Platform Game Boy Color

Developer: Hasbro Interactive

Publisher: Majesco Sales

Release Date: 1998

Genre: Arcade-Style Games

Nerd Rating: 5 out of 10

Reviewed By: Steroid Gamer 

Frogger is the definition of what you call a classic game; just about everybody has heard of it and most likely played it at some point in their lives.  Frogger has been ported to a dozen different systems about a billion different times, but who cares?  Today, we are focusing on the Game Boy Color version that was released in 1998.   There aren’t a whole lot of differences in this version compared to the others, but for this review we will try not to

Whelp, past the highway. So far so good.

In case you’ve never played Frogger, I’ll go ahead and explain the rules because they are pretty simple.  You play as a frog who is attempting to cross an increasingly congested highway and a river to get to one of five “safety” points.   There are five total levels, so that means if you can manage to get 25 total frogs to the end then you will have Beaten The Game!!  Trust me though; it’s not as easy as it sounds.  Between the busy speeding car interstate, the slithering snakes, and the floating skeleton-crocodiles, you’re trip to frogger nirvana is a tricky one.  Don’t ask me why the frog can’t swim.  Perhaps he or she has a fear of the great blue?  Point is, don’t go jumping in the drink, okay?

Five levels may not seem like a lot and to be fair it really isn’t.  The faster you go through a level and the more flies you eat along the way (both of which give you bonus points), the higher your final score will be which, if high enough, allows you to save your name to the game’s scoreboards.  The only problem here is every time you turn off the game it resets the scoreboards, so there isn’t a whole lot of pride to be had by cracking them.

“Derp….is there something behind me…..ribbit”

Frogger presents itself as such an easy simply game; one where if you simply memorize the patterns of traffic and time your jumps between the slowly moving logs, you will be able to achieve victory.  Frogger taunts you in this way.  I mean, how hard can it be, right?  You only get five lives to complete the game and each time you die you swear to yourself, “Dammit!  I should have had that!”  A lot of your failures will be your own fault.

The game controls are great and our eponymous hero himself is very responsive, although sometimes a bit too much. On the semi-rare occasion, Frogger will jump with the slightest application of pressure to the d-pad which can be quite the nuisance in sticky situations. This can mean the difference between getting squashed by a yellow bus or narrowly dodging said bus.

The original arcade game. Back in the day.

Frogger has always been a great arcade game because its nature is so easy to understand.  The game isn’t overly complicated nor have a bunch of rules and equally boring accompanying tutorials been added as filler.  It’s the game’s simplicity that will convince you that you can beat it.  Therefore, each time you lose you’ll quickly hit the retry button to prove to yourself (and to Frogger) that you can win!  It’s one of the more addicting games out there on the Game Boy Color.

Frogger is a great on-the-go game, but it’s still tough for me to recommend today.  If you can find it for a cheap price, or simply want it for collector’s purposes, then go for it.  I have a suspicion though that in today’s world, everyone can easily download it to their newest and greatest smartphone.   That makes things a lot more accessible.   Carry around your Game Boy Color and a copy of Frogger or simply download the latest version to your phone which you already have on you anyway?  Frogger is a fun enough game, and I don’t have many negative things to to say about it, but it’s just that the game has been ported and remade so many times there isn’t really any particular reason this version is better than all the others.

Frogger for the Game Boy Color is an addicting colorful arcade game in true form, and its simplistic design makes it a great on-the-go title.  Frogger’s mobility and ease-of-use make it a good candidate for car rides, plane trips, or sitting at a doctor’s office.  However, there is nothing to make this Game Boy Color game from 1998 stand out against today’s more recent versions.  If you want to play Frogger, I suggest buying it for your phone, unless you are a collector looking to add this amphibian’s adventure to your Game Boy Color collection.  If so, then go right ahead.  Just watch out for those nasty Crocs!!

🙁 My name’s not on that list.