They intersect with long platforming segments completely devoid of enemies, which is at total odds to the excitement and frenetic action of the earlier levels. The shmup levels are pure tedium, filled with copy-pasted sprites that look like they took a few minutes to whip up. In one of the final acts, you're hit with a barrage of genre segues that feel like they would've been more at home on Newgrounds' Flash web games section rather than on my Xbox or PC. They simply seem to have far more investment behind them. I realize this is how the original was, but it feels like this is an aspect of the game that should've been left in the 90s, especially given how much more polished the game's brawler segments are. Towards the end, though, it almost feels like the game was like a motorbike with an empty tank - running on fumes. Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)īattletoads starts off strong, with wild beat 'em up combat, an upfront boss battle, and a few small co-op mini-games here and there that give you a breather. There's even a gauntlet segment where you ride on an alien diplomats corpse as a sled. Many of the mini-games rely on all players to cooperate to solve timed puzzles, navigate rapid turbo bike segments, or brave dangerous platformer mazes. The sheer volume of mini-games and genre types inside this game is dizzying, and it gets even more rage-inducingly fun when you play on maximum difficulty.

Extra points from Windows Central for the Zune reference, Dlala.īattletoads is on Xbox Game Pass and supports local co-op, making it an awesome party game experience. It genuinely felt like something I'd likely see on Cartoon Network or Netflix, and it's something Microsoft should look into commissioning more. The game's levels are split up by surprisingly great story beats that are filled with fourth-wall smashing quips, 90s references, and self-referential deprecative humor.

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