Battletoads Review (Xbox One): barrel, toads and cartoons

Those who lived through the golden age of the arcade will remember, even with a certain terror, the cabinet of Battletoads. A beat 'em up that ate tokens in bursts, finishing in a few minutes the loose change hardly put away with some chores outside the home. Today, some 26 years after their last appearance, the most powerful toads in video game history are back thanks to Play Studios (with mom's supervision Rare) on Xbox and PC, and have such an absurd history from their absence that it is terribly true.

To be a great hero, you need a great villain

It all starts with a breakdown. The simulation machine in which Rash, Pimple, e Zitz they were now trapped for years to relive their adventures breaks and they arrive in a world, that of today, where there is no place for three toads just out of the arcade. People have changed, so have videogames. The Battletoads hardly anyone knows them anymore and therefore, taking off the role of heroes, they have to adapt and live like ordinary people and work. Pimple now uses his mighty fists only in the massage center where he found employment, Zitz is forced to send a pile of emails to the office every day and Rash ... Rash is forced to the most degrading job of all: working as a support to the autograph signature of real stars of the moment, like the pirates of Sea of ​​Thieves (flagship title of Rare).

The glory of the three toads therefore seems to have come to an end but Rash does not want to resign himself to this life in which he cannot lead his hands and therefore does the only thing a fallen hero can do: go in search of a great villain to defeat! And who better than Dark Queen, the eternal nemesis of the three frogs? Except that the weather hasn't been kind to her either and now there is a new enemy to rule over the universe, the nebulae Topiani.

But this is only the beginning of an adventure that can be followed from act to act like a season of Rick and Morty.

The animated series we wanted

The Battletoads franchise was born to emulate the success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and was also supposed to launch an animated series that sadly ended up in an under-successful pilot. Dlala Studios then decides to abandon the pixel art graphics that characterized all the other chapters of the game to offer us the animated series we were waiting for, modern and fun, with colorful hand-made designs and an absurd design that winks at productions like Cuphead without absolutely distorting the beating heart of Battletoads. In fact, by chaining the combos it is possible to watch the transformations of the protagonists that have made the history of the series, with arts that grow bigger, that transform into jackhammers, trains, sinks, puppets, sarcophagi and even arcade cabinets.

The irony of the combat system goes perfectly with the story told by Dlala Studios that punches the fourth wall from the first minutes of the game with the three toads passing the time and staging gags and jokes passing from tragicomic to nonsense.

As if this fair of the absurd wasn't enough even the enemies are a jumble of strange anthropomorphic creatures, crazed lumberjacks, aliens, cars, walking oozes and many other creatures full of different animations and grimaces that are a pleasure to see, especially when the punches make the eyes pop out of their sockets. However, the level of violence that characterized the past episodes has been diluted and the blood has been dried completely.

Not the classic scrolling fighting game

Battletoads is a multi-genre video game who does not mind mixing platformers, fighting games, racing games, puzzle games and even entire levels made up of minigames capable of offering an ever increasing challenge to the player. It is not a simple title and more than once you may want to throw the controller against the wall. Unlike its predecessors though is packed with checkpoints, the Continues (at least on normal difficulty) are infinite and if you have a friend to play it with, the title could become a real drug to be addicted to for the rest of the summer.

If on the one hand, however, it is a pleasure to find a game that focuses on offline multiplayer (up to 3 players) on the other It is strange to think that a game available at launch on the Game Pass does not have an online cooperative mode which would certainly have benefited the experience. Some Acts, in which the story is divided, are real party games made with great care and all different, perfect for enlivening an evening with friends, even if not used to gaming.

Different speech instead as regards the sections in motion, a real must for those who know the saga and which are damn difficult, although not as much as those of the old chapters. These are levels to play with other enthusiasts who are not afraid of big challenges since there is even a goal that requires 3 cooperative players to survive on the bike for 300 seconds, I assure you that it is not a walk and the curses are insured.

The beating heart of the game, however, are the combat sections, well calibrated and with intelligent enemies who are not defeated simply by punching left and right, but that they require some strategy, with the right choice of attacks to face them that don't stop at dodging or mighty blows. Some opponents will in fact require to move quickly on the scenario and to get safe because they are able, for example, to electrify the areas with water.

In addition to punches, Rash, Zitz and Pimple they will be able to rely on their language long from toads that allows them to move to a second track of the Top Hunter-style scenario (just to mention another great arcade classic), grab flies to restore a small portion of health, bring enemies closer and collect collectibles. The latter, with their multifaceted shape, are hidden everywhere in the levels and often require them to be obtained solving simple environmental puzzles. The puzzles are also used to open the numerous closed doors that stand out on the path of the three heroes and offer a growing challenge which, to the delight of those who just want to lead their hands, can also be skipped thanks to a special unlockable function after a few failed attempt.

At the end of each of the four Acts that make up the game, for a total of about 5 hours of fun - a little bit but in line with other titles in the genre such as the recent Streets of Rage 4 - there are end level boss. Gigantic, evil, angry and capable of surprising attacks like those of the Battletoads, also with a design where the pleasure of the absurd is surpassed only by the desire to create a new strategy to defeat them. In these cases rubber is essentialIn fact, toads can spit a real bubble gum at enemies that blocks their attacks for a few seconds and bogs them down in a sticky pink prison. The rubber proves essential are not in boss battles but also to silence some annoying minions capable of ranged attacks.

Dlala Studios brings us back to the arcade with the great return of Battletoads, a video game designed more for a nostalgic, but which perfectly manages to capture the attention of even a new player, especially if looking for a good level of challenge. The adventure of the three toads is not only fun to play, but also beautiful to look at with a cartoon design that does not lack a generous pinch of madness and absurdity. With this last chapter we say that the 26 years of waiting have more than paid off, even if we expected a title that would last a few more hours and perhaps offer the possibility of playing online with other players. Absolutely recommended to spend a few happy evenings with friends, to permanently destroy your controller and to (re) discover the value of three heroes who have not lost their former glory.

Battletoads is a big summer surprise available today on Game Pass, we thank Microsoft for providing us with a preview code to try the game.