Keeping the frogs happy is a full-time job during an enjoyable time on Frog Island
Indie Sandbox Adventure Original Name frog island time is the transaction time. After playing it, I understand why. As a diminutive, rude captain, I was shipwrecked on a colorful island after a storm, and the only way to fix my broken boat was to help a bunch of giant frogs. If I give the frog what it wants, it will give me something in return. It’s all about transactions.
What those frogs want and what they will give me is often a mystery. No one on Frog Island speaks in words, only pictures. A picture can be as simple as a recognizable object displayed in a word bubble. Or it might be a little tricky. One frog asking for a sunflower is easy to understand (though where to find the sunflower itself is another matter), but the other shows me a photo of a mug, then a snowflake, and points to the local bar. Obviously he wants a cold drink, but I’m just a little captain – how do I make him a cold drink, and what does he even give me?
So I went exploring and trying to figure out what everyone wanted and how to get it. When I find an object, I can pick it up and run around with it held above my head. Frankly, it’s cute, running around the island on my calves, picking up things and trying to keep the frog happy. Even though no one wanted the items I found, it was still fun, from flowers to fruit to angry buzzing beehives. Tip Montage:
Not every frog you help leads directly to repairing your boat. A frog handed me a huge love letter (I knew it was a love letter because of the little hearts floating on it) and I had to figure out who to send it to. I know this is for a green frog, but there is no shortage of green frogs on Frog Island. When I finally sent the letter to the correct frog, I got a reply. The letter’s storyline has nothing to do with ship repairs, but it makes two cute frogs happy and seeing happy frogs makes me happy.
Frog Island is also a big place, with plenty to explore, from beaches to forests to snow-capped peaks. There are still some puzzles to solve, the items I need to carry are not frogs but specific places to make certain things happen. Items also change based on where you take them, weather or other factors. There are also timed challenges that have me running frantically, trying to get where I need to be before time runs out, and figuring out shortcuts and ways to travel faster.
Sorry if I’m vague about most of it, but discovering these puzzles and figuring out what type of puzzle they are even is part of the fun of exploring the island. Like the frog itself, the game doesn’t really tell you what to do. You can experiment to find out, it’s very beneficial and I don’t want to ruin it for anyone else. It’s a game I find myself thinking about, even when I’m not playing it. “Well, if I took that thing…to that place…maybe it would…” Then I rushed back to my computer and tried it.
There are all sorts of delightful details about the landscape, the frog’s home, and their personal habits and personalities, and there are even tadpole-shaped dogs that chase you and run away when you try to chase them. Late at night, when my captain started yawning, I slept with a fire in the campground, learning (again, albeit pictures) more about my own past every night and what brought me to Frog Island in the first place.
Frankly, I’m not sure if I really want to fix my boat and get off this lovely island full of cute and friendly giant frogs. Repairing my broken rudder and replacing my sail is not a priority for me at the moment. There are still many puzzles to solve, and some to solve, and the frog needs help to be happy. I’d love to help them do this.
