The Battletoads’ wacky adventure cleverly reintroduces them to a new generation of gamers who might not be familiar with them.

The story of Battletoads retains the series’ irreverent charm, but contemporary tech allows for more defined character designs, personality traits, and voices for all of the Battletoads and even the villainous Dark Queen. Because of this and the fact that Dlala Studios, a smaller indie team outside of Rare, is handling the game, this reboot could have easily lost what makes the IP special, but Dlala gets it. The franchise has been dormant since Battletoads Arcade’s release in 1994. So the game helps the player catch up by introducing these characters all over again. The game starts with the Battletoads having been locked away for over 20 years, and when they reemerge, no one remembers who they are. The level of passion for the franchise that the developers have is evident throughout.Įven though Battletoads has its flaws, it is easily the most unique and interesting first-party title to arrive on Xbox in this current generation.įor anyone unfamiliar with the Battletoads franchise, 2020’s new game is willing to cut you some slack. While the quality of each represented style of gameplay varies, they at least feel distinct from one another in a refreshing way. While this jack-of-all-trades approach and its absence from July’s Xbox Game Showcase initially felt like cause for concern, Dlala Studios pulls it off. While most levels play out like a Streets of Rage 4-style beat 'em up, Battletoads also includes several reaction-based mini-games, shoot-'em-up gameplay reminiscent of Ikaruga, and fast-paced action platforming akin to Celeste. Interestingly, the adventure includes several wildly different gameplay styles.

This quest to make the Battletoads' relevant again is at play even in the game’s story where the titular toads are eager to become famous again after being locked away by an alien race called the Topians for many years. Microsoft has revived the series for Xbox One with the help of indie developer Dlala Studios, creating a bright spot in a first-party Xbox lineup of games that mostly consists of more mature titles. The new Battletoads game is short but never boring.īattletoads is one of Rare’s classic IPs, mostly remembered for an excruciatingly tough NES game and GameStop meme.

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