Video Game Review #551: Battletoads

Battletoads

Arcade

Before playing:

I've played the NES version of Battletoads in the past, but in all my travels I have surprisingly never encountered the arcade version of the game. I visited a lot of arcades in my youth and not once did I run into it. Huh. Well, I finally decided that, thanks to the power of emulation, I would be able to give this game a shot.

Coming in, all I really knew about Battletoads was that this game was a 100% beat 'em up, as opposed to the NES game which was filled with platforming action. Which version of the game would I end up liking more? Let's find out!

Story:

Not much is really explained in the game. You pick a Battletoad. You're shown a screenshot of your character talking trash to an enemy character. You're tossed into the level, where you have to battle through hordes of enemies. You fight the boss character, who is the person you exchanged barbs with at the beginning of the level. You beat them. The cycle repeats the next level. Trash talk. Stage. Boss fight. Repeat. There's not much connective tissue behind the stages. Each stage's introduction reminds me a bit of a wanted poster. Are the Battletoads bounty hunters? What's going on?

At the end of the game, it says that you've thwarted the Dark Princess's plans to control the galaxy. Oh okay, well that's cool. Care to elaborate? No, the game doesn't.

Gameplay:

On the surface this is a straightforward beat 'em up. But once you start to settle in, you discover that things are a little unusual here. The first thing to jump out at me was the over the top animation style. How when you are punching an enemy, you'll grow a big hammer for a fist, or your foot will turn into a big spiked boot as you kick them. You can also perform some gruesome, over the top finishing animations when defeating an enemy. Once you get over the initial surprise of this, you'll discover that Battletoads really is not much different from a normal beat 'em up. You fight through a ton of enemies, picking up weapons and destroying things in the background. Each stage ends in a boss battle.

There are a few variations in gameplay you'll encounter. The second level introduces some platforming mechanics to the mix. There is also an arcade-shooter type stage at the end of the game. This might sound familiar if you've played the NES version of Battletoads. But don't worry, this is a completely different game. It shares some similarities, but it is more focused on the beat 'em up aspect of things. It is also much easier. Just keep putting in quarters, and you'll power your way through it eventually.

While the game is fun, I have to say it gets repetitive quickly. I know, I know. Most beat 'em ups get repetitive after a while. The reason I criticize this game is because of how it overstays its welcome. The game felt like it would never end. I kept thinking: "is this game over yet? Is it over yet?" every time I would finish a level. But it just keeps going and going. And the levels themselves are long, too. It is the longest beat 'em up I have ever played. It definitely begins to feel like it after a while. It's never a good thing when the person playing a game wants it to be over.

The game tells you how long it took you to beat it at the end, and it took me a total of 1 hour and 2 minutes to beat this. That's just crazy to me. Over an hour to complete an arcade beat 'em up??

As much as I wanted to like this game, it just gets too tedious after a while. I mean, it's an okay beat 'em up. I can see they put a lot of work into the graphics and the presentation. But is it really that fun? Meh.

Graphics:

The graphics are probably the best thing about this game. They stand out immediately. The first level drops you into the middle of an epic battle in outer space, and I was a big fan of that. The toads are big, colorful, and well animated. The enemies look great. The environments look great. The presentation is top of the line. It's like a Saturday morning cartoon brought to life. No doubt I would have been drawn to this game if I had encountered it in the arcades as a kid.

Sound:

Honestly, I don't remember much about the sound. I finished this game a couple of days ago (I'm late writing the review) and in that short amount of time, the game's music has already slipped out of my mind. I couldn't name a track from this game to save my life.

That said, I do remember vibing with the look, feel, and presentation of the game - and that includes the music, too. So it must not have been that bad.

Overall:

I really wanted to enjoy this game. It has all the fixings of something you'd think I would like. It looks the part. It feels the part. Too bad it's just not a whole lot of fun to play. I mean, it's fun for the first ten minutes. Maybe even the first twenty. But for the first hour and two minutes? Give me a break. An arcade beat 'em up should never be that long. If this had been the home version, I may have had a different mindset. I wouldn't mind if the game was a little longer, as it would be more bang for your buck. But not the arcade version. This is the complete opposite.

I'm going to rank this is a below average game. But I did like it more than the original Battletoads, which I gave a D+. And I do have to admit, the game is fun (for a while) and it looks great. So I have no problem giving it a....

THE GRADE:

C-

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