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Image: Secret Base

Developer Secret Base has released a short clip created as a pitch for Battletoads content, presumably planned as potential DLC for the studio's 2023 release, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons.

The clip sees shades-sporting Battletoad Rash kicking ass within a stripped-down version of the Double Dragon Gaiden engine, beating up punks with the Battletoad trademark super limbs, while using his tongue to pull the enemies closer, and even taking advantage of his iconic Turbo Bike - a vehicle sure to give fans of a certain age cold sweats to this day.

Speaking on social media, Secret Base suggests the pitch video was initially shown to Microsoft, which seemed initially excited about the concept but then cooled off, essentially "ghosting" the team. Frustratingly, it is theorised that Secret Base's email servers were a little borked at the time, and that perhaps further communication from the team simply wasn't reaching MS. Always check your spam folders, kids.

Rash was fully playable at the time of the pitch's completion, and Secret Base thanks animator David Zhang for bringing the pint-sized pugilist to life. The anecdote ends by suggesting that the concept of a new Battletoads brawler isn't quite dead yet, especially now that work has completed on Double Dragon Gaiden.

It wouldn't be the first time that Battletoads has made its presence known in other franchises. Battletoads and Double Dragon have previously teamed up for adventures on 8-and-16-bit platforms such as the NES, Game Boy and Mega Drive. And Rash himself joined the roster of Iron Galaxy's excellent 2013 Killer Instinct reboot as a Season 3 DLC guest star.

As to whether the three scaly scrappers (not forgetting The Dark Queen, of course) will ever make their return to a grander stage again - well, it's a tough call. The Battletoads IP is currently owned by Xbox Game Studios, essentially putting any future projects on a roll of the dice.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is available on PlayStation, PC, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

[source youtube.com]