The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise has an illustrious gaming history spanning over thirty years.
Almost every incarnation of these heroes has received a video game adaptation, but the most notable and popular amongst them is Konami’s arcade Beat 'em up series.
With the last game in the series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time being released in 1991 it’s safe to say no one expected another entry.
But Dotemu has teamed up with Tribute Games to revive the series, creating the long-awaited sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a direct sequel to Turtles in Time and the fifth entry in the series.
The plot revolves around the Turtles trying to stop another one of Krang and Shredder’s heinous plans that will see the four brothers, April and Splinter on a mission to stop them.
I love how the game plays out so much like the 1987 cartoon series with each level basically being a different episode.
It’s filled with so much charm and nostalgia at every corner with lots of inclusions that will please fans of the original games and TV show.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is simple pixel perfection, with Tribute Games doing an amazing job maintaining the original style of the game while updating the visuals.
The character models for each Turtle are just bursting with intricate details that set them apart from each other while personifying their individual characteristics.
They express themselves as they would in the 80s TV show, which just adds to the already high level of fan service.
Non-turtle characters such as Splinter and April have been given the same treatment and it's such a joy to see their gaming debut executed so well.
All the villains, especially the bosses, are also perfect pixel renditions of their cartoon counterparts.
Seeing Bebop and Rocksteady acting like buffoons while you battle them is just splendid and it's these subtle design features that really elevate the whole experience.
There are some new faces who didn’t appear in the TV show, so it's great to see them reimagined in this style.
Level designs are fun and reminiscent of the 80s cartoon New York setting. The developers have also done a fantastic job at crafting the supporting characters such as Irma, and Vernon, who even though they only have limited screen time still add to the overall sweet nostalgia of the game.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a fantastic looking game with every fine detail from the iconic series making an appearance in some shape or form.
The overall design is a testament to how much Tribute Games have paid attention to everything that made the game and cartoon fan favourites bring a near-to-perfect experience.
The soundtrack is developed by Tee Lopes who is known for his work on Sonic Mania. The game’s soundtrack is a perfect blend of retro-inspired tunes mixed with contemporary tracks that even feature some of my favourite hip-hop artists.
Fans will also notice several remixed tracks taken from the original TV show that pop up here and there.
Adding to the overload of nostalgia and fan service the game includes the original actors from the 80s cartoon who provide voiceovers for the characters.
The voice acting is superb with the actors giving stellar performances from the constant one-liners to the episode titles being read out, it's all very charming.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge features two main modes, Story and Arcade. They both allow players to play through the same adventure but with a few differences.
Story Mode takes place on a world map where players will be able to replay different levels at will. There are a ton of side missions and level specific challenges that will grant extra points and add to the overall challenge of the game.
Players will be able to change between each character after each level and get a free retry if they run out of lives.
The story mode also lets players level up their characters by collecting points which in turn increases health and the special meter. Characters will also unlock news moves the more they level up.
Story mode is probably where most players will be spending the majority of their time as this mode offers so much replayability, especially with all the characters and unlockables available.
Arcade mode recreates the conditions from the early games, granting players that extra bit of challenge. It will be an instant game over when players run out of lives and you won’t be able to switch characters at all until that run ends
Characters can’t level up, however, players will have access to the entire move set from the get-go.
This is a great alternate way to play the game and a nice addition as most fans would've played this way in the original games.
Levels are very linear and straightforward, where players will battle hordes of the Foot Clan.
Each level offers various types of challenges that go along with the location they are set in, so there’s alway something new to discover.
The levels do gradually get longer the as you progress with some even featuring mid-level bosses to add carnage.
There are a huge number of enemies in the game and they each have their own attack patterns that will force players to adapt and think of new strategies using their surroundings.
Having such a diverse roster of villains is great as it also forces players to really learn the combat mechanics as opposed to simple button mashing.
Boss battles are one of the highlights within the game with each villain executing a wide range of skills to defeat.
Combat is really fast-paced, but the mechanics allow for players to really brawl with the villains. Each of the characters has different stats, offering individual experiences.
Game mechanics have really been elevated from the previous games allowing players to execute various combos, throws and special attacks.
The game has a high skill ceiling which will push players to want to improve, incorporating all the news attacks.
A fun new addition is team attacks which can be unleashed in a variety of different ways, depending on characters positioning and what buttons have been pressed.
But one of the most useful skills is the taunts which will instantly fill up the power meter.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is of course a multiplayer game with local and online co-op included.
Local co-op allows up to six players to battle at a time, with the ability to join a level at any time.
The game will automatically scale the difficulty level to match the number of players.
Online mode will allow players to either create a party that can be open to the public, or friends or locked behind a password.
Players will also be able to jump in at any time via this method. There hasn't been an announcement of cross-play but surely this is something the developers must include down the line.
Verdict 5/5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is not only a fantastic follow-up to Turtles in Time but an amazing celebration of the entire franchise.
So much has been poured into this game resulting in a nostalgic but new experience like no other.
The initial campaign is a little on the short side but there's loads of replayability.
This is a must-have not only for fans of the series or genre but it is an excellent purchase that should not be missed.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is on for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on 16 June
