Similar to how the Soulslike genre flourished following the debut of “Dark Souls”, the roguelite/roguelike genre has seen an influx of new games since the launch of “Hades” in 2020. With numerous contenders, it’s no easy feat for a fresh roguelite game to grab attention, but Aska Studios’ “Gang of Frogs” seems to be setting itself up as a potential cult favorite.
A 4-player cooperative roguelike shooter game titled “Gang of Frogs” places players in the role of spacefaring frog pirates. The mission is to descend to a planet, fight off aggressive creatures, and collect valuable resources. Game Rant got a chance to test out “Gang of Frogs“, and after spending around an hour, it seems that Aska Studios has a unique concept on their hands; they just need to handle it skillfully.
Gang of Frogs Has a Familiar But Engaging Gameplay Loop
As a fan, I find myself immersed in the vibrant array of froggy visages presented by the Gang of Frogs’ pirate ship hideout, floating amidst the cosmos. Upon landing on an alien planet, I navigate through a series of connected rooms, systematically eradicating a set number of adversaries in each to advance further. Reminiscent of Vampire Survivors, these vanquished foes leave behind radiant orbs that boost my experience points, clearly displayed at the top of the screen for easy tracking.
At each new level, players gain the option to pick from two possible enhancements, often focusing on their frog’s protective shield, weapon firing speed, or damage output. During non-combat periods, the game offers a card shop within Gang of Frogs, where players can spend their accumulated objective points to acquire powerful new upgrades and skills. These could include explosive grenades or the ability to hover in midair by inflating like the frog seen puffing up in the Shrek movie.
In “Gang of Frogs,” the gameplay loop continues until the entire team gets defeated. Once this happens, they are teleported back to the main base and encouraged to begin anew. This style of play is reminiscent of roguelite games that have been popular in recent years, but its familiarity should not be seen as a drawback. In fact, even at this early stage of development, “Gang of Frogs” offers a satisfying gaming experience. The shooting mechanics feel smooth and reactive, the sound effects are powerful and enjoyable, upgrades significantly alter gameplay, and the sense of progression throughout a run is rewarding.
In essence, whether the game Gang of Frogs succeeds or not will depend on how it refines its gameplay mechanics. At present, the game has a slight repetitiveness to it as the only task so far is wave-based elimination, which is entertaining but may not sustain player engagement for extended periods. However, during the preview, an Aska developer hinted that the team is considering expanding objectives, suggesting that this potential flaw might be rectified before the game reaches the public.
Gang of Frogs Has a Strong Sense of Style
A notable aspect of the game “Gang of Frogs” is its art style, which draws heavily from the underappreciated Disney film “Treasure Planet“. The visual appeal of “Gang of Frogs” combines futuristic high-tech elements with a steampunk aesthetic, resulting in a unique look that fits perfectly with the game’s storyline.
The user interface of Gang of Frogs demonstrates potential greatness, even as Aska continues to refine menus and icons. The user-interface already exhibits a lot of stylistic allure and visual pizzazz that catches the eye. User interfaces often go unnoticed in roguelite games, but with a little more time, Gang of Frogs‘ interface could significantly contribute to making the game feel well-crafted. As it stands, Gang of Frogs appears to be an exciting cooperative shooter with rewarding progression mechanics from moment to moment. However, for the final version of the game to maintain player interest over the long term, it’s crucial to add more diversity in terms of objectives and enemy types.
Game Rant was provided with travel and lodging.
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2025-05-18 13:24