Battletoads Review: Toad Heroes are Back

Battletoads is back! Together, let’s see the new Battletoads appearing after many years. We will try to review the game with every detail. So, come on, let’s check our Battletoads review.

Battletoads Review: This nostalgic game’s new version makes me excited. If you are a child or teen in the 90s, you may find some game series precious. I mean, you are affected when you see some classics like Golden Axe, Sunset Riders, Super Mario or Cadillac and Dinosaurs. Battletoads is a game that reminds us of the past and our childhood (We grow older). Battletoads first released in 1991, and it was a huge success thanks to its out of type characters and its joyful gameplay. The company couldn’t make the expected impact after having been bought by Microsoft, but they succeeded in bringing back a cult game.

Battletoads speculated as a rival to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in those days. And the game is about three toads’ adventures, as the name implies. The game has the same characters as in the original one; Rash, Pimple, and Zitz. These three characters are humouristic, and their enemies are also funny characters. All of them pull no punches, but they can be talkative. Some jokes and dialogues are cute, but I find some of them unnecessary, especially for this game. Apart from fun, the game makes references to some situations and incidents. For example, we can see that the game references Rare’s other game Sea of Thieves.

Battletoads Review

Battletoads offers a variety of different gameplay dynamics. Most of the time, the game includes beat ’em up stages. That means you use your kicks and fists against your enemies. Do not think that those kicks and fists are simple ones. Toads are very talented, and they have very different combo attacks. In addition to light attacks, toads beat their rivals with massive attacks. They pull their opponents with their tongue; they make charged attacks or unique combos to finish their enemies. Of course, our toads have also move like escaping, jumping and air combos.

Besides this essential progress, there are different stages that we can see Shot ’em Up style platform dynamics, or we can see out toads on a drive. Players who played the original one will remember immediately, there were some stages that our toads drive vehicles. This move is called the Turbo Tunnel, and it is a little different in the new game. In the original game, we were driving our car in a standard camera view. But in new Battletoads’, we drive the vehicles in a follow-up camera. These new gameplay styles increase our amusing moments in the game. Notably, the stages that you move on without stopping and trying to escape from dangerous platforms, both annoy and entertain you. You become ambitious and make you say; ‘I can do it this time’.

As there are three toads in the game, of course, there is multiplayer support in that game. You can play in local multiplayer up to 3 people. Other players can join the game any time they want, just like amusement arcades that work with coins. However, the game does not have an online co-op option. Maybe the developers wanted to keep that retrospective atmosphere but not having an online co-op option is a minus, especially in this period where all the games have an online platform. The average age of people playing these nostalgic games is high. So coming together and playing this game can be hard.  Also, you realize that the game becomes ordinary as it proceeds when playing single. Eventually, you get bored. In short, lacking an online co-op option is the wrong decision.

While playing the game as a single-player, you can change your character anytime you wish. Or when your character is dead, another one joins to the action. Of course, every toad is unique. They have different sizes, combos, attacks, and movement speeds.

Battletoads is graphically successful. I love imaginative cartoon-like scenes and animations. You feel yourself as if you are watching a good-illustrated cartoon. The characters, the animations, and the background sketched by hand and transferred to the digital environment. The game has a charming atmosphere with its colourful areas and vivid experiences. One of the biggest problems in the game is; the placement of the characters in the game screen. In the original game, the characters were perfectly fitted to the gameplay area. But in the new version of the game, the characters are more significant than the playfield, and you can quickly lose your character in that chaotic environment. It is difficult to find your character when huge enemies come to the playfield. The original game was both more dynamic and more straightforward than the new one.

To sum up, Battletoads offers funny hours to players who like beat ’em up style games. The biggest problem is lacking online co-op support. Especially when you play single, you start to get bored, and you feel like you are repeating the same gameplay and same jokes. If it had been modified and had online playing support, the game would have been more successful. I can say that this version of the game is just a classic and entertaining. So, we hope that you enjoyed our Battletoads review. Stay tuned, enjoy.