For the Frog the Bell Tolls/Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (GB, 1992)
Graphics-8.5 Sound-8 Control-7 Challenge-6.5 Story-7
Level Design-7 Frustration-7 Fun-7 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7
+
Good writing overall
Hybrid gameplay (top down action adventure overworld/maze platformer dungeons)
Some good humour (satirical, whimsical, slapstick, nerdy)
Non-random encounters
Can choose to fight or bribe certain NPCs (latter leads to a fight anyway?)
Good map systems (like link's awakening except without the "fog of war" on the world map)
Save anywhere (two slots)
High jump (stiff though - jump straight up then get just a bit of mid-air control at the top)
Cling to and climb platform edges
Great art direction overall
Scripted events make town exploration more exciting
Three stat upgrade items (life, power, speed)
If you enter a fight without the right tool/weapon you'll get the option of running away or using an item
Some memorable characters (Mandola)
Transformations (frog - breathes underwater/eats bug enemies/jumps higher, snake - turns some enemies into blocks/crawls through tight spaces/can barely jump; each animal can talk to others of its kind)
Some shortcuts (wells)
Teleport back to the current dungeon's or last visited town's entrance (unlimited use warp door item)
NPC encounters in dungeons
Decent puzzles overall
Travel by boat in the late game, fast text speed overall (some words are typed really slowly for dramatic/comedic effect)
Decent twist at the end
+/-
Linear structure
Lighthearted tone
Rich and brown-skinned (arabic?) prince protagonist
Pretty frequent health restoration points (crystal ball) and you get health drops from some enemies
Kind of unusual premise (you're racing a rival prince to save a princess) but cliché story at its core
Can only jump in sidescrolling segments
Somewhat limited inventory
Auto-talk to NPCs by moving into them (occasionally annoying when you want them to move out of the way)
Several fetch quests
Die in one hit from spikes and lava
Fun but very easy final boss (the only interactive battle sequence), some adult jokes
-
Some grinding for money
Some control/interface issues (you automatically put away an equipped tool after entering or exiting a building/cave, have to press the d-pad again after moving in and out of buildings, can't jump while standing in front of a ladder, no diagonal movement and stiff movement around wall/object edges, no item names in the inventory menu, somewhat slow menu transition)
Automatic battles (can only affect the outcome with gear and stats)
Some trial & error (making dr. ivan help you, can't escape from the dungeon guard in the palace, the fireball in lava traps, using the wine (health potion) at full health wastes it, sink and die quickly in water until you learn to swim - it is mentioned that you can't swim but not that you'll die from trying)
Some meaningless dialogue choices (can't choose not to drink the obvious frog potion for example)
You keep getting items from enemies that you already have a full stock of (slows down grinding a bit)
Mostly uninteractive environment in towns
Some dead space and dead ends
Some NPCs say the same thing or something useless and generic
Can't post on the bulletin board without first talking to a random villager in Pudding town
Drawn out and easy mine digging segment with crappy music
Some plot oddities (can't save the frogs from being kidnapped in the late game - the guards just knock you out of the way
Can't give joy fruits to NPCs (would transform frogs back into people))
No sfx when using pickaxes and it's a bit tedious how the game often places a bunch of breakable rocks in a row (breaks flow)
Level Design-7 Frustration-7 Fun-7 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7
+
Good writing overall
Hybrid gameplay (top down action adventure overworld/maze platformer dungeons)
Some good humour (satirical, whimsical, slapstick, nerdy)
Non-random encounters
Can choose to fight or bribe certain NPCs (latter leads to a fight anyway?)
Good map systems (like link's awakening except without the "fog of war" on the world map)
Save anywhere (two slots)
High jump (stiff though - jump straight up then get just a bit of mid-air control at the top)
Cling to and climb platform edges
Great art direction overall
Scripted events make town exploration more exciting
Three stat upgrade items (life, power, speed)
If you enter a fight without the right tool/weapon you'll get the option of running away or using an item
Some memorable characters (Mandola)
Transformations (frog - breathes underwater/eats bug enemies/jumps higher, snake - turns some enemies into blocks/crawls through tight spaces/can barely jump; each animal can talk to others of its kind)
Some shortcuts (wells)
Teleport back to the current dungeon's or last visited town's entrance (unlimited use warp door item)
NPC encounters in dungeons
Decent puzzles overall
Travel by boat in the late game, fast text speed overall (some words are typed really slowly for dramatic/comedic effect)
Decent twist at the end
+/-
Linear structure
Lighthearted tone
Rich and brown-skinned (arabic?) prince protagonist
Pretty frequent health restoration points (crystal ball) and you get health drops from some enemies
Kind of unusual premise (you're racing a rival prince to save a princess) but cliché story at its core
Can only jump in sidescrolling segments
Somewhat limited inventory
Auto-talk to NPCs by moving into them (occasionally annoying when you want them to move out of the way)
Several fetch quests
Die in one hit from spikes and lava
Fun but very easy final boss (the only interactive battle sequence), some adult jokes
-
Some grinding for money
Some control/interface issues (you automatically put away an equipped tool after entering or exiting a building/cave, have to press the d-pad again after moving in and out of buildings, can't jump while standing in front of a ladder, no diagonal movement and stiff movement around wall/object edges, no item names in the inventory menu, somewhat slow menu transition)
Automatic battles (can only affect the outcome with gear and stats)
Some trial & error (making dr. ivan help you, can't escape from the dungeon guard in the palace, the fireball in lava traps, using the wine (health potion) at full health wastes it, sink and die quickly in water until you learn to swim - it is mentioned that you can't swim but not that you'll die from trying)
Some meaningless dialogue choices (can't choose not to drink the obvious frog potion for example)
You keep getting items from enemies that you already have a full stock of (slows down grinding a bit)
Mostly uninteractive environment in towns
Some dead space and dead ends
Some NPCs say the same thing or something useless and generic
Can't post on the bulletin board without first talking to a random villager in Pudding town
Drawn out and easy mine digging segment with crappy music
Some plot oddities (can't save the frogs from being kidnapped in the late game - the guards just knock you out of the way
Can't give joy fruits to NPCs (would transform frogs back into people))
No sfx when using pickaxes and it's a bit tedious how the game often places a bunch of breakable rocks in a row (breaks flow)