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“Up to 8 player co-op extraction puzzle-platformer where you swing, jump, catapult your friends, and eat eat EAT until you grow into a humongous Megafrog. Squad up with your frog friends and storm the Sewers for the glory of the Swamp King!” – Steam Description
Frog Sqwad is the latest in the virally popular “Friend Slop” genre, a game that lets you and up 7 of your friends be wacky, wobbly, wandering frogs in the sewers. I say that it’s friend slop and I don’t want you to think I mean it derogatorily as it’s definitely a term of endearment for me. These are the kinds of games I would see made in a game jam that are just reasons for me to get together with my friends for a night.
Frog Sqwad is an extraction game that’s similar to R.E.P.O. Up to 8 players are tasked with going through the sewers to collect as much food as they can for the multi-eyed monarch, Swamp King. Armed with just some frog legs and a sticky tongue they must work together to appease their liege.
The sewer levels are pretty imaginative with a mix of puzzle rooms, platforming challenges, and enemies to wander through. There are even hidden rooms behind breakable walls if you know what to look for. The game is clearly designed for a group of friends, so solo play or even duo is not something you can feasibly do beyond stage 3 as you will start to need 4+ people for some of the challenges. There are slingshot mechanics that require 3 people, but needing to send 2 people across to get the food you were slingshot to.*
*the Developers did acknowledge these concerns in their discord and are currently working on: 
After successful completion of a level you are awarded gold which can be spent at a vending machine for upgrades such as a longer tongue, higher jumps, or bigger carrying capacity. You can also purchase a plastic bag that allows you to glide, a bubble wand that allows you to put items in bubbles, or a rubber chicken that can be used to damage enemies. However, I spent my groups money on a selfie stick immediately because memories are more important than progression (perspective, really.) Players also have the option of unlocking cosmetics via achievements or you can purchase a supporters pack. I love, love, LOVE silly hats in games. I especially love them in games like this, so I think it’s worth mentioning.
- Graphics– The graphics for the game are basic but that’s not a bad thing. The frog character models are charming and enemies are unsettling enough to want to beat with a rubber chicken or pull apart with your friends.
- Gameplay– The gameplay loop is simple, eat food, spit food. Maybe use your tongue as a grappling hook on the environment or a slingshot with your friends. You solve puzzles and avoid hazards and enemies. It’s fairly straight forward and satisfying.
- Sound– Sound works well in the game, but the effects can be a little much for those with sensitive stomachs, so some people may opt to lower the sound entirely.
- Controls– Controls are straight forward, WASD to move, shift to sprint, spacebar to jump. Left click to throw your tongue out, you can pull objects lighter than you that your tongue sticks to. There is controller support too!
- Story– There is not much of story as per usual for the genre. You have to collect enough food for the Swamp King or he will punish you. Three chances until you must start over.
Final Thoughts
Pros:
Cons:
- Player group size balancing (Devs working on it, but at this time not implemented)
- Player upgrades didn’t have much of a measurable increase, can’t tell if bug or not
- No public lobbies, you need to come ready with your friends
Overall, Frog Sqwad is simply fun. The levels and puzzles within aren’t too difficult to overcome and through careful planning (read: screaming and scrambling) you don’t have to fight any of the enemies if you don’t want to. As I mentioned, the frog models are super cute and the way they flail when sprinting will never not be funny. I recommend checking this out if you’re looking for a new game to your friend circle’s rotation.
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