Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition Review

Even though birthdays are generally reserved for people, pets, and specially cherished houseplants, it’s still fun to commemorate the anniversaries of some of our favorite video games. Developers usually do a great job of not only celebrating the legacies these games created, but reminding fans why they fell in love with the game in the first place. So after 30 years, gamers are finally getting a special birthday version of Frogger, one of the most famous and adored arcade games of all time.

Hopefully nobody needs a reintroduction to Frogger 101, but if so, here it is: you control a frog who is trying to cross a street filled with cars and a river filled with logs. Easy squeezy, right? The beautiful simplicity of this concept is expanded upon in Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition, as the endlessly playable classic is infused with multiple new game modes that will prove addictive for old and new fans alike.

There really isn’t much to say about the original version that hasn’t already been said. The only change here is that Zombie Studios has replaced the joystick with an Xbox controller. Luckily, players can either use the left stick, the control pad, or even the face buttons to control Frogger, giving them varying degrees of control based on their style.

Before we get into the different game modes, however, it’s worth noting the various types of graphics and sounds that Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition lets players change and adjust as they like. Players can choose between revamped graphics or the classic look, both of which look fantastic. However, the newfangled looks can be a bit distracting the first few times you use them, but they still look quite nice. Picky gamers also have the option to change the background music, although some options are much less annoying than others.

The new modes are mostly multiplayer oriented, and they’re all good fun in their own way. Players get to choose between Paint, Tile Capture, Battle Royale, Challenge Mode, Twin Frogger, Lady Frog Rescue and Frogger Freak Out. All of them are easy to understand and not too difficult to play, whether with friends or with bots.

For example, Paint tasks you with hopping over a certain pattern without dying or straying from the path, while Twin Frogger gives you two frogs a few spaces apart that move in the same way. Tile Capture, Battle Royale and Lady Frog Rescue all feature the new power ups that are used to gain competitive advantages by freezing or resetting your enemies, while Frogger Freak Out is just a mishmash of all the game modes. There is a ton of time killing contained here, although the measly 12 achievements can be finished in under an hour and the repetitive nature of the game may get old quick.

Casual gamers will have no trouble picking up Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition and getting started, as the menus are easy to navigate and understand. This is great, because chances are players will be going back again and again due to the insane replayability of the game. There’s nothing like the feeling of trying to beat yours and your friends’ high scores over and over again, and it’s almost comparable to dropping quarters in the old arcade.

Whether you’ve been playing Frogger since you could walk, or you somehow managed to avoid it until now, it’s easy to recommend Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition. At only 800 MSP, it’s practically a steal and worth the addition to any gamer’s library. The various original game modes, updated graphics and audio and addictive multiplayer help this old dog show off its new tricks in a way that feels fresh. Frogger fans and those who reminisce on the golden days of the arcade should definitely make sure not to miss this fantastic upgrade.