Frogger must prove his mettle by enduring the tests and trials set forth by the Elder Council.
- JP release: 6th December 2002
- NA release: 5th June 2003
- EU release: 27th June 2003
- Developer: Konami Hawaii
- Publisher: Konami
- NGC Magazine: Score: 59%
- Mods Used: Widescreen Code
Konami ditched the developer of the PS1 Frogger games (Blitz Games, who made Zapper: One Wicked Cricket) in order to develop something brand new in-house. As a result, I was expecting them to have their own great ideas for the franchise. Indeed, Frogger Beyond opens up with a rap followed by some really well made cut-scenes (with voice acting), with the council chamber of the frogs having an otherworldly sci-fi vibe to them. It actually looks quite spectacular.
But then the gameplay is just the exact same thing as the PS1 Frogger games, with no new ideas or concepts thrown in, making it less of an improvement than Zapper was. The biggest idea of “new and interesting” the game has is watching Frogger slide down a tree branch to the next section of the generic world. There are also items that you can buy to help you, but these are never used for puzzles and you never need to use a single one to get through the game.
The biggest difficulty in Frogger Beyond is the camera (which is set purposefully by the developers) and lighting, as occasionally you’ll try jumping into the void because you can’t properly somewhere you’re going, or the perspective tricks you. The game also throws loads of enemies onto later levels, but it’s surprisingly easy to wait for an opening and just run past everything. The dissonance between the amount of effort put into the cutscenes and the game itself is quite staggering.
Fine
Although Frogger is the sort of adventure you instantly remove from your brain the second you stop playing, it’s still quite enjoyable, albeit in an old-school, thoroughly uninspired kind of way.
Tim Weaver, NGC Magazine #80
Remake or remaster?
In a Frogger collection.
Official Ways to get the game
There is no official way to get Frogger Beyond.
Europe
Japan
North America
GameCube Games by Date
2002: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2003: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2004: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2005: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2006: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
