I’ve discovered your new favorite indie gem on Nintendo Switch 2, and despite support from Ludwig, it’s far too underrated

Whenever YouTubers or Twitch streamers get into entrepreneurial pursuits, the Internet holds its breath. Let’s be honest – a lot of them aren’t qualified to run a business, whether it’s a Logan Paul Cryptozoo game or Mr. Beast’s moldy lunch product. It’s refreshing, then, to see an Internet personality play to their strengths, and that’s exactly what Ludwig Ahgren, a man who’s amassed over 6.8 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, has done with his game publishing company, Offbrand Games. The company’s latest release? The indie masterpiece that is Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime on Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.

Before we get into Ahgren’s involvement, I want to shine a light on just how much I enjoyed this game. Developed by Dutch duo Bonte Avond, Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime is a soothing blend of cute visuals, genuine laugh-out-loud writing, and a unique strategy game involving collectible frogs. For the average cozy game enjoyer, this is bread-and-butter stuff, with all the essentials: a friendship-driven story, beach rivalries, a bear wearing a cute costume, stellar voice acting, and silly little jingles.

Indeed, those are the boons of the game that made Ahgren see its potential. When he launched Offbrand Games in mid-2024, the aim was simple: publish indie games to help smaller studios stay afloat. “What has me the most excited,” he told IGN in 2024, “is working with devs intimately, treating them fairly, and really just trying to get people good video games”. After a huge launch with PC platformer Rivals of Aether 2, Ahgren and Offbrand turned to a slightly different side of gaming – although not as different as you’d expect, given Bonnie Bear’s strategy elements.

If the turn-based strategy element of the game, which is known as Frogtime, puts you off, it’ll encourage you to know that, even though Frogtime is pretty challenging, there’s plenty of grace. As Bonnie becomes a better player, she gains self-worth, which is the experience bar. You only lose a little if you lose, but you gain a lot if you win, making the hard-fought battles worth it. Since the recent patch, you can also adjust the difficulty levels, but don’t jump the gun on this: sometimes, as I discovered in the second chapter, the game isn’t even expecting you to win. Lose to a Kraken, and he’ll just thank you for a great Frogtime, leaving Bonnie and her party alone.

I’ll confess at this stage that I’m a pretty big Ludwig fan – we’re colloquially known as Ludbuds – and over the four or five years I’ve been watching his streams, I’ve come to expect the unexpected from anything he’s attached to. That’s why the deeper I got into Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime, the more I understood what drew him to want to publish it. It’s wacky and never takes itself too seriously. It’s also just an excellent experience – there’s nothing about this game that didn’t surpass my expectations. The art style is immaculate, the story is rich in emotional heart, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the music.

Bonnie’s first boss fight is against a funny-looking creature called Rik Spek, and you immediately know his name because he has his own jingle. Yep. “Rik Spek / look at my six pack” is probably one of the funniest and catchiest pieces of music in a video game I’ve heard in years, which makes sense, given that the two pieces that form Bonte Avond are musicians as well as game developers. The jingle is also not even close to the only time the game uses music artfully – music is embedded in its fabric. Multiple cutscenes have you playing percussion as Bonnie (to sometimes woeful effect given the input lag), including one with vocal accompaniment from the character voiced by musician and fellow streamer LilyPichu, which was a welcome treat.

Ah, yes, the voice acting. All of the lines have a deliberateness to them that perfectly complements the humor and coziness of the game, including those of the character that Ahgren himself voiced. He also dragged some of his fellow content creators into voicing characters in the game, including Ironmouse, CDawgVA, Karl Jacobs, Foolish Gamers, and Esfand. I’m typically wary of celebrity voice-actors because not all of the names listed have experience with it, but for some reason, it all just works really nicely, so I can’t even be mad.

If you’re looking for five to ten hours of a good time, want to support an indie developer, or love games about cute animals, Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime is exactly the dish you want to order, trust me. As for the future, I’d love to see what else Bonte Avond cooks up, and, of course, I’m looking forward to the next Offbrand announcements. Ahgren recently teased a free mobile game with at least one anime girl in it during a stream, so as long as Offbrand continues to be a success, more portable indie games are coming to a screen near you. If they’re half as good as Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime, I’ll be ecstatic.