Game:

Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (1992)

Duration: 0:00

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0

Originally recorded: January 23, 2025
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Well, it was touch-and-go for a while there, but I actually managed to finish the game in two sessions. Though, to be honest, if I hadn't started so late last time, I feel like that would've been more assured. Either way, I didn't have to go past 2AM local time, so I'll just call that a win.

I remembered hearing about the whole "Nantendo" thing in one of GTV Japan's videos awhile back, so it was pretty cool to see where the whole thing started. That being said, that one block puzzle in the Jungle dungeon blew my mind. Fortunately, the area right before that might've been the best place in the entire game to grind for money, so aside from being forced to go back to Spring Hill, my limited supply of Hot Spring Eggs didn't end up being that big of a problem. Besides, I think the interesting mechanic during the boss fight more than made up for how annoying it was to backtrack.

Meringue Glacier and Mt. Pudding were definitely some interesting sections. I think my favorite bits are just how powerful you can become on the overworld with the right conditions. Turns out, even though Scorpions and multiple centipedes like the boss from the Jungle area were roaming around, the frog can just eat them all to replenish health. It gets even more hilarious when you hire those miners and they literally just obliterate anyone you walk up to on the way back to the mine. Absolutely hilarious to just watch your new employees bum rush any guards unlucky enough to cross your path while the prince steps back to watch the carnage. And by the time you use the Mamicom to control the unfrozen mammoth, the party make-up started to remind me of Earthbound...

I was originally going to call it a night after escaping the palace with the villager's daughter, but when I quickly realized that I was on a straight shot to the end, I figured it was worth it to just keep my momentum going. Looking back, it was definitely the right decision -- ain't nobody wants to see a stream that lasts under an hour. And while it was a bummer that Dari was feeling under the weather and couldn't join me, it was pretty cool to see Bacon come in for the grand finale. That being said, it seems like what little Dari was able to see of the game just left him confused.

Some people might think that I gave this game too high of a score, but considering how I had a blast from start to finish, I feel like my decision was justified. Considering that the original Switch is about to reach the end of its tenure as Nintendo's flagship platform, it would be pretty dope if we got a budget remake in the vein of the Link's Awakening one -- if only to introduce this hidden g-I mean, cult classic to a wider audience. But honestly, I'd be fine with Nintendo just tracking down whoever made this fan translation and paying them for the rights to put it up on NSO. I still think it holds up, even 23 years later.