At first glance, Big Hops is a typical 3D platformer – a colorful game with an animal protagonist. At second glance, it’s a rarely seen puzzle platformer that emphasizes height and speed.
Frogs and toads have been stars in the gaming world since the early days. Frogger became famous in the early 80s, and Battletoads during the 90s. However, after that, frogs were no longer cool enough for video games. The most popular frog series later became Frog Detective – and that one was less popular than the goose detective! It’s not the smartest thing to launch a 3D platformer with a toad in the lead under such circumstances, but developer Chris Wade braved it and ended up delivering a surprisingly good game. Big Hops is not just another 3D platformer in a series, but brings us a slightly different concept than what we are used to.
What kind of game is this?
Pick up speed, jump high – Big Hops is a type of platformer where you have multiple ways to jump over your obstacle. Frog Hop has a wide set of acrobatic skills: he can climb walls and run along them, he knows how to swing using his tongue, he can throw himself forward and briefly slide on the ground and then bounce off it… When all this is combined in one sequence, the frog gains speed and jumps even higher. This is a platformer where you can unlock the speed meter, but you can also choose to play slower by strategically throwing items from your inventory.
Fruits and vegetables – Big Hops has about twenty types of fruit/vegetables that you can take with you and use when you need it. The so-called Veggies items have different effects. For example by throwing acorns you get a kind of tree to climb, you can throw mushrooms to act as trampolines, you can burn dry blocks with red peppers, etc. The game is designed so that there is always one predetermined solution to get from point A to point B, but you are free to come up with some of your own solutions using Veggies.
No fight, no problem – In this platformer, you don’t have an attack button and you don’t jump on the heads of your opponents. You can pick up an object with your tongue and throw it, but 90% of the time the gameplay boils down to exploration and spatial puzzles. There are boss battles, they’re just rare. However, the lack of action is not a problem here. The game has its share of hiding from opponents (and a neat nod to Metal Gear Solid), it has parts of on-rails grinding, and just enough variety that you won’t really miss the fight.
Why is this worth playing?
The climbing challenge – Big Hops is not a platformer that will annoy you, but it is also not super simple either. It’s not a game that will direct you every step of the way, but it also won’t let you wander aimlessly. It constantly provides a challenge in climbing through the stamina meter, similar to Zelda and Peak, and through the collection of coins and special currency it is possible to buy and unlock some benefits such as a compass, expanded inventory, etc.
Cute and appropriate for the youngest – Visually, the game is not complex, but it looks charming. The cel-shaded style of graphics is used, with which everything in the world is very readable and transparent, and technically the game is not demanding and runs at a smooth 60 fps even on weaker hardware, for example on the Steam Deck.
A fair price – For less than 20 euros, you get a game lasting 15-20 hours, and one that doesn’t seem low-budget. It has a fully voice-acted story, three different worlds that offer enough variety. Those 20 euros won’t get you the best 3D platformer on the market, but you might find fun by directing your own solutions to the challenges the game serves up.
Where can I find the game?
Big Hops is available for PC, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch at the regular price of 19.50 euros.