Battletoads (1991 video game)
Battletoads is a beat 'em up/platform video game developed by Rare and published by Tradewest. It is the first installment of the Battletoads series and was originally released on 1 June 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was subsequently ported to the Mega Drive and Game Gear in 1993, to the Amiga and Amiga CD32 in 1994 (despite the former having been developed in 1992), and released with some changes for the Game Boy in 1993 in the form of Battletoads in Ragnarok's World. In the game, three space humanoid toad warriors form a group known as the Battletoads. Two of the Battletoads, Rash and Zitz, embark on a mission to defeat the evil Dark Queen on her planet and rescue their kidnapped friends: Pimple, the third member of the Battletoads, and Princess Angelica.
| Battletoads | |
|---|---|
American NES cover art by Tim Stamper | |
| Developer(s) | Rare Arc System Works (MD/GG) Mindscape (AMI/ACD32) |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Designer(s) | Tim and Chris Stamper Gregg Mayles |
| Programmer(s) | Mark Betteridge |
| Artist(s) | Kev Bayliss |
| Composer(s) | David Wise Hikoshi Hashimoto (MD/GG) Mark Knight (AMI/ACD32) |
| Series | Battletoads |
| Platform(s) | NES/Famicom, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear, Amiga, Amiga CD32 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up, platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
The game was developed in response to the interest in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. It received mostly positive reviews upon release, with critics praising the graphics and variations of gameplay; however, many critics were divided over the difficulty. It won seven awards from the 1991 Nintendo Power Awards, and has since been renowned as one of the most difficult video games ever created. It was later included in Rare's 2015 Xbox One retrospective compilation, Rare Replay.