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Demo for The Frogs lets players look before they leap

At first glance you'd certainly be forgiven for thinking The Frogs was another game in Joe Richardson's series of Renaissance-themed adventures (Four Last Things and its sequels), but while it may look similar, the upcoming point-and-click adventure by indie developer Michael Wells tells a much different story in an entirely different era altogether. 

Based on the play of the same name by Aristophanes, The Frogs tells the tale of the Greek god Dionysus, who is fed up with the quality of Athenian poets and tragedians following the recent death of Euripides. No amount of petty mischief is able to cheer him up, so with help from his slave Xanthias, Dionysus decides he must set sail and descend to Hades to bring "the stars of his youth" back from the dead. The path is fraught with peril, however, and with "a chorus of frogs mocking him along the way," the pair will have to contend with "ancient ones from the dark depths, angry gods, a war with the Persians, stormy seas and salty captains, a town oddly obsessed with demons, and two little girls whose crazed followers will murder in their names," to name just a few of the many ostacles they'll encounter.

Surprisingly given its subject matter, instead of presenting a serious drama with a decidedly ancient Greek aesthetic, this game promises a "hodgepodge of ancient wit, Pythonesque animation, Renaissance artwork, and public domain classical music all wrapped up in a ball of irreverent humor." There will be plenty of people to talk to in your travels, inviting a host of "awful puns" in conversation, as well as a variety of puzzles to solve with multiple solutions. Choices matter too, as you "may find some options more ethical than others and once you get to the underworld, who knows what judgment may follow based on your decisions."

Though the full version of The Frogs isn't due out until sometime later this year, you can check it out right away through the playable demo available now on Steam.

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