The return of Battletoads went quickly from a pleasant surprise to a game that did not attract my attention. His presentation in society caused in me one of those twists that lead you to think that something smells of singe, that it is better to keep expectations low and that, far from following it with enthusiasm, it is better to forget about it and ” we’ll see how it goes ” .
Well, that ” we’ll see ” has already arrived and, as with other releases this year such as Ghost of Tsushima , I have been forced to swallow my prejudices and surrender at the feet of what Dlala Studios and Rare have achieved. . Battletoads is a hilarious game .
A return that has ended up being much better than expected
Maintaining that fine line between difficult and frustrating that elevated it to the altars of retro, Battletoads comes back here a little kinder. His demand only appears reached the second half, and more from the hand of twisted minigames than from that beat’em up spirit that he tries to show off in most of the game.
This, despite what most of the images that have been published so far may point out, is much more than ” me against the neighborhood ” style fighting phases with brushstrokes of racing motorcycles on obstacle courses. Much of what ends up arriving is actually big surprises , so I’ll just say that there is a bit of everything, from platforms to ships to puzzles, and that in almost all cases they border on the highest level.
Fun from start to finish , one of the best things I can say about it is that Battletoads has ended up going short. The three-odd hours that the final screen marked probably didn’t account for a good handful of retries, but it’s more than enough to give you an idea of what’s ahead.
If you have come this far and you are an Xbox Game Pass holder , my recommendation is that you go for it without knowing anything else. You can assume that as soon as the proposal calls you, you are going to enjoy it like a dwarf and that, to enjoy it to the fullest, it is better to reach it without knowing much more. On the other hand, if what you are considering is its purchase, it is better to delve a little deeper into what it offers.
Simple, but also fun and effective combos
The most famous toads in the galaxy take us on an adventure that begins with a clean smack as an excuse. With the possibility of playing it in three bands locally, the game is just as enjoyable alone, especially since each of the three brothers – are they brothers? – becomes an additional life when another falls. And it is something that happens often.
After dying in combat or in any of the mini-games or gender changes that appear little by little, the next toad will jump into action and a countdown will appear over the head of the one who has just died. If we run out of relays before that count reaches 0, it will be time to repeat the section .
Switching from one character to another is just one of the many tradeoffs the game makes. The autosave is quite generous and, at best, we will only have to repeat the last minutes of the level in which we have been defeated. Ideal for those who come to it with the sole intention of having a good time , and one more incentive for those who aim for high scores and collectibles.
Although reaching the end is not a particularly hard challenge on normal difficulty, doing it by collecting all the collectibles and without losing your life is another story. One that requires maximizing combos and, of course, learning the toughest sections by heart.
Battletoads: A love letter to the genres of the 90s
I would be lying if I said that his beat’em up face is the one that shines the most, but also if he did not say that it is the one that I have enjoyed the most. Battletoads’ combos are easy to learn, and taking advantage of their special attacks, from the charge to remove shields to the lick that will bring you closer to enemies, is something that does not take long to click for its simplicity.
That little by little more varied and bloody enemies appear in their mechanics is a plus that, when it comes to moving from the tollinas to something else, it does not always feel as good. Despite not being a perfect system, and the hits hitting the air instead of reaching a hitbox give a good account of it, it is undeniable that it is the most fun.
Maybe that’s why the game pales a little more when it comes to making the leap to the platform. There, the lack of additional actions makes the ride a more tedious and unrewarding experience , a problem that is not helped by a level design that soon becomes somewhat repetitive and that ends up relying on the speed of action to compensate for its lack of ideas.
Very different is his mime in shmup , another of the genres on which he relies for much of the game. On board a ship, he launches us into a bullet hell in which measuring which enemy you attack first, while remembering where the shots are going to come from, becomes essential to advance. It may not be what you most want to do at that moment, but you end up enjoying it just the same. Play this game on Xbox.