1980s
Battletoads
1989 · Beat 'em up / Platform · Arcade / NES
Overview
Battletoads is a classic 1980s beat 'em up / platform game developed by Rare for Arcade / NES.
Deep Dive
Battletoads is a classic 1980s beat 'em up / platform game developed by Rare for Arcade / NES.
Developer Story
Battletoads was designed by Mark Betteridge and Michael Wiley at Rare in 1991. The three anthropomorphic toad warriors — Rash, Zitz, and Pimple — were explicitly created to compete with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The game was notorious for extreme difficulty and friendly fire in two-player mode. The turbo tunnel level became one of gaming's most infamous challenges.
Did You Know?
- Battletoads was explicitly created to compete with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — Rare wanted their own anthropomorphic animal franchise.
- The Turbo Tunnel level (Level 3) was so difficult that many players never saw Level 4, despite the game having 12 levels.
- Two-player co-op had friendly fire enabled — punching your partner was entirely possible, and the hit stun was just as severe as from enemies.
- Rare applied to make a real Battletoads game after the TMNT licence failed to materialise, creating their own IP instead.
- The game's difficulty became legendary — asking if someone "beat Battletoads" became shorthand for asking about extreme gaming skill.
