Much like the Soulslike genre after the release of Dark Souls, the roguelite/roguelike genre has been flooded with new entries since Hades' release in 2020. With so much competition, it takes a lot for a new roguelite game to stand out from the crowd, but Aska Studios' Gang of Frogs has all the early earmarks of a potential cult hit.
A 4-player roguelite co-op shooter, Gang of Frogs sees players suit up as an amphibious intergalactic pirate who's tasked with traveling down to a planet's surface, eliminating the hostile wildlife, and recovering some shiny materials. The Best War Games recently had the opportunity to go hands-on with Gang of Frogs, and after about an hour or so, it's clear Aska Studios is on to something special; it just needs to play its cards right.
Interview: CCP Games CEO Talks The New Player Experience and The Future of The EVE Online Universe
The Best War Games recently spoke with CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, who discussed the future of EVE Online's universe and the new player experience.
Gang of Frogs Has a Familiar But Engaging Gameplay Loop
After choosing from a line-up of colorful froggy faces and exploring Gang of Frogs' floating pirate ship hub, players are shot down onto a planet's surface. Once planetside, players will make their way sequentially from room to room, clearing a specific number of enemies in each one to progress. Just like in Vampire Survivors, defeated enemies will drop glowing orbs that increase the player's XP bar, which is shown at the top of the screen.
When the player hits a new level, they're able to choose one of two potential upgrades, usually revolving around their frog's shield capacity or their weapon's rate of fire or damage. Between combat rooms, Gang of Frogs presents players with a card shop, where they can use their stored objective points to purchase powerful new upgrades and abilities, such as grenades or the ability to float in midair by puffing themselves out like the frog in that one scene in Shrek.
This loop repeats until the whole team goes down, at which point they're transported back to the hub area and prompted to start all over again. Gang of Frogs' gameplay loop will be familiar to anyone who's played a roguelite game in the last few years, but that familiarity is far from a bad thing. Even at this early stage of development, Gang of Frogs generally feels very good to play. Its shooting mechanics feel responsive, its sound design is incredibly punchy and rewarding, upgrades have a significant impact on gameplay, and the overarching sense of progression during a run feels suitably satisfying.
That said, it's what Gang of Frogs does with its gameplay loop that will ultimately determine its fate. In its current state, Gang of Frogs is a tad repetitive. The only objective in the game so far is wave-based elimination, which is enjoyable enough but won't keep groups of players invested for hours at a time. During the preview, an Aska developer did mention that the team is actively exploring the idea of adding more objectives, so there's a strong chance this potential issue is addressed long before the public gets their hands on it.
Gang of Frogs Has a Strong Sense of Style
One major highlight of Gang of Frogs is its art design, which takes heavy inspiration from Disney's often overlooked Treasure Planet. Gang of Frogs' aesthetic blends sci-fi high-tech with retro-futuristic steampunk, delivering a distinct style that suits the game's premise well.
Gang of Frogs' UI also shows signs of greatness. Though Aska is still in the process of refining various menus and icons, there's a lot of stylistic charm and eye-catching flair to Gang of Frogs' user-interface already. UI is often an unsung hero of roguelite games, and with just a bit more time, Gang of Frogs' interface could go a long way in making the game feel polished. Gang of Frogs is shaping up to be a very fun co-op shooter with some very satisfying moment-to-moment progression systems, though it's vital for the final game to introduce more variety in the form of new objectives and enemy types to ensure players are hooked for the long haul.
- Developer(s)
- Aska Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Aska Studios
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Action, Sci-Fi
The Best War Games was provided with travel and lodging.