Frog Detective 3: Corruption At Cowboy County Review

This is one end to a trilogy that, dare I say it, is unfrogettable. The Frog Detective series sold over half a million copies worldwide. But is the frog hype worth the wait for this last instalment in the cute, colourful detective series, or does it croak?

Of all the games in the trilogy, this final title offers the largest world, so it has taken three years since the last title to create.
Cowboy County is an endearingly vibrant map with all you would expect from a western world; rocky cliffs, cacti, a saloon with its swinging doors, a sheriff’s office, and more.

Riding a scooter is a new addition to the game. I spared no guilt in spending a ridiculous amount of time racing through the outskirts of the map, jumping over cliff edges, battering into the floating tumbleweeds, and grinding the rocky outback enough times to make Tony Hawk jealous.

Across the pond

The residents of Cowboy County are a set of adorable, comical, and memorable critters. Ranging from characters such as Susy, a bunny outlaw trying to break into a bank, Pistol; an artistic panda that resides at the saloon, Sherman; a criminal outlaw sloth that takes a shine to the detective, Lobster Cop; a sinister-looking crustacean and one of the protagonists of the story.  And, of course, our beloved detective; the Jessica Fletcher of the amphibian world; Frog Detective.

All are in western attire, from cowboy boots, vests, and fringe skirts to saloon-girl dresses. 

Our dear detective wears their classic turtleneck, trousers, and a swish pair of kicks.

However, one accessory is missing from all of these townsfolk to complete their look, and is the setting to the very crime we’re set to investigate…the case of the missing hats!

Kermitted A Crime

The Frog Detective series is well known for having about an hour of gameplay, but even with a short story, there’s a lot packed in.

The story’s premise is to discover the mystery of the missing hats in town and whether a true crime exists!

To help with your investigation is your trusty notepad to log all interviews with the residents of Cowboy County, their names, photos, motives, notes, and needs, and your magnifying glass.

And forget a horse or hopping, you get a scooter! All of this helps you progress through the story, or at least let you say you played a game as a frog detective riding a scooter in the wild west. 

I particularly enjoyed the attention to detail, such as the frog cursor, and indicating whether you suspect any of the characters with a satisfying ‘suspect’ stamp on your notes.

The whodunnit-style case provided wonderful comedic dialogue, including some abrupt stand-ins from the developer when providing sage advice against the dear detective frog’s questionable choices in the game. Provide your info to strangers, make fake IDs, and break into banks; don’t try this at home, kids!

“The canned laughter and shock noises from the townspeople were like something out of a Jeremy Kyle show”

Without giving too many spoilers, I will say one twist made me scream the house down! It’s funny how having recently finished Resident Evil: Village did not make me scream, but a game surrounding a frog detective does. 

I wanted to rip into my wardrobe, cut out my Justice For Barb t-shirt and replace it with our frog overlord. 

Stick with it, friends, don’t leap to conclusions, and all will be clear!

Hopping Tunes

I was thrilled to learn that Dan Golding was behind the soundtrack and worked on the Untitled Goose Game music. 

He provided the perfect mixture of western chill tunes with a tinge of mystery for the main story, switching to an upbeat jaunt once you’ve mounted your scooter, which reminded me a lot of riding my bike on Pokemon. 

The canned laughter and shock noises from the townspeople were like something out of a Jeremy Kyle show, which is one reason I want to replay the game alone.

Although the mystery was trying to work out the whereabouts of all of the hats, one mystery for me was noticing a worm in the saloon playing a typical western jingle on the piano. How is he playing the tunes? Do worms secretly have arms? How do his clothes stick on? 

The music in Frog Detective 3 is the perfect mood; even without any voice sounds, the charm of the music more than compensates.

Closing Thoughts

Simply a fantastic game! Having not played the previous two games in the series, it’s worth noting there are some nods to previous stories and characters. Otherwise, the game works perfectly on its own as well. 

The game’s duration is relatively short, and even with a lot packed in, I wanted more or at least the knowledge of a distant sequel. I’m saddened that this is the end of the series, as it’s such a wholesome game.

Once the story is complete, there isn’t much in the way of replayability, unless you want to achieve hunt or relive Frog Colombo’s adventures. I can even picture the potential for online multiplayer scooter racing. Imagine the carnage!

One thing’s for sure; I’ll be leaping to the previous titles to experience more of our green, webbed friend!

Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County is available on Steam for PC and macOS costing £3.99.