There are some things that I expect to see a lot of at indie game showcases. There will be lots of games that feature cats, and farming games will be plentiful. I also expect a lot of pastel colors, pixel art, cottagecore aesthetics, and bubbly-looking fonts.
But occasionally, there are trends that take me completely by surprise. For example, based on what was shown at various game presentations in the totally-not-E3-2022 event, it seems the indie gaming scene is being flooded with bears and frogs. I don’t really know why those two particular animals are in the spotlight right now, but they’re getting a whole lot of love right now.
It’s mostly frogs, actually. In fact, we counted four frogs just on one of the Wholesome Direct shirts (the one on the left).
And this comes hot on the heels of Minecraft‘s Wild Update, which added blocky little frogs to Minecraft.
So I put together a list of games from Summer Game Fest 2022 that feature frogs and/or bears. Despite how bulky this list is, I’m pretty sure I’ve missed some.
River Tails: Stronger Together
Okay, so this one’s not really about frogs or bears (you play as either a cat or a fish), but the River Tails: Stronger Together trailer opens with a shot of a frog on a lily pad. And then it shows what looks like a boss battle against a giant frog.
Paradise Marsh
Paradise Marsh is described as “A short contemplative game about catching frogs and restoring stars in the sky.” And apparently, even the aforementioned stars form constellations that look like frogs.
A Frog’s Tale
A Frog’s Tale is a pixel-art RPG that looks absolutely incredible. This one just launched a Kickstarter campaign, so fans of the greenest critters should back it to make sure this froggy little game gets the love it deserves.
Frogun
What if you had a pet frog that was also a gun? Frogun attempts to answer that question, with a visual style that can only be described as “Who else remembers the PSOne?”
SCHiM
SCHiM is a game where you play as a spirit that has to hop from shadow to shadow in a gorgeous, hand-drawn-style world. While not technically a frog, the playable spirit takes the shape of one.
Time on Frog Island
Time on Frog Island isn’t about a frog at all, but it does have the word Frog in the title, so I guess it kind of counts. You can read my colleague Julian’s article about the game here.
OllieFrog Toad Skater
Olliefrog Toad Skater is a skateboarding game where you play as a frog. This is another one that’s currently live on Kickstarter, so skate your way over there and give it some love — and, of course, perform some sick flip tricks on the way!
Kitori Academy
Kitori Academy has some serious Harry Potter vibes, but the headmaster of your magic school is a frog!
Paper Animal RPG
Paper Animal RPG features a whole bunch of different pixelated animals, and one of them is a frog. I didn’t see any bears in the trailer, but I’m not ready to rule them out — a bear character seems inevitable in a game like this.
Spirit Swap
Spirit Swap is a match-3-style game with a narrative that seems to revolve around witches. One of those witches is named Samar, and she has a pet that looks like a frog or a toad or something.
Anger Foot
This one is maybe a bit of a stretch, but in Anger Foot, you play as something that’s green and amphibious-looking. Is it a frog? I can’t say for sure, but at this point, I’ve got frogs on the brain, so I’m seeing them pretty much everywhere.
Pine Hearts
If you blink at the right moment, you might completely miss the fact that Pine Hearts features a frog on its map.
Love, Ghostie
I have no idea what’s going on in Love, Ghostie, but I do know there is a frog in the teaser we saw at the Wholesome Direct.
Bear and Breakfast
What if you ran a bed and breakfast, but you were also a bear? That is the premise of the appropriately named Bear and Breakfast.
Little Bear Chef
In Little Bear Chef, you play as one of those little bear-shaped honey containers, and you have to cook delicious food.
Petit Island
While Petit Island is super early in development still, it does apparently feature a bear named Pete.
Lumbearjack
In Lumbearjack, you play as an adorable ecoterrorist who also happens to be a bear. Neat!
Alaskan Truck Simulator
While it’s the frogs that are definitely hogging most of the attention in these games, Alaskan Truck Simulator did prominently feature a bear painted onto a truck. So that’s not nothing!
