| “ | The other half of the dire duo, she wants revenge on the 'toads for Ragnarok! As usual, you'll have to defeat her disciples before you'll get the chance to show her the error of her ways. | „ |
| ~ Official description from the manual |
The Dark Queen, real name Evelyn Volkmire, is one of the two main antagonists in Battletoads/Double Dragon, representing the Battletoads side of the two franchises. She is the arch-nemesis of the Battletoads and seeks vengeance against them months after her defeat in Ragnarok World (the events of the original Battletoads).
She joins forces with the Shadow Boss and his minions in her ambition to finally conquer the Earth, causing the 'Toads on their part to enlist the assistance of the Lee brothers to help them thwart this dark alliance.
Description[]
The Dark Queen is the boss of Level 7, Armageddon II: The Rematch, and the game's final boss, who awaits the player aboard her personal spaceship, following the defeat of the Shadow Boss.
When the player finally reaches her inner sanctum, she immediately transforms into a flame and starts moving along the floor, becoming completely invulnerable while in this state. She occasionally emerges from the ground to throw a fireball at the player, which is the only time when she's open for attack. Touching the flame will set the player ablaze, so it must be avoided by jumping around and hoping not to land on it, as it randomly changes directions. When she emerges to throw the fireball, she'll do so at random heights, so the player must be on the lookout and react accordingly by either jumping or crouching in order to evade the projectile.
Not everything works against the player in this battle, though, as the computer on the far-right will be throwing Bonus Pods into the battlefield every once in a while throughout the course of the battle, which will yield a random power-up, whether it is health, bonus points, or if lucky enough, even temporary invincibility or a 1UP.
As it apparently has become a habit of hers, once defeated, the Dark Queen will transform into a tiny star and cowardly flee away.
Gallery[]
Artworks[]
(NES)
(NES)
Sprites[]
Trivia[]
- According to Kevin Bayliss, who designed her,[1] the Dark Queen's appearance was inspired by Cassandra Peterson's character "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark".[2]
- Some artworks and portraits also show that the Dark Queen looks very similar to Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
- The Battletoads Media bible shows that the Dark Queen was originally intended to be the Gamescape persona of Evelyn Volkmire, the sister of Silas Volkmire.
- The Nintendo Power comic had her not related to Silas Volkmire, instead being his creation for Psicone by sheer coincidence. When she appears before Volkmire, he considers it a hologram, until convinced she is real and the Battletoads are her nuisance as they were created by Psicone. It also has Professor T. Bird mentioning "There was a time I was in love with her", but makes no further mention. Rash remarks that "she actually is quite a babe", in a twisted sort of way.
- The Dark Queen was planned to be also featured in a planned Battletoads fighting game, but Rare ended up creating Killer Instinct instead.[3]
- Curiously, her cape apparently floats behind her, as it is not shown to be connected to her neck or leotard in any manner.
- Though Dark Queen is stated to be 7 feet tall, she almost always appears even taller within the games; in Battletoads/Double Dragon she is four times the height of both the toads and Lee brothers.
References[]
- ↑ Retro Gamer issue #125, page 89.
- ↑ @Kev_Bayliss at X (June 12, 2018).
- ↑ @Kev_Bayliss at X (June 11, 2018).
External links[]
- Dark Queen at the Battletoads Wiki
- Dark Queen at the Villains Wiki