Time on Frog Island looks like a simple puzzle game at first, but it doesn’t have much to offer other than its cute visuals. But this is far from the truth.
You play as a man who has been washed ashore on an island inhabited by frogs and must find the parts of the ship that were lost during the crash. You do this by trading items with frogs until you get the materials you need. Some of these items are easier to obtain. Others, not so much. These items are hidden around the island, and certain items are required to access other areas.
This all seems like a simple task, but in reality this game has no real dialogue or maps. When you “talk” to a frog, you will only see the pictures that the frog wants. If you don’t know where it is, the frog will point you in a rough direction. But again, without a map, you’re pretty much alone.
There is even a point where someone doesn’t accept what she asks for and keeps changing her mind.
While helping the villagers on Frog Island, you’re also in a day-to-night schedule and weather cycle. The weather varies from sunny to rainy depending on the day and also affects the items you can earn. As night falls, you start to get tired (indicated by a sleeping Z) and must find a campsite to sleep. There are many around the island, but the main one is where you crashed on the beach in the middle of the island. However, in order to sleep, you will need a potted plant (a crashed plant and your character is deeply attached to it). The story of this plant is told through a picture of the night you went to bed. It appears to be him and his lover, telling of building a ship and preparing to set sail. You will learn more about this story as you play the game.
After completing the game’s first story (which takes only a few hours) and leaving the island, you can continue playing and return to the island to create a life for yourself. You can trade more items to get a house and learn farming. There are also breweries in the main parts of town, where you can make certain drinks that give you frog-like abilities.
Time on Frog Island’s visuals are stunning, with a cute, cartoony aesthetic that adds to the overall feel of the game. The controls are also very easy, with a tutorial appearing as soon as the game starts. There isn’t much to do other than run around and pick up items, so the controls aren’t overly complicated. The game can be played very easily in handheld mode without losing its overall effectiveness.
As we said before, Time on Frog Island offers a lot more than we first thought. The story is bittersweet and easy to connect with the main character. Frog Villagers Art His style and overall cuteness also make this game even more fun and enjoyable. The puzzles are deceptively easy, but the extra obstacles of no dialogue or maps make the game a fun challenge while never feeling repetitive or boring.
