Indie developer molegato has announced Frogun for Switch and other platforms, a new 3D platformer that hopes to have you reminiscing over the genre's greats from the '90s.
Channelling N64 and PS1-era vibes, Frogun has players jumping, shooting and solving little puzzles as they explore the game's colourful world. It'll feature five zones in total (or more once stretch goals are met), all full of "levels, secrets, treasure and adventure".
A Kickstarter recently went live to generate some extra funding, and the project immediately smashed its €5,000 goal in just two hours. There are still 29 days left to go on the campaign at the time of writing, so if you'd like to get in early and claim some extra rewards, feel free! Here's an official description:
Renata’s parents are world-renown explorers, archeologists and inventors that travel all over the world uncovering the secrets of the past, bringing her with them in their expeditions. However, in their latest adventure, they decide to leave her at the base camp—the Beelzebub ruins are said to be too dangerous!
For three whole days she waits, her pride hurt and bored out of her mind, until she realized: if they haven’t returned yet, something must have happened to them! In a hurry she grabs her parents’ last invention, the Frogun, and heads to the ruins to rescue them, and prove that she’s as capable as them!
Frogun is currently targeting a 2022 release on Switch, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PS5.
Are you liking the look of the game so far? Will you be keeping an eye on its progress over the coming months? Let us know with a comment.
[source gematsu.com]
Comments 25
I funded this game. Its downright fun!
Looks solid! The gameplay looks fun and they've nailed the low-poly aesthetic. Though the shading is inconsistent, sometimes it's hard, sometimes soft.
I hope they can improve on the music though, it doesn't really have any sort of PS1 or N64 vibe to it. It's more like home computer / PC MIDI music.
I don't like this.
First, I can accept modern games having pixel-art graphics inspired by NES, SNES and Neo-Geo games, because many of these games are still beautiful today, but they already tried to make 3D games with graphics inspired by Star Fox and the PS1/N64 era, and most of them failed because early 3D games did not age well, few games from that era are still pretty today.
Second, the gameplay does not look good, I love 3D platformers but this doesn't look fun.
I love how PS1-style retro is more and more becoming a thing.
The low-poly aesthetic is so good. I'm glad it hasn't fully been abandoned as computers got stronger.
@victordamazio Have you even played the demo that comes with the kickstarter page?
I can see the 90s and 2000s Frogger influence from a mile away. Gotta show support to linear 3D platformers, they've been hard to come by since the moment Mario 64 came out.
I have no clue why Mario 64 became the standard for the genre and not the IMO much superior Crash Bandicoot.
Loving the aesthetic, it’s a nice blend between PS1 and N64 level graphics. Hopefully it replicates the style of 3D platformer from that era without the dodgy camera the plagued certain games.
@Socar Didn't know there was a demo.
Maybe I'll play it someday, but even if the gameplay is good, my criticism about the graphics stands, I can accept retro 2D graphics, but not retro 3D graphics.
@xxx128 A game that did an authentic warts-and-all PS1 aesthetic really well was Yo! Noid 2 - it's a meme game about the Noid fighting Hatsune Miku's dad, but it's a really good meme game and one of the most accurate representations of a bygone era of graphics I've ever seen in general.
This is my entire pantry full of jam
I need this in my life!
Looks way better than any PS1 game, thankfully.
Looks like Captain toad with Megaman Legends art style… I’m down
It also looks like a N64 game. So.. no thanks.
@victordamazio For me PS1/N64 graphics have aged fine. I like that they look kind of abstract and surreal today. More imaginative in a way.
The main problem was framerates but that's not so much an issue with newer games.
I played Toree 3D which was inspired by 3D platformers of that age and thoroughly enjoyed it. 😃
Is anyone really nostalgic for these ugly ass PS1 era graphics?
For me, Crash Bandicoot (1-3) will always be the pinnacle of 3D-platformers on the PS1. Even though it‘s probably not possible for an indie studio, I‘d like to see someone replicate this kind of graphics because they were certainly ahead of its time and still look good today.
Game does look good but I think environments could use a little more variety.
Looks completely barren of any kind of fun!
It looks like PS1, yes. But N64 games didn't generally look like this. The only one I can think of that comes close is Bomberman 64.
Looks really slow. Also I don't remember playing any isometric platformers like this on the N64
We also sell frozen guns, which I call frogun!
@Yodalovesu this isn’t isometric.
Looks charming, if a little basic. I would have probably loved that if I was 10. But now I have some young nieces who may enjoy this.
I really like the overall game design. The music needs changed tho, and the difficulty needs to be raised a bit, Otherwise looks uniquely cool.
I'm game, it's a slice of game design that's crossed the line from "so old it's crude" to "so old it's nostalgic"
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