Frogatto Review

Frogatto is an old-school platformer starring a charismatic frog and lots of running and jumping. Though the control scheme isn't perfect, the game itself oozes classic charm and presents a surprisingly satisfying platforming experience.

In Frogatto, you lead your amphibious character through a series of challenges. Mostly, you'll be helping the townsfolk with various tasks that range from cleaning up some ants to saving the entire village! Frogatto is far from defenseless: he can run, jump, ground-pound, and swallow his enemies with his tongue. Much like Yoshi, Frogatto's tongue sucks up enemies. You can't kill them that way, however; you've got to spit them out, firing them at either an enemy (which kills them) or the ground (which stuns them, leaving them vulnerable to a ground-pound).

The 30 levels are varied and fun, with plenty of interesting tricks, moving platforms, wall-kick areas, and pretty much everything else you'd expect from a 2-D platformer. Enemies pack a lot of variety, too, and the boss battles are creative. The dialogue provides a welcome bout of humor, though the story is simple.

Graphics and sound are great, too: the pixel art is lovingly rendered, and it really gives this modern game a classic feel.

The controls, while not perfect, are usable. Four arrows are used for movement; A, B, and an action button are used for licking, jumping, and interacting with townsfolk or objects. The virtual D-pad feels a bit weird and makes precision a little tricky, but it's certainly not the worst one I've used, either.

All in all? Frogatto is a platformer with an old-school style, a lovable character, and some great level designs. If you're a platforming fan, you should be well pleased with this new entrant in the arena. Frogatto doesn't introduce much innovation, but it is nevertheless a fun, polished title.