CGA-2026-03 🕹️🐸🕌🔔 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls)

J-Chiptunator
2026-03-01T05:00:05Z

Introduction

switches to a dramatic music

Once upon a time, aboard a humble and perpetually cursed train, you unraveled its hidden mysteries and stumbled upon a battered yet magnificent vessel, the fabled Epoch, known to drift through the rivers of time.

With courage and a bit of chaos, you wrestled with its failing gears, tumbling through one strange era after another, from glittering ages of kings and heroes to worlds of shaky shapes and flickering lights. When at last the poor machine gave out, it left you stranded upon a world that shimmered with hope, one where humans could live once more.

But strength alone could not carry you through. Words held the power to wound anyone, and with a talking boat as your guide, you braved vast and endless seas. Along your travels, you witnessed wonders beyond counting: dazzling sunsets, curious creatures, and riddles that twisted like waves upon the ocean breeze.

One day, your voyage brought you to an island grander than imagination, crowned with towers of steel and roads that roared with life. Here, you discovered a new kind of magic: a gleaming machine called a car, and a city that pulsed with speed, shining light and the ability to snatch vehicle parts. Against all odds, you mastered the art of racing, earning cheers from strangers and respect from rivals.

And how did such triumph end? With celebration, of course! A raucous party full of laughter, music, and friends who toasted your name. Yet among the clinking cups and glowing lamps, one curious drink caught your eye; warm, green, and gleaming like liquid emerald. "Nothing to worry about!" you said with a grin, before the world began to swirl and fade...

When next you opened your eyes, you awoke in a quiet hospital filled with echoes of distant wars. Your reflection showed smooth, unblemished hands, your face untouched by time. Days passed before truth finally dawned, the doctor's wild tale was no fantasy.

"WHAAT?!"

You had been reborn as the Prince of Sablé, bound for the Millefeuille Kingdom in search of the boastful Prince Richard and the princess who vanished by his side. Ahead lay a land of talking frogs, slithering foes, glittering treasures, and tests of both heart and wit. So begins your tale, of friendship, rivalry, and a destiny spun from courage and wealth.

Welcome, noble traveler, to the world of wonder and whimsy of...

Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls)

IN GAME BOYS 2026.03.01

switches to a much, much less dramatic music

Aaaaaand that's enough wacky storytelling for now. Time to jump into my personal experiences!

My first brush with Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru came back in 2008, when I randomly pulled a Sabure Prince sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As years went by (and thanks to our good old broadband Internet), I started connecting the dots, especially after noticing all the interesting nods to this mysterious game hidden in Link's Awakening.

Remember that suave guy surrounded by frogs in a villa in the middle of nowhere? Yep, that's Prince Richard, and his appearance in Link's Awakening isn't just some random cameo.

In fact, Link's Awakening actually runs on a modified version of Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru's game engine. You can even see the connection in the way both games handle screen transitions between areas.

Fast-forward to October 2012: I imported a Japanese 3DS to get around the region lock and play Japan-only titles. The first thing I did? Jump onto the eShop and grab the original Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru.

I fumbled my way through the story with almost zero Japanese knowledge, relying on a GameFAQs guide to make sense of what was happening. It was charming and funny even then, though the language barrier definitely made me appreciate the idea of a second playthrough with a fan translation someday.

Around that time, I was also forcing myself to learn hiragana and katakana, mainly to understand what Gulliver (aka Johnny) was rambling about in the Japanese version of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Reading the low-res Japanese text on a tiny screen was another story, though, it made telling certain characters apart a real challenge.

Jumping ahead to 2025, one of my two CGA suggestions for the voting thread surprisingly made it through in a three-way tie! Naturally, I fired up the English patch using the bgb emulator and revisited the game, doing some extra reading online along the way.

I even gave Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls a try to see what inspired the title. Honestly, though, I couldn't stick with it; the dense descriptions and grim themes of war stories just drained me. Two hours of reading for ten pages and remembering nothing? Not the best time. Still, it helped me appreciate how The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls borrows the title, then hops off in a totally different, more lighthearted direction.

This month, I'm planning another playthrough, this time the old-school way. A genuine DMG-CPU-07 Game Boy, pea-green screen, four fresh AA batteries, and a good light source. A full run only takes about six hours, so battery life won't be an issue.

With that, it's time to ribbit our way into Millefeuille Kingdom!

Game Information

Year of the release: 1992

Platforms: Game Boy

Genre(s): Action role-playing

Links: Mobygames, Wikipedia

Where to find the game:

eBay (Original Release): Prices fluctuate due to the game's uncommon status. A loose cartridge is usually much cheaper than a Complete-in-Box copy (which includes the game, manual, and box).

Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Classics: Game Boy App: The Japanese version of the app currently includes this title. You can access it by setting your Nintendo account region to Japan and having an active Nintendo Switch Online membership.

Nintendo 3DS - Virtual Console: The game used to be available here, but since the 3DS eShop shut down in March 2023, it’s no longer accessible. Still worth mentioning for the sake of completeness.

Sailing the Seven Seas: If you're comfortable navigating the more questionable parts of the internet (and the legal risks that come with it), this is another way people have found the game, though obviously not the recommended route.

Patching the Game in English

If you manage to acquire the game's ROM file, make sure its CRC32 checksum matches with C18CD57A before applying any translation patch. Then, apply them in that order:

1. ryanbgstl's English translation patch for the ROM

2. Hamikon's Addendum if you want a more faithful title logo

Can't get any ROM-patching program running? Feel free to use Marc Robledo's Rom Patcher JS website!

Game Setup

The main purpose of this topic is to get people up and running with the game. As such, it's recommended that you:

Share what hardware you're playing it on

Share if there are any tools/mods that you recommend

Share anything you think is important for people to know before they start the game

Ask questions if you need help

Another purpose of this topic is to revisit the game and its time period:

Do you have any memories or associations with this game itself?

What about its system or era?

What aspects of retro gaming were common at the time?

What other games from the same time period are you familiar with?

What are you expecting from this game in particular?

Finally, this topic is the beginning discussion for people starting to play it:

Post updates sharing your thoughts as you play.

Ask for help if you get stuck.

Offer help to others.

It is recommended that you reply to your own posts if you are making consecutive updates so that they are in the same thread.

IMPORTANT: Any links to the game should be legal distributions of the game only. Please do NOT link to any unauthorized copies.

IMPORTANT: Put any spoilers in a dropdown block. Copy/paste the block below if needed.


Spoilers

Spoiler text goes here.


FAQ

What is CGA?

Colossal Game Adventure (CGA) is Tildes' retro video game club.

Each month we will play a different retro game/games, discuss our thoughts, and bask in the glorious digital experiences of yesteryear!

Colossal Game Adventure is a reference to Colossal Cave Adventure. It's one of the most influential games of all time, one of the first text-based interactive games, and one of the first games to be shared online.

What do we want to do with this group? Play influential games; interact with each other through text; and share the love for retro games online!

It also abbreviates to CGA (because we love chunky pixel art), and its name communicates the Colossal amount of fun and excitement that we have with retro video Games in our shared Adventure of playing them together.

Do I have to sign up?

No. Participation is open to all.

There is a Notification List that will get pinged each time a new topic goes up. If you would like to join that list, please PM u/kfwyre.

Are there restrictions on what/how to play?

Each month will have a focus game or games that will guide our discussions. Beyond that, there are no restrictions. The philosophy of CGA is to play in a way that works for you!

This means:

Choose whichever version of the game you want.

You can use cheats, save states, mods, etc.

You can watch a streamer or longplay instead of playing it.

If you have already played a game and want a different experience:

Play a different version of it.

Play a related game (sequel, spiritual successor, something inspired by it, etc.)

There is no wrong way to participate in CGA, and every different way someone participates will make for more interesting discussions.

What is the schedule?

Each month the Insert Cartidge topic will be posted on the 1st, while the Remove Cartridge topic will be posted on the 20th.

Nomination and voting topics will happen in March and September (every 6 months).

Schedules are also posted then.

All CGA topics are available using the colossal game adventure tag.

What do Insert and Remove Cartridge mean?

Inserting and removing cartridges are our retro metaphor for starting and stopping a given game or games.

The Insert Cartridge topic happens at the beginning of the month and is primarily about getting the game up and running.

The Remove Cartridge topic happens toward the end of the month and is primarily about people reflecting on the game now that they've played it.

There are no hard restrictions on what has to go in either topic, and each can be used to discuss the game, post updates, ask questions, etc.

Without further ado, let's all pop the cartridge in, and power that chunky brick on!

> CONTINUE

(Credit to @Boojum for the splash screen. Can't dive deep into pixelated adventures without this masterpiece!)

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