The fun experience created by platforming and item gathering is only ruined by unintentional falls.
Frogun Encore
Platform: PC, also on PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox
Developer: Molegato
Publisher: Top Hat Studios, CouchPlay Interactive
Release date: June 25th, 2024
Availability: Digital
Price: $12.99 via Steam, $11.04 launch discount price
Frogun Encore, as its name suggests, is a stand-alone follow-up to the 2022 retro-themed game from Spanish creator Raúl “Molegato” Martinéz. Renata, the fearless explorer who vanquished Beelzebub in the previous game, makes a reappearance as the game’s puny lead character. She may choose to play cooperatively with a pal named Jake. This enables two nearby players to compete to see who can finish a level the quickest or to amass the game’s many treasures together.
Encore expands upon the moveset of its predecessor, with Renata utilizing her named apparatus for both defensive and navigational purposes. Here, the long tongue of your Frogun (as well as Jake’s Snakegun) can be extended, acting as a grappling hook to help you jump gaps. On the other hand, similar to how Mario utilizes Koopa shells, it may also hook onto opponents, enabling you to grip and toss them. In addition, your Frogun is very useful for grabbing hold of some of the breakable items in the game, which can be thrown at enemies or used to conceal gold money.
Leap Along with the Frogs!
However, Encore also brings along a few useful new features. The twenty-one stages in the game can be a little bit more vertical thanks to Reneta’s double jump, increasing Frogun’s navigational obstacles. In the first game, using your frogun irresponsibly could send you flying off a cliff. But now that you can jump after launching yourself, that’s at least partially fixed. As would be expected, the game gradually puts your sense of direction to the test as you try to navigate stages with tiny steppingstones and slender rails.
That being said, the player is not always to blame for Renata’s falls. A few surfaces will send poor Renata to her doom, and the absence of camera control can make it far too easy to tumble off a platform without warning. Encore’s warning system for danger has a few small glitches as well. You will soon perish if you come into contact with blue water. Soon after, you’ll find yourself in a Greco-Roman setting with perfectly colored wading waters that aren’t deadly.A nearly invisible gap will occasionally appear next to a vertical wall in the game, which seems cruel for an exploration-based game. However, these flaws only detract from the overall experience because of the liberal checkpointing and infinite life allowance (particularly in the cooperative game). The falls may seem little, but they are only short-term obstacles.
Together, Speedrunners and Completionists
Encore, on the other hand, typically excels in terms of variety, introducing fresh foes, hazardous environments, and tricks like detonating vases that can be utilized to block obstacles or eliminate adversaries. Undoubtedly, the game’s stages fall short of Super Mario Bros.’ inventiveness. Wonder. However, every level is undeniably captivating, featuring hidden passageways with a variety of collectibles. Coins used to buy comedic-only headwear, journal pages that provide depth to the somewhat thin plot, and particularly well-hidden eyemeralds are among these goods. There are six distinct stage objectives in total, which encourage replay, particularly for speedrunners.
Boss fights in action games usually escalate the difficulty tenfold, which can get annoying if you lose often in a short period of time. However, Encore’s interactions err on the side of convenience. It’s possible that you will lose one or two before learning how each boss attacks. However, the showdowns are more entertaining than annoying, which gives the game a nice sense of harmony.
In summary
Indeed, everything comes together with a pleasantly low-poly appearance. The vibrant color scheme used to depict the scenery and protagonists is evocative of 90s platformers and evokes a nostalgic feeling. Thankfully, there’s a snapshot option to record any noteworthy occasions. This method’s greatest asset is that it makes Frogun function more efficiently. Encore produced consistent 60 frames per second on both a Steam Deck and an old laptop with a GTX 1060 GPU. This is essential because part of the game requires accuracy. The game’s audio is also just too repetitious, even though it does occasionally calm down. Even for the five or six hours it takes to finish Encore, the tunes are too short and insufficient.
The review code for Frogun Encore was obtained from the publisher and used on a PC.
Review Overview
Gameplay – 75%
Controls – 60%
Aesthetics – 75%
Content – 70%
Accessibility – 80%
Value – 75%
73%
GOOD
In short; one of the main things that irritates platformers the most is a missing jump. Because of the camera in Frogun Encore and the strategically designed holes, you will occasionally flop around like a drunken frog. However, since there is no death penalty and checkpointing, you most likely won’t throw your controller, which is the game’s primary weapon and navigational aid.