Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

The success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is due in large part to the fact that it does not try to reinvent the beat-em-up wheel too often. I expect nothing less from DotEmu as they continue to resurrect some of gaming’s most beloved games and bring them back to life.

TMNT was more than just a television show for me as a kid in the 1990s; it was a way of life. Because of our location in the Middle East, we were unable to access this kind of content. Cartoons on Saturday mornings and, of course, pizza made TMNT what it was.

It wasn’t until I played Konami’s arcade game, TMNT 3: The Manhattan project, years after it had been released in 1991 that I truly realised how much I adored the mutant gang. I was enamoured with the idea.

By the year 2022, we’ll have a new game that appeals to gamers of all ages. Parents who played this game as children will now introduce their children to it on the Xbox, PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch as it becomes available to them as adults. To top it all off, if you enjoy beat-em-ups, this game should be on your radar if you have access to the gamepass subscription service.

So that you can get right into the action, there are only a few story cutscenes. With April O’Neil and Master Splinter, the turtles and Shredder are enjoying pizza and watching TV until they hear a breaking news report about the Foot Clan’s siege of Channel 6. Once you’ve completed the story, you’ll have the option to play as any of the turtles, April, Master Splinter, or even Casey Jones, a fan favourite.

A simple explanation of the fundamentals of various attacks, dodging and super attacks can be found in the tutorial. Charge your super metre in Shredder’s Revenge by taunting enemies or building up your attack gauge, but be aware that you’ll be vulnerable to attack for a few seconds while doing so. If you’re playing with friends, there are also team attacks and fun combos to make.

When it comes to chaining controls together, it’s all a matter of creative ingenuity. Streets of Rage 4-style gameplay can help you defeat the foot clan. Timing is everything when it comes to this type of action, as you can either dodge and then attack, but either way, the end result is spectacular.

Donatello’s attacks sacrifice speed for range, whereas April and Mikey’s attacks are faster. You’ll need a lot of time if you want to complete all of the side objectives and secrets in each level. With friends, you’ll have more fun than if you were playing alone.

This version also includes some welcome improvements. Using a super without first filling up your metre cost you a health point in previous games. Instead of your character saying they need to charge up in funny voice lines, doing this now won’t cause them to lose health.

If you lose all your health in co-op, you won’t die immediately; instead, you’ll be revived within 10 seconds, which is an intriguing mechanic. Having some pizza with a teammate can help you get back on your feet. A teammate can also give you two hit points in exchange for doing a cool high five move if you’re running low on health.

For one, there was only one pizza that could be used to revive your health, and in four-player sessions, it often came down to an honour system of whose health was lowest and whose was fastest. In Shredder’s Revenge, there are more than enough pizzas for everyone to share if you play cooperatively.

Only in the “Hard” mode will you face any real difficulty, as enemies are much more powerful and difficult to kill. To maintain the traditional gaming experience, there are fewer opportunities for players to gain additional lives and save their progress.

Three hours is all it takes to complete the game. You’ll have to spend some time if you want to play through all of the characters. It’s possible to level up all of the characters as you gain points. The final upgrade is a radical attack that gives you a significant damage boost, which is a permanent upgrade.

Minor annoyances, such as having to choose between playing with a controller or keyboard in the game menu, and the fact that you can’t switch between modes mid-game, were also found.

This must be emphasised at all costs. Everything from the visual gags to the music and voice lines will bring back memories of classic video games if you’ve ever played them. This is a great opportunity for new players to discover what made these games so great in the first place.

TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is radical, and I finished it with Michelangelo as per tradition. DotEmu’s revival of classic beat ’em ups is fantastic, and Tribute Games has created a fantastic party game! Cowabunga, TMNT fans! It’s time to chow down on some pizza and have some fun!