Froglike is a fast-paced action roguelike that sees you trying to power-up a lily. There are shades of a bunch of different genres here, and they squidge together pretty nicely to make a game that’s entertaining enough to keep your fingers busy in little play-sessions.
You’re in control of a frog – swipe in a direction of the screen and said frog will hop in that direction. There’s a big lily pad that you’re trying to charge, and standing on it will score you points. All around you, bugs, sprites and other gloomy monsters are trying to stop you.
You can’t swim, so jumping into the water is a bad idea. Monsters won’t kill you outright, but they will barge you if they hit you, sending you to a watery grave if you’re stood in the wrong place.
There are power-ups scattered around the levels, and you’ll unlock more as you play. These can stop time, speed it up, or give you some armor to protect you from the onslaught. Arrows flash at the side of the screen when an enemy is about to dart up, so you’re constantly on the lookout for where the next danger is coming from.
Finish a level and you’ll get a moment of respite and a free power-up. Then it’s back into the action, trying to out-do your last score. The game’s free, so you can watch videos to revive or up your score – the more points, the closer you get to the next upgrade or unlock.
While the action is fast and engaging, there isn’t much depth here. Once you’ve played for an hour or so, you’ll have seen everything the game has to offer. For bite-sized blasts it’s a lot of fun, but this isn’t the sort of game that’s going to sink its froggy teeth into you and hang on for dear life.
But, it’s a decent step up from the more hypercasual fare that continues to fill up mobile app stores. Froglike is definitely worth checking out, just don’t expect it to get under your skin like the very best roguelikes can.
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