Once Upon a Croak gives you control of a frog who’s swallowed a big old orb, and honestly, if you need anything else to sell you on the whole concept, then frankly, we’re a little disappointed in you. Just in case you’re still here, though, it’s also free, short, and full of charm.
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Once Upon a Croak is around 20 minutes long and has you rolling, swinging, and smashing your way through various obstacles as you collect little glowing bugs, crown pieces, and a couple of suspiciously familiar fairy tale artifacts like some glass slippers. Also, again, it’s free and is also part of a collection of games that you can go through on Itch.io. When we say you can go through it, we mean you should go through it because it’s a really interesting side of the games industry that not many people see.
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It was made as part of a DADIU production, which is The National Academy of Digital Interactive Entertainment based in Copenhagen and Aalborg. Basically, it’s a really cool program that has students from different universities and art schools in Denmark teaming up to create cool things. If you’re thinking, “I like cool things,” then you’ll be glad to know that you can check them out right now.
Aside from being a glimpse into the future of what could end up being some big-name game designers, it’s also just a nice chance to try out some neat games in different genres and art styles, all of which were created over just three months. In that time, the teams had to create three games, with one of those being the main one submitted. The whole thing ends with all of the games being shown off on a stage, which gives the students a chance to present what they’ve made.
