Rating of
3.5/5
TMNT is Back and Good as Ever
Chris Kavan - wrote on 04/13/25
Back in the day, there were something called arcades where people of all ages would go... to play video games. Yes, well before consoles, computers, tablets and even cell phones made gaming easy, you had to seek out games. Even in my youth, arcades were waning but before they went out, they gave us some amazing experiences. Among my favorites were the huge four-player beat-'em cabinets that gave us The Simpsons, X-Men and, yes, Ninja Turtles beating down enemies before taking on the level's boss. Many, many, many quarters later, I can say that I beat every game at least once. You may be asking yourself "Why is this clearly senile middle aged man talking about arcades when he should be reviewing this game?" - first, get off my lawn you lazy, brain-rotted Gen Z (or whatever we're up to now) turds - and put down that Ipad because Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge reminds me of the old days from arcades to the attempt to replicate the arcade experience at home - and damned if it doesn't come darn close.
Looks and Stuff: While clearly updated for modern systems, Shredder's Revenge still very much instills a retro vibe - likely to strike that nostalgic chord with gamers just like me. Characters - be it the turtles or the enemies they fight - are inspired by the 80s animated version. There are several levels and the you drive around, fight the foot clan (and various other fodder) before ultimately taking on the boss. While the game includes plenty of popular characters, it also manages to throw in some pretty deep cuts - certainly it brought back memories for me. Level design follows a pretty standard layout - sewers, industrial, streets, etc. and with four players it didn't take many sessions to beat. Music is fine and while the voices are used sparingly, it was nice to bring back the original voice actors for the turtles from the original animated series. All in all, if you're a fan of TMNT or beat-'em ups or just fun - this one hits all the right notes.
Story: There's nothing very deep here - the turtles must stop the sudden re-appearance of the dreaded Foot Clan as they target the Statue of Liberty - and it seems that Krang's various body parts are also being gathered. Of course it means fighting a bunch of goons - along with the heavy hitters, Bebop, Rocksteady, Shredder - and some maybe not-so-well known villains including Rat King, Leatherhead, Dirtbag and Chrome Dome to name a few. The story mode goes for sixteen levels - so there is plenty of opportunity to debut some lesser-known characters both as enemies and people to save along the way. The story isn't exactly ground-breaking, however, but if you're a fan of the IP, it's certainly endearing.
Gameplay: Beat-'em ups live and die by the how it feels and Shredder's Revenge feels great. Each turtle (and other characters) have their own moves, specials, taunts and feel. With four players that games wasn't TOO easy, but it wasn't exactly that much of a challenge, either. The game gives enough health that you don't feel like you're constantly dying and it provides pizza to refill your health along the way at a steady enough clip. That being said, you can still die - and we did a few times - but it was never frustrating. In story mode you can rescue various people along with leveling up skills. Each level also provides a set of challenges to compete (most of the ones we did were completely by accident) - such as killing certain enemies or killing them in a certain way - that kind of thing. They are not necessary but for those who want a challenge - there they are. There is a true arcade mode as well - where, true to fashion, you only have a set amount of lives to beat the entire game. We were happy enough with story mode. The game even has DLC to add more characters and new multi-dimensional levels. Who knows - on a big enough sale we could go back again - seemed fun enough to me.
Replay value: Plenty - whether you like beating challenges, playing as other characters or want to experience an entirely different mode, this one has lots to offer.
Final Verdict: Although a bit short, the pure comfort food of a classic beat-'em up combined with a memorable IP makes me smile.
Presentation: 4/5
Story: 3/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replay: 4/5
Overall (not an average): 3.5/5
Time Played: 3.2h
Cheevos: 60% (18/30)
