Does this battery need to come off?

You mean the black battery case?

Not really. I think it's plastic welded shut. But I'm sure you could crack it open if you were so inclined.
It's potted. That's potting compound.
 
So I'm doing the surgery now. The batt still has a charge, apparently. Got magic smoke and lights while desoldering.

1. How do I drain the charge without dying
2. Have I now fried my board?

*Only 1 connector was still on the board. Game was plugged in but not turned on.
You won't. Just desolder each pin, and then carefully remove it.

Well, you could try. Go to the positive and negative terminals and bridge them with a resistor. It will sap the charge, but it isn't high voltage (3 to 5 vdc) so it isn't a problem to desolder and remove.
 
I've been able to desolder some more but that thing is really on there. I don't want to pry between it and the board but man is it tempting.

Fucking hate this part of the hobby.
 
So I cleaned the board as instructed, let it dry, reassembled, and powered up. Game will now not start a game, I cannot get into test mode, and digital display now looks like this. I guess I'll be starting a repair thread.20250810_130524.jpg
 
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