Looking at Super Jagger Bomb, A Frog’s Job and Letterbox by POWGI, we’re checking out a trio of indie game releases from smaller studios today – all of which received multi-platform releases recently.
Super Jagger Bomb review (PS4)
The second we saw screenshots for Super Jagger Bomb, released for pretty much all systems by Eastasiasoft, we realized where it has gotten its inspiration from. The game, developed by CheapeeSoft Games, is a clear clone of the 1980s classic Bomb Jack. Not having played that one in many years, we were eager to fire this one up on a PlayStation 4.
While Bomb Jack was originally an arcade game, released in 1984, it became widely popular due to its home computer versions launched in the following years. I personally played it quite a lot on the Atari ST, and remember playing it on a Commodore 64 as well. Its formula of jumping around a screen evading enemies and collecting bombs, preferably in the right order for additional points, is exactly what you can expect from Super Jagger Bomb Almost forty years later.
There are a few minor differences here, but none are big enough to distract you from the fact that this is a clone of a classic. They’re not necessarily improvements though, and we found the fact that levels are slightly larger than the original’s single screen setup to be a bit distracting. It doesn’t help you to elegantly plan your way to the next bomb, even though Super Jagger Bomb adds a wayfinder-like indication of what your path should be.
Other changes include the ability to crouch, but this is rarely used – and the controls generally feel more floaty than they should be. Combine that with generic visuals, and Super Jagger Bomb feels like one of those Public Domain titles released on floppy disks back in the day. That’s not a bad thing per se, but as a game that’s too easy to provide an arcade-like challenge this merely scratches that Bomb Jack itch in a rather superficial way. You get an easy two platinums on PlayStation though, so at least there’s that.
A Frog’s Job review (PS4)
Developed by 9Ratones and published by Ratalaika for all systems, A Frog’s Job is an indie puzzle platformer with a bit of a spooky edge to it. Granted the power to temporarily freeze time, you’d a frog/grim reaper hybrid who travels through four different game worlds in order to save the lost souls of 40 frogs while overcoming puzzles.
A Frog’s Job looks like a generic little platformer with retro visuals, but it does feature a 2.5D effect that makes it look a little different from other games in the genre – though it still distinctly feels like a 2D title. So while it’s not unique, it’s the ability to stop time that makes the game stand out – though most of the puzzles here are of the casual variety. In many cases, you’ll find moving objects, and you’ll use your ability to freeze time and provide a path across to the exit. Platforming sections include hazards and enemies as well, so there’s a bit of combat to be found as well.
Without unlockable content or leaderboards, this is the type of game you’re probably only going to play once, but we had a fun time doing so. More of a palette cleanser than anything else, this is a puzzle platformer that’s fun to play for an evening – and if you wanted to do it again there’s a second platinum trophy for completing the PS5 version as well, if you started with the PS4 one (or vice versa).
Letterbox by POWGI review (PS4)
Back in the PlayStation Vita days, the word games by Lightwood were some of our most popular titles to take on the go, with over 100 word puzzles that were great to tackle when you only had a few minutes to play here and there. They return with Letterbox by POWGI, which is a refreshingly different take on word puzzles within their POWGI line of games.
Not all is new though, as you still get a fun and often clever “dad joke” or pun at the end of each level, loosely based on the word(s) you were just playing around with. The visual aesthetic is also quite familiar, as is the music and our old friend, the POWGI dog – who deserves and probably has a better name than that.
The actual puzzle concept revolves around nine letter words that you have to use to fill in three by three grids, placing each letter in the correct spot. How to determine what goes where is done by the letters on each side of all rows and columns, which help you make six five-letter words when all are in the right spot. It’s a clever concept, and word puzzle fans will appreciate the work that clearly went into designing these.
Letterbox is fun to play, though often a bit on the easy side because of the nature of the puzzles. If you can guess at least one of the six words, the rest often follows naturally. That makes it a good way to spend a few minutes here and there, but it also meant that we went through all of the 120 puzzles quicker than we wanted to. It’s fun and POWGI fans will want to play it, but it’s not as rewarding or long-lasting as some of the other games in this series.
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