coins you carry ).

The boss battles here are tough to "find out" like you need to "Bounce" the glowing tiles to attack the Giant Fish, that took me about 8 game overs before finding that out. But all the rest is fun. You need to dodge the boss it throwing at you and maneuver what you see on the field.

There is also a two player mode where you compete dodging each other's attack. And you also get to play the ancient version of Frogger.

Story -Poor
Sadly, the story isn't that good. You don't see any "shocking" plot twists. As you play Frogger, a young frog living beside a swamp. He hears the news that a monster is terrorizing his neighboring homes and decides that he look into it. As you play through the game, Frogger finds out who this monster is.

Graphics and Sound - Good
The graphics are great. It's not too childish and not too real. The environment looks good as you see fish swimming around the river and see colored fireflies everywhere. The surrounding is very understandable of what a thing is

The sounds and music is also great. You hear the flap thing when Frogger takes a step and it just makes you think that you are controlling a frog. The not so good thing is the voice acting. I don't know but, it just annoys me.

Replayability - 94%

It's one of the games that makes you retry the level because you died. Even after I finished the game, it made me repeat all the levels again. It's because If you played a level and it took you some time on how to finish it, it will certainly make you play the level again.

Final Recommendation - Buy it!/Maybe rent if still unsure

As stated in the intro, do not hesitate. It is definitely worth your money. If you are still unsure, rent it. But this is not a game to ignore.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/19/08

Game Release: Frogger: Ancient Shadow (US, 09/27/05)