15 Video Game Mysteries Answered Years Later

3. Battletoads: What Was That Screenshot on the Box?

Battletoads was a tough side-scrolling co-op title that originally launched on the NES that saw you playing as anthropomorphic toads fighting your way through action-packed levels. It was a notoriously punishing game that precious few players got to actually finish before the days of memory cards, save files and emulators.

When it launched in 1991, one of the screenshots on the box displayed something that wasn't actually in the game. It depicted the toads on motorbikes driving through a fiery section. Those who were skilled enough to roll credits quickly realized this section was nowhere to be found throughout the entire thing. For over 30 years, this mystery was never solved, with many wondering how the absent motorbike part could be played.

In 2025, programmer Jordi Gutierrez Hermoso discovered footage of a Beta version of Battletoads uploaded to YouTube by former Tips & Tricks editor Chris Bieniek. In this version, the fiery motorbike section was clearly shown, during level 7. It turns out that this never actually made it into the final game, yet somehow, a screenshot of it made it to the box!