There’s a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show
currently airing on Nickleodeon and it is SO good that it fully revived my fandom
for the series. But while looking into its history, I feel I should also check
out some TMNT Rip-offs. Things like the COWboys of Moo-messa, Biker Mice from
Mars, the Street Sharks, etc… Not to say they all were malicious rip offs
(Usagi Yojimbo wasn’t, and still fits the genre), but even if some are, it’s possible
to make something that might be remembered by its own right. Let’s look at something
clearly… “inspired” by TMNT with Battletoads for the Nintendo Entertainment
System.
Unlike the Ninja Turtles, which started
with a comic, the Battletoads started with this video game developed by Rare.
It has since become known for being one of the hardest games on the NES and a really
creative Beat ‘em up, which is why I’m reviewing it for Adamant Ditto’s annual
BEAT EM UP MOOONTH! (*Adamant Ditto clip*) However, to exclusively label this a
Beat ‘em up is kind of dishonest. The first level is mostly a Beat ‘em up, but
in the next level you’re repelling down a tunnel. While you can still punch
things, the style is clearly different. The third level starts with a small
beat em up section, but then you hop on speeder bikes. I could spend the whole
review explaining each level and their gimmick, as there are 12 levels and each
is different. I will mention my personal favorite is Karanth’s lair, a level in
which giant snakes move about and you have to jump and climb on them. This
level’s timing and movements plays out so beautifully that it watches like a choreography.
It’s actually what I point to when someone says video games aren’t art to prove
them wrong.
The changing gameplay might have
contributed to the infamous difficulty. Now, some people argue about whether
it’s fair or not. To put my 2 cents in, it’s the difficulty isn’t unfair
because it isn’t caused by bad controls… but holy CRAP do you need to have
perfect timing sometimes. It took me a MONTH of trying to beat this game DAILY
before I managed to it, and the shifting challenges did contribute to it.
But at its core, the game play is still
beat em up and platforming. The fighting is actually pretty fun. When you’re
pounding a baddie, it can seem like everything stops in that moment. This often
ends with a rewarding transformation (a signature of the Battletoads), knocking
enemies off screen with a giant boot or spiked fist. But although hitting
things feels solid, moving isn’t stiff. You actually gain momentum while walking
and since you’re a toad, jumping feels very free. The physics are great and
keep things feeling linked, so I never felt like a death was the game’s fault
(despite any rage at the moment).
I’d put the graphics for the game on par
with most NES Capcom games. Considering we have giant TOADS, the sprites are
well designed, even if some of the frames aren’t quite perfect. The enemies
tend to be monochrome and have limited frames, but for how rarely they repeat,
it’s no problem. It’s also worth mentioning that this game is available on
other systems, and I find the Sega Genesis versions looks “right” to me, but I
tend to think that 16 to 32 bit is ideal for Beat Em Ups.
However, I really like the music. The theme
song in particular perfectly captures that level of teen-surfer-cool vibe that
anyone who was ripping of the TMNT was trying to recreate. The levels and
in-game music are a little held back, but I suppose that’s actually good due to
the high difficulty. If the music was high paced or over bearing, I could see
it stressing people out and lowering their tolerance for the whole game. In
that way, the music doesn’t just fit the gameplay; it compliments it.
In the world of TMNT-like products, the Battletoads
stand out both as one of the more obvious cash-ins and as one of the best. I
don’t know if Rare thought of the settings first then made the levels, or if
they were just trying to push the envelope on game play as much as possible,
but either way it really works. The difficulty and constant variation of levels
may not be for everyone, but I still attest that it’s not a jagged change and
the difficulty is fair. There are some nit-picks, but they are easy to
overlook. The only “problem” with the game (with big air quotes on problem) is
that for a beat em up, there’s not a whole lot of beating up. Shame since it
does it so well, so I would have liked more of a focus on it. Regardless,
anyone who enjoys a challenge should try to get their hands on this game and
really work at beating it. I give Battletoads for the NES 9.5 levels out of 10.
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