After 26 long years, the iconic, side-scrolling beat ‘em up Battletoads is back and they’re desperate to reclaim their long-lost fame and taking on a super-intelligent alien race could be the jump-start to super-stardom that they need! Even though this series last released on the Arcade systems, the most recent time I played as the triple toad trio was on the Super Nintendo 1993, which is also the same year as when I also played the Battletoads/Double Dragon cross-over. I have somewhat fond memories of this series, but it’s at times gruelling difficulty still gives me nightmares to this very day! Why does a game that resembles my beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hate me so much? Though, I shouldn’t go throwing toads in glass houses, because the difficulty of this series doesn’t even come close to that of the unforgiving TMNT game from 1989 on the NES! Anyway, enough turtle talk, let’s talk about the toads.
2020’s Battletoads is very much a game that has stayed true to its roots, which has certainly worked in its favour, as demonstrated by other recent revivals such as Streets of Rage 4. The new Battletoads features fantastic hand-drawn visuals, which is very reminiscent of an animation series that you might see on a popular children’s TV channel. Battletoads is still a side-scrolling beat ‘em up and it plays as simply as you’d expect, which again works in its favour, though it still offers a challenge to this day. The last thing that most of us would probably want from a modern day retro revival, is an over-complication where simplicity has often been one its main appeals. In Battletoads you simply move from left to right, from start to finish beating up all the enemies in your path.
However, it’s not all side-scrolling fisty-cuffs from start to finish, because Battletoads also see’s the return of the infamous Turbo Tunnel, a section of the original games that likely caused more frustration and anger with its difficulty than anything else. Back in the day, to add to what was already a difficult section of the game as you try to weave through oncoming obstacles at a fast pace, the camera perspective made for what could be deemed as an unfair obstacle in its own right with its side-camera perspective, making it increasingly difficult to see obstacles in your path. Thankfully in this reboot, while the Turbo Tunnels do return, the camera is now placed firmly behind the controlled player, so at least the camera can’t be blamed for the failure of this particular level. There also some neat platforming sections too, just to throw a fun spanner into the works.
As I mentioned earlier, there’s nothing overly complicated about this game, which I appreciate. You can button mash to your heart’s content fighting through the waves of enemies, concluding some visually interesting end-of-chapter boss fights. Like most games of his type, it’s always going to be more fun playing with family or friends, whether it is local or online co-op with two other players. Yes I know that you can say just about any game is better played with friends, but games of this genre are designed to be played with other players and if you want to get the most enjoyment from Battletoads, I’d recommend playing with a friend or an online random if you can. Finding other online players shouldn’t prove too much of an issue, as Battletoads is included in the popular Game Pass subscription service, which should increase its online player numbers. Battletoads also features an easy drop-in and drop-out multiplayer function, for players to come and go as they please. However, when playing on your own, you can simply switch over each character via the D-Pad between Rash (who is more about quickness), Pimple (strength) and Zitz (more of an in-between), each character with their own play-styles.
While I have had fun playing Battletoads and it will no doubt be a game that I will come back to from time to time in future, it’s not without some issues. The main issue that I probably have is with the pacing of the game, which is not an issue that I’ve often found with games of this type. There are some moments in levels where you could wonder forward with short spells of encountering no enemies (this is where the sprint button comes in handy), and then suddenly big batches of enemies are thrown in your path to the point that it can feel a little overcrowded and a little difficult keeping track of where you character is among the mayhem. For me personally, while extra batches of enemies are logical towards the end of a level, I would have preferred them to perhaps be spread out more sporadically.
Another issue that I have with pacing comes with the once again infamous Turbo Tunnels. For me, difficulty isn’t the issue here, in-fact it feels just about right, but these sections seem to go on for far longer than they should. To the extent that when I died, it was often down to me switching off and letting my mind wonder, rather than being engrossed for this particular section. It’s unlikely that developers Dlala Studios (overseen by Rare) will change this, but I think it would certainly help the pacing of the game if they did. The humour might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but humour is very subjective, but Battletoads did provide me with a laugh a little now and again. The game also features some puzzles, but they’re rather mundane and similar to the Turbo Tunnels, it feels like their purpose is to stretch out the campaign that should last a few hours, which is fine and expected for a game such as this one.
Battletoads is never going to be a console seller, but in fairness I don’t think it was never meant to be. It’s a game that will appeal to fans of the original releases back in the 90’s and it will no doubt earn some new fans too, especially with older family members playing Battletoads with the younger members of the household. Its pacing may be off at times, but it’s very easy to pick up and play, and its more accessible with the varying difficulties to choose from. Though it’s worth mentioning that you cannot change the difficulty once a campaign has started, which seems an odd choice to make by the developers. Battletoads is a wonderful game to look at, with one of the best hand-drawn visuals that I’ve seen in recent times, with colours that look extra vibrant when played on a 4K TV. In conclusion, while it doesn’t quite reach the level of the fantastic Streets of Rage 4, Battletoads is a fun side-scrolling beat ‘em up full of charm and if you subscribe to Game Pass, it’s a nostalgic trip worth checking out.