I learned about the Toxic Crusaders games from AVGN. That greatly impacted how I viewed this game when I first started playing. Instead of finding a terrible game, I found an enjoyable Beat’em Up with a few Shoot’em Up sections.
This game is based on the cartoon, which was how I first learned about the character. I had no idea there was a series of R-rated movies called The Toxic Avenger. It wasn’t until much later that I learned about Troma and the movies they made.
Toxic Crusaders had a video game, a cartoon, a toy line, and a series of comics. There is also a line of Toxic Avenger comics. Marvel made both series.
This is another in a long line of R-rated movies that got watered down to make it more family-friendly. It worked for me. This was another in a long line of properties that appeared on my TV screen on Saturday morning. If I had known about the video game, I probably would’ve played it.
The game is surprisingly fun! I like Beat’em Ups, and this is a good one. It has a few problems, but they aren’t too bad, and they have popped up in other Beat’em Ups games considered to be classics.
TLDR: A Lot of Small Problems that Nearly Ruin the Game.
Narrative
This is your standard “girlfriend has been kidnapped” setup for a video game. However, this leads you to bizarre locations that don’t connect. I don’t like the story much, but I’m not here for a story. I’m here to bash people with a mop!
Gameplay
Toxic Crusaders is a Beat’em Up that includes Shoot’em Up stages and Platforming. This seems to be the biggest issue with the game. It tries to be a multi-genre game similar to Battletoads, and much like that game, it struggles to do everything well.
There are a few playable characters in this game. You select them from the options screen, which is incredibly stupid. You also might not know who the characters are unless you’ve watched the show.
Toxie is easy to identify, but I had to look up the other characters’ names. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find the Sega Genesis manual. I could find the NES manual, but the only way I could see the Genesis manual was to buy it. That was not something I was going to do for this.
I had to look up a character list for the cartoon. Then, I had to go off the character descriptions to figure out the other two characters. Here is a list:
- Toxie
- Nozone
- Junkyard
Regardless of who you choose, you’ll get the same intro. It is odd, but I guess it makes some sense because the developers weren’t going to create three opening scenes. It is just easier having the player rescue Toxie’s girlfriend.
The game does have a two-player mode. You need to select this from the options menu. This is something I don’t like about the game. You’re also locked into having Toxie in the two-player mode. I’m sure this was tragic for the kids out there who wanted to play as Nozone and Junkyard. Were you that kid, and does it still bother you today?
I didn’t have any issues with hit detection in the game. The enemies react when you connect with an attack, and I never encountered a problem. Once you figure out how the enemies move, it is easier to take them out.
The only thing that bothers me about Toxic Crusaders is the platforming. This is something that shouldn’t be in a Beat’em Up. Having a jump button is fine, but forcing the player to make a bunch of jumps is unnecessary. The game is challenging enough that the platforming sections are an added frustration that isn’t needed.
You won’t encounter a lot of enemies at once. The largest number I faced was three. This can make the game a bit easy, but it will get cheap as you move through the stages. The platforming stages are where things get annoying.
The game also feels random. You go from a forest to a spaceship and a factory. Things just happen in this game, which might work for the movies and cartoon, but it doesn’t work for me in this game.
Overall, I like the game, but it has a lot of problems. Having to go into the menu to select the two-player mode is dumb. The platforming stages aren’t an annoyance that I wish wasn’t in the game. There is also no continuity between the stages. I wanted to like this game more, but forgiving some of the issues is hard.
Visuals
This is the best thing about this game! I like the gameplay, but the graphics are great for 1991. It doesn’t look as good as some of the other licensed games. The Disney games look much better.
The sprites are well-detailed and very colorful. You fight a bunch of guys in hazmat suits and the occasional mutant. The bosses are huge, but their weak spots aren’t easily identifiable. You need to flail around until you see the hit animation to know where to attack.
Between each level, a screen explains what is going on. No matter who your character is, the text is for Toxie. This makes things a little odd, especially when using Nozone or Junkyard.
It is also disappointing that there were no cutscenes. It would’ve helped a lot if there was a short scene of your character walking to the next location. Double Dragon could do this on the NES, but Toxic Crusader couldn’t do it on the Sega Genesis. It is very odd.
Overall, I like the graphics. The game looks good compared to other console games from 1991, but more could’ve been done. The lack of cutscenes and text for the other characters was disappointing.
6.5/10. The more I played this game, the more problems I found. I like the gameplay and the graphics, but there are some issues with what the game asks you to do. I don’t like the platforming sections of the game. It is a fun game, but there are several little things that built up as I kept playing.
Pros
- Easy to Learn
- Great Graphics
- Goofy and Cartoonish
Cons
- Cheap Deaths
- Lousy Platforming Stages
- Confusing User Interface
Conclusion
This is close to what I was expecting. It’s a game that isn’t terrible but has a bunch of problems. I had fun with it, but I found some little things frustrating, and they nearly ruined the game for me.
I wasn’t a big fan of the cartoon. I watched it, and then it was gone, much like other late 80s and early 90s properties. When I found the movies, I completely forgot about the cartoon until the AVGN episode on the games.
I don’t think this game is bad. It is what I would expect from a Beat’em Up. I like it a little more than Streets of Rage 3, even though I would give that game a better rating. Toxic Crusaders is a game that is fun to go back and revisit.