Battletoads, also known as Battletoads Arcade or Super Battletoads, is the fifth and last 90's game of the Battletoads series developed by Rare and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in 1994 for the arcade and maintains the beat-em-up gameplay similar to that from previous games. Up to three players, as the Battletoads, brawl aliens and mutant rodents through six levels to save the universe from the Dark Queen. The game also includes vertical and bonus levels. Each Toad has its own signature attack, and as customary for the series, players can knock enemies towards the screen, breaking the fourth wall. Around the time of its release, Rare moved on to developing arcade titles. Releasing the game in arcades gave the company more freedom, allowing them to add mature themes that Rare wouldn't have been able to add into the game otherwise.
Story[]
She's back... the Dark Queen, that is. This time, her wickedness is lurking near the Galactic Corporation's defense fleet aboard her wicked rocket, the Gargantua. Our home-toads are rarin' to rumble against the Queen and her villainous sidekicks, Big Blag and Robo-Manus. But the ever cautions Dark Queen is not taking any chances, and this time she's brought some new reinforcements in the shape of new baddies like General Vermin and Robo Rat!
Rev up your space boards, aqua lungs, for six missions of toadacious, Arcade-style, three-player action!
Gameplay[]
Battletoads Arcade retains the beat 'em up gameplay from its predecessors, with only two vehicle stages. After Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team, the second game in the series to feature all three 'Toads as immediately selectable (as opposed to one or more of them being kidnapped), and the only one in which all three 'Toads can play simultaneously, and this time having different stats to further differentiate them as well as unique Smash Hits for each.
One of the biggest differences in comparison to earlier games is the increased amount of gratuitous violence. Visible blood splatters, decapitations on some enemies, and occasional toilet humor make this a far more mature game for the arcade crowd.
Levels and Bosses[]
| Stage | Name | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Defend the Vulture | General Slaughter |
| 2 | Christmas Grotto | Karnath |
| 3 | Dark Queen's Battleship | Robo Rat |
| 4 | Cave Pit | |
| 5 | Dark Queen's Mansion | Big Blag |
| 6 | Final Confrontation | Robo-Manus |
Enemies[]
Credits[]
- Original Battletoads Concept: Tim Stamper
- Original Battletoads Designers: Kevin Bayliss, Mark Betteridge, and Tim Stamper
- Producers: Chris Stamper and Tim Stamper
- Main Program: Chris Sutherland
- Additional Programming: Mark Wilson
- Game Design: Gregg Mayles
- Additional Design: Kevin Bayliss and Chris Sutherland
- Main Character Artist, Background Artist, and 3D Computer Models: Kevin Bayliss
- Additional Character Artists: Keri Gunn, Gregg Mayles, Steve Mayles, and Chris Peil
- Additional Background Artists: Gregg Mayles, Steve Mayles, Chris Peil, and Dean Smith
- Hardware Concept: Chris Stamper
- Hardware Design and Construction: Pete Cox and Chris Stamper
- Audio Software: Chris Sutherland
- Music, Sound Effects, and Sound Effect Sampling: David Wise
- Additional Sound Effects: Gregg Mayles and Chris Sutherland
- Vocal Effects: Kevin Bayliss, Mark Betteridge, Simon Farmer, Chris Peil, John Stamper, Louise Stamper, and Chris Sutherland
- Quality Assurance: Simon Farmer, Gary Richards, and Huw Ward
- Special Thanks to: Joel Hochberg, Scott Hochberg, Jerry Rogowski, and Joe Stamper Jr.
Ports[]
Despite being reportedly completed and slated for console and handheld releases, Super Battletoads was planned to be ported to Nintendo's Super NES and Game Boy, both of which were cancelled due to reportedly unsuccessfully low sales of the Arcade machine.
The game would later be added to the Rare Replay compilation for the Xbox One, making it the first time it receive a home console port.
Cast (Voices)[]
- Kevin Bayliss - General Slaughter, Robo Rat (Scuzz), Big Blag, Robo-Manus, Rat Fighter (Bonus Stage), Wrenchies, Giblets, Swat Rats, Gonnads, Scammies, Rabid Roodolphs, Frazzles, General Vermins and Gristles
- Mark Betteridge - Rash, Zitz and Pimple
- Simon Farmer - Grunties
- Chris Peil - Groggs
- John Stamper - Karnath
- Louise Stamper - Dark Queen
- Chris Sutherland - Announcer
Trivia[]
- This is the first and so far only installment of the Battletoads franchise to not have a family-friendly appeal to the game; due to its containment of brutal violence, blood and gore, mature humor, grotesque creatures, and foul language (which was scrapped from the game, but found in the data). By today's ESRB standards, the game would most likely receive a T-rating, much like Namco's Splatterhouse (1988) which is also an extremely violent arcade brawler.
- There are sprites of Professor T. Bird and Angelica that were going to appear in the game. They can still be found in the game's data as seen in the Cutting Room Floor.
- The Battletoads all have the same voice samples, with the one distinguishing feature being that the pitch is altered for each 'Toad (Pimple's voice samples are the lowest in pitch and Rash's are the highest). The only exception is that Pimple is the only one of the three to yell "Touchdown!" as he is the only character with a football-themed attack.
- Robo-Manus, usually a mid-to-late game boss in most of the games, actually serves as the final boss for this game. He is depicted as being considerably larger here than in previous installments; his size is such that he is never seen in his full form onscreen.
- The game was originally going to have eight stages in total, with two of these missions being cut out and the order of the remaining ones being changed in the final game.
- The third mission in the final game was originally going to be the second one, while the original third mission, Brain Chase, was cut from the game.
- The fourth mission originally had an organic theme, as the toads descended down a gigantic creature's stomach, culminating in the fight against Karnath. In the final game, Karnath was moved to the second stage.
- The second mission was originally the fifth one and featured a unique boss fight against Admiral Oink, which was cut entirely from the game. He was eventually replaced with Karnath, though his sprites can be found in the game's data. The screen where the player would fight him also had a tied up Santa, which would be released upon Oink's defeat.
- The last mission in the final game was originally the sixth one.
- The seventh mission, The Maze, was cut from the game and would feature the 'toads navigating a maze while a wrecked Robo-Manus chased them.
- The fifth mission in the final game was originally the last one and would culminate in a boss rush against Big Blag, a rematch against Robo-Manus and the final fight against the Dark Queen, with only the fight against Blag making it to the final game.
External Links[]
- Battletoads (Arcade) at Moby Games
- Battletoads (Arcade) at GameFAQs
- Battletoads (Arcade) at The Cutting Room Floor