Why are indie games obsessed with frogs and witches? Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Why are indie games obsessed with frogs and witches? Hopping mad. News by Ed Nightingale News reporter Published on 17 Jun 2022 14 comments Judging by some of the biggest showcases over this summer of gaming, space horror and guns are at the forefront of many AAA games. Yet at the other end of the spectrum, indie games currently have an obsession with frogs and witches. But why? What is it about frogs and witches? Watch on YouTube Eurogamer Newscast: Was Starfield really a disappointment? The Wholesome Direct in particular was chock full of the little green critters and spellcasters. Paper Animal RPG is a cute riff on Paper Mario; Schim is a clever puzzle game about a frog-esque shadow creature hopping through shadows; A Frog's Tale is an adorable turn-based pixel RPG. Then there's Olliefrog Toad Skater, Frogun, and Paradise Marsh. Watch on YouTube Witches were even more prevalent: Potion Permit, Spirit Swap, Tiny Witch, Harmony's Odyssey, Garden Witch Life, Mika and The Witch's Mountain, Critter Crops, Potion Prodigy, Kitori Academy. Elsewhere plenty more frogs and witches were on show. The PC Gaming Show had Potion Craft; Team 17 showed The Knight Witch; Guerilla Collective had Spells & Secrets, Time on Frog Island, and Witch Strandings. Watch on YouTube Devolver only showed off a handful of games, but it still ticked the boxes. The Plucky Squire includes a witch character in its fantasy adventure, Anger Foot's protagonist looks suspiciously like a Battle Toad, and Cult of the Lambs has it all: frogs, cats, and evil witchcraft, even if it's that fluffy lamb taking centre stage. All of that on top of other games coming soon that weren't shown: Chucklefish's Witchbrook, and the recently released Little Witch In The Woods, for instance. There are probably far more than this too, hidden away. Presumably many of these witch games will feature frogs too - we all know frogs belong in a cauldron. Watch on YouTube What's more, many of these games - and others, usually featuring cats - are farming and life sims. Now, it's hard to blame indie devs for taking what already works and putting their own spin on things. The monumental success of games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley are certainly making their impact clear. There's also the matter of the forthcoming Hogwarts Legacy. The inevitable success of that is bringing a wave of indie imitators, many of which are purposefully bringing inclusive characters to their games in the wake of JK Rowling's controversial views. But frogs? You don't have to look far into gaming history to see how popular frogs are. The arcade classic Frogger; Slippy the Toad from Star Fox; Frog from Chrono Trigger; Zephos the God of Winds from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; Jambette from Animal Crossing, and many more. Really, witches and frogs have been prevalent throughout gaming history. But it's a criticism of this summer of gaming that lengthy showcases consisting little more of a YouTube playlist of trailers turns everything into a blur. A green, hopping blur, with a sprinkling of magic. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 7 Nintendo Switch firmware update lets you take screenshots in the Switch Online app The app on your console, not your phone. 7 Latest Articles Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Jelly Deals Logitech's G Pro X gaming headset is its lowest-ever price during Amazon's Early Access sale Prime Members can get it for just £52. Jelly Deals Save over £500 off the retail price on this beefy ASUS TUF Dash gaming laptop from Amazon Under £1080 for an RTX 3070 laptop. Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store