The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were wildly popular back in the 90’s. From cartoons, toys and even video games. There were enough beat ‘em up video games to warrant a retro collection. Last year a spiritual sequel to the classic Turtles beat ‘em up games was released. Find out if it’s a worthy successor in our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge review.
Shredder is at it again
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge’s subtitle doesn’t come out of the blue. The classic arch villain of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is up to no good again. He attempts to steal the statue of liberty in order to replace it with a statue more to his liking. As the turtles spot this on TV, their conclusion is they can’t let this happen. Over the course of multiple stages, you’ll follow the villains trail while encountering all sorts of villains and henchmen from TMNT history.
The game is filled with characters and cameos from the popular TV show. It’s a proper beat ‘em up game and of course you can control all four turtles. But that’s not all. Right from the start you can even play as April or Splinter. And there’s even some unlockable side characters. Every character has their own weapon and playstyle, being further defined by varying stats. Some are strong, others agile and yet others are more balanced. Developer Tribute Games has done a great job in making these characters “feel” very different despite their movesets being largely the same.
Choose your turtle
As you progress with a character throughout the game, you’ll level them up. Increasing a character’s level has an effect on power, health and other attributes. It offers an incentive to replay the game with other characters. Additionally, there’s a new ending for completing the story mode with each character.
As with every beat ‘em up, gameplay typically means going through the stage from start to finish, beating up bad guys in the meantime. In this case, it means foot clan soldiers. Your move set is varied, with both ground based and aerial moves. Combine this with the ability to dodge, use super attacks and combos and you’ve got plenty of options. You’ll need them, especially in the later stages of the game.
Satisfactory difficulty spike
While the first batch of levels are really easy, they become harder as you go. I found the difficulty increase to be near perfect. It doesn’t have any spikes upward but rather introduces you to enemies and combinations thereof which require you to use new ways to beat them. Playing the story mode solo however was easy enough that I never got a game over screen.
The bosses in the game are reminiscent of villains from the TV series. You’ll start with Bebop and Rocksteady which will be very familiar to fans. As you go, you’ll encounter some rarer villains from the series. Unfortunately, boss fights in the game were rather easy for a beat ‘em up. Only the final boss managed to give me a hard time.
Something extra
While I enjoy beat ‘em ups from time to time, I usually find myself bored with them halfway through. I didn’t get bored with this game though. This is probably because the levels are hiding collectibles and offer extra challenges. If you’re perceptive enough, you’ll find collectibles you can turn in to certain characters in between missions. This’ll net you points that work towards your character’s level.
Additionally, to make missions more interesting various challenges are set. From not being hit a single time to tossing enemies into pits. Some are definitely tough and require expert skills. For the completionists out there, this’ll definitely bring you a few more hours of fun. Which is needed, because ultimately, while great, it’s a short game. I managed to complete the story mode in about 3 hours. However, as I mentioned before there is a specific ending for every character, each character levels up separately and there’s a classic arcade mode. The latter requires you to go through the entire game from start to finish with a set amount of lives. Plenty to do if you want to 100% complete it.
Made for co-op play!
Perhaps the greatest feature of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is co-op play. The game offers 4 player local and 6 player online co-op. There’s even cross-play support (Limited to Xbox and PC). My initial experience with the game was in 3 player local co-op. And I can say it’s one of the best games to play with your friends. The challenge ramps up significantly. I found the game a lot harder in co-op mode, in a good way. Enemies have more health and you’ll need to be sharper because there’s more enemies as well. I guarantee you and your friends will have an amazing time playing this game cooperatively.
Back tot the 90’s
Visually, the game brings back that feel of nostalgia perfectly. While it offers a pixelated retro look, honoring the style of the older turtles beat ‘em ups, it looks modern enough to feel fresh. Vibrant colors and lots of attention to detail which wasn’t possible on the 16 bit consoles back in the day. The stages are full of little details and cameos which are amazingly done.
And right as you start Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, you’re greeted by a remixed version of the classic theme song. It gave me nostalgia vibes and got me in the mood right away. The stages are accompanied by a modern soundtrack, offering hip hop songs or guitar riffs which fit the theme perfectly. True fans will also spot some old school soundtracks in between.
Conclusion
While Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a fairly short game, it does offer some replay value if you’re looking to 100% it. Additionally, its combat felt smooth and challenging. The game looks great and is a true tribute to the franchise. And the co-op mode makes it one of the best co-op games I’ve played in a long time. I definitely recommend Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to anyone who enjoys the franchise, beat ‘em ups or co-op games!
Pros:
- Co-op campaign
- Collectibles and challenges throughout stages
- Looks and sounds great
- Combat is smooth and challenging
Cons:
- Boss battles are a little too easy
- Fairly short
Grade: 9
That was it for our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge review. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is playable through Boosteroid, GeForce Now, PlayStation Plus Premium and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Be sure to follow us on Twitter right here.