In 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made the leap from gritty satirical comic book to a radical Saturday morning cartoon, transforming into one of the most successful forms of children's entertainment in the late '80s and early '90s. There were countless video game adaptation of the Turtles with varying levels of success. The most impressive attempts were the two arcade games that had graphics that came close to replicating the cartoons and four player actions that ate quarters faster than the Turtles ate pizza. The developers at Tribute Games also share fond nostalgia for the 1987 incarnation of the Turtles and their early arcade games, so they created Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge as a tribute to them. So the burning question is can these Turtles still kick shell in 2022 or has this style of gameplay aged like a slice of pizza lost and forgotten under a couch cushion?

The latest TMNT adventure starts with the heroes in the half shell watching the Channel 6 news when they realize the new anchor in a nice suit is none other than Bebop, so naturally Rocksteady can't be too far away. The two mutant morons went to Channel 6 to steal some gnarly new devices for the latest scheme concocted by Shredder and Krang. What ever the Foot Clan is up to now can't be good, but seems to involve the Statue of Liberty in some capacity. The Turtles aren't known for cutting Shredder any slack so off they go to put an end to his nefarious plot.

Before heading out of the sewer to stop Shredder from enacting his revenge, the player needs to pick which of the six initial characters to play as. The available characters are Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Splinter and April. After completing the game a seventh character, Casey Jones, is unlocked. Each character is rated in the attributes of Power, Speed and Range. The play differently enough where it's fun to replay levels with different characters but the gameplay is simple and accessible enough where none of them seem unfairly over or underpowered, which is important for a game that supports up to six player co-op. Co-op includes both local and online.

TMNT: Shredder's Revenge plays like a classic beat 'em up, the player moves their character across the 2.5D plane and disposes of whatever enemy gets in their way. The controls are pick up and play accessible, but have had just enough modernization done where they feel contemporary without losing the classic simplicity. There are a variety of different attacks that can be performed such as upward jump attacks, crowd control Ninja special attacks and tossing an enemy through the screen just to name a few. There's an optional screen that shows the player how to execute each of the moves. There are two game modes: Arcade and Story. Arcade is the classic experience. The player will pick a character that they play for the entire game with limited lives and continues. There's no saving progress or any of the additional features found in story mode. In Arcade Mode high scores are uploaded to the online leaderboard and the player earns an extra life when they score 200 points, which old school fans will appreciate. Arcade is the standard old school approach, start the game from scratch each time and see if you can make it to the end.

Story Mode is a more contemporary take on the TMNT experience. In this mode players are able to save their progress and switch characters are each level. There are other features that differentiate this from the Arcade Mode. In between stages the player can select any previously beaten level by driving the Turtle Van to its location on the world map with an overhead view. In Story Mode points act as experience points, adding light RPG elements. At certain score milestones that particular Turtle will earn a bonus like an extra hit point, learn a new attack or get any extra gauge for the special attack. In each level there are secrets to uncover, such as cameos from characters such as the Punk Frogs or the Neutrinos. Finding and rescuing them will plot them somewhere on the world map. Each of these people want a certain number of hidden collectables and offer point rewards to whichever character delivers it. Story Mode is still a straightforward brawler at its core, but these additional elements help add to the replay value.

TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is a meticulously-crafted tribute to the classic arcade games. Finding the sweet spot between maintaining the essence of what made thirty-year-old games memorable while adding just enough modernizations is tricky, but the team at Tribute Games did a phenomenal job. Shredder's Revenge understands why the arcade games are great and expanded on it. Classic moments like Bebop and Rocksteady crashing into each other or deadly traps inside the Technodrome are acknowledged in this modern entry. Power pizzas that turn the turtle into a cyclone of destruction are plentiful, as are exploding oil barrels and the opportunity to return projectile fire on Foot Soldiers, along with the throws introduced in Turtles in Time. No new TMNT game will ever recreate the magic of being a kid and seeing the arcade game for the first time during the height of the franchise's popularity, but Shredder's Revenge has come the closest out of all the TMNT games released over the last three decades.

Shredder's Revenge is self aware that nostalgia is a major factor of its appeal. The animated sequences are true to the artwork of the original cartoon and the pixel art graphics are clearly an homage to early '90s gaming. The gameplay is also firmly rooted in that era, and like beat 'em ups of its time it can get repetitive over the two hours or so it takes to complete a playthrough. This makes it a title where a player's age may be the biggest factor in determining how much they're impressed with it. Fans who love the arcade games and want more of that will likely see Shredder's Revenge as a top tier attempt at following that template, while those who exclusively prefer more modern games may be put off by it clinging to the past. Shredder's Revenge does a commendable job of expanding on the different attacks the Turtles can pull off while maintaining the simplicity of retro titles. The original soundtrack is a mix of new instrumental tracks that would feel at home in a classic Turtles game and some new songs with vocals that include performers such as Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan. The theme animation has been redone to include some of the villains featured as in game bosses with the theme song sung by Mike Patton of Faith No More/Mr. Bungle. Lastly, as a treat for longtime fans, several of the original voice actors from the cartoon have returned to lend their talents to the game.

Closing Comments:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge caters to a specific niche audience, but couldn't have done a better job of it. The developers understood what made the arcade games great thirty plus years ago and build on it, creating a game that is rooted in the style of its predecessors with just enough modernization to feel contemporary. References to the classic games and cartoon are sprinkled throughout. Interactions with supporting characters like Vern and Irma are deliberately handled in a manner that would fit in during the 16-bit era. Shredder's Revenge does rely on nostalgia for the golden age of arcade gaming for players to be completely enamored with it. Without the nostalgia goggles, it's still a great retro beat 'em up based on its own gameplay merits, but for those who grew up with the classic Turtles, it feels like a fragment of childhood has been recreated.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Reviewed on PC

Platform(s)
Android , iOS , PC , PS5 , PS4 , Switch , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One
Released
June 16, 2022
Developer(s)
Tribute Games Inc.
Publisher(s)
Dotemu
Genre(s)
Beat 'Em Up
Multiplayer
Local Co-Op , Online Co-Op
ESRB
E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
How Long To Beat
3 Hours