If you’ve ever looked at a tactical RPG and thought, “This is great, but it needs significantly more amphibians and a bear in a onesie,” then Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime is specifically targeting your psyche. I was lucky enough to play the demo and speak to the Devs at Gamescom last year, and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since.

Developed by the musical duo at Bonte Avond and published by Offbrand Games, this title is less of a traditional game and more of a fever dream directed by someone who really loves puns and early 2000s indie animation. During my playthrough I tried to explain what was going on to a friend, and midway through trying to explain vampire sledding for ladder access I had to stop because I was laughing too much. 

Heartfelt Absurdity

The game follows Bonnie Bear, a protagonist whose self-worth is currently in the basement. He’s been holed up in his treehouse for a long time, making some music but generally feeling pretty down about himself. Naturally, the only way his friends can think to fix this is to buy him a Toad Bag so they can all play Frogtime; a tactical creature battler that the entire island is obsessed with.

The tone sits somewhere right in the middle of cosy (we are saving the day through the power of friendship after all) and absolutely absurd. You’ll find yourself infiltrating beehives while disguised as a bee or defeating a huge sentient pumpkin creature in Frogtime for its sugary cake, all while the game gently pokes at the importance of community.

The key plot is to save your friend Ann, who accidentally got stuck in a trans-dimensional sea shell, and also Frogtime by gathering 4 magical shells from around the world. Whilst you’re on your quest you’ll make new friends, play a variety of musical instruments in a lot of different musical numbers, and of course challenge and defeat the denizens of the world at Frogtime. 

Tactical… Toads?

At its core, Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime revolves around “Frogtime” battles. You start with some basic Frogs in your Toad Bag, that can jump over each other and sometimes lick others to push them around the board. But very quickly you’ll realise your starter set isn’t enough to take down tougher opponents. Off to the Frog shop to buy some Booster Eggs and upgrade your team. 

Your Toad Bag holds 8 frogs, and you need to bin one to add any more on top of that. I think it would have been nice to be able to build more than one team that you could potentially choose between – some of the later fights can be a little tricky if your roster doesn’t have a good counter to their particular gimmick. The good news is that you can always retry a battle, as all you lose on defeat is a little bit self worth (ouch). 

I really enjoyed the Frogtime battles – as more and more unique mechanics get added (Squeakers that dash forward and gain points as they run; Flyer frogs that hover over rows of other frogs and, ones that gain damage by eating flies or double jumping) there’s a huge amount of variety to how you tackle battles. I’m sure my final Toad Bag will look completely different to any other players. The ones later in the game get rather tough also, so make sure you stock up on more powerful frogs as you travel from place to place.

In fact I’m 100% certain it will, because you can also find and purchase hats for your frogs, so your rocket launcher wielding Ribbit can have a pirate hat, or your Squeaker can have a birthday hat. It’s clear that the devs had a huge amount of time thinking up all the wacky mechanics for the battle system, and the designs for your amphibian friends.  

The “Improv” Charm

As you travel throughout the ridiculous locations of Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime looking for more challengers(and obviously trying to save Frogtime) you’ll run into a fantastic cast of characters. Many of which have their own theme songs, or just fancy a bit of a musical number. Since the developers are musicians first, the soundtrack is stellar – filled with catchy, lo-fi, and acoustic tracks alongside the absurd musical numbers Bonnie Bear is invited to play in. The voice acting is a major selling point, featuring creators like Ludwig, Lilypichu, CDawgVA, and Ironmouse alongside the devs themselves voicing a big portion of the cast.

And the coolest part of the devs and creators coming together to bring all these weird little guys to life? They kept the “mishaps” in. You’ll hear voice actors break character, laugh, or trip over lines, which adds to the slightly unhinged feel of the world. It feels like a project made by friends, for friends – very fitting when we’re saving the world (or maybe just Frogtime) through the power of friendship.

Final Thoughts

Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime is a refreshing palette cleanser. It’s a game that doesn’t take itself seriously but takes its message of self-love very seriously. The Frogtime battle mechanics are surprisingly deep and I’m very excited to keep pulling from Booster Eggs to try and get a super rare Colossal Frog and make it to the top of the Battle Tower. It’s weird, it’s musical, and it’s deeply charming.

Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime was reviewed on PC, and is Steam Deck compatible. The game releases on the 16th of March for PC. Gamer Social Club would like to thank the Devs and Publisher for the code.