Battletoads Review

Battletoads
Developed By: DLaLA/Rare
Published By: Microsoft
Date of Release: August 20th, 2020
Price: $19.99

When I was a kid, there was one game that conatantly handed my ass to me on a silver platter. That game was Rare's Battletoads for the NES. Released to 1991, it was known for it's brutal difficulty (especially in the turbo bike sequences!) and gained quite a cult following. The basic premise is the three main characters (all badass anthromorphic toads) known as Rash, Pimple and Zitz are teamed up to fight the Dark Queen and her miniouns across the galaxy. Over the years there have been ports, sequels, and a freakin awesome crossover game featuring Double Dragon. And now in 2020, the Battletoads are back, and you won't even need to call the pawn shop to find them.



The first thing you'll notice about the new battletoads is the animation style. Some people may find it offputting, but personally I like it. It's quite reminicient of modern cartoons, and it somehow really suits the style of the game. For the most part Battletoads plays in a sidescrolling beat-em-up fashion like the classic entries in the series, however it will switch genres at the drop of a hat, even more so than the original game. It's truly an offbeat experience, though it all manages to work cohesively together no matter how weird it gets. The controls are tight, and the 'toads have all their signature moves intact. All in all the gameplay of Battletoads is more than adequate.



So the gameplay is solid, the controls are just right, and on top of that the voice acting and soundtrack are absolutely superb (one fight even had an awesome remix medley from Battletoads/Double Dragon!). But then there's the story. I don't want to give too much away, but the story is where the real meat of this package is, and it's quite literally batcrap insane. After playing through the game I really ended up wanting more of it, so here's hoping a sequel is coming soon. If you're a fan of offbeat humor, beat-em-ups, or just the Battletoads in general, this is a game you shouldn't miss.