Game details
Developer: Dlala Studios
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios / Rare Ltd.
Platform: Windows PC, Xbox One
Release Date: August 20, 2020
ESRB Rating: E-10+
Price: $20 (or included as part of Xbox Game Pass)
Links: Steam | Windows Store / Xbox | AmazonWhen Battletoads arrived on the Nintendo Entertainment System in June 1991, it rode on a wave of limited-time momentum in the West. Ninja Turtles fever was still a thing. The NES ruled the charts, even though Sega's own attitude-filled mascot was about to emerge. And Nintendo's official US magazine devoted page after page to a new, weirdly named toad trio: Zitz, Rash, and Pimple.
As an early '90s pre-teen, I was convinced that Battletoads was absolutely massive. I later realized that wasn't the case; a lot of people hated how hard the first game was, while subsequent games flopped. But I'll always be fond of the original game's graphical tricks, over-the-top combat, and wacky mix of genres.
Nothing—not even this week's inspired-yet-messy series rebirth—can take that away from me. For all of its good moments, this year's 10GB version of Battletoads is somehow less diverse and exciting than the 256KB original.
The Looney Tunes-caliber stuff
When three players are battling simultaneously, the results can be a mess to keep track of. Dlala Studios Though, to be fair, each combat sequence varies in scale and intensity. Dlala Studios A few levels include foreground and background warping opportunities; you can possibly make out Pimple, the biggest Battletoad, using his tongue to warp to the background portion of the screen. Dlala Studios Pimple rears up for a heavy attack. Dlala Studios Like in past games, the biggest attacks see the characters transform in cartoony fashion. Dlala Studios Zitz's midair drill attack. Dlala Studios Zitz's midair super-kick. Dlala Studios Prepare to do a lot of blinking. Dlala Studios Rash takes center stage in this ruckus, though everyone can be seen here unleashing a power attack of some sort. Dlala Studios Enemy variety keeps players on their toes, especially as their special attacks render various parts of the screen unsafe. Dlala Studios One of Battletoads's biggest bummers is its lack of interesting boss battles. The few on offer here do a good job of mixing up combat with quick-dodge sequences, at least. Dlala Studios
The new game, simply titled Battletoads, sees the series' corporate handlers at Rare Ltd. hand their web-toed fighters to Dlala Studios, an English developer with an eye for hand-drawn 2D art. You can tell why they got the job after playing the first two levels. The game's best bits are a delight to play, either solo or with friends.
Sadly, Dlala picked the series' first game as its inspiration, as opposed to 1994's more straightforward Battletoads Arcade (which Xbox owners can play on the Rare Replay anthology). Times have changed since Rare's crack programmers squished so many genres into a tiny cartridge, and by the time I got through the crushingly short game (only 2.5 hours), I realized Dlala was not up to the same task.
We've seen some killer 2D beat-'em-up revivals as of late, and in great news, Battletoads' combat portions are up there with the likes of Streets of Rage 4 and River City Girls. Each of the starring 'toads has a unique and accessible move set, and their variety of punches, "launchers," and sweeping attacks strikes a satisfying balance between quickness, power, and ridiculous animations. You're here for the Looney Tunes-caliber stuff, after all, and it's not just fists and feet turning super-sized when a punch combo reaches its climax. Each character has a few particularly over-the-top "heavy" attacks, as well, like when Rash conjures the series' original arcade cabinet and uses it to whack his enemies.
This isn't an endless animation parade of new maneuvers, mind you; you'll see each character's complete attack arsenal after completing the first level. But the basic attacks do well to strike an appropriate balance between hilarious and unobtrusive.
Great humor, rough color saturation
Fully animated cut scenes between levels are always amusing and often funny. Even when the titular Toads are caught wearing adult diapers. Dlala Studios Discussing future butt-kickings. Dlala Studios The Black Queen teams up with the Battletoads when they discover a common foe, and she often steals the show. Dlala Studios I've tried to pick representative moments that reveal the game's general sense of humor without giving away the funniest gags. Trust me: when it's funny, it's quite funny. Dlala Studios
The same cannot be said for the enemies' art style, which revolves around invented races of aliens who come in anatomically unsound shapes and colors. Their attack patterns and animations are actually quite awesome, and the basic act of kicking their weirdly shaped butts feels good. But by and large, the backgrounds' color saturation matches poorly with the foes' acid-trip designs. While you'll have to strategize in focusing on particular foes to survive (and using the Battletoads' clever new tongue-spit system to deal with anything on the other side of the screen), you'll also possibly need to pause the game and furiously blink on occasion.
Also, heads-up: the general formula has been tweaked to add a "quick-dodge" maneuver, and while it fits nicely with this game's combat, that means the classic "run-and-tackle" attacks of yore aren't here. And neither can you expect to bash a robot, pick up its legs, and use it as a weapon for future battles. (In fact, there's no wielding or throwing any weapons in Dlala's version of Battletoads.)
The thing is, those wacky, unreadable character designs are a sheer delight outside of combat, because they fill a serious acid trip of a plot. Between levels, fully animated sequences tell the story of exactly why Zitz, Rash, and Pimple disappeared for 26 years and how they intend to claw their way back to superhero status on a new alien planet. All through the course of the game, the dialogue and voice acting do a wonderful job of erring on the side of cheese, camp, and absurdity, and even when the results veer dangerously into "try-hard" territory, they still range from amusing to roaringly hilarious. (With one exception, which I'll get to.)
Variety is not the spice of these 'toads
At their worst, the 2D platforming segments slow players down with box-pushing, switch-activation puzzles. (Playing these with a companion doesn't help much.) Dlala Studios In still shots, these zones look pretty and stylized, but in motion, they feel particularly flat. Dlala Studios Speeder bikes now operate from a behind-the-back perspective, though you only get about 1.5 levels' worth of this. Dlala Studios Trouble is, that speeder-bike sequence is a lot more hectic with two friends in the mix. Dlala Studios Read More – Source [contf] [contfnew] 
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