Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is a creative game that utilizes the Ninja Turtle franchise and roguelike mechanics to great effect. Runs can feel a bit repetitive after a while, but the variety of tools and weapons, playable characters, and passion for the franchise make this a real winner all around.
Credit: Super Evil Megacorp
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate
Developer: Super Evil Megacorp
Price: $30
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (reviewed), Apple Arcade
MonsterVine was provided with a PC code for review
I had a great time playing Hades back when it came out, and I assumed it would influence quite a few games going forward. I did not expect a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game to take influence from it. This made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate a rather pleasant surprise, as it’s a robust title that will certainly please both TMNT and roguelike fans.
The biggest boon of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is the ability to play as all four drastically different titular turtles. Each plays in unique ways that suit their well-established personalities, from the extremely aggressive Raphael to the straightforward and reserved Leonardo. It’s easy to swap between runs, so you can try everyone out and find the turtle best suited to your playstyle with ease.
Credit: Super Evil Megacorp
The buffs you accrue in each run make for distinct playthroughs, with most of them feeling powerful and exciting to use. You can create some wild combinations with them, from having dashes shoot water and shurikens around to combos that end with lightning bellowing from the sky and nailing any nearby enemies. Throughout all my playthroughs, I loved mashing together all sorts of crazy combinations to see how far they could take me, which is the hallmark of a good roguelike.
“The core plot of trying to save Splinter makes for a solid enough story, but it’s these interactions with foes like Karai or allies like Nobody that keep the narrative interesting as you go through it again and again.“
The flow of combat in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is satisfying, as each turtle’s weapon can plow through Foot Clan ninja and Punk Frogs in their own ways. Combining your buffs with unique special attacks and ninja tools is an exciting process, as it makes you feel like the most powerful reptiles around. This is especially true after you enhance core stats between runs, which permanently makes your turtles even stronger.
Credit: Super Evil Megacorp
Given Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is a roguelike, you can expect looping gameplay to be part of the narrative. Like in Hades, losing/dying becomes part of the plot, and characters acknowledge that you’re fighting them again and again. The core plot of trying to save Splinter makes for a solid enough story, but it’s these interactions with foes like Karai or allies like Nobody that keep the narrative interesting as you go through it again and again.
Speaking of which, runs begin to feel a bit repetitive after a bit when you’re stronger. The early sections drag a tad when you’re powerful enough to plow through them with plenty of health remaining, which makes repeated runs less enjoyable after enough times. It’s still a blast to get to a new area or surpass your previous progress, but the precursor to that can wear a tad thin eventually.
The Final Word
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is a great roguelike that takes full advantage of both the popular genre trappings and the massive franchise it’s based on. Outside of runs becoming a bit repetitive over time, the game is a fantastic combination of two excellent ideas that fans ought to check out.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
