Rare Replay – Battletoads Arcade Tips

Last week we covered some tips for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) version of Battletoads included in Rare Replay. We offered some tips to get you through the game, as well as a video on the hover bike level. This week we’re covering tips for the other Battletoads game on Rare Replay, Battletoads Arcade.

For those unfamiliar with Battletoads Arcade, it’s a very different game when compared to Battletoads on the NES. There’s no hover bike level, and the whole game is designed to steal quarters from unsuspecting arcade patrons. That’s not to say the game can’t be beaten, but it’s a different brand of difficulty compared to the NES title. In the NES game, it’s simply a matter of knowing patterns and how to deal with each enemy. In the Arcade game you can know exactly how to deal with an enemy, but they’ll still grab your toad and drop half of your health.

The tips we’ve included here should minimize the loss of life in the game. If you’re playing the Rare Replay version, you have unlimited continues, but beating the game with a countless number of continues is no fun. Hopefully these tips will allow you to complete the game without losing too many continues!

Vertical Movement

As with any side-scrolling brawler, vertical movement is extremely important. Do not move left or right along the same plane. Enemies generally attack as soon as they’re within range and on the same plane as your toad. If you move vertically (up and down) as you move closer to an enemy, they won’t attack until you reach the same horizontal plane. If you start attacking as soon as you get close to the enemy, while still moving vertically, you can get the first hit in and avoid taking any damage at all.

Big Enemies

Of course the larger enemies are a different story and moving vertically won’t be enough to deter them from attacking. The biggest issue with the larger enemies is that your attacks and their attacks are more like grabs than standard combo attacks. If you get within range of their grabs, it’s almost impossible to escape their clutches and half of your health will be gone. Jumping toward these enemies with a jump attack will sometimes work, but even then you can be caught out of the air with no explanation. Dashing attacks can also be effective, but suffer from similar random drawbacks.

While alternating between jumping attacks and dashing attacks is a good way to deal with most larger enemies, once you’ve knocked them down do not continue to attack. Back away before they get up because they’re essentially invincible while standing up. If you’re too close they will get up while attacking and you won’t be able to do anything to stop them. Back away and wait for them to stand up, then continue your dashing and jumping attacks while also mixing in some vertical movement.

Using Weapons

When you see weapons on the ground (usually large pipes or something similar) it almost always indicates that a boss or some larger enemy is ahead. Occasionally it indicates a large group of smaller enemies is ahead as well. Do not pick up the weapons when you first see them, other than the guns. If a gun is dropped feel free to grab it and start shooting, but keep in mind there’s a delay when you pick up a weapon and you can be hit during this time. If you keep getting hit, leave the weapon and finish off the enemy the normal way.

Once you’ve cleared the enemies in the immediate area and it’s time to move on, pick up the weapon and be prepared to use it. If there are multiple enemies ahead, focus on one enemy at a time so you can lower their numbers while you still have the weapon. Ideally you want to defeat the enemy or only have one enemy remaining when your weapon runs out of juice.

Final Stage

When you reach the final stage the game changes into what is essentially a side-scrolling shooter. At this point it’s just as important to keep an eye on your toad as it is to watch your surroundings. Shoot enemies as soon as they appear on screen, but by watching your toad you will know when to stop shooting and move. When you see a bullet on a path to hit your toad, it’s time to make a move in one direction or another.

At the final boss it becomes almost necessary to look only at your toad. There are so many bullets flying every direction that you can easily take hits if you’re not paying close attention. Once again, it’s important to shoot things as soon as they appear on the screen, but with so much going on, avoiding enemy fire and surviving should be your top priority.

Keep a close eye on Prima Games as well continue to offer tips for the latest games. Don’t forget to check out tips for the original Battletoads, including a video of the hover bike level!