This platformer frustrates me like no other, but now I'm addicted to beating my own personal best and can't stop

GamesAdventureThis platformer frustrates me like no other, but now I’m addicted to beating my own personal best and can’t stopWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Top Hat Studios)

Frogun Encore Renatta using her gun to cross a gap in a sandy level

If you’ve ever asked me for a game recommendation that’s as enjoyable as it is frustrating, or you wanted a nostalgia hit while playing something new, Frogun would’ve been my go-to. So having played and praised the first game,Frogun Encorewas something I had to try once it launched, and I’m happy to report it only reinforces my feelings about the series.

Don’t get me wrong, despite singing its praises I still got frustrated at every possible moment. Each time I was racing against the clock and missed a jump or fired my Frogun too early I had to sharply breathe through gritted teeth. But that’s the charm of Frogun Encore, much the same as the first game. Even though it looks like a lot of games I would’ve blitzed through when I was younger, it comes with a level of challenge that almost had me snapping my keyboard over my knee at certain points. Usually, this would be enough to make me want to stop playing altogether, but my stubbornness to complete the game helped me push through the moments where I simply couldn’t beat a level.

But one of the things I love most about Encore is the emphasis on speedrunning levels to beat your personal best. Even though this was a feature of the first game, it is further emphasised in the sequel, and I felt far more compelled to repeat levels I had already finished to get a new personal best. The tighter controls that make the game feel far more fluid helped, as well as the aforementioned stubbornness. Plus, with a soundtrack that transported me to my early days of gaming, begging my sibling for help with certain levels, it was hard not to want to keep ahold of this feeling whenever I could.

To make the experience even more enjoyable, and also take away the pressure of having to do it all on my own, Frogun Encore let me invite a friend along the way which is a new addition since the first game. I hate to admit how many times this ended up in blaming the other person for our downfall since arguments like this have only ever cropped up during Overcooked playthroughs and it’s not something I’m proud of. But it still helped to make my time with the game more memorable, even though my chosen friend probably won’t want to play anything else with me for a while.

Even though my frustration with the game doesn’t sound like a selling point, it is. When I got to the end of different worlds or beat a boss, I felt genuinely satisfied with what I’d done. It’s hard work to trudge through each level, especially once you start delving further into the game and the difficulty increases alongside your confidence. But the payoff of beating a personal best time, or just getting to move on to the next level, is well worth the work. I’ve still got what feels like a long way to go before I can say I’ve confidently 100% completed Frogun Encore, but I can’t imagine it’ll take too long now I’ve become addicted to beating every personal record I’ve got.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

More about adventureThank Goodness You’re Here! reviewTrain like you game with this adventure-inspired workoutLatestThe Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in AprilSee more latest►

More about adventureThank Goodness You’re Here! reviewTrain like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

More about adventure

Thank Goodness You’re Here! reviewTrain like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Personal Trainer Tyler Buckingham and the Train Like You Game logo

Train like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

LatestThe Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in AprilSee more latest►

Latest

The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in April

the last of us season 2 trailer

The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in April

See more latest►

Most Popular

The Witcher 3’s now 2-year-old bonus quest is our first taste of the ‘vibe’ CD Projekt is going for in The Witcher 4

2024 was the year updates for old games beat out all the new ones for me

Train like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

‘It’s simply impossible to make a difficulty level that’s just right for all players’: How Final Fantasy 14’s lead battle designer has been playing a precarious balancing game for Dawntrail’s dungeons and raids

Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)

Competitive shooters are at a crucial crossroads in 2025: ‘sweaty’ teamplay vs. casual fun

Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing

These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre

Five new Steam games you probably missed (January 6, 2025)

I’ve seen enough: No more forcing singleplayer studios to make mediocre live service games

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals