DevFrog is working on Frog Island, a cozy game focused on the beloved amphibian, and hopes to release the game in summer 2025 (although it could be pushed to later). It is a hand-drawn, relaxing cozy game that sees players taking care of frogs on an island. Players can farm, fish, and make friends with various magical frogs, all while trying to find a way off the island.
From the challenges faced during development to the game’s music selection, DevFrog offers an insight into many of Frog Island‘s core elements in a Game Rant interview. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
The Development Journey of Frog Island
Q: Frog Island is your first official game. What made you choose to enter the world of video game development?
A: I’ve always really loved simple cozy games. I used to play (and still do from time to time) Neko Atsume religiously with my friends back when I was in high school, a cute and cozy kitty collection game developed by Hit Point where you can feed and take care of cats. The fact that it was so easy to pick up and play on the go, with no pressure at all, made it a very enjoyable game for me.
Although I appreciated the simplicity of the game, I couldn’t help but want “more”. What if there were more areas to explore? More things to do? So then I thought, hey, why don’t I just make my own little collecting game with all the features I’d like to see in a game? And that’s basically it!
Q: What appealed to you the most about making a cozy frog-themed game?
A: I don’t think there was any specific reason I chose frogs as the main creature in my collection game, but maybe subconsciously it was because I’ve taken care of frogs in the past! I live by a boggy creeky area where I find frogs in my backyard almost every day, so I’m always catching them and putting them back in the ponds in nearby forests. But besides that, frogs are just so cute and squishy and round and adorable. Who doesn’t love frogs?
Q: Did making any typical cozy game feature through the lens of a game based on Frogs present any fun opportunities or challenges?
A: Absolutely. One of the most fun challenges was reimagining cozy game staples like farming, cooking, and fishing, from a diegetic gameplay perspective—where the game’s mechanics are integrated into the world itself rather than relying on traditional UI elements.
For example, the cooking system involves dragging and dropping ingredients into a pot and adjusting the fire. The cookbook is an actual book where you can flip the pages to see all of your recipes. Collecting frog gifts involves tearing paper slips to receive coins and gems.
Overall, designing these systems was both challenging and incredibly rewarding. It pushed me to think outside the box and find ways to make every interaction feel natural and immersive within Frog Island.
Q: Looking back on its development, do any major breakthroughs or memories stand out to you?
A: One major breakthrough was nailing the art style. Early on, I struggled to balance the hand-drawn aesthetic with my own technical limitations of art and game development. When I finally found the right balance, it felt like the game truly came to life. Even today, I’m still improving my art skills and refining my art style with every sprite I draw. It’s incredibly rewarding to see your art evolve throughout the years and see how far you’ve come.
Q: Frog Island has lots of cozy features such as cooking and farming abilities. Can you walk us through the intended gameplay loop of Frog Island?
A: At its heart, Frog Island is about creating a peaceful, immersive experience where players can unwind, take care of cute frogs, explore, and connect with a world that feels alive.
The core gameplay loop revolves around your tasks as the caretaker of Frog Island:
- Attracting and Caring for Frogs: As the island’s caretaker, you’ll be tasked with making the frogs feel at home. You’ll craft bug jars to lure them in and place cute and cozy toys to keep them relaxed. Each frog has its own toy and food preferences, so part of the fun is discovering the perfect combo to find out what makes them happiest!
- Collecting Gifts: Happy frogs will show their gratitude by leaving behind small tokens of appreciation. They’re key to unlocking new areas and toys, crafting recipes, and discovering more about the island’s secrets.
- Exploration and Secrets: Beyond your caretaker duties, Frog Island is brimming with areas to explore and secrets to uncover. You can try your hand at farming, discover new recipes in the kitchen, catch fish, or even catch rare bugs. And yes, you can even gamble.
- Open-ended Freedom: There is also no pressure to complete any real goals in any timeframe, as the game is very open-ended. You are stranded on this island after all! Whether you want to spend your days fishing by the pond, decorating your island, or simply checking up on your frogs, the choice is yours.
Q: Frog Island is a hand-drawn game with lots of small details like the moving tree in the background of the cozy store. Are there any small details that you want to point out to players?
A: Glad you noticed! There are tons of little details that I’ve added, like lilypad ripples in the water, leaves falling from shaking trees and foliage, frogs breathing and idling, and the subtle swaying movements of vines, ropes, and hanging decorations. I have plans to add lots more and make the game feel as immersive as possible for players.
Q: The music in Frog Island is soothing and relaxing. What was the process behind selecting the music for the game?
A: I think music is one of if not, the most important aspects of a game. It can really amplify feelings and emotions tenfold, which is something I wanted to convey through the music in Frog Island. I hope that using instruments like soft padded pianos and a natural ambiance will allow players to fully immerse themselves in the game.
I have plans to add dynamic music to the game, which is something I’ve always thought was really cool. For example, having the music go from warm and inviting during the daytime to calm and subtle at night is something I really want to implement, as it creates a seamless experience that doesn’t interrupt the gameflow while also creating unique, suitable tracks for appropriate moments in the game.
I’ve also had the privilege of hosting a music contest where a few extremely talented people submitted songs to be added as CD disks to Frog Island! It’s always a pleasure and honor to see all the amazing things this community is able to create.
Iterating on Frog Island
Q: After completing most of the core elements of the game, you went back to overhaul a few features. How does the cooking and cookbook overhaul compare to the previous versions?
A: The cooking system was a very challenging system to implement, both in terms of functionality and visuals. I created the first iteration of the cooking system back in 2023 when I was still very new to game development and refining my art style. The art was, frankly, very bad, the UI was obstructive and unintuitive, and everything was very buggy. Apparently, I also did not know how to draw a symmetrical cooking pot! But it’s all part of the learning process.
Fast-forward to today, and the cooking system has seen a complete overhaul. The cooking pot is now located in the center of the screen, giving it more of a focus for the player. The clunky inventory is gone, replaced with something less cluttered, and the visuals have been updated as well; both background, foreground, and items.
Q: What feature has required the most iteration so far?
A: Definitely the Frog Spawning and Frog Interaction features. I think I’ve had to iterate it about 3 times now. And by the looks of it, I’ll have to iterate it again down the line once I start closed-beta testing and receive valuable player feedback.
Balancing frog spawning in an idle game like Frog Island has been a unique challenge. The goal was to create a system where frogs feel like they’re naturally visiting the island throughout the player’s day without overwhelming them or making the world feel empty.
I don’t want to bore you with the technicalities, but for now, frogs are able to visit your island both when the app is open and closed, something that differs from the likes of Neko Atsume, where you’re required to close the app to spawn cats. I hope that this will encourage players to play the game more, while also not putting pressure to have the game open for frogs to spawn.
Frog interactions have also seen many changes throughout development. Initially, they appeared as thought bubbles over the frog’s head, corresponding to a specific action the player had to do, like feeding the frog or patting it. Now, players can independently interact with each frog, with no limitation on the number of interactions. So now, you can give each frog head pats and feed them yummy foods.
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