SokoFrog (XSX) Review

In case you couldn’t tell from the title, SokoFrog is a simple, cutesy Sokoban block pushing puzzle game. It only costs five dollars, doesn’t take long to unlock all 2,000 Achievement points, and offers some casually mild entertainment along the way.

Playing as the frog, it is your job to push the key block onto the key hole area to unlock the stage ending door. Like any Sokoban game, you can only push the block, not pull it, so thoughtful positioning is critical. If you mess up, a handy restart button is always available. 

Each area has a different gimmick to keep gameplay slightly flavorful.  For example, the first area is straightforward and designed to warm up the player with the mechanics. The beach stages involve water tiles and limit the player’s view thanks to umbrellas. The next batch of levels are ice-based so blocks slide until they collide with an object.

Interestingly, the visuals do not take up the entire real estate of the screen. The compressed, single-screen stages are more limiting but there is no denying the approachable gameplay this brings. Most stages can be completed in just a few seconds and the difficulty never reaches high levels. In fact, most stages have more than one solution, providing a casual experience throughout. Further, there is no move counter, no retry counter, and no time limit so the player is free to complete each stage as whatever pace they want. The downside is, there is no replay value so once you blow through all the stages and unlock all the Achievements, which maybe takes a half hour, there is no reason to go back.

Thoughtfully, there was consideration when it comes to controlling the little frog. When using the analog stick, the frog moves from one tile to the next without stopping. And since he is a frog, each movement is a leap with a very slight pause in-between. However, the d-pad allows the player to move from tile to tile individually with each tap of the corresponding direction. Some stages are tightly designed, so the individual d-pad taps can provide a more accurate form of control. Alternatively, the analog stick is a much faster form of movement so the player has easy access to both options.

In addition to lacking replay value, the music is brutally repetitive. It is enjoyable for the first thirty seconds but once you realize the same few notes loop endlessly, you’ll want to shut off the music entirely.  But to be fair, for a simple, approachable $5 puzzle game with easy, big-point Achievements, there are much worse ways to spend your time and it fits firmly into the library of other EastAsiaSoft digital downloads.

Not To Be Confused With: Froggy A Retro Platformer

Better Than: Enhanced Path

Wait For It: a reprint of Spud’s Adventure on Gameboy

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com

Twitter: @ZackGaz

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