Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has carved its perfect video game niche through cooperative beat ’em up. Titles like the 1989 arcade game and Turtles in Time had fans fulfilling fantasies of kicking seashells with their friends, but it’s been a long time since our green heroes were the stars of a great video game. Shredder’s Revenge ends that drought and serves as a lovingly crafted tribute to TMNT’s glory days, giving fans what they remember while sanding down most of the rough edges.
Shredder and his Foot Clan have run amok in New York City and beyond, and it’s up to the Turtles, along with Master Splinter, April O’Neil, and an unlockable Casey Jones to stop them. Up to six players team up to battle their way through over a dozen colorful, detailed stages in an adventure inspired by the classic 1987 cartoon. While Shredder’s Revenge can appeal to any generation of TMNT fans, those who grew up in the ’80s and early ’90s will best appreciate how Tribute Games’ reverence for the series oozes from every pixelated stone.
I’m one of the fans who discovered TMNT during this golden era, so I couldn’t stop smiling when I recognized Easter eggs and encountered a fearsome foe or friendly face I had long forgotten. The cuts go deep into Shredder’s Revenge – a villain only appeared once in the cartoon – giving die-hard gamers plenty of well-executed fanservice. Hearing the original voice bring the Turtles to life adds a nostalgic cherry to the package, and a wonderful retro-inspired soundtrack is one of my favorites of the year.
Shredder’s Revenge doesn’t try to reinvent beat ’em up. Rather, Tribute Games refined the old-school template. You still largely press the same attack button to perform basic combos, but chaining air, running, and various special attacks provides enough depth to keep it from feeling completely monotonous. I especially love using the dodge/recovery button to dodge attacks, bypass defenses, or get right back into the fray when knocked down. Sending enemies into the edge of the screen, juggling them in the air long after they’re defeated, and throwing them onto the screen adds even more silly fun. Fighting flying enemies is less fun, however, as it’s harder to tell which plane they’re occupying. Missing multiple jump kicks only to be blasted in response pissed me off like no tomorrow.
Even with a full party of six players and a horde of enemies on screen, Shredder’s Revenge runs like a dream. Any semblance of strategy vanishes when half a dozen friends wield ninja weapons at once, but this offers its own chaotic brand of entertainment. Sure, getting lost in the sea of digital humanity often happens and can be mildly frustrating, but the joy of laughing and cheering alongside so many buddies puts that anger to rest.
Each character has unique traits like range, attack, and speed that differentiate them enough without making one feel better than the other. For example, Leonardo is the all-rounder, Donatello has the longest reach, Raphael and Splinter hit the hardest, while Michelangelo and April move the fastest, with variations in between. You can’t go wrong even if someone claims your favorite. Although I will always represent Donatello, I’ve had a blast using all of them.
In addition to a standard arcade mode, a story mode offers a goal-based variant. Rather than completing stages one at a time, players travel back and forth between them on a world map, meaning you can repeat them. This is because levels have simple objectives, such as: B. avoiding damage during the mission or performing a type of attack multiple times. Completing quests rewards points that level up characters, unlock new skills (which are available by default in Arcade), or add more health points and other stat buffs.
I appreciate how the story mode objectives led me to watch stages for collectibles, hidden characters, and traps to use against enemies. I wish side missions had more variety than “bring an ally this collection of collectibles”. The story mode might not be a colossal shakeup, but it’s a nice twist worth playing if you’ve already conquered Arcade.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge gives me what I wanted: a polished, hilariously funny throwback that plays better than I remember from the original games. Turtles fans new and old will find plenty to love, but those with a nostalgia for this era of the franchise will be in for the biggest treat. Invite some friends over, order a pizza and prepare to relive your childhood in the best possible way.
