Game Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Shredder's Revenge

The beat ‘em up genre is an often overlooked addition in the video game landscape.  I myself am one of the key perpetrators behind this issue because I never really considered there being much value in a genre of game which I considered so outdated. In my eyes the beat ‘em genre was in it’s prime when you were putting coins in the arcade machines. I guess I never really expected the genre to really offer or evolve much in the modern landscape of gaming. While I still don’t necessarily believe it has evolved substantially like other genres, that doesn’t really mean there isn’t some substantial value to be found in the current iteration of beat ‘em ups. Retro appeal is a clear element behind this genre and I often feel the best beat ‘em ups capture the simplistic yet addictive nature behind them. One franchise that I learned is quite synonymous which this genre is another 80’s retro classic; the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  There’s apparently a plethora of video game entries in the franchise heavily orientated around the beat ‘em up genre; one of its biggest examples in Turtles in Time.  One of the most renowned arcade games from back in the day; Turtles in Time has defined a legacy as one of the most fun and engaging beat ‘em ups out there. That legacy is important to recognize when talking about the present day landscape of the genre, because despite their age; the turtles clearly have the magical blueprint to make a lasting impression all these years later.

Developed by Canadian studio Tribute Games and published by Dotemu, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge is a beat ‘em up video game released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC and Nintendo Switch in 2022. Using the 80’s animated television show as a primary canvas behind the games visual design, Tribute Games used their prior experience on beat ‘em ups like Scott Pilgrim vs the World to help design and refine an experience which pays tribute to the original turtle beat ‘em ups like Turtles in Team with a lot of modern day quality of life enhancements incorporated behind it’s functionality and presentation. 

The storyline of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge follows Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo, Raphael, Splinter, April O’Neil and Casey Jones as they gear up to take down the evil Shredder and his Footclan who have returned from their previous defeat. With the help of his dastardly mutant henchman Bebop and Rocksteady, Shredder orders his Footclan to span out across the city and cause havoc as they prepare to revive Emperor Kang once more and take over the Statue of Liberty. This adventure will take the turtles and friends across the streets of New York as well as into the alien terrain of Dimension X. 

The narrative is fundamentally a means to an end in this game, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though it is worth noting. Anyone who is a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon show from back in the day will appreciate just how devoted this game is to recognizing it’s legacy. While each level leads onto the next with little build up or structure, the idea of the narrative is to keep you running through the pace of the game while giving you a collection of nice encounters with classic characters from the show.  There’s a ton of references that build up the structure of the games story and if you know your Ninja Turtle lore; I’m sure there’s going to be a lot here to appreciate.

Where the primary appeal lies in this game is in it’s gameplay.  Tribute Games did their homework when it came to detailing all the best elements of the beat ‘em genre. The biggest stand out is the choice in characters and the ability to play with a total of six players.  Each fighter you can pick has their own unique stats, animations and super move that can help make each encounter and playthrough of the game that much more distinct and memorable. I ended up rolling through the game as Michaelangelo as he has and always will be my favorite character and the way they nailed his fight style with the nun chucks was really solid. It’s good the game presents you with a variety of fighters too because the game is equally as varied when it comes to throwing a plethora of enemies and bosses at you to defeat. The difficulty curve is nice and progressive as you work through the game’s sixteen levels. You’ll start out fighting some pretty standard Footclan soldiers and then eventually you’ll be in Dimension X fighting of Pizza Xenomorphs. With a subtle progression system added on top, you get a nice sense of development as you work through the game and get stronger in order to face off against these enemies.  

The gameplay is solid but what really helps it leave a lasting impression is the design of the game. As the game is a clear tribute to the 80’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you genuinely feel like you are stepping back in time when playing this game. It emulates the euphoric feeling of being a kid and chugging away at the arcade unit with your buddies. That retro aesthetic helps keep the visuals in line with the era it’s trying to emulate too. Even the audio and music pays tribute in each stride by keeping the core theme of the cartoon show embedded into a lot of the soundtracks plentiful pieces. Tee Lopes is the credited composer for the game and you can definitely tell he was the right fit for the job with his work on prior retro games like Sonic Mania. 

On the whole, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge does everything right in re-capturing the legacy of the series and the video games that is so closely associated to it.  It’s a heavily enjoyable experience with fast paced combat and a visual style that really lends itself to the formula it’s based in. Even if I feel the beat ‘em up genre doesn’t have much capacity to evolve, I’m happy Tribute Games are out here proving refinement and polish is still a very clear direction to go in producing new beat ‘em up games for the modern era.