Battletoads (1991 video game)

Rare

Industry	Video game development
Founded	1985
Founder	Tim Stamper, Chris Stamper
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Key people	Tim Stamper, Chris Stamper
Products	Battletoads (1991)

Battletoads is a beat 'em up and platform title created by Rare and distributed by Tradewest for the Nintendo Entertainment System. As the inaugural entry in the Battletoads franchise, it debuted in North America and Japan in 1991, with a subsequent European launch in 1993. Versions developed without Rare's participation were released for the Mega Drive and Game Gear in 1993, and later for the Amiga and Amiga CD32 in 1994. Rare also produced a distinct port for the Game Boy, titled Battletoads in Ragnarok's World, which came out in 1993. The storyline follows three anthropomorphic toad warriors from space, known collectively as the Battletoads. Rash and Zitz embark on a quest to defeat the Dark Queen and rescue their companions, Pimple and Princess Angelica, who have been abducted.

Designed to leverage the success of Mirage Studios' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Battletoads garnered predominantly favorable feedback, particularly for its visual presentation and diverse gameplay mechanics. Nevertheless, opinions were split regarding its steep difficulty curve. The game earned seven accolades at the 1991 Nintendo Power Awards and has since been acknowledged as one of the most demanding video games ever created. It was later featured in Rare's 2015 retrospective compilation for the Xbox One, Rare Replay.

Gameplay

Battletoads combines platforming with side-scrolling beat 'em up action, incorporating segments involving racing, climbing, and vehicle-based obstacle challenges. Players begin each attempt with three lives, which can be restored by continuing after losing all lives. The game does not offer save points or password features. Characters have a health meter of six hit points, replenished by consuming flies scattered throughout levels. The stages vary greatly in design but primarily emphasize combating foes while navigating environmental dangers.

The majority of attacks feature an enhanced "Smash Hit" version that activates following combos or as a finishing move, delivering powerful blows often accompanied by exaggerated animations. The fundamental attack for the Toads is a punch, with its Smash Hit referred to as "Kiss-My-Fist." When running, players can perform a head-butt whose Smash Hit counterpart is named "Battletoad Butt." Enemies can also be grabbed and thrown overhead.

Because of the game's varied level layouts, numerous attacks are unique to specific stages. For instance, during the Turbo Cable segment in level two, players gain access to kicks and punches such as the "Turbo Thwack," as well as a transformation into a wrecking ball called "BT Bashing Ball." In traditional 2D sections, uppercuts are available along with their Smash Hit variant called "Jawbuster." Additional moves include "Nuclear Knuckles," which slams adversaries onto the ground, followed by "the Punt," a sequence of kicks culminating with the "Big Bad Boot."

Environmental elements can be utilized as weapons too—examples include legs taken from defeated Walkers, raven beaks, pipes affixed to walls, and flagpoles found within the Dark Queen's tower.

Side-scrolling portions frequently employ an isometric viewpoint, while vertical platforming stages utilize 2D perspectives that allow crouching maneuvers. Level types encompass obstacle courses that progressively increase speed demands, tower ascents, rope descents into deep chasms, underwater sequences, maze pursuits on unicycle-style vehicles, snake-like labyrinths, and racing stages requiring swift descents through platforms to outpace rivals. Additionally, four levels contain concealed "mega warp" spots that let players skip ahead by two levels once discovered.

Plot and levels

Professor T. Bird, together with the trio of Battletoads—Rash, Zitz, and Pimple—are tasked with escorting Princess Angelica back to her home world aboard their spaceship, the Vulture, where she is to reunite with her father, the Terran Emperor. During a joyride in Pimple’s flying car, he and Angelica are suddenly captured by the Dark Queen on her vessel, the Gargantua. The Dark Queen has been in hiding since her defeat by the Galactic Corporation at Canis Major. After being taken prisoner, Pimple manages to send a distress call to the Vulture, prompting Professor T. Bird to dispatch Rash and Zitz to Ragnarok’s World for a rescue mission. Throughout their journey, the toads receive mission updates from Professor T. Bird while enduring provocations from the Dark Queen.

The adventure commences at Ragnarok Canyon, where players confront axe-bearing Psyko-Pigs and Dragons. The level’s boss, Tall Walker, hurls boulders that must be deflected back while evading laser attacks. The second stage, Wookie Hole, features downward-scrolling action with hazards including ravens that sever Turbo Cables, Saturn Toadtrap plants, Retro Blasters firing electric bolts, and Electro Zappers delivering 2,000 volts.

Ride-focused stages include Turbo Tunnel (level 3), where players navigate a Speed Bike through stone wall obstacles; Surf City (level 5), involving bouncing on a Space Board across water surfaces while avoiding logs and mines; Volkmire’s Inferno (level 7), which entails piloting the Toad Plane through fiery perils; and Clinger-Winger (level 11), where players ride a unicycle pursued by Buzzball, a hypnotic energy orb. Each ride level integrates beat 'em up segments, with Surf City featuring a boss encounter against Big Blag, leader of the Dark Queen’s rat forces, and Buzzball acting as the Clinger-Winger boss.

Platforming challenges include Ice Cavern (level 4), requiring use of snowballs and ice blocks to remove obstacles while dodging spikes and snowmen; Karnath’s Lair (level 6), which involves traversing snake-patterned platforms while avoiding spikes; and Intruder Excluder (level 8), a vertical-scrolling segment demanding precise jumps across platforms amid threats like rolling Big Balls and toxic gas emitters. The boss here is Robo-Manus, a genetically engineered biogen.

Terra Tubes (level 9) combines underwater exploration and platforming as players navigate pipes inside the Gargantua, facing Mechno-Droids, Steel-Beck duck-like creatures, Krazy Kog chases, spikes, sharks, Electra-Eels (electric eels), and Hammerfish. Rat Race (level 10) is another vertical-scrolling level within the Gargantua where players must disarm bombs before Giblet the rat can detonate them, culminating in a boss fight against General Slaughter.

Upon escaping the Gargantua, the Battletoads ascend the Dark Queen’s Tower in Revolution (level 12). This stage features rotating backgrounds with diverse platform types and enemies such as Hornheads, Shadow Clouds that release poison gas or gusts of wind, Spiked Balls revolving around the tower structure, and Swellcheeks that require players to hang from flag poles to avoid wind attacks.

At the tower’s pinnacle awaits the final confrontation with the Dark Queen. After her defeat, she retreats into space to recuperate. With Pimple and Princess Angelica safely rescued, the team boards the Vulture and departs from Ragnarok’s World.

Development and release

Battletoads was developed by Rare and published by Tradewest, conceived by Rare's founders Tim and Chris Stamper as a response to the early 1990s surge in popularity of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. To set itself apart from other beat 'em ups of the era, Rare integrated a variety of gameplay elements, including racing and climbing segments. The game’s vibrant, cartoon-inspired visuals adhered to Nintendo’s content policies and contributed to its unique identity in the market.

Character designs were crafted by Rare artist Kevin Bayliss with an eye toward merchandising potential, drawing inspiration from the commercial triumph of Tim Burton's Batman. Bayliss created initial sketches which Tim Stamper then translated into pixel art. The development team deliberately made the game challenging to enhance replayability, with even the programmers often finding certain levels difficult to complete. Despite its toughness, the game was intended to be conquerable through skill and perseverance.

Originally named Amphibianz, the project transitioned from a Disney-themed concept to a more violent yet weapon-free title, giving each character a distinct identity. Bayliss also designed the box art, which Tim Stamper later refined after early versions failed to generate sufficient interest.

At the 1991 Winter Consumer Electronics Show, Battletoads was showcased and praised for its innovation. Following its North American NES release in June 1991, it debuted in Japan on the Famicom, published by NCS rather than Tradewest. This Japanese edition included gameplay tweaks that slightly reduced its difficulty.

Contemporary

Upon release, Battletoads garnered predominantly positive reviews, often cited as one of the best video games ever made, a standout title of 1991, and among the finest NES offerings. Critics commended its "innovative and entertaining" presentation, highlighting cutscenes, cartoon-like characters and attacks, audio design, multi-layered scrolling effects, vivid color palette, humor, and the distinctive boss perspective in the opening level. Some minor drawbacks noted were small character sprites, less menacing attack animations, occasional uninspired backgrounds, and screen flickering.

The gameplay received acclaim for its diversity, addictiveness, and demanding yet fair challenge. Reviewers appreciated the well-paced difficulty curve and opportunities for players to develop mastery. Controls were praised for their straightforwardness along with level-specific combat variations. However, platforming sections attracted criticism due to collision detection issues that led to unfair player deaths; meanwhile, the Mega Drive port was described as an average platformer suffering from sluggish controls and inconsistent difficulty spikes.

Commercially, Battletoads performed strongly on Nintendo Power's sales charts—debuting at number 26 in July 1991 before climbing rapidly to number three by October. It consistently ranked within the top five for several months and remained on these charts until November 1994. Although it never attained the top spot due to competition from titles like Super Mario Bros. 3, it maintained enduring popularity over multiple years.

The game received nine nominations at the 1991 Nintendo Power Awards and won first place in categories including Graphics and Sound (NES), Theme and Fun (NES), Best Play Control (NES), Best Multi-Player or Simultaneous (NES), as well as Overall Best NES Game of 1991.

Retrospective

In retrospective reviews, AllGame lauded Battletoads for combining humor with an engaging narrative and near-flawless gameplay, emphasizing "smooth and responsive" controls, fluid animations, and expansive detailed levels. Conversely, Spike ranked its ending among video gaming’s sixth biggest disappointments.

In 1997, Nintendo Power placed the NES version at number 89 on its list of best Nintendo games. In 2010, UGO featured it among "Top 25 games that need sequels," also showcasing its Arctic Cavern stage in a list of "coolest ice levels." Topless Robot labeled it the leading "least terrible Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles knockoff" in 2008 and counted it among the ten best beat-'em-ups ever in 2010; they further recognized it as deserving of a toy line in 2011. In 2012, Yahoo! News included it among ten "classic video games warranting an HD remake." GamesRadar ranked it as the 18th best NES title while noting its significant difficulty; Jeremy Dunham of IGN placed it at number 40 on his top NES games list.

Legacy

Difficulty

The reputation of Battletoads centers heavily on its notorious difficulty level; it is frequently cited among the toughest games ever created and topped GameTrailers’ list of hardest titles. Despite being described as "brutal and unbalanced," it remains cherished as a classic from the eight-bit era. The infamous Turbo Tunnel stage was recognized upon release as "one of the most demanding challenges." This steep difficulty curve was reportedly designed to lengthen playtime and encourage purchases rather than rentals.

Unlike other challenging titles like Ninja Gaiden, Battletoads lacks gradual difficulty progression; instead it presents sudden shifts in mechanics and obstacles with limited continues and no save points, making it exceptionally demanding. Lengthy levels combined with cooperative play—where both players must restart if one loses all lives—add further toughness.

Franchise

The initial success of Battletoads spawned several sequels and spin-offs from Rare, establishing a franchise. A separate Game Boy entry debuted in November 1991 featuring different levels and gameplay mechanics. In 1993, two direct follow-ups—Battletoads in Battlemaniacs and Battletoads & Double Dragon—were released on various platforms; notably, IGN ranked the latter at number 76 among their "Top 100 NES Games". An arcade adaptation appeared in 1994 but achieved only moderate commercial results.

A television pilot based on Battletoads aired in 1992 but did not progress to full series production. More recently, in July 2020 Megalopolis Toys collaborated with Rare to produce six-inch action figures inspired by the franchise.

Ports

Ports of the original NES version generally featured reduced difficulty levels aimed at casual gamers by altering or omitting some of the more demanding stages.

Mindscape released an Amiga port in 1994 following an earlier unreleased attempt from 1992. Sega introduced versions for Mega Drive (Genesis) and Game Gear in 1993; the Mega Drive edition incorporated toned-down difficulty influenced by the Japanese release alongside enhanced graphics. The Game Gear version had downgraded graphics quality, excluded three levels entirely, and removed multiplayer functionality. While critics appreciated how faithfully gameplay translated on Genesis, they faulted it for lacking significant presentation upgrades over the NES original.

Also released in 1993 was a Game Boy title titled Battletoads in Ragnarok's World, which omitted several stages and supported only single-player mode. Although plans existed for a Master System port, this version never materialized.

In 1994 Mindscape brought out a version for Amiga CD32 alongside releasing their previously unreleased Amiga adaptation. Ports intended for MS-DOS and Atari ST were ultimately canceled. An Atari Lynx version announced by Telegames also failed to reach release.

At E3 2015 Rare revealed that the NES version would be part of Rare Replay, a compilation featuring thirty classic Rare titles for Xbox One. Released on August 4, 2015, this edition fixed a prominent two-player bug affecting level eleven.

External links

• (Game Gear)