Battletoads
Battletoads is a 1991 beat 'em up developed by Rare for the NES, following three anthropomorphic amphibian heroes on a mission to rescue their captured friends from the villainous Dark Queen. It mixed traditional brawling with a wide variety of stage types, keeping the action constantly shifting.
The game is infamous for its brutal difficulty, especially the notorious Turbo Tunnel, where players race on speeder bikes and must memorize the placement of oncoming walls and obstacles at high speed. Its combat featured exaggerated, cartoonish finishing moves, with fists, boots, and horns ballooning to comic proportions on the final hit. Later stages piled on vertical descents, surfing, and rope-swinging sequences that demanded precise timing.
Despite, or perhaps because of, its punishing challenge, it became a cult favorite and a lasting symbol of NES-era difficulty. The series has seen revivals on modern hardware, and the original appears in classic-game compilations for those willing to test their reflexes.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Battletoads, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
Fight'N Rage Indie
€ 19,99A challenging retro indie brawler with varied enemies and combos.
Fight'N Rage runs on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Verified.
River City Girls Indie
€ 29,99A modern indie beat 'em up with tough combat and humor.
River City Girls runs on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Playable.
Castle Crashers Indie
€ 11,99The four-player co-op brawler everyone actually finished, cartoonish and endlessly replayable.
Castle Crashers runs on PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Verified.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition
€ 14,99A pixel-art co-op beat 'em up with RPG progression, in the classic arcade lineage.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Playable.
Battletoads (2020)
€ 19,99The modern reboot reviving the wild multi-genre brawling action.
Battletoads (2020) runs on PC, Xbox. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Switch. It is Steam Deck Playable.
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