Ratship Rumble is the fourth level in Battletoads/Double Dragon.
Overview[]
This level is played with our heroes riding on space pods in outer space while in pursuit of the Dark Queen's dreaded city-sized space battleship, the Colossus, on its way toward Earth.
Gameplay is reminiscent of the grandfather of shoot 'em ups Asteroids (Atari, 1979), as well as Solar Jetman (another game developed by Rare); pressing the Control Pad Left and Right will rotate the pod counterclockwise and clockwise, respectively, and the Action button is used to fire bullets. By holding down the Action button, an aiming device will appear; still holding the button down, the player can then direct this device onto their intended target, and once it locks on, the button can then be released and the pod will fire a homing missile. The pod has an unlimited supply of these at its disposal.
- Level 4 - 1
A direct homage to Asteroids, the player's space pod is thrown near the center of the screen and a myriad of Astro Boulders of all sizes will start entering and crowding the screen from every possible angle. These break apart when shot, but the resulting debris tend to travel faster and in random directions, and due to their smaller size they are harder to hit. Try to remain at the center of the screen and avoid moving as much as possible. Missiles are useful for destroying several asteroids at once.
After each batch of asteroids has been cleared, the Ratship will briefly re-enter the screen and deploy a new one. It will do this a couple more times.
After all three batches have been dealt with, the Ratship will reappear and start moving up and down, launching cross-shaped Mines at different heights that will burst after a moment of being deployed, sending out shrapnel in a cross pattern. The mines will yield increasing bonus points if destroyed one after another without missing. If enough are destroyed this way, they will eventually yield a 1UP.
Once the first batch of Mines has been disposed of, the ship will reappear and repeat the attack, although this time the mines will move much faster and send shrapnel flying out in a diagonal pattern.
For its last round, the Ratship will deploy even faster traveling Mines, now spherical-shaped, which will explode soon after being deployed (these don't send shrapnel flying out, but generate a wide area explosion).
- Note: Be on the lookout during these sections, as the Ratship may also deploy free 1UPs from time to time.
For its last round during this phase of the level, the Ratship will deploy flying saucers of all colors that will start shooting projectiles in random directions. These flying nasties are quite resilient, so try using your pod's missiles as much as possible.
- Level 4 - 2
During the second part of the level, the control system is the more familiar Left/Right/Up/Down, which enables one to move left, right, up and down the screen, with the firing of bullets and homing missiles working exactly the same way.
Gameplay changes a bit during this phase of the level; the player's pod is now fixed pointing at an angle, facing straight at the Colossus, and now the objective is to take the spacecraft down piece by piece while avoiding its vast array of devastating weaponry.
For the first phase, the ship will shoot a series of projectiles from its two side cannons. Take the opportunity to score some hits to each cannon between barrages and get out of the way before they start firing again.
After both cannons have been destroyed, the nose of the ship will generate a force field from its side "whiskers" and start shooting several energy rings in random directions. Once destroyed, the frontal whiskers will now act as Machine Guns and start shooting long barrages of projectiles straightforward. Again, try to take chances between the ship's shots to score some hits to its nose until all whiskers have been disabled.
In the next phase, the ship will start launching more Astro Boulders from the holes left from its side cannons. These travel fast and at different angles, and deal heavy damage upon contact. Destroy the launchers to proceed to the next phase.
Now, the holes left from the asteroids' launchers will start firing more energy rings. You know what to do, shoot both launchers down to trigger the next phase.
Yet another turret, this time located near the nose of the ship. It fires all across the screen in seemingly random directions, but more often than not, aimed toward the player's pod current position.
The last phase of this epic space battle; the ship will start shooting fast-traveling Homing Missiles from the remnants of the previous turret. Keep shooting it and the level will finally end.
Once all of the Colossus' arsenal has been taken care of, the Dark Queen's precious battleship will explode and become nothing more than cosmic dust. This is not the end of the battle, though, as a gigantic missile will appear from its center and launch itself toward its target destination: Earth.