Potential is definitely not realized, a step backwards from the original game in most respects
Game-play/Play-mechanics: While the original Battletoads featured a very easygoing kind of play-control, Super Battletoads takes a minor step back as the controls are a little more sluggish and less responsive. Very little was added or improved upon with regards to the play-mechanics as the game has hardly any new moves or ideas that were not present in the NES game, it feels like the developers simply re-hashed some of the game-play styles from the original and simply improved the graphics, and really the actual level-designs were superior in the first game. Super Battletoads basically takes some of the concepts from the first game like the descending down a level on a rope, the air-jet ride, and the snake riding and builds different level-designs, it all happens in the same order as the original game also, which really makes the game feel like a modest remix and not a sequel. The only really exclusively original levels are level 5 and the control scheme is so poor for that rail-riding level that you end up wishing that it was left out in favor of something else, such as another beat-em-up level. The bonus level between levels 2 and 3 is also a new concept and this is one of the more fun levels in the game, which entails sliding across a slick surface and knocking down pins. Because Super Battletoads only has half of the quantity of levels as the first game in the series, the beat-em-up portions of the game (Which are the most fun) are in short supply. Another thing to mention is that the button layout is backwards from most SNES games of this type, and there is no option to change the settings (Which is idiotic) so it takes some getting used to initially when you have become accustomed to certain buttons being used for certain functions in most of the other SNES side-scrolling games. Super Battletoads, not unlike the original, is also quite challenging, with many instant failure situations and a lot of pattern memorization that is required for success. The game is fun at times but much of the time I think to myself that this game could have been so much better and the effort from Rare in regards to the game-play comes across as phoned in.
Visuals/Artwork: The visuals quite obviously were the greatest point of emphasis and effort when developing this game, not a surprise since many developers were releasing progressively more visually impressive games for the SNES at the time. Super Battletoads is one of the most glossy games for the console for sure, and every area features a high-quality visual presentation and the bonus level in particular features some of the best graphics that the SNES has ever produced with its’ very impressive looking reflection visual effects. Although the visuals are very polished and refined, not every area has interesting or intricately designed backgrounds on display, but Super Battletoads is still a good-looking game with all factors considered.
Music/Sound: Music from a production standpoint is passable, and a couple of the tunes are somewhat catchy, but the arrangements are still pretty generic sounding and normally a Rare game features a much stronger soundtrack than what is presented here. Some of the pieces are reused from the first game, which isn’t really necessary since they were not all that great in the first place. In summary, Super Battletoads is a moderate letdown and it is not surprising that the franchise was ignored (Besides the Battletoads/Double Dragon games, which actually had more fun-factor) after this installment.