When Tribute Games, the development team made up of members that worked on Scott Pilgrim vs. The World — The Game and the Gameboy Advance port of TMNT, were on board to develop the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles beat ’em up, I knew the project was in the right hands. Anyone familiar with those past titles knows that Tribute is one of the best when it comes to finding that sweet spot between retro nostalgia and modern innovation. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is the studio’s master class.
As both a huge Ninja Turtles and beat-’em-up fan, my expectations were high and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge met them at every level. Not only does the blast-from-the-past title give fans of the 1987 Turtles cartoon and arcade games a radical time, but fans of retro beat ’em ups, great co-op experiences, and arcade nostalgists will find themselves loving the “Cowabunga!” lifestyle. That all comes back to Tribute Games itself, which has worked its magic to bring fresh ideas and upgrades to a tried-and-true formula.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is another modern, retro-style beat ’em up, much like Streets of Rage 4 — though, I’d go as far as to say that it might be the best of that breed yet. Not only is it a great return to form that looks and plays the part, but its one that also innovates on the old genre by inventing new mechanics. As a result, it’s great for those who just want some retro bliss, but it’s much more than that for those who want a more in-depth experience that classic arcade games usually don’t offer.
Combat goes much deeper than you might expect at first glance. I can dodge cancel moves into other attacks and OTG (hitting knocked-down opponents off the ground) and wall-bounce enemies to extend combos. These techniques not only give you mileage when it comes to dealing damage, but they also show how deep the game can go when you begin stringing moves together.
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