Title – TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge
Platforms – PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC
Release Date – June 16th, 2022
Developer – Tribute Games
Publisher – DotEmu
MSRP – $34.99
ESRB – M for Mature
Disclaimer – This product is being reviewed on Xbox Series X. A review copy was provided by 110 Industries for the purpose of this review. This review may also contain spoilers for certain gameplay and story elements. Watch at your own risk, you have been warned. Gaming Instincts is an Amazon Affiliate and does gain financial benefits if you choose to purchase this product on this page.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge grabbed boomers and retro fans by their balls when it was first announced in March of 2021. A year and a few months later, the long-awaited retro-style title is about to hit the digital store shelves. So just how hard does the game hit us on the head with its nostalgia, or is it all just a fluke? Welcome to our official review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
Retro Love and Hardcore Gameplay
Most people are interested in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge because they simply want to relive their childhood of playing with their friends or family members at the arcade. This new title was inspired by the original TV show from 1987 and the videogame Teenage Mutant Turtles: Turtles in Time which came out in 1991.
In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, you can play as the four different turtles, including Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello. In addition to those characters, you may also play Splinter, April, and Casey Jones. Another new addition is the ability to play with six players, including yourself. Previously, the games would only let you play up to four players. The game also includes a full-on story mode with its own world map, and each level has challenges to complete and collectibles to find. And of course, this being an arcade game at its core, it does indeed feature an arcade mode.
My favorite part about this game is its art style. Some people complained that it looked too pixelated, unlike the less pixelized Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. I don’t know, I think the pixelated look fits it very well, but this is more of a subjective thing rather than an objective. As far as the gameplay goes, it feels exactly like you’d expect. A classic arcade retro game that punishes even small errors or miss-timed dodges severely.
The game also offers three different difficulty levels and even on the easiest difficulty, it can get a bit gnarly towards the end. People love to complain that Dark Souls and Elden Ring are near-impossible to beat or are unfair games, but I think those individuals have no idea how challenging a lot of the arcade games were back in the 80s and 90s.
The premise of the game is straightforward. Bebop and Rocksteady assault Channel 6 to steal the super gnarly devices to support Krang and Shredder’s evil plans, and that’s it. Your mission is to stop them from doing that and save New York City. The game has a variety of levels, everything from your regular New York city streets, rooftops, dirty smelly sewers, and much more.
Each of the turtles offers unique play styles as well. Some of them have a better range, while others are more powerful and have a weaker range. For example, Leonardo has a 2-star rating across Range, Power, and Speed, which makes him the most balanced turtle. Donatello, on the other hand, has the best range due to his long staff. There is a decent variety here, and not to mention the ability to play with six other people is quite fantastic because then you can utilize all of the character’s strengths all at once. As you play through the new story mode, your turtle can also level up and gain new abilities, which couldn’t be done in the previous title. Arcade mode, however, stays classic and does not have any leveling or any of the new-age mechanics that we see in gaming today.
A Fun Time
Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a fun game that accomplishes what it sets out to do. If I am being honest though, the gameplay can get a bit boring if you play it alone. It is best played with a buddy or a group of good friends.
Local multiplayer is supported along with your standard online mode, so if you want to feel old-school, you may invite your friends over for some pizza and video game time. It’s worth mentioning that the game is roughly only two to three hours long, depending on how good you are and what difficulty you are playing on. If you want to obtain 100% trophies or achievements, then it will be much longer than that due to how challenging some of the requirements are.
If you are looking for a good co-op retro fix, then Teenage Mutant Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a fantastic pick for that. If you are looking for something else or had way different expectations, then you should probably look elsewhere. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge will be receiving a final verdict of 8 out of 10.
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