Thirty years ago, a little frog braved oncoming traffic to get to the other side… of an extremely popular arcade game. The concept proved so endearingly popular that many years later, it was featured in an iconic episode of hit 90s sitcom, Seinfeld. To mark the momentous anniversary of the game's original release, the core approach has been revamped for your iOS device, be it an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.
Gone are the pixelated retro visuals, which are replaced by a pleasant cartoon-like style -- though there are times when your frog morphs back into its original look. The story here is pretty straightforward, but amusing all the same: you’ve been invited to the 30th anniversary party, but the evil Doc Croc swapped the provided map, leading you through the land's most hazardous areas.
Unlike traditional arcade games, you actually have an unlimited number of lives at your disposal, so this greatly reduces the frustration experienced if you make one little mistake. The frog is controlled either with a virtual gamepad or by using the default touch controls, which actually feel more natural for an iOS game -- and the larger screen of the iPad provides the most comfortable experience of the supported devices.
You can play in Story mode, moving from one area to another in chronological order, or choose Time Attack, in which you'll choose an area and attempt to cross it as fast as possible. However, you can only choose an area in Time Attack if you’ve completed it in Story mode, so you'll need to focus your time on the latter option to make progress in the game.
The bottom line. Frogger Decades is a fun casual game that you can pick up at any time -- so much so that it will even remember the last place you stopped and take you straight back to the action by default. As a result, you can finish the game relatively quickly, and the resulting experience doesn't deliver the kind of memorable, lasting impact that we remember from the series' best entries. But if you're simply seeking a dose of nostalgia, Frogger Decades certainly has that on tap.
of 5
iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad running iOS 4.2 or later
Unlimited lives ease frustration. Pleasant cartoon-style visuals. Great for casual play sessions.
Repetitive gameplay. Feels too small on an iPhone (better suited to iPad). A bit too simple for long-lasting entertainment.
