Homebrew Review: Frog Feast [Atari Jaguar]

Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, I am indeed reviewing a brand spanking new Atari Jaguar game. Charles Doty of Rastersoft has brought us a fine remake of the Intellivision classic: Frog Bog with better graphics and sound. I also had the pleasure of designing the box art for the cartridge run of this game, so it gives me great pleasure to present this game to you.

Graphics: 50/100
The game is colorful and cartoony though the graphics are not top notch for what the Jaguar could really do. (The system was capable of 24-bit colors simultaneously though most often 16-bit colors were more then adequate, Rayman is a great example of just how colorful a Jaguar game could be) and the sprites are on the small size. Though you must take into account that the game was first written for the Genesis and SNES, so it is a direct port of a 16-bit game.

Sound: 60/100
The music is catchy but only heard on the title screen but the in game sounds are sharp and cartoony. The reason for no music in game? Well the libraries used to port to the Jag are not very optimized and some things just didn’t work out too well, though it doesn’t detract from the game at all. You have ribbits, splashes and the sound of your tongue shooting out of you mouth to catch flies, and they all sound quite nice.

Gameplay: 75/100
The game plays just like Frog Bog and that is a good thing because well Frog Bog was a blast back in the day if you ever had the opportunity to play an Mattell Intellivision. But, the problem with this game is it’s just as simple as the original game it’s based on.. meaning that theirs only one level and only one match per game but that doesn’t make it any less fun to play.

The CPU is on the dumb side, you can usually beat the CPU 10:1. The 2 player option is a much welcome option for this game and playing with a friend is a blast especially if you love old games like I do.

Replay: 50/100
The simpleness of the game makes it take a hit in the replay department, it’s not to say that I don’t love this game it’s that besides 2 player mode there is not a lot to do but try and beat your previous score.

Overall it’s a new and welcome addition to any Jaguar fans collection though it is on the pricey side, though Rastersoft has lowered the price of the unnumbered carts to $49.99 which is alittle pricey but the package is very professionally made with glossy box, cart insert and glossy cartridge label, their is also a Jag CD version of this game if the cartridge release is too rich for your tastes. I’d recommend buying it if you have a Jaguar and want to help support the homebrew community.

The game can be purchased at Rastersoft’s Online Store. Check below the break for a video of Frog Feast’s gameplay.