There is certainly no shortage of 2D platformers, and a new game in the genre needs more than a cute protagonist and a colorful world to make an impression. WoodRunner Games’ Croak at least has a rather compelling answer to that challenge: give its Frog Prince a tongue that can be used as a grappling tool, a launch mechanism and, when the circumstances are right, a way to turn the character into a living pinball. Combined with a beautifully animated visual style and compact challenges that reward precision without becoming needlessly punishing, Croak is already shaping up to be an appealing addition to the platforming genre.
What we know
Croak is a fast-paced 2D platformer in which players take control of a Frog Prince attempting to save his kingdom after it has been placed under a curse. His transformation into a frog may not sound particularly useful for a royal hero, but the character’s tongue provides the central gameplay mechanic. It can be used to grapple onto surfaces and climb, launch the frog away from objects and, by holding the appropriate input, bounce repeatedly between surfaces. The result is a movement system that combines traditional jumping with grappling and momentum-based traversal, with the intention of being straightforward to understand while offering considerable room for mastery.
The adventure takes the Frog Prince through a variety of swampy environments and eventually into the strange festivities of the Feast Fair, an area controlled by the witch responsible for the curse. Along the way, players will encounter environmental puzzles, hidden secrets, smaller challenges and boss encounters. The game is built around relatively contained levels rather than a sprawling Metroidvania-style world, with the emphasis instead placed on figuring out how to use the available movement abilities to get through each individual challenge. New environmental interactions are introduced as the adventure progresses, expanding what can be done with the core mechanics without fundamentally abandoning the tongue-based foundation.
Visually, Croak uses traditional frame-by-frame 2D animation, giving its characters a particularly fluid and exaggerated appearance. The game’s animation team includes artists with experience on projects such as Cuphead and Rick and Morty, which is reflected in the squash-and-stretch character designs and deliberately cartoonish presentation. Croak is currently planned for release on PC in 2026, although a specific release date has not yet been announced.
What we saw
Our preview began with a demo build of Croak that we played during Gamescom, where we also had the opportunity to meet producer Max Petroff. Following the show, we were able to spend additional time with an extended build, providing a better look at how the platforming develops beyond the initial demo and giving us more opportunity to get to grips with the game’s movement, challenges and overall presentation.
What we thought
The first thing that becomes apparent when playing Croak is that the tongue mechanic is more than a novelty attached to a conventional platformer. The Frog Prince can jump normally, but using the tongue changes how he approaches virtually every obstacle. A short input can latch onto a nearby surface and pull him towards it, while holding the button allows him to launch away and maintain momentum. With two suitable surfaces opposite one another, the frog can effectively pinball between them, turning what initially appears to be a simple grappling mechanic into a surprisingly flexible movement system. It is intuitive enough to understand quickly, but getting the timing and positioning right takes practice.
That is particularly important because Croak can be challenging, but so far it rarely feels unfair. Some jumps require quick reactions, while others are more concerned with understanding the route through a compact puzzle, and mistakes can happen when momentum carries the Frog Prince further than expected. The controls generally make it clear that the error lies with the player rather than the game, however, and there is a satisfying feeling of improvement as previously awkward manoeuvres start becoming second nature. The small-scale structure of the challenges also works in its favor: rather than making a single mistake feel like it has wasted a substantial amount of progress, Croak encourages repeated attempts and experimentation. Players looking for a serious precision-platforming challenge should find plenty to engage with, while the game remains approachable enough that it doesn’t immediately cross into frustration.
There is also a sense that the tongue mechanic has been used as a foundation rather than an excuse to repeat the same obstacle over and over. Environmental hazards, movable objects and changing platform behaviour introduce new considerations, while later ideas appear designed to make players reconsider how they use the same basic abilities. The result is still recognisably a precision platformer, and there is a certain familiarity to the structure if you’ve spent time with games such as Celeste or Super Meat Boy, but Croak does enough with its central mechanic to avoid feeling like a straightforward imitation. The boss encounters add another welcome change of pace, with oversized, deliberately silly opponents requiring players to learn attack patterns and find opportunities to strike.
The biggest differentiator, though, may be the presentation. Croak looks wonderful, with hand-drawn animation that gives even the most basic movements considerably more character than they would have in a more conventional 2D platformer. The Frog Prince’s rounded design and exaggerated animations make him immediately likeable, while the enemies and environments benefit from the same playful artistic direction. The animation also serves the gameplay, making movement feel more physical and satisfying as the character stretches, squashes and rebounds around the environment. An upbeat soundtrack complements that energetic presentation without overpowering it. There are still questions about how much variety the full game will maintain across its levels, and some of the basic platforming ingredients are familiar, but the combination of accessible precision gameplay and distinctive animation gives Croak a strong identity. Based on the extended build, this is a frog worth keeping an eye on when it hops onto PC in 2026.