I have no deep nostalgia for Battletoads. The idea of knock off Ninja Turtles is kind of cool but I played that NES game for a weekend as a kid and had enough. When RARE Replay released a few years ago, I tried out the arcade game and it still wasn’t clicking. Additionally, I’m not the biggest fan of arcade brawlers. They are fine for what they are but they certainly aren’t my favorite genre. So, keep all that in mind here.
I really liked DLALA’s Battletoads.
I’m not sure who they made the game for because I don’t expect hardcore Battletoads fans (I assume they exist) to enjoy it. And with it’s scattershot gameplay design, I don’t think it would satsify hardcore brawler fans either. But me, well it got me.
The first level is more than a bit up its own ass. The Battletoads love the Battletoads and the game seems to think that the player too loves the Battletoads. The level takes place on a red carpet as the Battletoads are on their way to accept an award or see a movie premier of themselves. Honestly I’ve forgotten but the game very much wants you to know that everyone loves the Battletoads.
It’s a brawler level, that serves as a tutorial to the fighting mechanics which are a bit more complicated than your standard arcade brawler. You punch and kick your way through the level and your tongue also works as a weapon or grappling device. And if you are playing solo, you can tag in your toad buddies to continue combo chains or if things get too rough and you need a break. You’ll fight a boss, Porkshank, a few times in the level and the pig, which reminds me of Rocksteady from the Ninja Turtles is rather boring and that doesn’t change when his twin (think Rocksteady and Beebop) shows up to close out the level.
After defeating the pigs, it is revealed that all of this has been a simulation. The Battletoads have been locked away for two decades and they are now irrelevant in the world as heroes. They have to get everyday jobs and the second level, which is basically a big QTE cutscene, sees each of the Battletoads working their boring jobs. I found it fun and funny but this is an action game so obviously the Battletoads are going to have to Battletoad it up and they set out on a grand adventure to become the famous heroes they think they are.
We get a tunnel bike level that pays homage to everyone’s least favorite level in the original game. And then a bunch of brawler levels. The brawling is fine and it seems like the game is going to settle down into a pretty standard rhythm of a few brawler levels and then maybe a short break to tell some story or maybe a QTE level. But about halfway through the game it goes bonkers. Act III is half traditional platforming levels (think the new Rayman games in style) and half schmup levels. It’s wild and the change of pace from standard arcade brawler was much appreciated because, as I said previously, I don’t love them.
And not only do we have platforming and schmup levels but they also include some crazy timed logic puzzles and reflex, controller mastery objectives as well. It’s kind of crazy but I was really into the scattershot approach to gameplay here. I kept expecting it to return me to the traditional arcade brawler stuff and it just kept throwing these different styles at me to keep me on my toes. It was great.
Also great for me, was the cartoon animation and story. Yes, it starts up its own ass and yes, this type of adolescent cartoon animation and humor isn’t going to be for everyone but I found it funny. The brotherhood relationship between Rash, Pimple, and Zitz is played both for laughs and for emotional moments and I think they work. And the Dark Queen, who is set up as a villain early on but becomes your ally, is super funny. I’d watch a Battletoads cartoon set to this style and I could see kids thinking its very funny as well.
I can certainly see where this Battletoads game doesn’t work for some people, and the lack of online multiplayer is inexcusable, but DLALA took a swing with something different here and I think they knocked it out of the park. It’s a colorful, lighthearted, and fun title that has released just when I think it was needed.
