I love beat’em ups. Heck, I’ve been playing them all my life. Streets Of Rage, Captain Commando, (CAPCOM anyone?) and Double Dragon are in my top five and right up there, fighting for the top spot, has to be my fond memories of Battletoads. Back when I was a teenager I was plagued by pimples, zits and the occasional rash. So naturally, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity give Battletoads a try and to re-live my teen years (barring my skin issues). Yes, Battletoads on Xbox One promises heaps of fun intertwined with witty humour and I immediately found myself reminiscing the glory days of the 16-bit era of gaming. Nostalgia is the name of the game here, folks, and Battletoads dishes up heaps of it.



From the moment the first level kicks in, I was grinning from ear to ear and thumping along to the familiar beatbox tune from the pause menu of Battletoads games gone by. That wasn’t the only thing I took a liking to – the ability to instantly switch characters between the toads is a welcome update, plus it serves a practical purpose allowing one to string together crazy combos, Killer Instinct style. (Speaking of which, I enjoyed Rash’s cameo appearance in the combo-fest fighting game although at times he did feel a little out of place).

Later on though, things began to get noticeably more difficult but playing through on the standard difficulty meant the challenge was palatable.

So after I made light work of the Pork Shanks at the end of the first level it was straight onto the Turbo bikes. This was another defining moment in the original series of games, and I was keen to get my biking on. I managed to get past this section after a few tries and something became immediately obvious. The original Battletoads was notorious for its difficulty. It was a game that many played and few mastered, let alone finished. But here I was, getting through the first few levels whilst occasionally enlisting the assistance of my son. Later on though, things began to get noticeably more difficult but playing through on the standard difficulty meant the challenge was palatable.



The mini-game between the first and second stage was something of a welcomed surprise. The coordinated button inputs required to get the story moving felt like a sleight-of-hand trick developers use to pass the time while the next level was loading. Apparently not. I enjoyed the computer whacking, back massaging first interlude but questioned the relevance of these mini-games within the greater scheme of things. As the game went on, I realised that the mini-games we’re all about hacking security systems and bypassing various checks and controls in order to transition between the levels and move the story forward. These mini-games are loaded with humour and can be quite fun. At times I found myself wondering whether the development time spent on creating this could have been better served elsewhere.

...not much effort was made to re-vamp or even re-boot the Battletoads franchise. Instead, this turned out to be a re-visit.

Back-to-the-future was clearly the briefing back at the developer’s HQ with this game. Considering the leaps in technology and computing power between this reimagining and its predecessor, not much effort was made to re-vamp or even re-boot the Battletoads franchise. Instead, this turned out to be a re-visit. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing I enjoy more than a trip back in time. But the point of going back in time is to change or improve on your first experience. If Marty McFly has taught us anything, it’s that your fate can always change. After all, what’s the point of a do-over if you’re going to play the game the same way and expect a different outcome?



The next couple of levels were more of the same thing – kick, punch, die repeat. More abilities are introduced as one progressed through the game like the “tongue ring” ability allowing one to transition between the foreground and background (a la Fatal Fury 2 style) mid-action.

Again, it added depth to the pseudo-3D style of the game. The art style helps to break the monotony, and the OTT animations bestowed upon the toads is cool (if not outrageous) and helps bring the cartoon world of Battletoads to life. The game has transitioned from straight 2D to a 2.5D style of gameplay which works when coupled with the art style. Slurping up flies for health adds to the amphibious feel of the characters and the extra-long tongue also comes into play during battle to draw enemies in closer to start the kicks and punches.



Beat ‘em ups live and die by their kicks and punches, and here I’m not convinced Battletoads comes out on top as their combo system is “off the heezy” and may actually be detrimental to those wanting to completely master the game. The on-screen instructions don’t quite let on how outrageous the in-game action can become.

In the end, Battletoads may not be a full-on 3D brawler. It may not present a fresh new storyline and it might not take full advantage of the current-gen computing power. It does, however, prove that old school is cool. It shows that Rash, Pimple and Zitz are still relevant to present day gamers and it demonstrates that going back can help you move forward. So yes, everything the new Battletoads is not makes it everything it is.



*Review code provided by Xbox
*Review submitted by Sipho Gogotya