Ready Player One's Climactic Battle Features Surprise Battletoads Appearance

Ready Player One builds up to an absolute fever-pitch as Parzival plans a massive rebellion against IOI, the corporation threatening to do whatever it takes to take over The Oasis and destroy it with ads and with greed. In the final showdown, the biggest and baddest character from every game and comic you can possibly imagine show up. An army worthy of Mordor is amassed and leading the charge -- leading the entire freaking army as the surge forward to attack IOI's fortress -- are the freaking Battletoads!

Parzival makes an impassioned speech to all of the inhabitants of The Oasis in hopes of rallying some king of competent offense against IOI. Their headquarters loom tall in The Oasis, surrounded by a powerful force field, as they attempt to find the third and final key which leads to the Easter egg and ultimate control of the virtual realm. Parzival lets everyone know that this corporation is out for their own bottom line first and foremost, and that they're willing to kill anyone to get what they want. Soon, the denizens of The Oasis respond to his call, and Battletoads fans were shocked to see their favorite old-school heroes leading the vanguard.

They're only there for a few seconds, but they're there in perhaps the most important few seconds of the attack. They're there as the battle-cry rings out, and the entire army pushes forward to assail this impenetrable fortress, even when it means losing all of their coin, items, and reputations. The Iron Giant is there, the Ninja Turtles are there, Tracer, Chucky, Spartans, and Lara Croft all show up for the battle, but they all follow behind our beloved Battletoads.

We'd love to see Battletoads enter back into the pop culture conversation. In the early 90s, Battletoads and Double Dragon dominated the arcades and Pizza Hut lobbies all over the country, and they gave their Ninja Turtle counterparts a run for their money.

Even recently we've seen the Battletoads come to new life in Killer Instinct as guest fighters, and fans went nuts when they showed up. We'd love to see these guys in a brand new game, and hopefully this appearance in such a star-studded spectacle will be the push we need to make that happen.

Did you catch the Battletoads in Ready Player One? Would you love to see a new Battletoads game? Let us know in the comments below!