SpearFrog:

In Brief:
SpearFrog is exactly what the name implies, i.e., the protagonist is a frog that carry's a spear. The game is a 2D top-down pixelated arena, spear throwing action game, where you control your character using the WASD or arrow keys to move; (when in the menu's use the W & S and the up and down arrow keys in conjunction with the enter key) and using your left mouse button to shoot and aim in a 360-degree arc using the X & Y axis of your mouse. To jump use the space key.

You can see a couple of videos of game play HERE and one via the Steam store page HERE.

You can also see some Steam community reviews of the game (all positive and all in Russian) HERE.

The Game:
The game is quite difficult because you only have the one spear. Once thrown, you have to retrieve it before you can attempt to kill the swarm of enemies that are attacking you with throwing knives and bombs (that look like apples). Enemies spawn on the Anarchy symbols; as the time progresses, enemies spawn quicker. Some of these enemies explode when near you, so you need to keep moving constantly. You can kill multiple enemies if you have them lined up behind each other with the direction you wish to throw your spear. The longer you keep your left mouse button depressed the further you can throw your spear (up to a point). Get too close to your enemy and you are likely to lose one of your six lives as combined in a swarm you get, multiple throwing knives aimed at you. If you are being swarmed by several, you can easily lose virtually all of your lives very quickly.

That said, the jumping mechanic is interesting. you'll notice above the six hearts are two icons. These are your jumps. you can only perform two jumps then you have to allow them to recharge before you can use them again. Jumps are useful because while in the air you are invulnerable and also you jump a lot quicker than walking, so you can use this to escape from your enemies or jump over them to retrieve your spear.

There are a few different enemies that use i.e., some use throwing knives, others use different magic attacks (that look like small and larger fireballs). The larger enemies throw multiple throwing knives, and one enemy carries a bomb. The bomb carrier appears to run faster than other enemies but has to stop before the bomb is primed and takes a second or two before it explodes. explodes. If you can get the timing right, and the bomb explode while other enemies have caught up to the bomb carrier, they will die as well.

Some enemies drop potions when you kill them; others carry boxes that appear to shoot two types of fireballs (small and larger). There are also two types of enemy evident, one of which is much larger and requires more than one hit with the spear to kill.

Conclusion:
I found the game somewhat tedious, with the only game play mechanic was running and jumping around manically, trying to avoid getting hit by the enemies weapons and explosives, picking up health potions that add a life if you've previously lost one and trying to survive for as long as possible.


The single spear you get has to be picked up by walking over it before you can use it again, making it really difficult to survive more than one or two enemy waves. I couldn't get past that stage, so don't know whether this is just a single level game with wave after wave of enemies attacking you until you die or whether it has multiple levels. There's no level map, so I suspect it's the former.

The game is available on Steam, so I checked the feedback from the Steam community and all ten of the reviews are positive, but they are all in Russian. I did check them using Google translate and no one mentions levels (apart from one that was more an implied suggestion), though at first glance they did appear to be genuine reviews with most written in a different style. That said, I noted that the developer had released 26 games on Steam (nineteen of which have been released over the last 15 months) and some of the games have reviews written by the same community members and all in Russian; which to me is a little suspicious, but may be innocent?

However, what concerns me more is that the usual price for this game on Steam has a price tag of £18.99 (though it is on sale at the moment for 90% off at £1.89; and many of the other games released by this developer are unnaturally high for what they purport to include). I've already discussed previously what I think is some price manipulation shenanigans, with the developer pricing the game really high, but putting it on regular 90% sales (many of the developer's other games are also on 90% sales) that give the impression that the game is a real bargain at 90% off. I may be wrong about this, but I don't think I am. The game play alone does not justify such a high price, which personally I think is extortionate after experiencing some of the game play. I'd suggest it's more like a £2 to £3 indie arcade game.


That said, at least today for the giveaway community it's free, so the mention of price is moot. I found the game very challenging initially, but once I got the mechanic, I found it quite playable in short stints, and would say it's an ideal coffee/tea break game; so, I would recommend you check the game out during a short break.

As mentioned above, it is quite a hard game, and roguelike in game play, as you're likely to die a lot, but there is some satisfaction from getting better scores, in quicker times and more combos. It's just a pity there's no high score table. I definitely wouldn't play it for extended periods because the game play is limited, and I'd soon tire of playing it; but, in short doses, it's definitely playable.

There is no tutorial, so for those who don't have the benefit of reading a review, the game may feel inordinately hard to play and beat before frustration sets in. (There's no recompense if you smash your keyboard in frustration) ;)

A short tutorial would definitely help and also give a more professional feel the game.

(Combos are scored by the number of enemies you kill with one throw of the spear). I managed seven in the short time I played the game. The best time I managed to achieve before losing all of my lives was just over 96 seconds.

Controls:

W or Up Arrow = Up
A or Left Arrow = Left
S or Down Arrow= Down
D or Right Arrow = Right
Space = Jump (takes a few seconds to recharge)
LMB = Throw Spear
Mouse X & Y Axis = aiming

Menu Controls

W or Up Arrow = Up
S or Down Arrow= Down
Enter = select menu item

Notes on Security
I scanned a zipped copy of the installed game using Virus Total and it found zero hits from 63 antimalware engines. You can see the scan of the installed game HERE.