Line #40 YMMV/Battletoads


1	!!''Battletoads'' -- the VideoGame series
2	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[AwesomeMusic/{{Battletoads}} Now with its own page!]]
3	* BreatherBoss: Buzzball is, surprisingly, not that difficult to defeat, being limited to melee attacks with a pretty predictable pattern. It’s especially pleasant (and [[CatharsisFactor cathartic]]) considering that it comes at the end of [[ThatOneLevel Clinger Winger]].
4	* BreatherLevel: Surf City is pretty easy compared to the Turbo Tunnel and Arctic Caverns levels before it. While the hazards are randomly generated, they aren’t as merciless as before, and there’s even a OneUp partway through the stage. The only real hard part is the fight with Big Blag halfway through.
5	* BrokenBase:
6	** Fans are split on how the Genesis/Mega Drive version of the first game compares to the NES original. In the "[[PolishedPort superior]]" department: The graphics and audio have been improved and its difficulty level is more forgiving (this is due to the game using the easier Japanese Famicom version as a base). In the "[[PortingDisaster inferior]]" department, the Toads' sprites weren't redrawn like others, enemies have missing animations, the intro sequence is missing, the game's ending is shortened, and the percussive pause music is nowhere to be heard.
7	** Whether the games are still fun despite their infamous difficulty or if they're ruined by it. This is also partly the reason for the division on whether the American/European NES version or the Japanese Family Computer version has better level design.
8	** A lot of fans weren't happy that ''Battlemaniacs'' was nowhere to be seen in ''Rare Replay'', seeing it as a worthy entry in the franchise and the collection. Others argued that the game did little more than [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks copy certain levels from the first game]] and gave them a [[MissionPackSequel 16-bit facelift]].
9	* CatharsisFactor:
10	** Every time you beat [[ThatOneLevel Turbo Tunnel, Karnath’s Lair, or Rat Race]], you will feel like a badass.
11	** Speaking of Karnath, he is ThatOneBoss in the arcade. He can [[OneHitKill eat]] you and it shows him munching you. Also, he has a ton of health. Decapitating the fucker and kicking his head out of the screen is '''worth it.'''
12	** After getting killed countless times by Buzzball in Clinger Winger, getting to smash the thing to pieces at the end is totally worth it.
13	* CommonKnowledge: Turbo Tunnel is merely where the game ''starts'' to get NintendoHard, yet is still mistakenly believed by many players to be the single most difficult part of the game. Those who have beaten the Turbo Tunnel are very quick to point out that players who believe this are just the ones who gave up early.
14	* DemonicSpiders:
15	** In the NES version of the first game, pretty much any enemy that can kill you in one hit.
16	** The sharks in Terra Tubes. They chase you constantly, can knock you into spikes or kill you in three bites, and can only be killed after an insane amount of hits.
17	** In the same stage, the rubber ducks. Take them out from behind and you'll be fine. If they see you and land a hit, consider yourself done for.
18	* DisappointingLastLevel: Not that the final level, Revolution, is easy at all, but compared to its predecessor, Clinger Winger... Averted with 2-player mode in the European version, alongside ''Rare Replay'' (in which both players can beat Clinger Winger and continue the game) - in that case, Revolution becomes the ''hardest'' level.
19	* EvenBetterSequel:
20	** The SNES title, ''Battletoads in Battlemaniacs'', is a big improvement over the first game. Featuring more balanced difficulty, better controls, an amazing soundtrack, and, best of all, the ability to turn the "friendly fire" option off. The only flaw it has is a low number of bosses. Sadly, not as many people remember this entry.
21	** The arcade game, a.k.a ''Super Battletoads'', is often considered better than the games on the consoles due to easier (though more challenging enemies) difficulty, abandoning the gimmicky platforming or racing stages, and for having all three toads playable in the same game and not one of them be captured (this is the only game where this is the case other than ''Battletoads & Double Dragon''). Not to mention they look and play differently enough from each other. The only downside is that you don't fight the Dark Queen in this title and Robo-Manus is the final boss instead, similarly to the first Gameboy game.
22	* FirstInstallmentWins: An unusual example. Though it is generally agreed nearly every game after it is considerably better, the NES version is still the one that everyone remembers and it represents the franchise in ''Rare Replay'' alongside the arcade game.
23	* FranchiseOriginalSin:
24	** The reboot received a lot of flack for its new more cartoony art style, but many fans have pointed out the series has always been exceedingly exaggerated with its animation and style. The difference is that cartoony effects in the classic games served mostly to lessen the impact of the violence and add some levity for the sake of humor, whereas the excessively stylized look of the 2020 reboot mainly seems intended to let the visual department get away with using a much simpler and less-detailed "[=CalArts=]" aesthetic and character designs that look very cheap and noodly in comparison.
25	** The reboot also received criticism for frequently switching from the standard beat em up gameplay to various other genres including 2D platforming, schump, and puzzle. The previous games weren’t any better at this though, the NES game in particular had more 2D Platformer and vehicle sections than it did on regular beat 'em up stages.
26	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The series is very popular in Russia, where the first game was released for the Dendy, a popular Famicom clone. When the gameplay trailer for the reboot was shown on Youtube, to the surprise of many English speakers, several fans from Russia filled the comments section to express their thoughts on the next entry of a series that they remember fondly as part of their childhoods. It's not very positive.
27	* GoodBadBugs: In Level 10 (the Rat Race), there is a bug that allows you to kill Giblet before the level is over, and the game will consider the level finished[[note]]It's done by first hitting the bomb, then headbutting him twice in a row after he bounces. This will "kill" him and make the game think you've won the level[[/note]]. It's very hard to pull off, but if you can, you can skip the [[ThatOneLevel third race]] and the fight with General Slaughter.
28	* GrowingTheBeard: The arcade game amped up the violence while doing away with the nerve-wracking obstacle course levels. It's definitely worth a few of your quarters should you ever stumble across a cabinet.
29	* HilariousInHindsight:
30	** The ''{{Franchise/Pokemon}}'' series now has at least three amphibian pokemon, Poliwrath/Politoed, Seismitoad, and Toxicroak, who all specialize in physical might. A small but significant number of fans jokingly nickname them after the legendary Battletoads themselves.
31	** A rather popular trend on the internet, particularly [=YouTube=], was for [[LetsPlay let's players]] to have races in ''Battletoads'' with an infinite lives code through emulators. The Rare Replay version of the game outright has "infinite lives" as a cheat you can turn on and off from the settings menu. This may even veer into a form of AscendedMeme.
32	** At the start of almost every boss battle in the ''Battletoads'' series, Rash, Zitz, or Pimple lets out a JawDrop and a terrifying scream as an "OhCrap" reaction when they know they're in trouble while encountering a boss. ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' would borrow the same "OhCrap" reaction that the titular character and his brother Mugman get [[spoiler:when they encounter the Devil who pulls off a DeathGlare on them]] at the start of the final battle.
33	** [=GameStop=] has Battletoads! In [[BrickJoke 2019.]]
34	** It's been pointed out that the [[https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/firefly/comments/5q6mt2/every_time_i_load_up_battletoads_on_nes_i_cant/#ampf=undefined Battletoad's spaceship]] looks a lot like [[Series/{{Firefly}} Serenity]].
35	* ItsHardSoItSucks: The NES game is perhaps the most notorious example of this trope of all time with its plethora of instant-kill hazards, levels with gratuitous trial and error, and a metric ton of cheap moments that have to be completed with a piddling amount of lives. Even fans who have immense nostalgia for the game will admit that 90% of the stages are prime examples on how NOT to design game levels.
36	* LGBTFanbase: Mostly Big Blag, who appears in gay fanart every now and then.
37	* MemeticMutation:
38	** When someone on [[Website/FourChan 4chan]] asks for the name of an anime, the common response is a combination of ''Boku no Pico'', ''Bible Black'', and ''Battletoads'', leading to such titles as ''Boku no Bibletoads''.
39	** Would [=GameStop=] happen to have a copy of ''Battletoads''? (Some people add "for the Wii", owing to WebVideo/ArbyNTheChief.) [=GameStop=] seems to have been replaced by [[Series/PawnStars Gold and Silver Pawn Shop]] in recent years.
40	*** AscendedMeme: In ''Rare Replay'', the achievement for playing ''Battletoads'' for the first time is "Do You Have ''Battletoads''?".
41	*** At [=GameStops=] promoting ''Rare Replay'', employees wore buttons reading "Ask me about ''Battletoads''". The pre-release box art for the collection was also comprised of just the Battletoads logo.
42	** The Primarch of the [[http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Angry_Marines Angry Marines]], a fan-made [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Space Marine chapter]], drifted alone in a space capsule, which was empty save for a copy of this game (and presumably a console on which to play it). So unsurprisingly he became one angry motherfucker.
43	* NightmareFuel: The battle with Karnath in the arcade is the only moment where your Toad is not facing an equal or some weaker foes to show off on, and instead is terrifying. First, your Toad is looking anxiously at Karnath's lair, knowing ''something'' is coming. Then Karnath himself comes out, and shows [[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily two very sharp rows of teeth as he is about to bite you.]] If his bite connects, and it's not hard to, he kills you in a couple of hits at ''most'', and if you die, you have to see him ''munching'' you.
44	* NintendoHard: As noted in the previous section, all games in the ''Battletoads'' series infamously play this trope straight, especially the first one. However, what's less well-known is that this trope is actually ''averted'' in the Japanese version of ''Battletoads'', which was modified a great deal to reduce enemies and obstacles across all of the levels, and also starts the player off with 5 lives by default without having to input a code.
45	* ObviousBeta:
46	** The Master System version of ''Battlemaniacs'' was originally developed for European release and was even previewed in by magazines at the time before it was canceled. Despite this, Tec-Toy picked up the rights to publish an unfinished built of the game for Brazil.
47	** The arcade game is notoriously short, with only 6 levels and a lot of unused sprites which can be found on its data, not to mention the lack of a proper intro sequence. Early magazine screenshots show that the game was supposed to be much larger, with two entire levels and a boss fight being cut from the final version. Both T. Bird and Angelica were also supposed to have prominent roles in the game. The game also never had a dedicated cabinet, being sold only as an installation kit.
48	* PolishedPort: The Mega Drive/Genesis version. Among the improvements: The graphics are more colorful, the music is better (sounding more rock-inspired than the NES), there are some bug fixes, and most importantly, the game is more forgiving than the NES version, particularly the Turbo Tunnel and Volkmire's Inferno.
49	* PopularWithFurries: They have had their fans because they're muscular, anthropomorphic frogs.
50	* PortingDisaster:
51	** The Platform/{{Amiga}} version and its CD 32 offshoot, though the remixed music of the latter is pretty kickin'.
52	** Some fans said this was the case with the ''Rare Replay'' version of the arcade game in regards to the sound emulation, as all of the game's audio plays at a higher pitch. The issue was since been remedied with a patch.
53	* ScrappyMechanic:
54	** The ability to [[UnfriendlyFire hurt and even kill your teammate]] and the fact that if one player {{Game Over}}s, they both do are frequently cited as the worst parts of 2 Player mode (other than the whole "Clinger Winger is {{Unwinnable}}" thing.)
55	** One particular move within the UnfriendlyFire Scrappy Mechanic: In Level 2 (the pit), the 'Toads will quickly attack laterally across the width of the screen at the single press of the attack button if there's an "enemy" lined up. You both need to have this on your minds at all times to avoid constantly killing each other in one hit.
56	* SequelDifficultyDrop: ''Battletoads vs. Double Dragon'' seemingly attempts to shake the NintendoHard reputation of earlier games. While still not exactly a walk in the park it is significantly easier than other games in the series, with even its obligatory speeder bike level being pretty easy instead of the unending nightmare of memorization and twitch reflexes they usually are.
57	* SignatureScene: Turbo Tunnel is the most iconic part of the original ''Battletoads'', due to being the first part of the game where [[NintendoHard the difficulty goes through the roof]].
58	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The theme for the first level of Battletoads in Battlemaniacs [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t44_LN546Lw]] is heavily based on Joe Walsh's 1978 hit "Life's Been Good" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXWvKDSwvls]].
59	* ThatOneBoss:
60	** Karnath, that giant snake from the Arcade version can [[OneHitKO kill you in one-hit]] if you're playing in Co-Op (two if you're going solo). You'd better hope that you're quick enough to dodge his nasty bite attack --which he is frighteningly good with timing-- or else you'll be out several dollars' worth of quarters.
61	** In the NES game, Robo-Manus from Intruder Excluder. The fact that he '''ignores your MercyInvincibility''' should tell you enough. He also has a GoombaStomp. Instant kill, ignores your Mercy Invincibility. Hope you got a lot of juggling practice back in level 5.
62	* ThatOneLevel: Most of the levels are extremely difficult, but some particularly stand out:
63	** The most infamous level is Turbo Tunnel, the third stage of the game, which is when the difficulty goes through the roof for the first time. You ride on a hoverbike, with walls and enemies heading towards you. At first, it's pretty reasonable; the difficulty curve doesn't try to ''actively'' kill you until after the second checkpoint. What gets most people is when they place several short double walls in succession, as they require consistently timed jumps, or the section near the end with a bunch of high single walls, as it requires a delicate rhythm to weave through. Of course, once you finally manage to get through it, some of the later stages turn out to be ''even harder''.
64	** Level 11, Clinger Winger. It qualifies for two reasons: First, due to a bug, it is ''impossible'' to win when playing two players in the American NES release (it was fixed in the Japanese and European NES releases as well as in the Genesis remake and its appearance in ''Rare Replay''), meaning it is impossible to win the game unless you're playing solo (or wait for the other player to lose all their lives so you can continue by yourself). The other reason is that there is very little room for error: you're riding a vehicle along a wall that diverts into four directions, and you need to push the corresponding direction on the d-pad to move quickly. You slow way down any instant you aren't doing this, and your timing on corners needs to be absolutely perfect, as you only have a very small amount of margin for error until Buzzball catches up to you and instantly kills you, at which point you must restart the whole thing again. Whether it is harder on the Genesis version is up to debate, since the shape of the controller's D-pad makes it much easier to hit a diagonal and completely botch a turn, although Buzzball moves a lot slower than the NES version (even slower than the Japanese Family Computer version; Buzzball moves about the same speed as you instead of slightly faster). Oh, and you have to fight Buzzball that chases you at the end. Fortunately, they don't make you go all the way back to the beginning if you die to the orb. All bets are off with a second player.
65	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The rotation effect on the Dark Queen's Tower looks amazing by NES standards.
66
67	!!Rebooted Version
68	[[YMMV/BattleToads2020 Has its own page]].
69
70	!!''WesternAnimation/{{Battletoads}}'' -- The animated series that never made it past the pilot.
71	* AccidentalInnuendo: One of the towers in the Dark Queen's fortress looks very... phallic.
72	** A case that borders on Mondegreen, the 'toads transformation phrase "Let's Get Warty!" is often misheard by viewers as "Let's Get ''Horny!''"
73	* BileFascination: Plenty of people watch this just to make sarcastic comments about it. Even WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}} [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKkL-e5FfEA here had a shot at it]].
74	* LesYay: Some viewers found a strong homoerotic subtext in the scene where the Dark Queen grabs princess Angelica, who tries to push her away even though the Dark Queen is grabbing her closer.
75	* SoBadItsGood: If the wonky animation doesn't set an example, then the [[TotallyRadical bad surfer lingo]] probably will.

Context YMMV / Battletoads