Battletoads in Battlemaniacs

"While Battletoads Aficionados will be disappointed by the games length, it is still a fun and challenging game."

Introduction:
The original Battletoads game, out in 1991 on the NES was a highly anticipated game. The game was highly regarded as a fun and challenging experience for all NES gamers. Although the games disturbingly hard difficulty level was not something that most gamers were expecting from the game. After the release of Battletoads on the NES it was then released again in 1991 on several other systems, one of them including the Game Boy, however this was a new adventure unlike the other versions. Following in the original Battletoads footsteps later came Battletoads & Double Dragon on the NES. Battletoads & Double Dragon was also released on the GB system. Then, after the introduction of the SNES, Battletoads & Double Dragon was re-made on the SNES system, with a nice graphical upgrade. There was also a port of the original Battletoads for NES to the GB, which was a slightly watered down version of the NES game, renamed Battletoads in Ragnarok's World.

Finally, we get to Battletoads In Battlemaniacs, the first and last Battletoads game for the SNES and the last Battletoads ever seen for a long 12 years. Battletoads In Battlemaniacs may seem ultimately disappointing for fans of the series because the previous console versions had 12 levels, and Battletoads In Battlemaniacs only has 6 levels, with the inclusion of 2 bonus levels. Another disappointing factor is that in previous versions there was always a boss at the end of each level, but Battletoads In Battlemaniacs on the SNES only has 2 Bosses in the entire game.

Story:
Pimple, Rash and Zitz are the three Battletoads, invited to witness the new invention called the Gamescape in northern Tibet, by Professor T Bird, who is always the coach of the Battletoads during the previous games. You are greeted with a introduction movie of the Battletoads Battlecopter flying to the location, where you witness the Battletoads get off and go into the building. You commence to watch the Profs. explanation of Gamescape but you are then interrupted by a Pig flying on the back of a dragon who comes out of the screen, kidnaps the another Princess, Zitz tries to save her but fails, and then he gets Kidnapped to. Now it is up to Pimple and Rash to jump into the gamescape and free the Princess and Zitz from capture and defeat Silas Volkmire and the Dark Queen in the process. You would think that the Battletoads would have learned from their mistakes last time but obviously one of them can't seem to avoid getting kidnapped.

Gameplay:
This is the first Battletoads game where you play as Pimple as the "main" character. There was never really a main character in the Battletoads series but one of the toads was always assigned to controller port 1 and the other to controller port 2. Besides Battletoads & Double Dragon, this is actually the first game where Pimple is even a playable character. The odd thing about this is Pimple moves noticeably slower than Rash does while fighting and it seems that there is absolutely no difference in their strengths, therefore Pimple is actually harder to play with than Rash, and Pimple is assigned to controller port 1. It would have been nice if for single player you could choose between Pimple and Rash, but you can always just use the second port when you play.

As you may know, the Battletoads games are extremely difficult, and Battlemaniacs is no different. The game starts off very similar to the original NES version, with the beginning level being a solid 100% beat 'em up. The second level then remains very similar to the NES version except instead of going down a giant hole on a rope you are going down a giant hollow tree on a hover pad fighting various bizarre enemies. One thing I found weird about Battlemaniacs, is that in the NES version after each level you have a world map type screen that shows you how each level connects, so it makes sense how they all lead to one another, but in Battletoads there is no such map and the levels don't seem to have any sort of connection with one another at all. Somehow you go from being in a fiery magma filled land, to a giant hollow tree to sliding on a hockey puck on glass, it really has no sense of fluidity, because the levels don't really flow like they should, it just becomes confusing. Especially for the last level, somehow after beating a race in the 5th level you are at the top of the Dark Queen's tower in the last level, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

There is also an extreme lack of levels and balance in Battlemaniacs, when you compare it to the original, sense anyone who has beaten the original Battletoads will get an extreme sense of Deja Vu, since every level except the bonus levels are based off of levels from the NES version, except instead of having the same 12 levels you just have 6 of the levels from the NES version remade. So Battlemaniacs will feel like a shortened re-made version of the original. Although this game is disappointed to a fan of the series, it is still a pretty fun game nonetheless, but now since I have played the original, it has really changed my point of view on this game, causing me to re-write this review entirely.

The new smash attacks given to the toads is a very welcoming change, Pimple and Rash now have their own set of unique finishing blows when they defeat an enemy, and they are different in the first and second levels, which are really the only fighting levels besides the last level which has a couple enemies to fight. That is the main problem, is that in the NES Battletoads there seemed to be an equal amount of fighting, racing and platforming integrated into a single game, but Battlemaniacs goes in this pattern. Fighting, Fighting, Bonus, Turbo tunnels (racing/obstacle dodging), Platforming, Turbo level (racing/obstacle dodging), Bonus, Rat Race (Racing/Obstacle dodging, small amount of fighting). Although every racing level is completely different from one another, there is a significant imbalance in how the levels are put together. The first two levels are fighting and then your stuck with racing levels for the rest of the game, except the platforming level. The bonus levels are essentially racing levels to, since you must dodge obstacles while collecting bonus points at the same time at a high speed.

Another odd thing I noticed is the lack of being able to use weapons. In the NES version you could use certain items as a sword type weapon to attack your enemies with more power, but these items seemed to have been completely removed from the game, although it is not very noticeable anyways since only the first two levels of the game have fighting in them.

Another disappointment is that there are only 2 bosses in the entire game! One at the end of the first level and the Dark Queen at the end of the last level. You never actually fight Silas Volkmire in the game, but he appears in the ending. All in all Battletoads In Battlemaniacs is a fun game, and can be enjoyed by many, but keep in mind that the game does not live up to the expectations carried out by the original Battletoads because of the lack of levels. If Battlemaniacs had more levels it would have surpassed the original in every category.

Graphics:
This is one area where Battlemaniacs obviously surpasses the original. The levels have way more detail and clarity, the characters are animated better, and the characters have also had a complete revamp in design and control. The Battletoads now control noticeably different from it's predecessors. Pimple and Rash also control considerably differently and their attacks look different from one another, even their smash attacks which are a refreshing change of pace. The graphics are definitely one of the strongest aspects of Battletoads In Battlemaniacs, and it is probably one of the best looking games on the SNES system.

Sound:
Another area where the game improves over the original. The main theme has been redone in a rock music manner, and it sounds incredible. The main theme is one of the best songs from the game and will definitely get you excited, especially the first time you hear it, and especially if you remember what the original sounds like. The game mostly follows a rock soundtrack, and each levels song is just amazing and enjoyable to listen to. The sound effects have also been greatly improved and all teh enemies have their own sounds and pretty much everything in the sound department has been improved upon over the original NES game.

Value:
This is definitely one of the areas where the game falters, because the original Battletoads had 12 levels total, with 12 bosses, even with the challenge that Battlemaniacs provides, it is still more easily completed than the original because of the fact that it only has 6 levels. You may have a strong desire to beat the game, but the game is extremely hard, and this is probably one of the strongest aspects that would keep you interested in the game. Once you actually beat the game, if you ever do, you will probably not be compelled to play the game again, at least for quite some time, although if you are a Battletoads fan you will definitely find something of worth hear and will probably play the game from time to time like me. However you will probably find yourself returning to the original Battletoads more often.

Although, there is one areas worth noting where I found that Battlemaniacs blew Battletoads out of the water, in an area other than the Graphics and Sound department. The game has a much more satisfying ending than the original. In the original the ending is admittedly disappointing, because you are rewarded a few lines of text. In Battlemaniacs you are rewarding with a lengthy ending cutscene, and this ending is also interactive, so you actually control which of 2 endings that you get from the game. Although the endings are very similar one of them is a lot more rewarding than the other because you get a greater sense of victory than the other one.

Score:
Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 10
Sound: 10
Value: 7
Tilt: 7

Overall: 8.1
Battletoads In Battlemaniacs is a great game, but it ultimately fails to live up the gameplay standards that Battletoads for NES set for the series in 1991. After Battlemaniacs I can see why the series has been dormant for 12 years, but the game was still legitimately great. Most game series would pick up where they failed in being able to live up to the fans expectations, but it seems like Rare decided to give up on the Battletoads series. Don't be fooled, Battletoads In Battlemaniacs is still a great game, just be prepared to be disappointed if you are a longtime fan of the series. I would really like to see this series revived sometime in the near future, possibly having the originals ported to GBA or a new GBA adventure. Or possibly even bringing the series to 3D, the future of Battletoads remains to be seen. But while you wait for a future Battletoads game, pick up Battlemaniacs if you haven't played it, because it will provide you with a challenging and fun Battletoads experience.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/16/04, Updated 08/12/05