Frogger: The frog and his mixed transitions to console and portable

By Joseph Maffettone 3/29/23

Everyone knows by now what Frogger is, Frogger is one of the most well known arcade games to date sitting with likes of Pac-man, Donkey Kong and Galaga. The arcades were well known with these types of arcade games and today a lot them still well known. However, once when home consoles started booming, the arcade trend was unfornately dying out. However, some companies decided to find ways to bring these arcade games into the home consoles. Some arcade games died out, some were able to become huge hits with a new form of gameplay, and some experimented with new gameplay strategies as a form to reboot series onto home consoles like Pac-man with Pac-man World. However, Pac-man would go back to its original roots later down the line but with new gimmicks. But Pac-man World would receive a huge update which remade the game for modern consoles along with improving graphics and adding new stuff with it as well. Frogger also decided to go that route with it's publisher Konami. However, Frogger's jump towards console and handhelds were mixed. Thee series would suffer from constant reboots onto different consoles and different developers as Konami would see each version Frogger they would put out to be such huge failure critically and finically, well not all of them. Frogger had a bunch of good games, a bunch of bad games, and some that never took off. This would happen from the late 90's all the way to the late 2000's before Konami gave up and decided to go back to Frogger's old roots. For this, I would like to see all of the Frogger games that came out after his golden era in the arcades to the era Frogger was stumbling and to see how the frog is doing now in modern day. I haven't played any of these games but I just want to take a little look into history to see Frogger and how the poor frog was suffering around this era. I will also put what consoles these games are available for. Maybe some people might check these games out by getting lucky and buying these games or just use emulation. But let's look into the odd history of Frogger.

FROGGER PS1

Consoles: PlayStation 1, Microsoft Windows

Publisher: Hasbro Interactive

Developer: SCE Studio Cambridge

The first Frogger game to come out after it's arcade run would a new game on the PS1. Frogger PS1 or it other titles like Frogger: He's back, see the return of it's tile hopping gameplay but with new areas, puzzles and mechanics. This isn't a port, this is an actual new game developed by SCE Studio Cambridge which later became Guerilla Cambridge known for Horizon Zero games. The game would have a lot of strong elements but some flaws as well. The flaws came from camera being to close so you can't see any environments or objects coming your way, unnecessary leaderboards and unfair difficulty spikes. However despite it's flaws, the game would sell phenomenal with a total of 4 million copies becoming the 23rd best selling PS1. Luckily the sequel fixes a bunch of these issues.

FROGGER 2: SWAMPY'S REVENGE

Consoles: Dreamcast, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, PS1, Microsoft Windows

Publisher: Hasbro Interactive, Majesco Entertainment

Developers: Blitz Games

This sequel to the PS1 Frogger multiple releases on different consoles and handhelds and according to fans, this one is considered better than the first. From a gameplay standpoint, it improves a lot with the first game while giving Frogger a story and introducing new characters like Lily and Swampy. The game moves it's camera back so players can see the surrounding areas much better, update the frog call to find baby frogs better instead of playing a game of Hot and Cold like in the first one, and no unfair difficulty spikes that ruins the gameplay. Blitz did a great job with this that they were making another game. However, Konami pulled the plug and decided to take Frogger into another direction. Blitz would whatever gameplay they made with the unfinished Frogger game and turn it into their own IP called "Zapper: One Wicket Cricket". Lily wouldn't return to the Frogger series till later on down the line and Swampy would be scrapped entirely. And this would start a downfall with Konami with how they treated Frogger and it all started with one infamous game.

FROGGER: THE GREAT QUEST

Consoles: PS2, Microsoft Windows

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Papa Yeti Studio

Frogger: The Great Quest would be one of the most infamous games to ever be made and released which started a awkward downfall spiral the Froggers series would thanks to Konami's poor decision making with the franchise. The game was developed by Papa Yeti Studio which was considered a in house studio for Konami but there wasn't much to what they developed since they debunked quickly later on after The Great Quest released. The game reception was very negative with huge companies like IGN rating the game with a 3 out of 10. The game would have such massive flaws with graphical designs with character designs and environments looking poorly made and ugly, horrible writing with story and dialogue, irrelevant plot points, gameplay that was very loose and just never worked, and new gameplay mechanics that would prove no worth at all. The game would also be panned for how easy the game would be due to how broken most of the gameplay would be. Overall, this started a huge spiral for Frogger but it seemed Frogger would have a better chance on handhelds.

FROGGER'S ADVENTURES: TEMPLE OF THE FROG

Consoles: Game Boy Advance

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Konami Software Shanghai

The first Frogger game on a Game Boy Advance releasing on the same month as The Great Quest which didn't help. However, the game was met with some positive reception. While it did used the same designs as The Great Quest, the designs were toned down to make things look better along with use 2d graphics instead of 3d, and the game would use the tile hopping gameplay Frogger would be known for instead of being a poorly made platformer that The Great Quest was. The game would also make it's own story by using a character from one of Great Quest's irrelevant plot lines and make him the villain of the game and making a decent story out of it with some great character development for Frogger which what Great Quest also didn't have in it's story. Overall, if Great Quest didn't come out 3 days before this one, it would be recognized as a pretty good game with it's only flaw being short with it being beaten within 2 hours.

FROGGER ADVANCE: THE GREAT QUEST

Consoles: Game Boy Advance

Publisher: Konami

Developers: Vicarious Visions

Just when you thought you could get The Great Quest out of your head, the game returns but with a port on the Game Boy Advance.

Vicarious Visions would do the port of the game, around this time they were known for port games to the Game Boy Advance, later on they would bring back Crash Bandicoot in the Trilogy that would bring Crash back to the modern spotlight along with remaking Tony Hawk Pro Stater 1 & 2 before the studio unfortunately got put into developing Call of Duty games. The reception of this port was mixed. The game would be side-scrolling platformer that would play well. And that it's. The game would have a toned down version of the original story but nobody cared. The gameplay would also be generic and not entertaining at all, leaving the game to be beaten in just 45 minutes. Vicarious Visions just took this as a paycheck which is understandable since this game was already poorly talked about. The game was also rumored to have a Xbox version but was scrapped due to the poor reception it received. This is where Konami decided to pull the plug again and reboot Frogger once again.

FROGGER BEYOND

Consoles: GameCube, Xbox, PS2, Windows

Publisher: Konami

Developers: Konami Computer Entertainment Hawaii, Konami Software Shanghai

A year after the infamous The Great Quest, a new Frogger game was developed for consoles by two of Konami's development teams, this would be the start of another reboot of the franchise with a new design titled "FROGGER BEYOND". Frogger Beyond would use the tile hopping gameplay that the game would be familiar while adding new elements. The game was going it a right direction as changed the character designs to look more fitting for the characters, gave them voices that fit characters, and gave a very good coming of age story for Frogger that had it fair share of charm and laughs. But why did this game received mixed reception? Well the game added a new gameplay mechanic which added minecart riding, but the there would be times where the carts wouldn't work or the game wouldn't play fair with the timing of jumps. A second reason would be this game suffers a similar issue that Frogger PS1 would suffer, a unfair spike in difficulty which affected parts of the game. Finally, this would be the first time Frogger would have bosses however since this was the first time Frogger had full on bosses, some of them were okay and one boss which is the most infamous part of the game due to the fact the boss had a massive difficulty spike which made things very unfair and possibly unplayable. Frogger would go back to portable once again after the mixed reception Beyond received.

FROGGER'S ADVENTURES 2: THE LOST WAND

Consoles: Game Boy Advance

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Konami

The sequel to the first Frogger Adventure game but with a new design, this Frogger game doesn't have a lot of info as it wasn't marketed well. Despite it low marketing, this game received a positive reception as it turned out to be pretty good. The game came with a new original story adding more worlds to this version Frogger, where Frogger has to fix the magic of world. There isn't much to talk about since it more of the same game along with short length as well. However, the good that came from this game was adding multiplayer and time trials to add more content to the game.

FROGGER'S JOURNEY: THE FORGOTTEN RELIC

Consoles: Game Boy Advance

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Konami Computer Entertainment Hawaii

The next Frogger game to come out would be another GBA title called "Frogger's Journey: The Forgotten Relic" and this game would betray the puzzle format of the tile hopping and go for an adventure format instead. However, it didn't work and the game met with mixed result with also IGN giving the game a 5 out of 10. So what went wrong? So the adventure format they went with worked only for the levels as it encouraged exploration in the levels. The main hub area is also nice to explore as well, however, there isn't much to explore there. The game also creates new characters and this game makes a bunch of these characters fun to talk with their own personalities. Unfortunately, you have to constantly talk to these characters in order to progress through the game and unlock more levels which makes level progression boring and tedious. Gameplay doesn't add anything new. When it comes to story, it written fine but it can end just like the relic, "forgotten". Plus, the main villain of the game is considered to be poorly written since he only shows up 2 times throughout the whole game. This could have taken Frogger in a good direction but they didn't understand how to make the adventure aspect good along with making a good villain in the end. Frogger would then go back to console for the last two times before his final game on portables leading to Konami pulling the plug again.

FROGGER ADVENTURES THE RESCUE

Consoles: PS2, GameCube, Microsoft Windows

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Hudson Soft

The Last Frogger game to have the Adventures tag would go by the name of The Rescue and would see Frogger rescue his girlfriend Lily who returns in this game after being absent since Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge. Frogger teams up with a secret agent Frog heroes to stop an evil group known as T.R.I.P (Tyrannical Reptiles in Power) and their leader Dr. Wani. So yeah, this game has a cheesy spy like story that a lot of early 2000's media was trying to do since the James Bond movies were very popular around that era and they still are today. But of course the game received mixed reception which is not surprising at this point. The story wasn't the reason the game received mixed reviews. Most of the complaints that the game received were the puzzles have no challenge at all making them feel too easy and controls while they work and add something new, sometimes they may not work at times. However, despite the mixed reception, the game was praised for a improvement on graphics make environments look pretty, great level design, a interesting villain who could become a main stay in the series, and clever bosses which depends on the player if they're worth it. The game also sold pretty well so making improvements for next game would possibly be in order. Right?

FROGGER: ANCIENT SHADOW

Consoles: PS2, GameCube, Xbox, Windows

Publisher: Konami

Developers: Hudson Soft

Frogger: Ancient Shadow would be the final Frogger game in this style on console before the series would be rebooted again. Hudson Soft would return to develop this game in which they did the previous game, The Rescue. Hudson Soft were known for making one of the most well known Super Mario spin-offs, Mario Party. The game had some good praise as gameplay was solid along with new features. The shopkeeper from Forgotten Relic made a return and had a shop system where you buy healing items and health upgrades, costumes and many more. The game would also have players do some exploration to find more items and costumes to dress Frogger up. The game also allowed players to play as different characters but they would just act similar to Frogger's controls. The biggest praise the game had was it's story, where Frogger faces two threats, one being Dr. Wani planning a new scheme and a unknown shadowy figure who also after Dr. Wani but attacking Frogger as well. The story received praise for it's charm, humor and character development. Even with all this praise, why did the game still received mixed reception? In previous Frogger games, Frogger would constantly go back and forth with either lives system or a health system. In this game, Frogger has a health system. Unfornately in this game, the poor level design and challenges mess up a ton of the gameplay and with that also messes up the health system making things unfair and tedious. The games bosses would also be very dull as they weren't worth the fight and weren't interesting at all. Frogger had one last chance, and this would be on 2 systems that Frogger hasn't had on before on around this time: The Nintendo DS and The PlayStation Portable.

FROGGER: HELMET CHAOS

Consoles: Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Konami Computer Entertainment Hawaii

Frogger: Helmet Chaos was the last Frogger game in this iteration of this style and game would be known as one of Gamespot's worst video game titles. However despite that, the game received positive reviews saying while it not impressive, it still very fun. The game would try new gameplay elements such as playable characters with their own unique abilities and branching paths that can change the story. Frogger still has his own controls but his friend Lumpy has his own gameplay with his jump being slow and heavy but giving him a ball ability to roll up and down hills and attack enemies with. The new character, Berry , has a Frogger's regular jumping controls but has the ability to climb walls and stick to platforms. The game would have branching paths which would change the story depending where you go. It makes exploration vital since you can change up the story and find collectibles that can upgrade your health. So they got it right, but why did it fail as well? Due to poor marketing by Konami, both Helmet Chaos and Ancient Shadow sold poorly that Konami decided to pull the plug again, rebooting Frogger once again and for the final time. All these characters that were made, that were fixed to become enjoyable, were now scrapped and gone.

MY FROGGER: TOY TRIALS

Consoles: Nintendo DS

Publisher: Konami

Developers: Konami Computer Entertainment Hawaii

So Frogger got another reboot, and this one would be it's last. This DS game received some fairly average reviews saying it was surprising DS title. The game follows a child who enters a contest where children draw their design of a toy, send to the company running the contest, make it a real toy and compete in puzzles. Whoever wins gets a wish from the president of that company. Your character who you get to name draws a awful image of a dragon which becomes mistaken for a frog which brings in the new version of Frogger. Gameplay here seems to have puzzles and level design between easy and difficult making a fair experience. But most of the praise goes to the story, as it sees the new Frogger deal with not only these puzzles but also a identity crisis like Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 1. It doesn't boast anything new but turned out to surprising Ds title. However, the game flopped with sales as marketing was poor again along with fans not interested with another Frogger reboot. This lead to Konami finally pulling the plug one final time, the My Frogger franchise died after one game. This would end Frogger's spiral with Konami's awful planning and would lead Frogger back to his original self.

AFTERWARDS

After the final plug was pulled, Frogger would go back to being just a frog and going back to the original arcade gameplay. While new games were being pushed out, they weren't all to boast about as they had similar gameplay with a different coat of paint on them. It was sad to see Frogger deal with this even if I wasn't around and knew about it when it was happening. If you want a more in depth look at these games, check out Nitro Rad on YouTube, he goes in deep with each Frogger game that I mentioned here goes over their strengths and weaknesses in a better perspective and he also he deep within Konami's awful planning with the franchise as well. Link and video are below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taAFHlH6NCw&t=131s

And with that ends a little odd history look into the odd era Frogger was stuck in. If I ever found one of these games, I would give it a try to see how fun or bad they were. But on a serious note, Konami were very greedy and only saw money from Frogger. It sucks because there were times they got it right but Konami pulled the plug because of sales showing how greedy they really were. While this era is now forgotten, it still happened. Thank you for this time.