Frogger Overview
Frogger is an action arcade game where the player controls a frog navigating a series of hazards. The primary goal is to reach designated slots at the top of the screen, a task that involves crossing two distinct and perilous zones.
The journey begins with a multilane roadway where vehicles of different types and speeds move. Contact with any vehicle results in the loss of a life. After surviving the road, the frog must cross a river where the water is instantly lethal. Safe passage requires hopping onto moving platforms like logs and turtles, some of which can submerge and require precise timing. Higher levels introduce additional threats such as snakes and alligators.
Successfully reaching the top fills a home slot, and the level is completed when all slots are occupied, leading to a challenging subsequent stage. The goal area itself has specific rules; only empty slots can be entered, and they may sometimes be blocked. Bonus opportunities include escorting a lady frog to a home or capturing flies that appear in the slots, both of which increase the player's score.
Scoring is tied to various actions including forward movement, delivering frogs home, and collecting bonuses. The game ends when all lives are lost. Over various releases, the core premise remained while specific implementations changed, with early home ports adapting the arcade experience and later versions sometimes altering level designs or updating presentation.