Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge Review – Old-School Thrills, New-School Polish

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles carved its excellent area of interest in video video games by means of the cooperative beat ‘em up. Titles like the 1989 arcade game and Turtles in Time let fans fulfill the fantasy of kicking shell alongside their friends, but it’s been a very long time since our inexperienced heroes had been the celebs of an important online game. Shredder’s Revenge ends that drought, serving as a lovingly crafted homage to TMNT’s glory days that provides followers what they bear in mind whereas sanding down many of the tough edges. 

Shredder and his Foot Clan have run amok in New York City and past, and it’s as much as the Turtles, alongside Master Splinter, April O’Neil, and an unlockable Casey Jones, to cease them. Up to 6 gamers crew as much as brawl their manner by way of over a dozen colourful, detailed phases in an journey impressed by the traditional 1987 cartoon. Although Shredder’s Revenge can enchantment to any technology of TMNT followers, those that grew up within the ‘80s and early ‘90s will best appreciate how Tribute Games’ reverence for that collection oozes from each pixelated brick. 

I’m among the many followers who found TMNT throughout this golden period, so I couldn’t cease smiling as I acknowledged Easter eggs and encountered a fearsome foe or pleasant face I’d lengthy forgotten about. The cuts run deep in Shredder’s Revenge – one villain solely appeared as soon as within the cartoon – giving diehard gamers loads of well-executed fanservice. Hearing the unique voice solid carry the Turtles to life provides a nostalgic cherry atop the bundle and an exquisite retro-inspired soundtrack ranks amongst my favorites of the yr.

Shredder’s Revenge doesn’t attempt to reinvent the beat ‘em up. Rather, Tribute Games refined the old-school template. You still largely mash the same attack button to execute simple combos, but chaining together aerial, running, and various special attacks provides enough depth to keep it from feeling completely one-note. I especially love using the dodge/recovery button to sidestep attacks, bypass defenses, or instantly get back in the fray when knocked down. Sending foes careening into the screen border, air-juggling them long after they’re defeated, and tossing them on the display screen provides extra layers of goofy enjoyable. However, battling flying enemies is much less gratifying as a result of it’s harder to discern which aircraft they occupy. Missing a number of soar kicks solely to get blasted in response irked me like no tomorrow. 

Even with a full squad of six gamers and mobs of enemies on display screen, Shredder’s Revenge runs like a dream. Any semblance of technique goes out the window with a half-dozen mates swinging ninja weapons directly, however that gives its personal chaotic model of leisure. Sure, dropping monitor of your self within the sea of digital humanity occurs typically and could be mildly irritating, however the pleasure of laughing and cheering alongside so many buddies dulls that irritation. 

Each character sports activities particular person traits, similar to attain, assault, and pace, that differentiate them sufficient with out making one really feel higher than the opposite. For instance, Leonardo is the all-rounder, Donatello has the longest attain, Raphael and Splinter hit hardest, whereas Michelangelo and April transfer quickest, with variations between. You can’t go flawed even when somebody claims your favourite. Though I’ll at all times rep Donatello, I had a good time utilizing everybody.

In addition to a typical Arcade mode, a Story mode provides an objective-based variant. Instead of tackling phases one after one other, gamers journey between them on a world map, which means you possibly can replay them. That’s as a result of ranges have easy goals similar to avoiding harm all through the mission or executing a sort of assault quite a lot of occasions. Completing quests rewards factors that stage up characters, unlocking new skills (which can be found by default in Arcade), or including extra well being factors and different stat buffs. 

I recognize how Story mode’s goals incentivized me to watch phases for collectibles, hidden characters, and traps to make use of in opposition to enemies. I want facet missions had extra selection than “bring an ally this batch of collectibles” although. Story mode will not be a colossal shake-up, however it’s a neat twist price enjoying in case you already conquered Arcade. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge offers me what I needed: a refined, raucously enjoyable throwback that performs higher than how I bear in mind the unique video games. Turtles followers new and outdated will discover loads to like, however these possessing a nostalgia for this period of the franchise are in for the largest deal with. Invite some mates, order a pizza, and put together to relive your childhood in the very best manner.