Battletoads

For the unreleased Sega Master System version, see Battletoads (Master System).

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NTSC-J/PAL NTSC-U Game Gear
Battletoads
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Game Gear
Publisher: Tradewest (US), Sega (EU/JP)
Developer: Arc System Works
Licensor: Rare
Original system(s): NES
Developer(s) of original games: Rare
Sound driver: SMPS Z80
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2, 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1993-03-26 ¥6,8006,800 G-4074 US 1993-03 T-97026 US (Re-release) 199x T-97026 EU 1993-07 DE 1993-07 DM 119.95119.95 UK 1993-05 £39.9939.99 AU 199x BR 1993 043260 AS 199x JP 1994-01-14 ¥3,8003,800 G-3311 US 1993-12 T-97018 EU 1993 2436 UK 1994-03-30 £29.9929.99 2436
Non-Sega versions Amiga Amiga CD32 Game Boy Nintendo Entertainment System

Battletoads (バトルトード) is a beat-'em-up game released for the Sega Mega Drive and the Sega Game Gear in 1993. It was originally developed by Rare for the Nintendo Entertainment System (to capitalize on the popularity of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and released in 1991, but it was subsequently ported to more systems. A Sega Master System version was also announced by Virgin Games but never released.

This game is the first in a series which thrived through the 8-bit and 16-bit era. It is known for its difficulty and humorous dialogue.

Story

The Dark Queen and Professor T. Bird

Professor T. Bird and the three Battletoads, Rash, Zitz, and Pimple, are escorting Princess Angelica to her home planet using their spacecraft, the Vulture, for her to meet her father, the Terran Emperor. When Pimple and Angelica decide to take a leisurely trip on Pimple's flying car, they are ambushed and captured by the Dark Queen's ship, the Gargantua. The Dark Queen and her minions have been hiding in the dark spaces between the stars following their loss to the Galactic Corporation in the battle of Canis Major. Pimple then sends out a distress signal to the Vulture, alerting Professor T. Bird, Rash, and Zitz. Learning that the Gargantua is hidden beneath the surface of a nearby planet called Ragnarok's World, Professor T. Bird flies Rash and Zitz there in the Vulture to rescue them.

Gameplay

Mega Drive version

The game is a belt-scrolling beat-'em-up, but stages vary in gameplay style and incorporate elements of platforming, climbing, racing, and vehicle-based obstacle courses. It can be played by one or two players playing as the Battletoads Rash and Zitz. Players progress in most stages by defeating enemies while avoiding the hazards in the environment. Several stages in the game feature sections in the form of an obstacle course, where the players must dodge a series of obstacles with speed increasing as the stage progresses. Other stages include two "tower climb" stages, a descent through a chasm while hanging from a rope, a stage with underwater sections, a maze chase riding a unicycle-like vehicle, a platforming "snake maze," and a race in which the players have to fall as quickly as possible through many platforms to reach the bottom of a tower before an enemy does. Vehicle stages are considered the most difficult and require quick reflexes.

The toads walk with or and run with or . Beat-'em-up segments are typically presented with an isometric perspective, which also allows movement back or forth with or . The toads crouch with and jump with . When underwater, the swim with . They attack with . Although there is only one attack button, the attack varies based on situation. It normally punches enemies or kicks downed opponents. Attacks chain into oversized punches or kicks when used repeatedly. Attacks can be done in midair. Attacking while running does a headbutt. Some objects from the environment (such as legs from the walker enemies or beaks from the ravens) or enemies can be picked up with and thrown or swung as a weapon with .

Each toad has a maximum of six hit points that can be replenished by eating flies with when they are near. Many enemies and hazards do multiple hit points of damage or even instantly kill the toad. Each player starts with five extra lives (which is also the maximum amount that can be held at a time). During beat-'em-up segments (including boss fights), players typically revive where they were killed, but they must restart at checkpoints in other sections. The game ends if the players run out of lives but can be continued an unlimited number of times.

Items

	Fly
	Flies can be eaten to replenish hit points.
	1-Up
	Awards the player an extra life.
	5,000
	Awards 5,000 bonus points.
	10,000
	Awards 10,000 bonus points.

Stages

	Ragnarok's Canyon
	Wookie Hole
	Turbo Tunnel
	Arctic Caverns
	Surf City
	Karanth's Lair
	Volkmire's Inferno
	Intruder Excluder
	Terra Tubes
	Rat Race
	Clinger Wingers
	The Revolution
	The Dark Queen

Game Gear version

The game is a beat-'em-up but includes stages with a variety of playstyles. Unlike the Mega Drive version, it can only be played by one player. The player controls the Battletoad Rash, who walks with or and runs with or . In the beat-'em-up segments of stages, he can move in and out of the plane with or . He crouches with and jump with . He punches or kicks with , which can be done in midair. Attacking while running does a headbutt. He can pick up and swing bats with .

Rash has five hit points and loses a life if he takes damage without any hit points remaining. He can restore hit points by eating flies with when fly by. Spikes instantly kill Rash no matter how many hit points he has left. Rash revives at a checkpoint after losing a life. The game ends if the player runs out of lives but can be continued a limited number of times. The player starts with three lives but earns an extra life at 500, 750, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000 points.

Items

	Fly
	Flies can be eaten to replenish hit points.

Stages

	Ragnarok's Canyon
	Wookie Hole
	Turbo Tunnel
	Notable for its high difficulty during the riding sections.
	Arctic Cavern
	Surf City
	Karanth's Lair
	Volksmire's Inferno
	Clinger Wingers
	The Tower of Shadows
	The Dark Queen

History

Legacy

A sequel to Battletoads, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in June 1993, with a port to the Sega Master System eventually appearing in Brazil in 1996. A spin-off, incorporating characters from the beat-'em-up series Double Dragon was also released on the Mega Drive as Battletoads/Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team, also in 1993.

The series was revived in 2020 with the game Battletoads appearing on Windows PCs and the Xbox One.

Versions

Battletoads was designed as a NES game, and no subsequent port has included all of the content of the original release. The Game Gear port of the game removes three stages: Intruder Excluder, Terra Tubes, and Rat Race (though their respective music tracks are still present in the game data). The remaining stages were redesigned to take into account the smaller screen of the Game Gear.

Taking a hit by an enemy in action stages causes the player to be stunned, and the recovery time is much longer in the Game Gear version. Collision detection is also not as accurate, which can, in turn, make action stages harder. In vehicle stages, it is possible to take more than one hit before losing a life. However, obstacles appear instantly in some vehicle stages rather than blinking on the side of the screen before appearing.

Despite being supported by more powerful hardware, the Mega Drive version also makes some cutbacks, lacking much of the opening sequence and cutting sections of the ending for unknown reasons. More layers of parallax scrolling have been added to the backgrounds, though in general the upgrade is less noticeable than, for example, the jump between NES Battletoads and SNES Battlemaniacs. The Mega Drive version is based on the japanese release of the original NES game, who has a decreased difficuty level than its NES counterpart.

Production credits

Mega Drive version

• Composer:Hikoshi Hashimoto

Source:

His website (uncredited)

Game Gear version

• Composer:Hikoshi Hashimoto

Source:

His website (uncredited)

Magazine articles

Main article: Battletoads/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

FI print advert

Mega Drive print advert in Sega Visions (US) #11: "February/March 1993" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in GamePro (US) #46: "May 1993" (1993-xx-xx)

Game Gear print advert in Todo Sega (ES) #14: "Mayo 1994" (1994-0x-xx)

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1994-02: "February 1994" (1994-01-08)

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 50 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 70 Consoles + (FR) 94 Cool Gamer (RU) 70 Computer & Video Games (UK) 86 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 75 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 7 (RU) 40 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 79 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 65 Game Power (IT) 76 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 83 GamesMaster (UK) PAL 78 Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J 75 Joypad (FR) 74 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) NTSC-U 79 Mega (UK) NTSC-U 75 Mega Action (UK) NTSC-U 87 Mega Force (FR) 90 Mega Fun (DE) NTSC-U 75 MegaTech (UK) PAL 80 Mean Machines Sega (UK) NTSC-U 79 Player One (FR) 88 Power Up! (UK) 82 Score (CZ) 35 Sega Magazin (DE) 76 Sega Power (UK) NTSC-U 87 Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-U 39 Sega Zone (UK) NTSC-U 90 Sega Force (UK) NTSC 58 Sega Mega Drive Review (RU) 76 Sega Opisaniy i sekretov (RU) 44 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 53 Supergame (BR) NTSC-U 83 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 34 Tricks Gold (RU) 70

	71
Based on 35 reviews

Battletoads

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US (Re-release)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, FR
Manual

Mega Drive, FR (Blister pack)
Cover

Mega Drive, AU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, Asia
Cover
Cart Manual

Game Gear version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score Aktueller Software Markt (DE) 33 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 60 Computer & Video Games (UK) PAL 60 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 73 Freak (IL) 91 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 85 Gamers (DE) 33 Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J 40 Joypad (FR) 80 Mega Force (FR) 90 Micromanía (segunda época) (ES) 92 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 89 Player One (FR) 87 Play Time (DE) 81 Sega Magazin (DE) PAL 81 Sega Power (UK) PAL 76 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 73 Sega Zone (UK) PAL 68 Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL 85 Todo Sega (ES) PAL 85 Video Games (DE) PAL 80

	73
Based on 21 reviews

Battletoads

Game Gear, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Game Gear, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Game Gear, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Technical information

Main article: Battletoads/Technical information.

References

Battletoads games for Sega systems
	Battletoads (1993) | Battletoads/Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team (1993)
	Battletoads (1993) | Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (Cancelled)
	Battletoads (Cancelled) | Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (1996)