TMNT: Shredder's Revenge: A Blast From The Past

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is the newest game in the long history of Turtles games. Inspired by the 80’s animated series and arcade and home console games, it certainly feels familiar to those who have a history with the series. The game is a side-scrolling beat-’em-up game with pixelated graphics to simulate the older games of the series. Beat ‘em up refers to a game style where players constantly fight against opponents in melee and/or melee weapon combat. Side-scroller describes the graphical view in the game, which is from the side of the player.

Gameplay picture of TMNT: Shredder's Revenge.

The graphical art style makes you feel like you’re back in time. Photo: Steam.

Shredder’s Revenge, of course, features the main characters of the Turtles: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, April O’Neil, and Master Splinter. There is also an unlockable character, Casey Jones, who is also familiar from the series. The characters have their own unique abilities and skill attributes, so they play somewhat differently. Still, the changes are quite minor, and I can’t say to have seen drastic differences in the gameplay.

The gameplay itself is enjoyable. It’s nothing special, but being a side-scrolling beat ‘em up game, it’s just what you want it to be. While Shredder’s Revenge simulates the older Turtles games, it’s been updated in a good way, and for example, the character sprites look updated and fresher. Still, these changes have been done with good taste. I would still say that the game feels quite easy on normal difficulty, so you might want to amp up the difficulty right from the start.

The graphics in Shedder’s Revenge have gone through some updates compared to the older games in the series. Photo: Steam.

Shredder’s Revenge has two game modes: story mode and arcade mode. Story mode features, for example, extra lives and optional side content in each stage, while arcade mode is more brutal in difficulty with a limited number of lives and the game must be completed in one playthrough. The game also features a whopping six-player co-op, which I haven’t seen in any other game like this before. I played Shredder’s Revenge with two other players, and even then, the screen felt crowded at some points. I can only imagine how it feels with six players!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a blast from the past. The game is very enjoyable, especially when played in couch co-op mode with friends. The graphical art style in side-scrolling gameplay seems to bring you back in time. Still, if you’re not a Turtles fan, you might not get much out of it.

Basic information:
Publisher: Dotemu
Developer: Tribute Games
Platforms: Android, iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S

Release Dates:
June 16, 2022, for Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One
November 15, 2022, for PlayStation 5
January 10, 2023, for Android and iOS
Genres: retro, beat ‘em up, side-scroller
PEGI:12

Pictures: