AdventureSimulation2018-02-01Tabikaeru: Travel Frog is a Japanese simulation game that, in some way, depicts the journeys of an adorable little frog as it travels around Japan. The interesting thing about this game is that you have absolutely no control over what assumingly is your pet frog. It may decide to go on a trip any time it likes, disappearing for hours or even days. It sometimes sends you postcards or photos of the places it went to and the animals it meets, and bring home some gifts when it returns, but sometimes, it does none of those. In some way, you can learn more about your frog through its travels.
The game also has a clover garden where you can collect clovers, the virtual currency of the game. You can collect 30 clovers every 3 hours or you can buy more clovers using real cash. Sometimes, your frog will bring home some clovers for you too.
As simple as the game is, it blew up in terms of its popularity at least among East Asian countries mainly because slowly makes the players, especially the 20-somethings, realize that they are actually the wandering frog in this story and that their elderly parents are at home eagerly waiting for their return. After all, in this game, you are put into the role of a parent to some extent - the person who prepares food, tools, and amulets for the travel-obsessed frog whenever it returns home. Also, the game brings the "idle game" genre to a whole new level.