Debuting officially on August 20, 2020, Battletoads will finally be returning after a 26-year hiatus, with Dlala Studios teaming up with Rare to bring back the esteemed beat-em-up franchise. The game itself is sporting a much different art style, with the team opting to lean more into a retro cartoon aesthetic, yet, the core gameplay itself doesn't seem to have skipped a beat.
However, those looking for a more detailed look at the upcoming reboot are in luck, with Rare posting a 20-minute deep dive on its YouTube channel that pries further into what makes the reboot both a fun reinvention and nostalgic revisit of the classic franchise. Along the way, both Dlala Studios and Rare offer some insightful new revelations about Battletoads, including how it deals with difficulty and combat.
The footage itself has commentary by head of brands and licensing Adam Park, Rare lead designer Paul Collins, and creative director of the game, Dlala studio's AJ Grand-Scrutton. The trio discuss several of the biggest aspects of the game, all the while showing off some chaotic new footage that highlights some of the biggest changes from the 90s classic. It's clear from the gameplay alone that the title is looking to channel the outlandish nature of Battletoads through the game's eccentric combat, striking visual style, and detailed environments, with the game looking and playing like a slick 90s cartoon.
Interestingly, the three devs also clear up some longstanding questions for Battletoads fans, namely surrounding whether the game will implement the same rampant difficulty which stood as a pillar of the original release. "You can spam through the buttons and get through the game," Grand-Scrutton replies when asked whether it's possible for players to brute-force their way through Battletoads. "If you're just button-mashing, you're not going to pull off you're A and S ranks," he does claim, however, seemingly hinting that player skill makes a noticeable difference to the experience. Collins follows this up by stating that the difficulty "was definitely right for something like the 90s where you might only get one game so you want to get your money's worth. But, for us, we know its 2020... we wanted to make something that's approachable for new players."
Alongside this interesting tidbit, the video also addresses how integral teamwork is to the experience - with players able to drop in and out of co-op - a new hacking mini-game, the return of the franchise's notoriously brutal vehicle levels, and a bullet hell space ship section. It seems the game is much more varied than its predecessors, boasting various additional mini-games alongside some solid combat encounters.
Battletoads will be available on August 20 for PC and Xbox One.