Spot the Difference
Superfrog HD is a much larger game than the original, full
of new things to encounter and explore throughout play. A lot of the elements
are adapted from the original game – but here’s a list of some of the new
things that Team17 saw fit to add...
Presentation
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You
have to watch the opening animation first time you turn on the game (you have
the option to skip it by pressing X the next time around). It’s no longer an
animation, nor is it work by Eric W. Schwartz. It’s a set of still cells, based
on the original drawings but clearly redone, with a compressed version of the story
as overtext. Elements such as the backstage frog and
the appearance of Spud aren’t included. Lucozade isn’t
mentioned either.
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The
menu offers players a sneak peek at all the levels in the game. There’s a new
system of level selection – those you have completed are “unlocked”, but those
left unaccessed are “locked”. This allows replay of
any level as many times as you like, in case you’ve missed something or just
really like the level.
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The
music’s different in new levels. I’ll go into more detail on this in my review.
Pleasingly, the “original” levels have the original music.
Power-Ups & Abilities
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Power-ups
remain largely the same, although there are three new ones: two potions (blue
conferring invulnerability, replacing the invisibility pill from the original;
gold restoring all SF’s hits, replacing Lucozade) and
a clock, which adds more time (you have ten minutes to complete each level).
Coins appear, but serve mostly as a guide to the exit, as well as a way to rack
up more points. The exit’s open no matter how many coins you get.
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Spud
is much more difficult to aim and fire, and his range
is a lot smaller than it used to be. However, he now has the ability to
vanquish land-based enemies such as Blobs and Snails, which can be useful if
you’re trying to get into some hidden tunnels. He still affects the Witch as
normal.
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SF
himself also has a new and unannounced power – if he has the Wings equipped, he
can use his cape as a parachute by holding down the jump button while falling!
This, in itself, is very useful, although you can’t quickly switch back to
flapping the Wings after using the parachute – you need to let go.
Rewards
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There’s
a new trophy system in the game á la the
Super Smash Bros. series, with
humorous names such as “toad in the hole” for discovering a secret passage.
There’s no real benefit for these, but they do get you some points and it’s a nice
little bonus to see you’re being rewarded for playing the thing!
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The
game autosaves after every level. This completely
eliminates the system of level codes that was so important in the original.
Points are gained by collecting items and defeating enemies (and bosses); these
can again be gambled in the fruit machine. However, since there aren’t any
level codes, the fruit machine’s jackpot prize is an unlockable
level from the original game (redone using HD graphics, of course), accessible
via the main menu. Hypothetically, it’s possible to unlock all the original
levels as you play through Superfrog HD,
and then play Superfrog – essentially
two games in one. Not bad for under £7.
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There’s
no option to “collect” – you go straight to the gambling bonus game after every
level without a choice. However, you can skip it and keep your points.
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The
Hallowed Hall of Talent has been replaced by an online high-score table, which
updates every day with whoever’s scored the most points in a single session of
play. This only works if your PS3 is connected to the Internet. Your score isn’t
recorded anywhere on the game’s memory.
New Content
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Frog
Trials are included, just for fun and to challenge yourself.
A bit pointless, but a decent enough addition.
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There’s
a level editor. This is one of the best additions they’ve put in, considering
how far gamers have gone in the past trying to create new levels and new clones
of Superfrog! One of the downsides is
that you can’t share your new levels online with your friends – something that’s
been picked up by other reviewers – however, it is a level editor and that’s
something new and different, so points to them for that.
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I
can’t say much about the cross-platform support, as I don’t own a PlayStation
Vita. But it’s been well-publicised, and according to everyone I’ve heard from,
it works incredibly well.