Kaeru no Ehon: Adventure for the Lost Memories

Released for PlayStation 1 exclusively in Japan on October 21, 1999, Kaeru No Ehon: Adventure For The Lost Memories is a turn-based RPG with an interesting twist on how you strengthen your character: your main source of stat increases comes from working and training instead of battling monsters. And with only one in-game year to complete the game, you need to think carefully about how you spend your days and money.

The plot begins with the protagonist, a frog, feeling lonely and left out by the other frogs. By chance, they meet a wizard who senses that the protagonist isn't really a frog at all, but someone cursed and turned into one, with their memories erased at the same time. Using their power, the wizard turns the protagonist into a human for exactly one year, giving us that time to uncover the truth behind the curse. If we fail, they're doomed to stay a frog forever.

When the protagonist becomes human, you get to choose whether they're a boy or a girl. This choice isn't just cosmetic, it also affects dialogue and which romantic partners are available.

Working to Get Stronger

Unlike traditional RPGs, the main way to raise your stats here isn't through battle, but through training. The catch is that training costs money.

As a nobody in an unfamiliar town, the hero has to do what everybody does to earn money: work.
Working takes up a whole day, and while it pays, it also gives you a slight stat boost. You're given a list of job choices with different salaries, and you might assume the highest-paying ones are always the best pick, but the better the pay, the higher the chance that some of your stats will actually drop.

With the money you earn, you can pay for training sessions. Each one raises specific stats, so it's worth figuring out which ones matter most for your class. Training is pricey and also eats up a full day, but it gives you bigger stat increases with no penalties, and costs less stamina than working.
That's because you can't run your body into the ground forever, you also need to rest. Besides working and training, resting is the third way to spend a day, and it's a necessary one, or you'll pass out, lose a few days, and lose valuable stat points in the process.

Most of your time will go into balancing work, training, and rest, trying to maximize your stats while keeping an eye on how much money you have on hand.

Turn-Based Battles and Dungeons

Of course, being an RPG, dungeons and battles are still a big part of the gameplay.

Battles follow a traditional turn-based system, with up to three people in your party. This part of the game doesn't reinvent the genre, though it has its own quirks. For example, fast characters get noticeably more turns than slow ones, so speed matters more here than in most RPGs. Some attacks and techs also can't hit flying enemies, which is worth keeping in mind, although every character has a weak "throw stone" tech that costs zero MP, so you're never completely locked out of a fight against them.

What's interesting is that most dungeon exploration is actually optional. Aside from a handful required for the main quest, the rest are offered as optional quests at the tavern. They do eat up a few days on your calendar, and their listed rewards might look small, but they often hide valuable items, give you experience you can pour into any stat you want, and sometimes even unlock new companions.

Companions

Speaking of companions, there are around 10 you can bring along on dungeon runs. They level up automatically, though you still need to equip them with better gear.

Each companion belongs to one of the game's classes. You'll want to think about which ones complement your main character best, both in battle and during exploration. Dungeons are full of obstacles like broken bridges and locked chests, so you need a party that covers the right skills to get past them, since these obstacles often guard the best loot. Some quests even tell you upfront which skills you'll need to complete them.

Companions aren't just useful in dungeons, though. The more you talk and fight alongside them, the higher their friendship level climbs, which unlocks companion quests. These reveal their backstories and eventually reward you with a picture book for each one, complete with cute drawings.

A Story Told in Picture Books

This is a good time to bring up picture books, since they're right there in the title (Kaeru No Ehon translates to "The Frog's Picture Book").

As you play, your adventures get turned into a cute picture book you can read anytime. Your befriended companions get their own books too, as I mentioned earlier. They get new chapters as you play their quests. When you finish the game, you'll also unlock differently colored books depending on your ending, ranging from a bad ending where you fail to break the curse, to a neutral one where you break it but don't make any friends, and so on.

One interesting detail: although the game doesn't have a traditional new game plus where you carry over your levels or items, it does let you load a cleared save from a previous playthrough and keep the books you've already unlocked. There are actually two main scenarios, and the second only opens up on your second playthrough. That gives you a real reason to come back, especially if you want to collect every companion's book, or the fabled platinum one.

The Town

The town is split into several small areas where you mostly shop and talk to people. You'll also need to speak with a companion before a quest if you want them to join you. Sometimes companions will ask you to join them in an activity instead, which takes up a whole day but gives you small stat boosts without costing you money or stamina.

Part of the town stays locked until you build up enough fame, which you earn by completing quests, or in smaller amounts by defeating monsters. It's not essential, but unlocking these areas opens up more quests and a new companion.

Finally, the town also lets you play minigames for small stat boosts. They cost a bit of money and take up a day without draining stamina, giving you yet another tool for planning your stat growth around your available money, stamina, and days.

For Japanese Learners

Although "picture book" in the title might make you think of a game for kids, this is actually a full-fledged RPG, so it's fairly text-heavy with some intricate mechanics. A few puzzles even lean heavily on the Japanese language itself, including one where you're given a set of words and have to complete a poem. So I'd recommend this one for advanced learners.

Conclusion

When I started playing, I expected a simple RPG going by its art style. But I quickly got hooked on the stat-building mechanics, constantly weighing which jobs or training sessions would maximize my growth, all while juggling limited days, side quests, companion quests, and every other way of improving my character. Its ideas still feel innovative today, and I wholeheartedly recommend Kaeru No Ehon to any fan of turn-based RPGs.

I played the game all the way through, and even bought the strategy guide, hoping to eventually collect every book. So a follow-up video might be in the cards!

Here's a tip, though: aim to reach level 10, the maximum possible, by the end of your adventure. It gives you a huge edge in the final battle. If you don't, the game is still beatable, but it'll take some luck and solid strategy to handle the boss's massive stats, or you'll have to settle for the bad ending, where you fail to beat them.