I’ve mentioned Battletoads (NES) before in previous threads with me wishing it was on the VC etc but I wanted to actually talk about the game and what it meant for me as a gamer.
I first played Battletoads at a friends house - and we couldn’t get past the speeder bike level. Yes we played it together..yes we got mad at each other but yes, I wanted this game for Christmas.
Needless to say, I got it, and had a wonderful (insert several curse words, frustration fits, and the occasional tossed controller) time playing this game.
Battletoads did something unique in the gameplay department - something only a handful of games have truly done (and I mean done well) in the history of videogames. Each level played a little differently - it wasn’t just the same thing with more obstacles in the way or tougher enemies like most games did to throw you off. You would finally master beating up those Psyko Pigs in the 1st level, then you were plummeting down a pit with little blue electric boxes and big crows that threatened to cut your rope. After you beat that, you were back beating enemies up but ...what’s this?? A bike?
Holy S#!^ !!After flying by the seat of your pants - and dying many times over by falling into the pit or hitting a wall going a million miles an hour, this is the moment when you either give up on this game, or keep trying. Each level was different so far...what’s the next one bring? What about the level after that?
Surfs up!!.... oh wait.. "Snakes...why does it have to be Snakes?"Battletoads did have some secrets to help with the challenge. There were various places where you could gain infinite 1-ups which were handy because you didn’t have unlimited continues in this game. Warp Zones were handy too but were difficult to find unless you knew where to look.
At the end of all the chaos - the memorable boss fights, the obstacle courses, the frantic race to the bomb in level 10 (how many times did you DIE when your big oversized boot was just millimeters away from the bomb before the rat hit it?) you come across the Dark Queen and played an anti-climatic battle that ended with one of the worse endings ever. Oh well. For those of you who couldn’t beat the game, I pity you. Keep trying.
Not the best boss fight in the world..but when you made it this far, the battle was really tense - simply because the tower (level 12) was hell... Even though the ending wasn’t the best, the fact that you beat this very challenging game was satisfying enough to most players. It never said “Thank you for your playing” or “A Winner is You!” at the end which would have made it worse (and funny) but it did convince me to play it again....and again. Love this game.
How about you?
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