It’s been a while since I last kicked some shell, and Tribute Games (along with Dotemu) took up the daunting task of creating a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game. After spending some time in the NYC sewers, I can easily say Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a resounding success.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Developer: Tribute Games
Price: $24.99
Platform: PC, PS5, Switch, and XSX
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review
Shredder is back (again) and ready to get his revenge on the turtles with his latest scheme that involves Krang and a whole host of baddies. Being a beat ‘em up, the plot is typically pretty to the point where you’re just there to stop the baddies and save the day. Taking some clear inspiration from the 1987 animated TMNT series, Shredder’s Revenge is an absolute visual and auditory treat as the game swarms the senses with constant visual gags or callbacks, all while a killer soundtrack blares in the background.
The game perfectly captures the sense of humor that made Turtles in Time stand out to me, with Foot soldiers performing various antics in the background like clothing shopping or performing on a competitive cooking show. It’s not just a lot of fun to play, but to watch as well. The game even features a few original tracks that play during key moments that really ups the theatrics. Getting to a certain boss fight, and having a song from Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, of Wu-Tang fame, come roaring in just gets you amped like nothing else.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge might be the best TMNT game since Turtles in Time. Playing through the game’s maybe three hour campaign, I felt myself falling back to when I was a kid and would go to the arcade purely to play Turtles in Time until my tokens ran out. Shredder’s Revenge manages to capture the feeling of how that game played, but with modern flourishes added. Taking cues from other games in the genre, Shredder’s Revenge has some much appreciated quality of life improvements that other games in the genre seem to be slow to pick up on. For starters is how snappy the combat is. Your character is effortlessly bouncing across the screen and pulling off these flourishing combos. Teammate maneuvers are also a part of combat and it never gets old seeing two turtles crush a Foot soldier between their shells.
What’s striking is how different each of the seven characters feel to play. Everyone’s here from the turtles, Splinter, April and Casey too with each member feeling distinct to one another. Casey lumbers about, swinging Foot soldiers across the screen with his hockey stick while characters like Mikey or April are more prone to juggling folk. Their animations are so detailed and unique to each character as well; when you play as Donatello, the way he fights and moves are all typical of the character. It’s one of the few modern games in the genre where each of the characters really feel unique from each other which is impressive considering how big the cast is.
Arcade enthusiasts can run through the game’s arcade mode if they want that classic experience, otherwise there’s a story mode to go through. It functions the exact same, except the levels are placed on a map you move across so you can play at your own pace and a game over doesn’t mean you have to start the entire thing over. Shredder’s Revenge also features a whopping six player online co-op, which honestly seems like the ideal way to play for maximum arcade chaos.
In a way to encourage repeat playthroughs, Shredder’s Revenge features a light RPG aspect where you can level your character up to gain stat boosts or new super moves. It’s nothing game changing, and feels mostly like window dressing, but I’d rather have it than not. I just wish they’d have maybe pushed a bit harder in that direction since because of how slow the leveling is, it took me an entire run through the game to max one character; so a more interesting system would definitely encourage me to jump back in sooner.
I will note, fans of the original arcade game might be keen to play this one on hard mode. I knocked the game out in a single three hour sitting without any trouble while on normal difficulty. Hell, I don’t even think I got close to reaching my last life or failing a stage ever. I still had a lot of fun breezing through the game, but those looking for that classic arcade difficulty might do best to start their first run on hard.
The Final Word
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is the successor to Turtles in Time I’ve been waiting my entire life for. Its only fault is that I wish there was more of it; Shredder’s Revenge offers a single slice of pizza when I want the entire pie.
– MonsterVine Rating: 5 out of 5 – Excellent
