Battletoads (arcade Game) - Gameplay

Gameplay

Super Battletoads is different from the console Battletoads games in numerous ways, the most notable being that it is a three-player game and all three of the 'Toads can be selected and played at once. This version is also more of a scrolling fighter than the console games, which had far more emphasis on gimmick/vehicle stages. The player can select the 'Toad he wants to play as (the only other game to have all three as selectable characters was Battletoads and Double Dragon). Each one of them is unique in certain ways; for example, Pimple's attacks are slower than the others but deal more damage, and Zitz's attacks are able to take out a wider group of enemies. Every stage in the game starts with the 'Toads receiving a threatening call from the stage's boss.

The Battletoads attempt to once again thwart the Dark Queen's latest galaxy dominating plans.

• Stage 1: Protect the Starship!: The first stage begins in space on one of the Dark Queen's many space battleships, with many others firing in the distance. Being the beginning of the game, this stage is a simple, straightforward fight against the various rat and pig enemies. The boss at the end is General Slaughter, who can kick the 'Toads off the screen and out of a life, though the 'Toads can do the same to him.
• Stage 2: Ice Cave: Set in an icy cavern with new rat enemies (SWAT Rats, little Scammies, and Rabid Roodolphs) and other hazards such as slippery surfaces, blizzards, and falling icicles. The boss of this stage is Karnath the Serpent (presumably the ruler of the snakes from the Snake Pit stages of previous games), who lurks in the deepest areas of the cavern and makes attempts to eat the 'Toads. Upon his defeat, Karnath is violently decapitated.
• Stage 3: The Dark Queen's Battleship: Set on the Dark Queen's main space battleship. More new types of rats appear, including mask-wearing rats and the clones of General Vermin, and the 'Toads will have to watch out for the jet burners and incoming enemy aircraft. The boss of the stage, surprisingly, is not the Queen herself (whose holographic presence in this stage is merely for fan service), but rather Scuzz driving the Robo-Rat, whose mechanical armor gives it high attack and defensive power. After defeating the Robo-Rat, a bonus stage begins in which the 'Toads must destroy a rat's spacecraft as fast as possible, similar to the bonus stage in Street Fighter II.
• Stage 4: The Cave Pit: A downfall level similar in concept to the "Wookie Hole" stage of the original Battletoads game and other similar stages. Utilizing jetpacks, the 'Toads must descend into the pit and fight off incoming enemies. During this stage, the player can press the jump button to unleash a screen-clearing Super Smash Attack, though it has a limited amount of uses (dying or collecting power-ups can replenish it). This stage has no boss, but continues into Stage 5.
• Stage 5: The Dark Queen's Mansion: This stage takes the 'Toads down a long hallway in which nearly every type of enemy from earlier in the game appears and must be defeated. At the end awaits Big Blag, who attacks with powerful stomps and can increase his size to flatten the 'Toads.
• Stage 6: The Final Confrontation: The final stage of the game. The gameplay of this stage is completely different from any other level of the game, for it adapts the gameplay of a shooter rather than a beat 'em up and the 'Toads must shoot enemies from on top a spacecraft. In addition to the return of the Super Smash Attack, the 'Toads can collect other power-ups to utilize different weapons, such as a flamethrower. The stage takes the 'Toads across the sky and through an enemy fortress before reaching the final boss, Robo-Manus. When Robo-Manus dies, he shoots down the 'Toads spacecraft in a final blow, sending the trio crashing onto a nearby planet. Fortunately, they survive unharmed (being the heroes of the game), and quickly return to the Vulture thanks to their teleporters which they just happened to bring along.

Notably, the Battletoads arcade game contains much more graphic content and violence as compared to the home platformers. Every landed attack causes a visible splatter of blood, and some enemies can be bloodily decapitated, or made to explode into red goo. The game also contains some very crude humor.