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The
NintendoDS has already gained a name for being the home of highly
innovative games such as Trauma Center: Under The Knife and Electroplankton.
However it has also seen the revival of  several classics; such as Space
Invaders Revolution and Bubble Bobble
Revolution. The
release of Frogger: Helmet Chaos seems designed to combine
the two. Many older gamers will remember the classic Frogger title,
and have been interested to see how it would be adapted to the
modern handheld: mainly whether or not it has been able to make
adequate us of the abilities the NintendoDS affords, whilst still
providing compelling gaming to all age groups.
Unsurprisingly Frogger: Helmet Chaos is a
Puzzle-based game centered around the adventures of Frogger and his
friends and their struggle with the evil crocodile Dr. Wani. Dr.
Wani and his minions are using helmets to control the residents,
which gives Dr. Wani mind-control powers over them. Frogger’s
main task is to rescue his stricken swamp pals from this terrible
fate. Naturally this
involves finding his way through innumerable puzzles across the
swamp. Due to an incident of which Frogger is unwilling to speak he
is mortally terrified of water, and as such going into the water
spells the loss of a life and returning to the last Checkpoint. As
Frogger only has four Lives to begin with the player will quickly
become accustomed to the Game Over Screen, as some puzzles may take
multiple attempts to work out.
The controls are relatively simple, but at the same time
take a while to become accustomed to, especially using the L and R
Triggers to pivot Frogger without moving. It is quite easy to lose
Lives while  developing a degree of reliability on the control
system. The main game doesn’t employ the Stylus at all, instead
rely on the Face and Shoulder Buttons. It’s not even possible to
move Frogger using the Stylus and Touch Screen, a feature which
would have been a welcome addition, and, should the calibration be
executed well, would result in making the game far easier to
navigate. Movement is entirely governed by the D-Pad, with a
double-jump facility activated by a tap of the B Button, and
Frogger can also jump vertically using the X Button. However the
main tool in Frogger’s arsenal is his very impressive tongue.
Frogger can use his tongue to pull items push items, or simply pull
himself across areas of water. The Y Button facilitates all of
these actions.
The majority of the puzzles consist of working out how to
get your on-screen avatar from one place to another, usually across
water. After some small amount of thinking - they usually
relatively simple – most will be tackled with ease, although
speed and manual dexterity are often required. As Frogger is unable
to attack enemies, avoiding and dodging their paths is a big part
of the game. It is nice to see a game in which killing enemies
isn’t a factor, much the Super Nintendo Entertainment System’s Goof
Troop, but at times it would be nice to be able to remove them
from your path.
A large part of the title is the Mini-Games included in the
package. At the beginning only three are available, however, four
additional games can be unlocked by collecting Coins throughout the
main game. The first Mini-Game available at the start is Classic
Frogger. A game that needs little introduction, Classic
Frogger is played using only the directional buttons. Getting
Frogger across the road and river is as fun as it always was -
finally the opportunity is provided to beat all those records you
set on your PC. Ribb-It is also available at the start. This can be
played either alone, Multi-Player or through DS Download play. It
is quite literally a thirty-second game of Tag, using the frogs’
tongues. Whomever is “it” at the end wins, However the AI
controlled frogs are devilishly fast and have a penchant for simply
chasing the player’s Frog and ignoring all the other frogs. This
does however make winning all the more satisfying.
The other game available is Roly Poly Toady. This is
probably the best use the game makes of the NintendoDS as a whole.
Simply demolition derby with rolled-up toads, your toad is moved by
blowing through the Microphone and the L and R Triggers control the
direction. Although hard at first it soon becomes compulsive,
especially on DS Download play.
The unlockable games are also worth a go: especially
Froggers; simply Classic Frogger with two players racing to
see who can get as many Froggers across the road and river as
possible. As a whole the Mini-Games are as much fun, if not more
fun, than the main game. They certainly use the DS Download
facility well, and enable the game to explore the unique facilities
the NintendoDS has to offer.
As a package Frogger: Helmet Chaos will appeal to
young gamers as well as those who remember the original Frogger.
Unfortunately everybody in-between will probably be left wondering
what the point of the game is. The game does certainly become
somewhat tedious after the first few Levels, and it is likely that
most players will find that they use the Multi-Player Mini-Games
more often than the main game itself. Whilst not doing much wrong Frogger:
Helmet Chaos is not an imaginative or terribly intuitive title.
A game you may pick up from time to time, but, unlike releases such
as Mario
KartDS and Advance Wars: Dual Strike, not one which will
leave you wondering where all those hours went.
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