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The object of Frogger was almost Zen-like: to get to the other
side. But considerably less Zen were the many obstacles in your
path: zooming cars, trucks and buses, snakes, alligators and
unpredictable turtles. What started as the simple twist on an old
joke ("Why did the frog cross the road?") quickly turned
into the world's most dangerous commute.
Frogger started your daredevil amphibian at the bottom of the
screen, separated from his five lily pad homes by a busy street and
a cluttered river. Using the joystick to hop up, down, left and
right, you guided your frog pal up and around the speeding vehicles
to the relative safety of a dirt median. Past that, it was all
water, which for some reason killed this particular amphibian. To
stay alive, the frog had to hop from log to log and onto the backs
of swimming turtles. Adding to the danger was the turtles' tendency
to drop down for an underwater swim. If those red-backed turtles
suddenly turned green, you knew it was time to hop off or lose a
life.
After one frog reached one of the five lily pads (and you only
had a limited time to get there), another would start at the bottom
until all five slots were filled. Once that was done, a new level
began, each harder than the last. As the game progressed, the cars
and logs got faster, and new enemies began to appear. Snakes roamed
the median and the logs, and certain logs were replaced with hungry
alligators. But if it was any consolation, female frogs and tasty
flies would also sometimes appear, giving you a chance to earn a few
extra points.
It was an instantly catchy concept, backed up with bright
graphics and an unforgettable musical refrain. Like Pac-Man, Donkey
Kong and a handful of other games released around the same time,
Frogger helped turn the video game industry into a genuine
phenomenon, spreading into music ('Froggy's Lament' made the Pac-Man
Fever album), merchandising and even Saturday morning cartoons.
A rights battle between designer Konami and US distributor
Sega/Gremlin kept Frogger from spawning as many sequels as some of
its contemporaries, but the original game remains one of the most
well-known titles in arcade history.
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