Travel Frog is a cute Japanese game that has become a hit in China. The game lets players own a little green frog that lives in a hut, where it eats, writes, reads, and sharpens its pencil. Players can collect clovers, the primary currency in the game, in the frog's garden. However, players have very little control over the frog, which frequently leaves its home and travels around Japan on a whim. Players can only prepare food, tools, and amulets for the wandering frog. The game has been well-received for its low-maintenance gameplay, sending players on a heartwarming journey as they nurture their frog and help it prepare for adventures.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Game name | Travel Frog |
Original name | Tabikaeru |
Developer | Hit-Point |
Genre | Virtual pet game |
Game type | Free-roaming |
Language | Japanese |
Platforms | Apple's App Store, Google Play |
In-app purchases? | Yes |
Currency | Clovers |
Player control | Minimal |
Player interaction | Minimal |
Player agency | Preparing food, tools and amulets for the frog |
What You'll Learn
- Travel Frog is a cute Japanese game that has become popular in China
- The game lets players own a little green frog that lives in a hut
- Players can collect clover, the primary currency in the game, from the frog's garden
- Players have very little control of the frog, which frequently leaves its home and travels around Japan
- Players can only prepare food, tools and amulets for the wandering frog
Travel Frog is a cute Japanese game that has become popular in China
Travel Frog is a mobile game that has become popular in China, despite being available only in Japanese. The game was developed by Japanese company Hit-Point and was originally called Tabikaeru. In the game, players own a cute little green frog that lives in a hut, where it eats, writes, reads, and sharpens its pencil. Players can collect clovers, the primary currency in the game, in the frog's garden to buy supplies for its journeys.
The most curious feature of the game is that players have very little control over the frog. It frequently leaves its home and travels around Japan on a whim, and players never know when the frog sets off, when it will return, or what it will bring back. The frog might send postcards, clovers, souvenirs, or do nothing at all. Players can only prepare food, tools, and amulets for the wandering frog.
The game has topped the charts in the free game category in Apple's App Store in China and has been downloaded more than 3.9 million times since its launch. Its popularity may be due to its slow and relaxing nature, which taps into the trend among younger generations in China to search out 'Zen-like' activities. The game also has a connection to child-rearing, as players have to pack the frog's lunch before it leaves on a trip, and the Chinese word for "frog" is a homophone for a word for "baby."
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The game lets players own a little green frog that lives in a hut
The game Travel Frog lets players own a little green frog that lives in a hut. The frog has its own personality and habits, and players can prepare food, tools and amulets for it before it sets off on its travels. The frog spends time at home studying, playing, eating, writing, reading, and sharpening its pencil. It sometimes dozes over books. Players can collect clover, the primary currency in the game, from the garden to purchase food and equipment for the frog.
The frog frequently leaves its home and travels around Japan on a whim. Players cannot control or interact with the frog during its journey, and it can be away for up to four days. The only connection players have with the frog during its travels is through postcards, souvenirs, and photos that it sends from its adventures. The game is simple and low-pressure, with carefully designed graphics, and has become popular in China, where it has been downloaded millions of times.
The appeal of the game lies in its unpredictability and the sense of parenthood it provides. Players do not know when the frog will leave, where it will go, or what it will bring back, creating an element of surprise. The frog's independence and the lack of control given to the player also evoke a feeling of parenthood, as players wait for their "frog son" to return home. The game has been described as a break from everyday life and a way to kill time, with some players creating groups to share feelings of parenthood while waiting for their frogs to return.
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Players can collect clover, the primary currency in the game, from the frog's garden
In the game Travel Frog, players can collect three-leaf clovers from the frog's garden. This is the primary currency in the game. Players can collect 20 clovers once every three hours by swiping across the garden. Alternatively, players can purchase clovers with real money.
Clovers can be used to buy items from the shop. Players are prompted to collect clovers and then to go to the shop to buy a grape scone for their frog's first journey. Players can also collect four-leaf clovers, which can be used as amulets on journeys rather than as currency.
The game's tutorial prompts players to collect clovers, buy a snack for their frog, and equip the frog with the snack and a four-leaf clover. Players then need to restart the app for their frog to go on its first journey.
Clovers can also be used to play the lottery. Players can get lottery tickets from journeys and from visitors. It costs five tickets for one spin.
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Players have very little control of the frog, which frequently leaves its home and travels around Japan
The Travel Frog game, developed by Japanese company Hit-Point, lets players own a cute little green frog that lives in a hut. While at home, the frog eats, writes, reads, and sharpens its pencil, sometimes dozing over books. Players can collect the primary in-game currency, clover, by swiping across the garden every three hours. However, the most intriguing aspect of the game is the player's lack of control over the frog.
The frog in the Travel Frog game frequently leaves its home and travels around Japan on a whim. Players have no way to control or interact with the frog and never know when it sets off, when it will return, or what it will bring back. The frog may be gone for a few hours or as long as four days. During its travels, the frog might send postcards, clovers, and souvenirs to the player, or it might not bring anything back at all.
The only thing players can do is prepare food, tools, and amulets for their frog before it departs on its journeys. This dynamic has led some players to compare their relationship with the frog to that of a parent with their child, with the game providing a glimpse into the anxieties and uncertainties of parenthood. The game's mechanic of not being able to control the frog has also been interpreted as a philosophical lesson about letting go and surrendering control, reflecting a "Zen youth" or minimalist lifestyle embraced by some millennials.
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Players can only prepare food, tools and amulets for the wandering frog
The Travel Frog game, developed by Japanese company Hit-Point, is a simple game where players own a cute little green frog that lives in a hut. The frog eats, writes, reads, and sharpens pencils, and sometimes dozes over books. Players can collect clover, the primary currency in the game, from the frog's garden. However, players have very little control over the frog, as it frequently leaves its home to travel around Japan on a whim. The only thing players can do is prepare food, tools, and amulets for the wandering frog.
Players can prepare food for the frog by collecting clover from the garden. Every three hours, players can swipe across the garden to collect 20 clovers, or they can choose to buy them with real money. The food can also be used to feed visitors, such as snails and bees, who come to the player's doorstep. Depending on the food given, players will receive different amounts of rewards, such as clover leaves or lottery tickets.
In addition to food, players can also prepare tools and amulets for the frog. These items can be souvenirs that the frog brings back from its journeys, and they can increase the chance of the frog visiting certain areas. Some examples of tools and amulets include chestnuts, tea leaves, five-colour beans, milk, rice, and amulets with special powers.
By preparing food, tools, and amulets, players can ensure that their frog has the necessary provisions for its travels and can increase the chances of receiving rewards and souvenirs from their adventures.
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Frequently asked questions
Travel Frog is a Japanese game that lets players own a cute little green frog that lives in a hut. The frog eats, writes, reads, and sharpens its pencil. Players can collect clovers, the primary currency in the game, in the frog's garden. Players have very little control over the frog, which frequently leaves its home and travels around Japan.
Players can prepare food, tools, and amulets for the wandering frog. They can also collect clovers in the frog's garden, buy them with real money, or receive them from the frog as souvenirs.
"It really suits the post-90s generation, because we are overwhelmed with work," said 27-year-old Shen to the BBC. The game has also been linked to "toad worship", the fandom around former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who has earned the nickname "toad".
The game is easy to play despite the language barrier as it is only available in Japanese. Players can collect clovers in the frog's garden by swiping across the garden or buying them with real money. They can also prepare food, tools, and amulets for the frog and send it on trips.