Life, Death and the Afterlife in Frogger 2: Threedeep – Beyond the Pond

I cannot say that I was a big fan of Frogger 2: Threedeep – Beyond the Pond when it came out. I am not sure why, maybe I was just all Frogger’d out by the time it was released. Well, whatever the reason, it has taken me a while to appreciate the game mechanics and of course the not-so-cloaked allegory for frog birth-death cycle found in the game.

The first thing you will notice when playing is that gaming mechanics have not changed from the original Frogger. What you will notice is that the various levels have changed (in looks) and they match really well with the frog life cycle.

You start below water and make your way across the bottoms of some brightly lit pond. Succeed and will reach the surface!

On the surface of the water, you swim to your little berth on the far side of the pond all the while dodging critters and other moving objects (just like the first level). If you need a visual, picture old Frogger, but with more animals instead of cars. If you succeed in crossing you move on to the last level.

In the final level, you have died and must ascend skyward into Froggy heaven. If you succeed you will sit upon a puffy cloud where the air is moist and the sky is dense with fat juicy flies. If you fail you will roast in a pit. Damned for all froggy eternity to try and cross a busy road.