The wait is finally over! After an absence of twenty-six years, the infamous Battletoads are finally back! Play as Rash, Zitz, and Pimple and conquer all the challenges the game throws at you. This isn’t just a simple reboot of an ancient franchise, it’s far more than just that, jump in and enjoy the ride.
Beat them up in style
The original Battletoads was one of the best and hardest classic arcade-inspired beat ’em ups of the early nineties. It let you control some crazy toads who would beat their enemies to pulp and race on some impossibly fast turbo bikes. Quickly after its release, fans all over the world considered it as one of the hardest games ever created, and even to this day, it’s considered as an impossible game. Needless to say, fans have been asking for a sequel for years and now, twenty-six years later, it finally happened. Battletoads lands on Xbox One consoles and PC and gives fans exactly what they’ve been asking for and even more. First things first, the classic beat ’em up action is back!
During the first chapter of the game, you’ll play a traditional side-scrolling 2D beat ’em up where you’ll have to use the Battletoad’s attacks and defenses to your advantage in order to stay alive. Compared to the classic game, this new and improved combat is a perfect marriage of the old and the new. The gameplay itself is extremely familiar and you’ll be dealing punches and kicks in no time. Where the classic kept things rather straightforward and simple, things changed a lot in this new entry. The Battletoads never looked better thanks to the gorgeous hand-drawn graphics, which easily sucks us into the early nineties cartoon era. The atmosphere is just spot on and it feels like you’re playing through one of your favorite childhood cartoons. Of course, this also means the character designs got an upgrade and I must say, the Battletoads never looked better. But looks aren’t the only improvement, with their new looks come new techniques and strategies.
Each Battletoad has its own strength and weakness, Pimple, for example, is an extremely strong fighter although he’s a bit slow. Each Battletoad comes with its own unique attacks and tons of possibilities to combine those into devastating combos. There are classic light and heavy punches, uppercuts, dodges moves, and more that will easily get you hooked in seconds. What really makes the combat stand out, however, are the morph attacks. These special attacks are beautifully created and let the Battletoads morph into new deadly forms to inflict even more damage. Although combat looks easy to master, it’s not always that easy to survive, especially on the higher levels of difficulty. You can play the game on your own but it’s better to play in couch co-op with your friends or family. Kicking the enemies around the screen while dealing damage at the same time is just a magical experience that still works extremely well in 2020.
It’s good to see that the team remembered the heart of the original franchise and tried to bring it to the modern age of gaming as well as possible. This results in unseen chaotic but fun beat ’em up gameplay with tons of different techniques and combos to become victorious. From grabbing enemies with your tongue to jumping in and out the background, the combat is unparalleled and especially the occasional boss fights offer a true challenge. And yet, it can become repetitive rather quickly. Although the combat is worked out to perfection, it’s not the most thrilling genre for modern games, luckily, the classic beat ’em up combat is just a small piece of the puzzle. This new Battletoads is far more than just that!
A celebration of classic genres
Just when I thought I might get bored with the combat, the game changed its tone and became a celebration of classic genres. If you thought this would just be a classic beat ’em up, you better prepare for some unexpected gameplay. It starts with the races on your exhilarating turbo bikes but quickly evolves into classic platformer gameplay, space Shmups, and more. Without spoiling too much, the amount of different gameplay mechanics and genres is unseen and really keeps Battletoads extremely entertaining until the very end. You never really know what to expect and that’s certainly one of the game’s biggest fun factors. As said before, it’s fun to explore the game’s content on your own but it’s unforgettable when played together. Jumping from classic beat ’em up gameplay to a traditional platformer and even some mini-game collection offers an incredible amount of fun when playing together. Each player has its own task and only by working together will you reach the end of the game. In order to do so, you’ll need to master all genres and gameplay elements all four chapters throw at you. It’s not the longest game out there but on the higher levels of difficulty, you’ll spend a couple of hours in the gorgeously created world.
Sit back and enjoy the show
To glue all that fantastic fun together, this new Battletoads is created with a lot of love and eye for details. As said before, it resembles the looks of the better nineties cartoons that would air on Sunday morning. During regular gameplay, characters will often pop up in the corners of the screen to give some commentary on what’s happening. This feels like an interactive comic, including the text balloons but it doesn’t stop just there. Although those small snippets of dialogue are fully voiced and fun to follow, the team really went all out and created some truly breathtaking cutscenes. Without spoiling the story, it’s amazing to see how well it develops along the way. It all starts rather basic but the more you advance, the crazier it all gets. The Battletoads are hilarious and the ridiculous humor really elevates the overall experience. The story is filled with fun, unexpected, and even brutal moments, which makes it unforgettable. It also helps that the team clearly knows what the fans want and often include some tongue-in-cheek humor to address some of the franchise’s problems. Thanks to the high quality of the narrative and fun story, it’s a game you’ll be able to enjoy with friends and family for sure. The only downside here is the fact that you can’t play the game in online co-op so that might limit you to play together during these strange times; perhaps this needs to be fixed in a later update? That being said, the game is also fun to play on your own since you never really know what to expect and the story keeps you wanting for more, even after you reach the finish. No, it’s not the longest game out there but for its small price, it definitely gives you more than enough fun gameplay moments for your money!
Conclusion:
Battletoads is an incredibly fun game to play thanks to its variation in gameplay and stunning visuals. It easily exceeded my expectations thanks to its clever use of gameplay mechanics and humor. On top of that, it’s also one of the most rewarding and fun games to play in co-op. It’s not the longest game on the market and you’ll be able to reach the end in a couple of hours but for its low price, it’s definitely worth every penny. I’m hoping the Battletoads are back for good and I can’t wait to see what the future holds in store!
