At their Xbox E3 2019 press conference, Microsoft showed off a gameplay trailer for their Battletoads revival, and the new, updated art style to go with it.

You can check out the Battletoads trailer below.

The trailer showcases 3-player couch co-op, the classic Battletoads theme music, and a simplified art style that some are accusing of being shit “CalArts“-inspired (the style used by animated shows such as Steven Universe). This new take on the characters is perhaps most evident when comparing what is assumed to be the updated look for the Toads’ main villain, Dark Queen. She only appears briefly in the trailer, but it’s hard to imagine who else this character might be…

Left- Original Dark Queen (left), Right- new Dark Queen (possibly)

At this point in history, it would have been a miracle for the developers to stick with any kind of sexy, Jessica Rabbit-esque design. Lord knows that any Western developer that gives a female character a bust size any bigger than a B-cup or shows any skin above the ankles or wrists will find themselves under fire from the fun police (aka West Coast gaming “journalists”). But it’s fair to say that this new Dark Queen bears little resemblance to the original – in no small part due to it being incredibly generic.

Gamers were not shy in voicing their disappointment of the new look.

Like anything else, there are two minds regarding the Battletoads animation style, and not everyone was disappointed with the updated look.

What do you think of the ‘Toads’ new visuals? Is it fair to label the animation as “CalArts”? Are you still happy about getting a new Battletoads game after a roughly 25-year absence? Let us know in the comments!