Dangerous Road (Nintendo 3DS) Review

By Thom Compton 02.02.2017

Review for Dangerous Road on Nintendo 3DS

Back in 1981, the world only knew that a new arcade cabinet was being released. They didn't realise this game about a frog trying to cross the road would have as big of an impact on the medium as it did. Even gamers not old enough to remember the arcade release of Frogger may recall the PC release in the 90s as the frog's entry in the 3D realm. While Dangerous Road isn't officially part of the Frogger canon, it does make some welcome changes to the formula that ensure it remains interesting.

Dangerous Road, make no mistake, is as Frogger as a game can get. Choose one of four anthropomorphic animals, and try to cross streets and rivers while avoiding cars. Each step is purposely taken on its own, meaning that for players who want to move quickly across the map, this is dampened by the animal's insistence on hopping.

Each of the animals has a special power-up they can use, although, oddly, one of the animals is devoid of this feature and is just always set to move quickly. This is an odd decision, and frankly his movement isn't much faster. The other powers, like being able to run on water, are much more beneficial. Of course, none of these powers actually mean anything when the levels are designed to be almost too easy.

Anyone who has played Frogger knows the hopping is part of the tension, but the other part is the quick movement before a semi barrels down on you, or the questionable idea that a frog will die if it lands in water. Dangerous Road circumvents all of this tension with sky walks, large bridges built over roads. These actually negate huge portions of danger on the road and tracks below. Couple this with invincibility stars, and it's actually incredibly difficult to die.

Screenshot for Dangerous Road on Nintendo 3DS

The best inclusion goes to the checkpoint system. As the player explores each level, they have to go through checkpoints, unlocking all of them before they can proceed to the exit. It's a nice way to get the player to explore each of the levels, even though there's not a whole lot in the levels to explore. It's a minor addition, though, that keeps the player on their toes while explore each level.

Beyond the base gameplay, there's a survival mode that pits the player in a tough spot. The first level sees them in the middle of a 10-lane highway avoiding getting hit, and if they last long enough, they can proceed on. Also, players are judged in each of the adventure levels by how long it took them, and how many steps they took overall. None of these things actually matter, and there's nothing to be gained necessarily for getting a better score on a previous level, which makes the grading system feel like a waste.

For those who didn't like a lot of the generic and fuzzy graphics cheaper Wii games were famous for, Dangerous Roads isn't going to convert you. The visuals are the most obvious downside, with hard polygon shapes and atrocious facial features. The bear, for instance, is borderline creepy instead of even cute, looking menacing. What's amazing about that is that a lot of the environment looks fantastic, or at least passable. The character models are just remarkably poor, and it could be an instant turn-off to anyone looking to play it.

Screenshot for Dangerous Road on Nintendo 3DS

Cubed3 Rating

6/10
Rated 6 out of 10

Good

For all its ups and downs, Dangerous Road is a solid Frogger clone. While the packaging may be damaged, the main game is still remarkably fun. It's arguably simple and often negates its own challenges, but it's still a fun little game. The authenticity of the movement and the inclusion of a checkpoint system makes it a solid choice for any Frogger fan—just be prepared for the few glaring issues.

Developer

Sims

Publisher

Starsign

Genre

Action

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  6/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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