The core gameplay is here.
One or two players take control of some mutated frogs and go up against the Dark Queen,
the classic Elvira wanna be. The title heroes are going in to rescue their huge brother
Pimple who has been taken from his humble abode (kidnapped for the late person). They'll
take on various forms of life including pigs, rats, and a few mechanical monstrosities.
The levels vary from straight beat-em-up levels to platforming, to snake riding, to rope descending, to tower climbing. This variety is what made Battletoads so appealing on their home platform. Sadly, seeing this great variety in this version is nearly impossible. It's bad enough this game is so insanely hard, but when the jump and attack buttons are one in the same, it's a chore, devoid of any actual value.
To jump, you must press a direction and the attack button. To punch, you simply press the button. Pressing the D-pad at all while in the middle of a combo sends your character airborne. It's ludicrous. The standard CD32 controller has six buttons and there is no logical reason why another button couldn't have been assigned to jump. This one problem ruins what could otherwise be a great experience.
The same graphical style that players found on the NES is found here... exactly. With the absence of flicker, this looks like an exact copy. The cinemas are bit more colorful, but that's it. Still, even though it's not pushing the hardware, it does have a nice style and the characters are classic. Players can choose between either sound effects or music, but never both. For some reason, I could never choose the music. The menu simply wouldn't let me (above rating reflects that). The sound effects are sparse but serviceable.
It's hard to see such a classic butchered like this. Nothing has been done to upgrade the game to take advantage of the CD32's extra horsepower. The single control flaw is one of the most infuriating aspects I've ever encountered while playing a video game. Give the game some music and an extra button and you've got a carbon copy of the NES game.
