If you’ve been a gamer for a while, then you know all about Frogger and probably played the original 1981 arcade classic at some point in your life. He’s a staple to the industry, much like Pac-Man, and in recent years has been trying to reinvent his image. Just about every console has had a version of Frogger at some point in its existence, though as far as I can remember the NES and N64 were left out of the picture. At any rate, the little green guy is just one of the characters that helped the industry find its footing with the general public. Even to this day he’s still kicking around and hopping from log to log.

Ancient Shadow is the mean green machine’s newest adventure, though I use the term “new” loosely, because the idea surrounding Frogger is still the same as it was back in 1981. You travel around a map, avoiding obstacles, water, and whatever else stands in your way, but this time you’ll be doing it in the third dimension. Instead of trying to appeal to gamers who may have been playing the series for years, this newest addition to the family undoubtedly has children in mind and attempts to endear itself to a new generation. I guess through all of these years, the old saying remains true, “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks.”

Gameplay:

Even though Frogger has taken the step into a new generation of design, the basic principals of the original game are the same. The map is broken down into squares that you can hop on to and jumping moves you a certain amount of spaces. That’s basically it in a nut shell, but the problem with Ancient Shadow isn’t this concept, it’s the unfriendly control system and archaic approach to the game’s design.

The idea of a Frogger game is fine, it worked well back in 1981 and even to this day it holds some appeal with many gamers. The only issue is that the gaming world has changed. You can’t simple walk from one point to another and have your only challenge be leaping from square A to square B. The new generation of gamers is used to concepts that challenge them, offer them action, or break the boundaries of what a specific genre should be. Ancient Shadow does none of those things and because of that is alienates newcomers and fans of the series alike. It may appeal to a much younger gaming group, but even they may have a difficult time with some of the frustrating controls that plague this title.

For starters there is no analog control what-so-ever, so you are forced to use the D-pad for all manner of movement. You can hop either straight up or down and sideways, but there are no diagonal leaps that you need to perform. Frogger can leap straight in the air vertically or cover two spaces by jumping forward in the direction that he’s facing. If you want to change his position you have to press L1 or R1, which took some getting used to since my experiences have taught me to just press the directional pad to face a certain way. Frogger can also use his tongue to grab on to things to help him cross gaps or to move objects.

There really isn’t much challenge to Ancient Shadow and your only real enemy is the control scheme that has been forced upon you. Sure there are some enemies around the stages, but the most menacing thing that they do to you is walk back and forth on fixed patterns or pop in and out of holes in the ground. The real element of frustration comes from the fact that even though Frogger is, well, a frog, he can’t touch water or else he has to restart the stage. Sure, there are checkpoints scattered around the environment, but sometimes those are few and far between. Missing a particular jump thanks to the shoddy control system does better at crafting anger than a particular difficulty.

The “if you fail, try again” attitude doesn’t sit well with most of today’s gamers, though it certainly does feel like a throwback to the franchise’s origins. The game could have been much better if things were shaken up a bit. I don’t mean give Frogger a gun and let him shoot a person, that’s not the kind of change that the character and franchise needs. The fact that the game’s only challenge is jumping from one log to another just doesn’t cut it these days. Explore his abilities as a frog by making him fight enemies, let the poor guy jump into the water, or even just offer up a more dramatic and intuitive control system.

This style of game was fine for the early 80s, but 24 years later the consumer wants something different. The inclusion of the original Frogger game from 1981 is a nice touch, and the multiplayer games offer more entertainment than the regular single player experience. At the end of the day though, this is a game that proves to be more frustrating than fun and more of a rehash than something creative.

Graphics:

I have to admit that while it is a little “too” kiddy for my taste, I really liked the character designs in Ancient Shadow. They are fresh enough that they’ll capture the attention of children, but familiar enough that older gamers may not be too turned off. The in game graphics however offer up acceptable quality, but nothing I would call extraordinary. There is an inherent lack of detail to the environments and characters, plus there is an overall simplistic appearance to the game. Surprisingly enough though, even with the simplistic nature of the visuals, there are a few moments where the framerate dips and some slowdown creeps in. Honestly, nothing here will impress you, but it won’t really turn you off either.

Audio:

The music is adequate and the sound effects are minimal at best, but they do their job decently enough. The voiceovers, however, are another story all together. I don’t know if it was a problem with the scripting, directing, or acting, but nearly every minute of cut scenes of voice acting made me cringe. The game is presented with Dolby Pro Logic II and may appeal to the younger crowds, but truly it’s nothing to really get excited over.

Conclusion:

With frustrating gameplay and controls, this game proves to be more of an exercise in patience testing than an enjoyable experience. The Frogger franchise needs a swift kick in the butt, or it needs to be put out to pasture, either way something has to be done. Don’t let the colorful (yet bland) 3D graphics fool you. This is basically the same game from 1981 with very little to get excited about. That’s something that is only proven to be true once you start playing the original and compare the two. Unless you are an absolute diehard fan of the gameplay or want to buy it for a little kid for the amusement of watching them yell out of frustration this one is a skipper.