With the long-awaited return of Battletoads set to debut across Xbox One, Windows 10 and Steam on August 20 - including as part of Xbox Game Pass. This collaboration between Rare and Dlala Studios sees the toad threesome of Zitz, Rash and Pimple return in a new side-scroller that looks to capture the spirit of the original games from way back when.

When being the era of sweet parachute pants.



Adam Park, Head of Brand and Licensing at Rare, lays down the new Bettletoads skinny.

If you’re unfamiliar with the genre-busting gameplay of the Battletoads series, here are the essentials: Zitz, Rash and Pimple are three brawling bruisers from outer space who can morph parts of their bodies to dish out extra destruction. The targets of said destruction, are often the Dark Queen and her abominable allies, in action that takes place across a variety of beat ‘em up, platforming, and racing stages.

The tenacity and split-second reflexes required to beat the original Battletoads has given it a fearsome reputation among fans. Dlala’s new approach focuses on maintaining this mayhem while ensuring you have enough options to play at your own pace. That includes bringing in some buddies for couch co-op, which allows up to three players to drop in and out at will, along with difficulty settings designed to suit everyone from Tadpole to Battletoad. Just like before, you’ll be faced with hugely varied challenges as you play, including new vehicle sections and even some puzzle-solving this time around.

Nice to hear that the difficulty of the original games will make a return - and it's also nice to learn that we can lower the challenge for some more casual co-op action. As per the new trailer, the visuals here are impressive with the animation looking fast and smooth. Especially in the 21st century Mode-7 racing bits.