Tadpole Treble Encore starts off as most things do: at the beginning. You emerge from an egg into your home pond, greeted by your mother, and sent swimming on your way. Our amphibious hero Beta goes a bit too far and ends up on an endearingly fun adventure to return home that initially can feel a bit bland due to the simple gameplay, but will end up winning you over with its self-aware humor and a soundtrack that truly slaps.
Three Trick Tadpole
Up, down, and a slap of the tail. That’s all it takes to guide Baton through the 2-3 hour campaign. While this simple gameplay is pretty accessible to just about anyone, it can also leave you feeling a bit underwhelmed. The Rhythm aspect of the gameplay is there, but it’s pretty easily overlooked, especially during the first part of the game as you’re getting used to the timing of Baton’s movement.
You’ll likely disregard the tempo of the music and rush through the gaps in the black notes you’re trying to avoid while you try and collect the pink bubbles and sparkles your frog mother mysteriously advised you to collect. After you get a feel for things, you’ll start to feel the movement of the song in the placement of these optional collectibles. Sliding up a few rows of the music bar along a diagonal of bubbles will line up nicely with a trill of the clarinet. Bouncing back and forth between pink glitter will match the flutter of a flute.
This doesn’t always line up as nicely as it could have though, and these moments of harmony were fewer and farther between than I would have liked. The bamboo sticks and cymbals, however, almost always give a satisfying slap as you flip little baton around, sometimes getting sent up into the air for an out of water combo that boosts your score multiplier.
Each level will give you a medal based on your score, which is determined by the number of bubbles you collect and the amount of health you lose. You probably won’t notice this too much, however, as the real beauty of this game isn’t in the precise avoiding of obstacles, but in what’s going on around you as you swim through the levels.
Partway through the game, you come across a cheerfully chunky frog that reveals the purpose of the pink bubbles and glitter you’ve been collecting as well as a new challenge fly collectible that unlocks after you complete a secret quest unique to each level. In addition to this, however, the frog provides some pretty funny and self-aware dialogue that you’ll no doubt enjoy.
Harmony and Humor
This is a funny game. Yes, it does look like a children’s cartoon, but there are moments that will make even the toughest of tough guys giggle. A particularly funny level is one of the early stages where a fellow tadpole happens upon you and professes his love to you through song. The lyrics, deep voice, and upbeat music are just on the nose enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face and endear you to Baton even more.
Another great level towards the end takes on a western theme. It’s especially full of cymbals, which means that Baton is frequently flipping up into the air to the beat of a thunderously exciting tune that makes the simple gameplay feel intense. The end result is you as a player laughing at yourself and the situation sliding by on your screen.
There are more levels and characters that have funny dialogue and interactions with our tadpole protagonist, including what I’m pretty sure was a reference to the first x-men movie involving toads and lightning…
Tadpole Treble Encore also sports a composition mode that lets you build your own level; bubbles, music, and all. It’s a cool feature that I’m glad exists, but it was clearly built for use by someone on a PC. It has touch control functionality, but when you compare it to something like Mario Maker, it feels tedious. There are some little functionalities that would have made it much more usable, such as being able to slide notes around after they’re placed or being able to choose the intervals at which the notes snap into place.
The (w)rap…
Overall, the game’s charm and humor are what make it memorable. With regards to gameplay, there’s a lot going on that has potential but ultimately falls a bit behind due to it feeling unrefined. However, if you choose to join Baton on his journey home, you’re sure to enjoy a few laughs and keep a catchy tune or two stuck in your head as a souvenir.
Tadpole Treble Encore was provided for review.
